What do you think? '96 F350 for sale
 

Went to look at an F350 for sale here locally. Thing has been sitting for at least 6 mos. and I've been glancing at it as I drive by for quite some time. Was a voluntary repossession, 220xxx on the clock. It's 2wd, 5spd, and PSD. The thing has an incredibly flat pass front tire so it's not drivable atm so no idea on clutch feel or how it actually drives yet.

They're asking $2,500. It DEFINITELY needs some work, will pretty much need 6 new tires, a new tailgate, front bumper is falling off, a few minor rust spots, driver's seat looks like a bobcat's been living in it. Once I powered it up with some jumper cables it fired right up. idled nice and smooth, not a single bit of smoke. Let it charge, turned off, and fired right up again. All lights were working, couldn't tell about gauge lights, too bright outside. I turned the AC on full blast and in the 2-3 minutes I had it idling it never got cold. Diesels are so loud couldn't tell if the compressor was kicking on or not, do you think it might just be the fact that it wasn't moving at all just trying to get cold on idle? Only other thing I noticed is when I shut it off it shuddered noticeably. I'm 100% new to diesels so would like some help here.

Took lots o pics for your eye pleasure.

Interior:
No radio, but what's missing in the hole on the bottom?
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Nice bud light bottle cap shift pattern. That adds at least $25 to it, right?
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Exterior

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This tire has become a rubber puddle.
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Tailgate's destroyed and won't open ALSO in this picture does it look like frame damage? Or is it just how flat the front tire is making it flex so bad? I've seen that these OBS Fords have some crazy flex between cabin and bed but not sure if that's what I'm lookin at here.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67...3/SNC00160.jpg

Engine Bay

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:scare2: oh god...that twist looks horrible! Jack up the front right and see if it straightens out. I'd check the box and frame rails for sure. If the frame is bent I see a parts truck.

Hmm interesting... The flex that I've seen on these things looks pretty capable and that front wheel is sitting on the ground, there's a large difference in height from side to side. Also there are no visible signs of wreckage on the truck. Everything seems factory.

NOT MY TRUCK OR PICS
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/u...p/DSCN1315.jpg
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holy crap... I stand corrected. that looks crazy. In contrast to the picture you posted it does look a lot more believable.

Even on my 95 CC/LB I had, when I would turn the wheels to full lock left or right, the frame would twist enough to skew the body lines by almost 2 inches. I had about 7 degrees of caster though.......

The body lines matched perfectly when the front wheels were straight but as soon as I started turning the wheels, the frame would twist a bit.
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...sofpics257.jpg

Ya apparently these OBS have yoga-like flexibility. Any idea on the bad shuddering when turning the ignition off? Is that a common thing or something for concern?

I won't pay $2,500 fo it:nope::nope::nope:

Damn, rly? $2500 for a RUNNING PSD dually?

I sold my 1999 F-250 XLT 7.3 PSD EXTRACAB, LONGBED, 2WD AUTO with 141,000 miles PIONEER AM-FM-CD 200 watt, NEW BRAKES, NEW REAR tires, NEW tranny(not rebuilt) 5 years old for $4,000 sold it two years ago when I bought my 2008 6.4:humm:

I wouldnt give over a grand for it, it looks pretty rough, I have seen better looking PSD trucks bring alot less then $2500 at the truck auctions around me...

First thing I would is blow up the tire and drive it, then if you're still interested do some serious negotiating I'm sure it could be had for alot less than the asking price. :c:

Yes...the shudder when you shut it off is normal...it will shake the whole truck real good, you might even here a little bit of a squeak too. 2500 isnt too bad but that thing is gonna take some $$$ to even make it a decent work truck. The Bud Light beer cap shift pattern indicator is a nice touch! Like the other poster said, air up the tire, take it for a spin, pay attention to how the front end feels, excessive steering wheel slop and if the bumps are real real sloppy that you can feel them straight through the wheel, then you might be looking a some serious front end work too. Woundlnt buy it without driving it...for sure.

Oh definitely not gonna by anything w/o driving it first. I don't know if the tire would hold air at all, although I can try. I do have a 35gallon compressor mounted in my current work van. Most likely will need a new tire before it can be driven, or at least someone locally to lend me a spare to swap out for a quick test drive.

These OBS have a really bad front end design by Ford, right? Pretty sure I remember reading something about it on here.

Why do you say it's gonna take some serious money to make a decent work truck out of it? But the absolute bottom line is - if they AC doesn't work, I don't buy. I've freaking had it with no AC!

I think the A/C should be the least of your problems, You can overhaul the A/C for less than $500 & it's an easy fix. Check the engine, trans, & suspension

As goes for the $$ end of it to make it last is my point, you already stated you are looking at 6 tires right off the start, thats big bucks there, if the front end is gonna need steering rods, or ball joints, if the brakes dont grind horribly, ( which they will at first sitting that long) they might smooth out, but that is a possibility, as well as the clutch, how it catches, does it chatter, slip, etc.... Also the ZF trannys on these are iffy too. My 93 460 CC LB had a zf missing 5th completely, but I didnt care, I just drove the thing around in 4th getting 9 miles to the gallon every where. Just depends on how far you wanna go with it. That high performance air filter looks like its ready for a ride to the landfill as well. You would also want to do fuel filter and oil changes right off the start.

It sure looks like a MONEY-PIT:dang: Hope your handy:humm:

if you buy it... get your motor oil changed and new filters for everything...

I'm actually very handy when it comes to stuff like this. But then there's a point where you factor in how much it would cost to have it done, then you think about all the money you've wasted in time - if you get what I'm saying.

Ya if I got it I'd be doing tires, filters, and fluids all around.

Eh I've got nothing but negative reviews. I don't know if you guys are just used to waaaay too nice trucks or if I'm just used to always having a vehicle that's piles of work. Either way, I'm not gonna buy something that's not gonna run and just be a big hassle. It's not the nicest thing in the world but if the mechanics (susp, tranny/clutch, turbo, injectors, etc) are okay I could turn the thing around 180 in a long weekend.

I'm actually more in the market for a 2nd gen Cummins DRW (DON'T SHOOT!) but for the right price I'll swing to Dura or PSD.

hell for $500 more then they want for that truck I'll sell you my first gen dually in my sig

Realistically does more than $1000 sound like too much? Isn't the drivetrain worth more than that?

Sure, it'll need a lot of work... But maybe it's worth it if you spend $4000 on it and keep it for 5 years. :tu:
If you have the time to invest in reconditioning it or bringing it back to better shape and have access to cheap parts I'd go for it. Looks like it could be a good project truck, unless there's anything that you couldn't do on your own.

Pull that air filter off and check and see how much dirt and dust is on the other side of it. If it looks the same as the filter looks run away.

My thoughts exactly. The thing runs, that much is for sure. Not a single hint of smoke anywhere, idles nice n smooth. Under the hood is filthy but it was primarily used in a rural area with lots of dirt and dust. The inside is the same way, covered in a fine layer of dust from years of being used as a work truck. As stated earlier, I can grab an air filter, fuel filters, oil filter, tranny fluid, oil, and anything else immediately needed and get to work on it the day I buy it (IF). It doesn't need to go into commission just yet as I have a '97 AstroVan that I work out of currently.

I'm in the auto industry by profession so access to parts, knowledge, and maybe a little labor isn't hard to come by.

Don't worry it will be checked out. The filter is really not THAT bad. It's slightly "smooshed" but i believe that has a lot more to do with design than actual neglect. If you'll notice the whole filter is that way all around. I believe it's just so filthy from its work environment. But a little TLC will change all that.

I really appreciate everyone's input on the topic. You guys are really helping me out and slowing my impulse on the subject. Either way I go I believe I will have made the right decision with your advice and the knowledge found on these boards. Keep the thoughts and ideas coming in, maybe there's a couple more of you out there that see the potential for a hell of a deal like I do. :tu:

Just try to get a lower price, cause if the seller was handy, he would have fix it up a bit & sold it for more $$$:humm:

I wanted a 2nd Gen cummins too but got a killer deal on the PSD that I recently got...just couldnt pass it up, and dont have to put much in it at all so it was a no brainer. I live up here in OHio, so to me the body on that truck might be a bit dinged up, but we are used to ROT and RUST, plus dings, so you got a head start on the fact that solid metal is in your favor to sink a few bucks in it and drive it for a number of years. As many have said, if they have stared at it for 6 plus months now, 2500 might not be their lowest number, especially if you walk in there after a test drive and give them the "grocery list" that it needs, and of course exagerate it so it sounds like you are "willing" to take on the "nightmare" you just drove! If you are gonna do the work on it yourself, then its in your favor if your gonna keep the truck for a while, which it not having body or frame rot on it, can work for you in the south..up here in the north, with rust, that is still a 2500 dollar truck or better as it sits in current condition and miles.

The seller is a small, local lender. The lady at the counter is friends with the man who owned the truck. She told me about the situation of him having to file bankruptcy. As part of that he had to "voluntarily" give the car back to the owner of it (finance company). He worked out a deal with them to come back and buy the car back once things settled a bit but unfortunately they just got worse for him. Now the lending company has probably $4-5k, maybe even more counting interest and late penalties fro no telling how long, tied up in a dilapidated ol' dually sitting out in their parking lot. They know the $4-5k is forfeit and at this stage in the game they're just looking for something to ease the debt and get that thing off their hands. I will absolutely offer them less, and judging by the info received here, if $2500 is the lowest they'll go, I'll have to pass.


Thank you, sir, for that common sense approach to the situation. What you said is basically exactly what I'm thinking. Once I have the cash in hand I'm going to head up there and see what needs to be done to drive it (if the tire will hold air or if I need to invest in a cheap pull off or if the spare is still on the truck). I'm going to take it the ~1/8mi. down to the local Ford store and have a tech give it a quick look over checking all those common issue type things. From there I'll have a good general sense of what the cost of parts will be and labor if necessary. Once I have that I can give it a good test drive and report back. I'm gonna low ball 'em and see what happens, worst they can say is no, but we may be able to find some middle ground negotiating room and work this out.

Once again, I appreciate all feedback received, and if you think of something else - let me know! Thanks everyone.

First of all think how much work it will take to get it the way you need it to be, tires,drivable problems if any, and the interior seat covers and other improvements.
2nd the engine who ever puy that air cleaner on should have thier checked shows poor maintance skills and make me wounder what other areas did thy short cutthe care of this truck, Trany cost a 1000.00 plus used good luck finding one.
I would not give over a 1000.00 for it if that Ilove the old 7.3 for power and realibity but and working but this is trash and the owner knows it. It's up to you but for me run away while you can. By the way I have a 25mm shell casing for my shifter does it all value to my 97 450?:argh:

The 'owner' is a finance company. But whatever the case I believe it has already sold so no more wondering. Leading up to attempting top buy I was really excited, but now that it's not an option I'm also sighing some relief at the fact that it wasn't quite what I wanted (want pw, pdl, at, 4wd, keyless entry would be nice...). Oh well, wasn't meant to be then. I must admit, though, through the month or so I've been trolling the OBS PSD sites I have grown quite fond of them. I will DEFINITELY end up with an OBS 250 o 350SRW CCLB as a fun toy truck some day.

Hell ya that adds value! That's awesome :tu: