I'm going to look at an 08 F250 PowerStroke 6.4L extended cab regular bed tomorrow. Its got about 110k miles.... really high. One owner. Its either an XL or an XLT. It looks like an XL, but its got the chrome alloy wheels (17 or 18's), a bed-liner and tube steps. I think the owner upgraded. The front grille is all black plastic, the mirrors are plastic, it has manual windows, vinyl seats and vinyl floor. It has an auto tranny, A/C, AM/FM/CD, and its a white in color.

The pictures I have received make it look like its in good shape. Looks like highway mileage. I'm having communication issues with the owner because he hardly speaks English.

What really attracts me is the price. Its VERY low, I mean way under-priced. I'm hoping this guy just doesn't know what the real value of the truck is and just wants it gone. That's what it sounds like. He knows it has a lot of miles for the year and has marked the price way down.

I'm going inspect the truck for accident damage, paint work, ect... I have a background in auto paint and I could tell in 10 seconds if it had been in an accident. I have basic mechanical knowledge, but I don't know Diesel. I'm going to try to obtain the service history. I'll write down the VIN and run it on AutoCheck tomorrow night.

What should I specifically be looking for on the truck? What are typical failure points and service needs of this truck? What are some issues that could easily be hidden upon inspection?

Thanks for all your help!

 

Welcome to FTE. Scroll further down the main forum listing and look into some of the issues the 6.4 has had so you know what to look for. I'd suggest you go to a dealer with the vin and ask for an Oasis report. You might have to pay for it, but it will tell you all the warranty work that has been done for the first 100,000 miles. Maybe even consider paying a Ford diesel tech to give it the once over for you.

If the price is too good, there may be something wrong with the truck.

 

I will be trying to line up a diesel tech to come out and take a look at it if my pre-inspection today shows that I find nothing wrong.

Can any dealer run the Oasis report and is there a website online where I can do it?

 

6.4's in general are VERY expensive on the repair end. If there's anyway to get a warranty, get one. They tow/haul great but I personally would not own one without a warranty but thats just me.

 

I would be scared of this one. If he does not know english...does he know how to maintain it?

Certainly get it all checked out and run the oasis and carfax on it.

You could also probably provide the vin to your insurance and see if they come up with something.

I would also pull up the flooring a little and check for stuff like water damage. In behind the seats and things.

There are alot with around those miles out there right now so I would not be so concerned about that.

Do check the hours on it see what that shows. An average of at least 35 mph is good.

Also what do the exhaust and tailpipes look like. Coolant? What is the level/color.

Look at the radiator seams down by the frame. Any rust is gonna mean a leak.

 

The dealer can run the oasis for you.

 

Just got back from looking at it. It is in fairly good shape. A couple dings and scrapes. It is in fact an XL with the tube steps and 18" chrome wheels with plastic bed liner and trailer-tow with built-in trailer brake control. Two tires are new up front. Two will need to be replaced in 2,000 miles or so. The windshield is cracked down the center. The airbag warning light was on. I checked the radiator and the A/C system, all seemed good. I couldn't find any sings of paint work and I checked the undercarriage and it looked muddy, but not rusty. I did check for flood damage and I didn't see anything that clearly stood out. The exhaust pipe end was blackish, as I would expect on a diesel. I did not check the coolant because the truck was already hot when I arrived and I test drove it. Drives straight, turbo builds power, stops straight, the gearbox seems good, what few extras it had... worked.
I did find out that the owner is actually a super small dealer. They traded a boat for the truck two weeks ago and really don't know much about the truck. They said it was just serviced, but who knows. I see a Texas inspection sticker that showed Nov 2010 expiration.
Asking price is just so low. Its about 45% under NADA retail or the same I could buy maybe an 01-03 at.
Build date was 06/07, so it is a very early 08 build.

This is either the deal of a lifetime or its got something to hide. I'm going to begin running the two VIN checks on it and see what I find.

I am not planning on keeping this truck forever. Maybe a half year and then flip it. I need a strong truck for a while, then I'll need a van.

 

I just ran AutoCheck. Clean history. It looks like it lived in Tyler TX, had one previous owner/lessee and was a lease or fleet vehicle. It went into service on 11/07. It went to Auction in 1/11 and then "VEHICLE SOLD BY FLEET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION" on 2/11.

 

No dealer service dept are open now. I even tried calling to PST and they aren't even open.

How can I get the Oasis report ran tonight?

 

Black pipes concern me. They should look closer to mine...so either he tuned it and took the DPF off or it has an problem and should be looked at.

Here are my pipes

 

The 6.4 is a "clean diesel" and should have no evidence of diesel soot on the exhaust pipes this is indicative of serious engine issues, the air bag light is also a concern they may have been removed and sold, you may be looking at a oil field lease truck being from Tyler in general these trucks are beat to death by roughnecks and well loggers who just don't care, they hit 100 k and auction for whatever they can get out of them I'd stay away as they probably pulled off the DPF so it wouldn't start brush fires and those things aren't cheap and you can't get it through inspection without it.

 

I don't think this was an oil field or logger truck. No way. The truck is in good shape for 100k miles. No tears in vinyl interior, very few paint problems, it may have done some offloading, but that's it. Its a 4x2. It looks like a construction/contractor truck that hauled a trailer.
If it has a DPF or not.... I don't know. I don't know what to look for or where it is. I'd almost be happy if they removed the DPF because I wouldn't have to clean/change it. Wouldn't that set a CEL light anyway?
And there is no inspection here in FL. Doesn't matter if the filter is there or not.

 

Do not buy a truck with out a cat or DPF if you get caught without it the fine is 10k that makes the deal not so sweet, just a warning for you! Caveat emptor!

 

I just looked up a picture of the PDF and I'm 99% sure I saw when I was under the truck. Even if it needs to be replaced at $2600, I'd still be buying the truck 40% under retail.
I think I'm going to call up a Ford Diesel guy in the area where the truck is, tomorrow and see if he will meet me and look over the truck (if it hasn't been sold by then!)

 

Don't get me wrong it's not that I don't want you to get a good truck at a great price, it's just that something does not seem right, and if it was leased out of tyler Texas it was leased to the oil service industry, that's all that's there! I just don't want want you stuck with something that will cost what you paid for it to fix it, sometimes to good to be true is just that please make sure there's nothing wrong as I have learned to never trust auction trucks!