Looked at a 99 F250 extended cab short box today.

It has a 5.4, about 130,000 miles. 196,000 kms.

Auto, 4x4, manual hubs. Blue interior, kind of looks like an XLT split front and an XL rear bench.

Took it out for a quick boot, air conditioning works good. There's a buzzing sound that's coming from the right bank valve cover though, not sure what that is. Kind of sounds like the power steering pump noise, but from under the valve cover.

It also has a winch bumper, winch, and a power tailgate, which will probably all be removed and sold if I do end up buying it.

So, my questions to you guys are the following.

What would that noise be? What is prone to breakage on a truck that old with that mileage? Horror stories about spark plugs? The 2 on the right bank at the back look like a pain in the *** to change. Didn't look at the left bank. It's supposedly an ex-government vehicle, so I'm not too worried about maintenance records.

And the kicker, for all you parents out there. How did you find getting your baby in the back with a car seat? The rear bench looks a bit ... small. I know it'll fit in the middle of the front, but then that takes up my arm rest. Right now, our baby is in a Peg Perego travel system, but we have a Graco Nautilus on deck for when she gets big enough.

The truck seems to pull just fine, mind you I only had it out for a few minutes. No power windows, no power mirrors, no power locks, no cruise, not sure if the tape deck works, but that'll be punted in favour of a more modern stereo anyway. And holes all over the lower dash for equipment that has been removed, ie: cb and stuff.

Oh yeah, what's a typical tow rating for it?

I plan on going back again on Saturday to get a closer look, I'm gonna take my code reader with me. And some coveralls to crawl around underneath.

And they're asking $8950 for it. Almost seems too good to be true.

Looking forward to your responses.

 

If you want car seats comfortably in the back, you need a crew cab.

Mike

 

i just bought a 99 extended cab xlt with 5.4 and 151,000 for 8,400 with a 2yr. warranty.i love it.it "talks" for a minute or two which i am told is common.it tows my 8,000# camper easy and my 3 yr. old has lots of room.got it because of another baby due in 2 months and old truck just was'nt up for the camper and hauling coal.but that seems like a good price. if it was maintained well.good luck.

 

Well, that's not the worst deal, but it does depend mightily on the condition of the truck. This last spring, I paid cash for a 2004 Ford F250 SuperDuty Extended Cab 4x4 v8/5.4L/gas with 162,000 miles on it for $7,000 plus TTL. When I got it, it needed some work. By the time I was done loving it back to perfectly-maintained status, I'd spent $1500 on repairs. That puts the whole deal at $8500. BUT, I got *exactly* what I want.

The actual important part is this: I love my truck. It takes good care of me. I don't know what is a good deal, but if it's your truck, you'll know. Don't settle. There are a lot of good deals on used trucks out there, and you should not get the one that's here-and-now if it's not the one you're ready to marry. It is that kind of major life commitment, I think. So wait and get the one you really, really want. Right? Yes, indeed.

 

 

I think that's too much $$ for that truck, and you need a crew cab. I have yet to meet anyone with kids who was ok with the extended cab. Sometimes car seats take up more room (and therefore are harder to fit into the back seat) than the kids themselves. Then, the kids grow up and get big legs. An Extended cab is (to me) just not enough, unless you will only haul passengers 2x/year.

I've seen fleet trucks that had odd seats - like you said, an XLT front and an XL rear, or vice versa. I don't know what it is with seats, but when I see an F250 with oddball seats or an XLT with gray steel rims, I know it's a fleet truck that's been jacked around. There are some scary looking used trucks out there on various dealer lots.

 

Agreed. Too much $$ for a no option fleet truck and not enough room unless you want to buy another truck in 4 years when your kids start complaining about lack of room.

 

Thanks guys.

I think I've decided against that truck now, as I've done some more looking at craigslist and found a cheaper, newer, full XLT extended cab short bed.

I've also found a crew cab short bed V10 I'm gonna look at on Monday. Anything I should be paying particular attention to with that one? It's a 2001, 4x4, I'm assuming automatic. And how much of a pain in the *** are the plugs to change with that? Oh, and it's got 100,000 miles. They're asking $6500.

 

If you are looking for a short box then go with the crew cab. you really won't fit the kids in the seats without them kicking the seat backs in the super cab. You'll be looking for a better fit before to long. I'd figure needing to do afew maint items ball joints, fluids, brakes, exhaust manifold studs, check whether a spark plug has ever blown ... and negotiate accordingly.
You'll love the 6.8 for sure. Try finding one with the ZF 6 speed.
Good luck.

 

How do I check for that, assuming the seller can't say for sure? I mean, if all the plugs are there, and if they're "newish", who's to say a plug hasn't blown, but it got fixed? I'm not about to pull a plug to see if there's a helicoil in it.

And what's this about exhaust manifold studs? How big a pain are those?

 

for all the guys saying the price is way high, remember he is in Canada, prices are higher here.

 

The plugs aren't hard at all and the exhaust manifold studs aren't likely a problem unless the truck has seen road salt or de-icer.

My 2000 V10 Crew Cab 4X4 5speed Short Bed is a dream come true for me.

 

Well, I checked out the crew cab.

I'm impressed with the power of the V10. Lots of room in the crew cab, but it's only got seats for 5. 2 captains chairs and no center console. It's a milk crate.

Exhaust manifold studs look like they're all there. And where are the spark plugs? Are they under the valve cover? Or am I just not seeing them?

Got a bit of body damage, something landed on the roof by the 3rd brake light. Dents and dings here and there. And a nasty crunch behind the left rear wheel.

If it's still for sale when my Ranger sells, I might just get it, but I'd have to stipulate it passes a smog first. It hasn't been insured for over a year.

I'm still gonna keep looking in the meantime.