Buying a 2005 6.0L
 

I have a line on a 2005 X with what is claimed to be a full bulletproof kit. It is a limited 4x4 with 180k. Asking price $20,000.

Is that a fair price? Seems to be to me, but I feel like I may be missing something.

Can you see the oil cooler modification or the EGR modification?

It has a tuner, new turbo, FICM as well as the bulletproof kit.

What should I look for?

Just as a point of reference, I paid $16k for a bone stock 4x4 Limited with 142k on the clock, a little over a year ago in the greater seattle area. I would want some receipts for the new turbo and what is "the bullet proof kit"? Is it the oil cooler, the EGR cooler, head studs, or all of that, or none of that?

My suggestion to you would be to have a device like the ScanguageII, or one of the various smart device apps and read live info on the truck. Check out the tech folder on the 6.0 forum. There is a folder about buying a 6.0.

A list of what the mods are, and when they where installed would be helpful, but I wouldn't give them $20k without some receipts.

Looks what I found. The link to the 6.0 buying guide folder.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...used-6-0l.html

Happy reading. You might want to have this thread moved to the 6.0 forum. The Excursion guys are amazing, BUT you will get better 6.0 specific advise for the motor down there.

Rule of thumb...receipts or it's b.s. At most, a full bulletproof from a good mechanic is worth $5k. So if they're going to say Bulletproof, here's what it means: ARP Head Studs, New Ford OEM had gaskets, EGR Delete (or a BPD EGR), and a new Ford (not Dorman) oil cooler. Most '05's have '04 engines in them, which also should have the oil rail dummy plug o-rings changed out as well. If it does have an '05 engine, it's o-rings plus the SCT fitting. And if it's running anything other than an SCT tuner with a custom tune, I wouldn't touch it. Needless to say...I'd really drill the owner down on everything. And that includes what brand / grade oil they run and where they buy the filters from (nothing but Motorcraft). That will give you a good idea if you're about to lose an injector. And I'd want to hear the story as to why it needed a turbo. The FICM...no surprise there, but I'd want to know how it was replaced or rebuilt.

Most 6.0 issues are from poor maintenance. But when you have a bullet-proof one well maintained running a tune like IDP's Street...they're pretty awesome. $20k seems a little heavy, I'd be more in the $17-18k ballpark with that kind of miles. My target was an '05 with '04 engine and the Torqshift tranny and will probably drive it till it's dropping parts on the road.

I am little concerned going in naive. I know gas engines, but diesel is new to me. Always been something I wanted. The other problem I have is the trucks are out of state and I will have one shot at them.

It is offered at a dealer, and I am naturally skeptical of used car dealers. They say they changed all the fluids, did the ball joints and it is not leaking anything.

Yes you can see the oil cooler, as it would now be external rather than internal. I have been to the Bullet Proof Diesel plant and was very impressed.

That's assuming the truck has the oil cooler relocation solution from Bulletproof Diesel. If it does, I'd damn sure buy it! But most trucks that are advertised as having "the 6.0 bulletproofed" do not have that. The term has a loose definition, but at the least includes the replacement of the original oil cooler with the updated design by Ford.

To give a little insight, I was in your same position about 18 months ago.

I researched 6.0s greatly before purchasing and it took me a little over a year to find an 05 with an 05 motor. But I did...and it was 1700 miles away...but I dove in and drove it home from TX (added benefit...no rust).
I paid $14k...it had 155k on it at the time and is a fully loaded Eddie Bauer with second row captains and rear entertainment.
I checked the carfax, had a friend run the OASIS report and found that the only major work done was a PCM replacement in '08. And all owners had warranty programs that were never cashed in...doesn't mean they didn't go out of program for repairs, but it gave me slight peace of mind.
That was in Dec of 2012....since then I have rebuilt the front end including all links and wheel bearings; all four shocks and steering stabilizer; replaced the standpipes; last weekend I did a full coolant chemical flush, installed an EGR delete after throwing a clogged EGR code and having a cleaning not take care of it. I also replaced the oil cooler since I was in there (...only had a temp spread of 11°), cleaned/rebuilt the turbo, power washed the intake and replaced the IC boots and plastic cold side pipe. Also installed a coolant filter kit.
Most of this past weekend was elective, mind you. Cleaning the turbo and fixing the EGR issues was needed.
I probably have about $2000 in parts into it including an SCT tuner.

It helps to be mechanically handy when owning a 6.0....saves a lot in labor.

Otherwise...most of this stuff is one-and-done. You'll never have to think about it again.

Also, when researching them - input the VIN into FordEtis home page - it gives you all the build info you need, including build date - which will help if you're looking for that elusive '05 motor (most came after a build date in May/June of '05).

FWIW, I paid $17k for my 05 Limited 4x4 with 125k miles about 9 months ago. It had everything but headstuds done had receipts. One owner(old guy with lot's of money) in absolutely perfect shape. Pulled Oasis report prior to completing deal to make sure no surprises. It came with SCT tuner (not used) and Edge for gauges...........

Wow...never knew. Thanks a lot!!

Price depends on whether it is a bare bones XLT, cloth seats manual climate system, none adjustable pedals or fully loaded Eddie Bauer or Limited.

Sent from my Sprint PC36100 using IB AutoGroup

FordEtis says this:
Emission: With 49 State/Non Green State Req

Does that mean it is no good in California?

I wouldn't even consider paying that much. You'd be much better off with a low mileage gas model. Mine has 60k miles on it. They are out there!

mgraveman,

I can't find them for any cheaper with a bulletproof mod.

Look - don't get me wrong. I love ford trucks and I love diesels.

But this is INSANE!!

This truck has 180k miles on it and you are looking at paying a huge premium just because it has the diesel. The diesel engine wasn't even all that good in the first place.

I got mine last year - a 2003 Ex v10 4x4 with 57k miles on it for $10k. It isn't as cool as a diesel, but it's in like new condition. I can run it for years and still get most of my money back out of it. I'll pay more for fuel, but not enough to ever see the difference in initial cost that you are considering. On top of that, I get to drive a much nicer car than you would. You're probably justifying this by thinking about the gas mileage and how the diesel will last 300k miles. That may be - but the transmission, axles, springs, interior, and all the other parts are all the same.

Why not look at a newer suburban 2500. Your budget should let you get one a few years old with 50-70k miles on it. Why not look at a gas excursion? Do you even need a 3/4 ton? You could get an expedition? Heck, you could get a diesel suburban with your budget from www.duramaxsuburban.com

Duramax Suburbans Suburban Home Page

I'm not one to tell people what I think they should be doing, but you are looking at buying a truck for a LOT of money that will start nickel and diming you to death, and it won't be worth half or a third what you are paying when you go to sell it. I assure you that nobody except people on this forum care if it's been bulletproofed. I don't even care - I prefer one that has just been driven and hasn't had a tuner put on it. I even drive a 6.0 in the pickup! Frankly I don't even like that engine. It's too laggy for me.