The last diesel I drove on a regular basis was a military hummer in '93
Actually that was the last one I ever drove, so lemme tell you how it went..

The body is in perfect shape from what I could see, absolutely no blemishes (they even repaired the dented tailgate) that stood out. Started up fine, and returned 19.x mpg on a few mile drive that included in town and about 4 miles on the highway.

First off, the steering seemed to have a good 2-3" of play before something actually turned, is this normal? They did mention they had replaced one of the front tie rods. The drive was.... ok, I guess I expected more pickup than what I got, but it did give it if I stomped on it, maybe it's just so totally different to me that I don't know what to expect... (been driving a honda civic hybrid for the past few years) they did offer to let me drive a newer, different lower mileage model to gauge the difference.

At 65mph I think the rpm hovered around 1800? is that normal? Shifted just fine as far as I could tell, I know thats the trouble point in these trucks..



btw here is the truck

2002

the sticker on the vehicle was 17,900, they had it on ebay a few days ago with a minimum no reserve price of 14,900 and it didn't sell..

basically at this point I am just wondering if everything I just talked about is normal

thanks

 

Everything sounds normal to me. The 19.xx won't be accurate. It's called the lie-o-meter and is rarely correct, but it may not be too far off. Going easy on the accelerator will go a long way in terms of mileage. I average 19.8 MPG on my stick shift, but I've been accused of driving like a grandpa.

Acceleration should feel much slower than the little honda due to the weight involved, but you could put that honda on a trailer behind the truck and you won't even notice it's back there.

The "loose" feel in the steering is normal too. These trucks are made to haul or tow heavy loads and you have better control with the dampened feel of the steering.

You can read this link https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...questions.html
for more info on things to look for. If you decide you want more acceleration from your truck there are a ton of mods you can do, and the folks around here will make sure you do it right without blowing something up or wasting your money.

Welcome to FTE. If you have any questions about your new truck just ask.

 

Have you carfaxed this one? The front drivers seat looks like Bubba has been sitting in there or it has a heck of a lot of miles on it. Mine has over 100K and the drivers seat looks new.

 

Yeah neal I have, felt bad for continuously bothering you for them the history report looks good, it had been in 3 accidents, 2 in 2002 and one labeled as "slight" last year, and your right the leather isn't the greatest, but it's not to bad if I can score it for what I want..around 14000. It does have more miles (160k) than I want, was trying to keep it under 150k....at least it's close.

it sounds like everything I experience is normal, just with the interior was as nice as the exterior..

i'm not going to jump on this, still looking everyplace, but it's not a bad option

 

You have the right attitude going into this. Listen to what these guys are saying and you will come out with a good truck.

Look a little more, this truck has been wrecked 3 times. Do your homeworke and you will be fine.

 

Be pateint my friend. When i bought my last truck I looked for 8 months. When I found the one that I have now I actually walked out of the dealer ship,(long story). The owner called me on monday apologized.....made me another offer....I refused told him what I wanted to pay.....he called back.....Me being an a*****le waited a few days to call him back...paid what I wanted. So just be patient Like I told the man "I don't need to buy this truck, You need to sell it"

 

yeah taking my time in this purchase, I just feel extremely unknowledgeable about diesels. I get in a gas engined car and know what its supposed to sound like and drive. Diesel is a different story. I appreciate all the info you all are giving. I'll get there eventually.

 

There is a wealth of knowledge on this site and advice is given freely. Don' br afraid to ask.

 

heavytruk why don't you drop down to the Va chapter forum and see if any of the diesel guy's live close enough to you that they could go on some test drives with you ?

 

he'll, did not know that even existed, you bet I will. Thanks forthe tip!

 

I just bought my truck last week so all these questions are fresh in my head.

That link posted previously is valuable. Take you time and check a lot of things and don't feel silly doing so.

Here are a few things two things I missed:

1) I tried my best to see the brakes but did not actually examine all of them. Turns out my right rear brake is 90% gone. Gonna have to try my best to get the dealer to help me out with the cost of replacement. Problem is they are 100+ miles away and will be a pain to bring back to them.

2) After washing the car, I noticed that behind the two rear wheel wells along the bottom of panel (often where mud, stones, and snow hits) the detailer used this black tape stuff to hide possible rust or whatever instead of sanding it and touching it up. My truck is black, and they used this adhesive material that is an exact match to the paint on my truck. I don't know how I missed this but it should have been something I looked for. I try to feel through the tape and don't feel any dimples or holes. Knocking on it, sounds solid. Imagine there were some chips and possible rust marks. (Anybody else see this type of tape before? Must be a problem area.)

3) Found a few drilled holes in the frame where a plow must have been mounted. My truck had only 47K on it so there could not have been a ton of plowing done, expecially with the light snow the past few winters.

These things sort of annoy me only because I should have noticed them but I was so caught up in wanting to buy this truck so badly that I let my emotions blind me in a sense. You start thinking that this is the only truck like this left in the world. I better grab it before someone else does. So then you are willing to overlook certain things just to get the hunt for the truck done with.

I am totally happy with my truck. But these things are something I should have picked up and had the dealer address before I signed anything.

One thing I am glad about was that I had decided to really test how hungry the dealer was. I went there on the last day of the month (actually I think it turned out to be the last day of their quarter as well). They are under pressure to get their numbers up. They dropped quite a bit from what they claimed to be their "bottom line special internet price".

With the very high cost of fuel and a new line of trucks out, these diesels aren't actually flying off their lots.

That is a very nice truck you are looking at. Easy to fall in love with it.
Just remember to check everything including the CarFax and Oasis reports and realize that you will find several others that have the same look and features with even less mileage on it. If not this week, then next week. Or the week after that.

Good luck getting yours.

I know I wrote this with a lot of basic things that you prolly already knew. But figured I would just share what I did't do right and I think about now one week after bringing it home.

That being said, I would not trade my truck back for anything. I love it and look forward to adding a few mods and making it mine. I grow closer with it every turn of the wrench and wipe of the cloth.

Best wishes.

 

john, i'm not sure, but that "tape" may be from the factory. all the superdutys i've looked close up to have it. mine, my dad's, all the guys i see driving them. my truck is red, but on mine the "tape" is clear. if figured it was there to prevent damage to the paint. kinda like a windsheild tearoff. at least in my simple mind that's what i concluded.

 

I'm relieved to hear that. I can cross that one off my list.

...and un-mumble a few of those cuss words I said about the dealer.

Thanks.

 

Sorry for the hijack...

This picture shows the black decal I am talking about.
After running it through the car wash, the side lines became more noticeable as seen here.

 

No worries John. My gray truck had the clear tape on it when I ordered it new. That's put on at the factory.