1994 4x4 diesel, $2500 obo

Ok, group, what do you think? And things to look for. It's a bit bigger than the mid-size truck I was looking for, but, buy and flip?

http://newlondon.craigslist.org/cto/1874884369.html

In reply to triumph5:

I have that same truck only a couple years older and love it.

Real trucks dont have spark plugs.

do eeeet! do eeet now!

At exactly this time last year I picked up a '97 F350 7.3T with a 5 speed with a plow and tailgate sander for $4500. Sold the plow and sander for 1500, then the truck 2 months later when I got fed up with it for 5k. It was a great truck, somewhat unreliable though. I had problems with the heating coil in the fuel filter housing. It broke and shorted to ground, blowing the fuse for the ECU and stranding the truck. It took me getting stranded twice before I figured it out.

Stuff to look for: Rust on the spring mounts. What auto tranny does it have (3 or 4 spd?)? How much do you plan on driving it? I'd pop a glow plug and see if they need to be replaced. Ford diesels are notorious for fuel leaks (mine included). Being that its non turbo, its an older IDI and not the powerstroke. That should be more reliable than mine since it's purely mechanical, the only electrical circuits should be starting, glowing, charging and the fuel shutoff.

I'd stay away if your flipping it. on the surface it sounds like a deal/easy fix, but i've heard horror stories about the 7.3 engines. And parts aren't as easy to find in the junk yard as they are for the v8's. Though the 350 sometimes commands more of a value. Good Luck, and keep us updated either way!

Flip it into a ditch, maybe.

Not gonna make a dime flipping that sweet unit, as its an IDI, not a Powerstroke.

Only diesel trucks that are worth big bucks when they get older are the 94+ Cummins Rams and sometimes the Powerstroke Fords. The older IDI engines like this one and Chevy 6.5 Diesel do not command a premium.

At first glance it seemed like a good deal, but what has mebothered is the "it hasn't run" part. I've done a fair amount of work on non-electronic diesels, and I've been having visions of blown main injection pump. Not cheap to have rebuilt. I've been kinda looking for a truck,for I forsee a major life change on the horizon, maybe--state of flux thingy, and this caught my eye for towing a moderate size trailer, and with a plow some extra money in the winter. Inflipping it, I was thinking along the lines of a $600 to $800 profit. I'll take a look at it tomorrow. I spent this morning brining my new computer back after the hard drive started making odd noises, so the truck's gotta wait.

CaptainSpaulding wrote: Real trucks dont have spark plugs.

tell that to my 454, which outpulls my buddy's 7.3 idi ford when you start throwing many tons behind it.

digdug18 wrote: I'd stay away if your flipping it. on the surface it sounds like a deal/easy fix, but i've heard horror stories about the 7.3 engines. And parts aren't as easy to find in the junk yard as they are for the v8's. Though the 350 sometimes commands more of a value. Good Luck, and keep us updated either way!

I agree with your statement about flipping it, but where did you hear horror stories about the 7.3L?? I know hundreds of farmers and construction workers who work the hell out of them, and I've never heard any horror stories. Only love for them.

Additionally, I have NEVER seen a 350 command anywhere near the value of a 7.3L. I consistently see diesel trucks with price tags that are double their gas counterparts.

Plus, a 350 is not a Ford motor. It is a GM motor. Ford is a 302 or a 351.

But this is a F-350. It only came with the 5.8L or the 7.3L diesel.

SVreX wrote:

digdug18 wrote: I'd stay away if your flipping it. on the surface it sounds like a deal/easy fix, but i've heard horror stories about the 7.3 engines. And parts aren't as easy to find in the junk yard as they are for the v8's. Though the 350 sometimes commands more of a value. Good Luck, and keep us updated either way!

I agree with your statement about flipping it, but where did you hear horror stories about the 7.3L?? I know hundreds of farmers and construction workers who work the hell out of them, and I've never heard any horror stories. Only love for them. Additionally, I have NEVER seen a 350 command anywhere near the value of a 7.3L. I consistently see diesel trucks with price tags that are double their gas counterparts. Plus, a 350 is not a Ford motor. It is a GM motor. Ford is a 302 or a 351. But this is a F-350. It only came with the 5.8L or the 7.3L diesel.

Yeah, I was talking abot the f350 commanding more of a value, I realize its not a chevy... The horror stories I have heard about the 7.3 are from many of those farmers I'm sure posting on other forums about how expensive the motor is to work on, that the part prices are rather high.

I think the F150(since if i said 150 you would have no clue what i was talking about even considering the OP is talking about an F350) is a better truck to flip, there are plenty of them in junk yards and command a good price for them in decent condition.

And its the F350 commanding the value, not the 7.3 diesel thats in the truck, btw. The cummins and powerstroke engines are more sought after in those series of trucks and have a higher sticker price when compared to the non diesel trucks of the same year.

digdug18 wrote: And its the F350 commanding the value, not the 7.3 diesel thats in the truck, btw. The cummins and powerstroke engines are more sought after in those series of trucks and have a higher sticker price when compared to the non diesel trucks of the same year.

Isn't that a contradiction? In the first sentence you say it's not the diesel, in the second sentence you say the diesels cost more than the gas burners.

Diesels cost more. Any year. Any make.

Later model Cummins and Powerstrokes aren't being sold for $2500.

Generally, I would agree that the F-150 would be a better candidate to flip. They didn't come with diesels.

The F-250 is a lot more popular than the F-350.

But the original poster didn't ask any of that. He asked if this was a good price for this truck.

Yes.

digdug18 wrote: The horror stories I have heard about the 7.3 are from many of those farmers I'm sure posting on other forums about how expensive the motor is to work on, that the part prices are rather high.

Most of the farmers I know don't spend too much time on the internet.

The prices for parts for a 7.3 ARE high. But NOWHERE NEAR the prices of parts for a Cummins.

Being the guy that HAD to work on the Cummins and some DuraJunks too, at the Chevy/Dodge dealership, I take exception to the price disparity, both between makes and gassers. I also own a crank-no start 97 PSD right now.

Sure injection pumps aren't cheap@$1400-$2100, neither are $600-$800+$150 core/each injectors, and anywhere from $500 to $2500 turbos, but when do you really have to "fix" them? 200k? 300k miles? Ever? There aren't any hard, fast, set in stone rules that those parts HAVE to be replaced, unlike a gasser, which people IGNORE. If people were to adhere to that schedule, you would find that a gasser isn't cheaper. You also have to be able to fix a diesel once. You can't throw parts at it and fix it. but then again, if you realize that a diesel just needs air and fuel to work, you can fix it and where you need to look.

Now back to Ford 6.0/6.4/7.3's in particular, sure you can get in deep with money to fix something, but you spend money in way other ways compared to the GM 6.5/DuraJunk or 5.9/6.7 Cummins to fix them. Ford uses a high pressure oil pump to pressurize some oil to fire the injectors which then requires a different setup to fire the injector. It also has an injector driver module or similar to fire the injectors with 100-120VDC. The others pressurize the fuel via an injection pump to get in the cylinder. Again, different path to accomplish the same thing. A 7.3 HPOP is $900+core at the dealer, but if I do some shopping I can easily get a brand new Bosch HPOP for well under 300 plus I can get it modded for another 150. I am sure if you shop similar, you can get a Cummins CP3/VP44 injection pump for similar savings.

Again JMO here, but diesels kick ass.

Brian