Would you buy a 2005 F250 Diesel with high miles? I have been shopping for a used truck and come across some fleet trucks for sale that were used by sales men, not sure why sales men need a heavy duty 4x4 diesels, but any way they are what I have been looking for, right color, ext cab, 4x4, short box, etc. The last 2 left both have high mileage - one 175,000 the other 180,000. Is their any reason to shy away from these trucks because of the miles? Both are very clean never been wrecked, never pulled a lot or hauled a lot the maintenance records show well maintained and they want thousands below any book value. Not sure what to do, need to know how different is a 2005 6.0 then my 1995 7.3 Power stroke for mileage and power. Don't want to buy some thing that is going to nickle and dime me to death.

 

1st: Get an OASIS on each truck and post any questions you have about the report. It will show the work that has been done to the truck under warranty.

2nd: If you haven't already, get a CarFax report and check it thoroughly.

3rd: Climb all over both of them looking for leaks especially around the heads and bed plate.

4th: Start both of them up and listen to them run.

5th: Check around the degas bottle for any signs of puking coolant (residue).

6th: Drive both of them and really wring them out. After they're warmed up, get them out and really run the crap out of them and see if they have any hesitation other than the normal turbo lag. Check for smells of antifreeze / coolant inside the cab.

7th: Try to find out if either of them has any mods or has run a tuner or or any other high power mods.

8th: Pull the dipsticks and smell the fluids for any kind of burnt smell.


The 6.0 probably will not get the fuel mileage your 7.3 gets. The best I've done is 21.7 and that's in 4 and a half years of owning it. I usually average around 15-17 in mixed driving. There will be a very noticeable power difference in favor of the 6.0. There are several of the guys on here that have lots of miles on theirs and some of them will probably respond as well. If the OASIS, CarFax, and your personal inspection all look okay and it really is a killer price, go for it. If the OASIS and others look questionable or something doesn't look right, pass on it and find one with some warranty left. There are plenty of these trucks out there and many good deals to be had. Just takes a little bit of hunting.

 

jw how much do they want?

 

21.7... 15-17..? Are you talking miles per gallon or gallons per mile? I'm seeing 15 mpg highway downhill with a tail wind on a good day. 13.8 on average. Theres at least five 05 or 06's like mine without mods and thier owners say the same. All the 7.3 guys are looking at 18mpg easy though....

 

what do you have done to your truck im seeing at least 17 to 18 when im hard on it and low 20's when i baby it

 

The 21.7 was a one time best tank deal. The 15-17 is truly my average MPG. That's fueling to the top of the neck each time and hand-calculating. The worst I ever got was right at 12. I run 45 cetane all year and white bottle DK in the cold and grey bottle in the warm. The truck is serviced every 3,000 which I know some will say is overkill. Never had any powertrain issues. Run full synthetic also from stem to stern. Also, it's all stock.

 

go with previous advice. if everything checks out ok, i wouldn't worry about it at all. even if a few major things have been replaced (turbo, egr, etc) doesn't mean it's a bad vehicle. mine just sat for a few too many months before i bought it and after (deployed), so it ate a turbo. just look close.

as for fuel economy, this winter is the worst yet for me, and that's cos it's so dang cold up north (first winter up here). hwy average is in the 17 - 18.5 range. normal summer is 18.5 - 20 hwy. anything but hwy is 15 to 17 usually.

 

Dan, watch the videos on how to buy a used powerstroke from this guy on youtube. He is a PDS specific mechanic and puts some really good stuff out.

YouTube - HOW TO BUY A USED POWERSTROKE DIESEL TRUCK - 1 OF 4

 

I would follow Petah's list, especially the oasis and have a look over it. If you can pull codes and its not had a lot of issues that recur, i would go for it if the price is right.

I can get 20 mpg on summer fuel empty, about 18 mpg on winter fuel on teh hwy. Mixed driving in the 15s in summer, 13 in winter.

Highest empty mileage on summer fuel, speed controlled at 65 mph, 22.87 hand calc one tank.

No mods but the sig, fully synthetic, all maintenance done myself....

 

I average 20mpg or so easy at highway speeds consistantly and 13 to 15 in town but I like to lead foot my truck cause its load I should stop that. I need to stop denting the thing to I have already put 3! in less then a year Im over that!

 

Here's something to think about. It's an 05. You aren't going to get to 175k miles in 3 years unless you are driving on the highway non-stop. So you can be sure it's all highway miles. And if it was any sort of company vehicle it most likely received proper maintenance as well. I bought my 04 Excursion with 170k miles about 6 months ago. It runs like a dream. Just kept up with regular maintenance, I'm at 185k now, and expect at least another 150-200k from it.

 

Thanks for the replies everyone, as long as this old post has gotten a bump I will update every body. I spotted the trucks for sell on a Thursday evening called them Friday about the price and condition done my due diligence over the weekend (even talked to the driver of one, that drove it from mile one, he gave me all the history) it was the one I liked better, called Monday Morning for an appointment to drive it - got their less then an hour later and was told that he rechecked with corp office and both were sold. Snooze you loose, any time you see a deal on real estate or a vehicle you need to move fast if you want it. After all the help and positive input from here I am sure it would have been a good deal at 7500.00 Thanks Again.... still looking

 

thats pretty darn good

 

As Jay suggested, if it's a high mileage 6.0, 10 to 1 they're highway miles. A higher mileage 6.0 also suggests a trouble free 6.0.

When I wrecked my truck and my insurance company was on the verge of totalling it, I started looking for a truck like Jay's, but all Black. More often than not, the ones with lower mileage had an OASIS report a mile long and the higher mileage ones had very little other than recalls listed.

So if you ask me, check out the carfax and OASIS reports, but I doubt if this truck had any major issues.