Stopped and looked at a 97 F-350 today just to see the price tag. (Just in case it was reasonable) 97 F-350 4x4

I stopped and looked at this truck myself, and it is CLEAN!! especially considering it has been in PA it's whole life. It is completely a stock and looks like it has just sat in a garage since 97. But I would be really surprised if it sold for anywhere near his asking price. What do you guys think?

 

Mileage is low for sure, but do I see some dents along the top of the tailgate?

 

I think its high personally, maybe if it was a diesel, Im not saying it isnt clean, it is, but its just a 460.. a gas sucking monster.

no real acessories or add ons to make up, I would pay 7 grand for something like that and I feel like that is even high.

 

Steel wheels, dents all along the tailgate, gas engine. Something is up with that tailgate, I'm guessing a repaint. All it has is the car dealer sticker, it seems to me that it should at least have the F350 emblem. It also looks like it's an XL, so no air conditioning? It may sell at that price, but probably to some idiot with more money than brains.

Red

 

JMHO But that is over priced for a Gas, XL work truck with condition of the truck.

As for the no ford oval or f350 emblem, the XLs did not get them, but it should of had a FORD block letter sticker on the right side of the tailgate.

A/C was an option on the xl

 

I figured AC was an option on the XL's, but it wasn't listed on the dealers website, so I'm going on the assumption that it doesn't have AC.

Red

 

Drive it off the lot and get rear-ended, some insurance adjuster will total it and give you a couple thousand for it.

 

Ditto. It is not worth that much. I would agree that $7,000 would be top-end, if it is extremely clean and the tailgate was done right.

 

It's a 20yr old used bare bones work truck... that by the looks of it was never used for any work, but still I'd have a hard time paying $5k for it.

 

Thye also list it as having only a 19 gallon fuel capacity, which is wrong since it has dual tanks,

 

I am quite willing to entertain the idea that these trucks can fetch these kinds of prices. The cost of a new one would probably be much higher and there certainly is useful life left in this one.

Still, this one has some red flags. That tailgate is the big one. Not only does it have dents, it clearly does not fit properly. The gaps are not right and lines do not match up, particularly on the right side. You would think for the price asked that such a detail would have been fixed properly. New tailgates are pricey, but they can be found. Paint and decals are another issue. I would bet on a repaint as the color match appears slightly off and the Ford lettering is missing. All stuff that can be addressed, but the first impression is that there may also be other hidden issues.

The narrative on the video places the mileage around 50K. Still pretty low, but an indication that the vehicle has some history. I would expect a well documented list considering the asking price.

Since this is offered by a dealership, I have some concerns about why they have it. New car dealers are not particularly anxious to take 20 year old vehicles in trade regardless of condition. Doubly so when you see a Ford for sale on a GM lot. This makes me think the pricing is speculative. The purpose for having the vehicle in inventory is to generate traffic as it becomes a curiosity. I'll bet the visit prompted an offer to check out the lineup of new trucks. When and if this truck sells, I think it will be at half the asking price or less.

Still, I don't think I could restore a truck to that condition for that price.

 

that was my first concern.

Nope, it does not have AC

The only reason I stopped was to look at this truck, I never even glanced at anything else. And I think he knew I had no interest in anything else since he never even mentioned any other truck. And if you can do paint and body work yourself, one of these can be restored for less then that.

They are actually considered a Ford dealership with a Ford Service Center, but just recently started selling GM's as well. According to the salesmen I talked to this was not a trade-in. They bought it at an auction in NY state, and they only made a jump on it because it is completely rust free and everything works like it should

 

If it were 6k I'd think about it...~4000 I'd buy it.

 

Oh, and another thing I noticed on the truck is that it had auto locking 4x4 hubs, but a manual 4x4 shift lever in the cab. Is this common?

I don't see too many auto locking hubs on these trucks, but when I do they have always been a push button 4x4 inside.

 

Just for perspective-

I purchased the 1997 F350 4x4 XLT OffRoad in my signature for $15,000, roughly 6-7 years ago. It has a 5-spd, open 3.55's, the 7.5L, and came with Cooper 265's on Eagle rims. I am the 4th owner, and it had 16,661 original miles on it- I did a CarFax. I found it on eBay in South Dakota, bought a one way plane ticket, and drove it home to Ohio. It was nearly immaculate at the time; not a spot of rust or corrosion anywhere, and the engine compartment shined like new. I try to keep it as nice as possible, but it does sit outside and gets use in the winter. It has just over 37,000mi now.

The only thing it was missing was a diesel, but I couldn't pass it up. I used to have a 1995 F150 with a 393 stroker, and love that OBS look. There's a long list of neighbors in line to buy it.

My opinion is that you'd be paying too much for that truck, even being in very good shape. Ya gotta really want it...but I understand the insanity👍