Hey guys, I've been looking at diesel's for a few months now. I had a thread awhile ago about a 2000 f250 2wd. Now I've stumbled on a 1996 f250 4x4. Its asking price is about 2 grand less than what I've budgeted so that leaves a little room for modifications The truck has an auto tranny and some cancer above one of the rear wheels. The rust has eaten a little but from the pictures the seller sent me it appears to be minor. I'm wondering what everyone thinks of these trucks and if I should be concerned with its mileage at 163000. Thanks in advance ..this site is an AWESOME resource.

Oh and on a side note, I test drove an 01 Duramax this morning, nice truck, lots of power, but the leaking transmission and oil pan kind of turned me off and to think that truck was at a "reputable" local dealer haha.

 

I personally would go with the Ford - what engine does it have the 6.0L or 7.3L. 163k miles is barely broken in for a diesel truck, they can run for almost a million miles or more unlike the gas engines that run for maybe 200k... Is the 4x4 a floor shifter or ESOF (I don't know if this was available yet)? First off I would go see the truck in person, I say this because even if the rust looks minimal in the pictures it could be worse when you get up close - check the undercarriage too - if it was a former work truck or plow truck buyer beware because they can be pretty beat up. However if the rust is minimal the "cancer" can be easy to stop - some minor body work and rust killer (rustoleum makes a great spray for it) too...

Good decision regarding the 01 Cummins - sounds like more work than its worth.

I agree this site is a great resource on diesel trucks - its hard to find a good reliable site where people aren't bashing each other's posts because one's a chevy fan or ones a dodge or ford fan...

 

A 1996 F250 can only be a 7.3L...

To the OP, I also have a 1996 F250 4x4 that I am slowly building up to what I want. Its a great truck that does everything I need. Keep in ming with a 04-97 F250 you will have a TTB (split front axle) and no intercooler. Like dieselchick said definitely go see it in person and ask EVERYTHING about it. Don't be shy about anything. Do you research on every part of the truck and determine if it is something you like and that it will do what you need. I am biased toward Fords and the 7.3L Powerstroke but all diesels are god trucks. I hope this helps

 

i really regret selling my old 95 powerstroke, i loved that truck and am looking for another now, deffinatley go have a good look at it but these are great trucks.

 

the 7.3L PowerStroke is one of the better engines out there (the newer ones are like '99 - '03). Ford had such a problem with the 6.0L for a few years, and I still don't like the new 6.0/6.4/6.7L - Ford will never make another diesel engine like the 7.3L - I wish they would realize this....... Like DieselFreak92 said the 96's can only be 7.3L (a detail I had forgotton - thanks for correcting me DieselFreak92)...

My ex had a '99 F-250 powerstroke that he got off ebay (he was a diesel mechanic so he knew what he was looking at) - I forget which engine (prob the 7.3L) and it had 250k miles, brand new trans and brand new 9k engine - it was in great shape too body wise - he was lucky with that (I swear to myself that I loved that truck more then him -even though he only let me drive it once - selfish!! )

But his '99 F250 pulled my 2 horse bumper pull trailer like it was butter - we didn't even know it was back there! I myself am in the same boat as you trying to find a F-250 or F-350 diesel but I want my 7.3L haha - and I'm VERY picky on what I want truck wise so my search is equally hard for me especially trying to stay in my budget of like 16k

 

Hey thanks for the replies. Yeah I'm definitely going to get a good look at the truck before I make a decision. I really do like the 7.3L Powerstroke, especially in the old body style (late94-97) Ford's. The 99-03 7.3's are nice as well but there is something about the OBS that catches my eye. The problem I'm having now is finding an OBS that hasn't been beat to death as a work truck. When I first started looking for a truck I found a 1997 F250 that was absolutely pristine...I wasn't aware of how rare that is and I let that opportunity pass me by. Hindsight is 20/20 but I suppose I'm grateful because if I had bought that on the spot I wouldn't have educated myself about all the options one has when purchasing a diesel truck. ...I am aware the F250's have the TTB front end but I have also heard that a Dana 60 from an F350 is a direct bolt in..please correct me if I am wrong haha. Otherwise does anyone know of a good buyer's guide for a 7.3L? Would information pertaining to 99-03 Powerstrokes hold true for 94-97's? Thanks again for all the great info!