Any ideas on these 2 trucks?

[kc0stp]

Saw this ad recently and was wondering what your guys thoughts are...

FORD F-350 CREW CAB DIESEL


Up for sale is my 1991 Ford Diesel F-350 Crew Cab Truck. I love this truck and I really hate to sell it, but I have no room for it and I need the money. I need to sell it fast, that is why I'm selling it for so cheap. This is a great truck, I have owned it since 2005 and I have driven it to Alaska, Mexico, and all over the US and it has been a reliable truck for me. It still runs strong and is the meanest beast around. This truck will pull or carry anything!

The 4x4 works awesome, the engine runs good and strong and the Manual Transmission shifts good. Reverse gear can be hard to get into sometimes, no problems at all with any other gears. I have maintained this truck well doing regular oil changes and other maintenance.

I recently put a new radiator and Alternator in it. I have a new fan clutch for it, it is not installed yet but drives fine without overheating as long as you don't let it sit and idle for a long time. A spring in the fly wheel is loose and clunks as it spins sometimes at idle and only at idle, my mechanic has informed me that it does not need to be replaced unless you really want to get rid of the sound that only occurs sometimes at idle. The truck is hard to start after not driving it for a while and in cold mornings, But if the truck is already warm it starts right up with no problem.

This truck has been awesome for me and it has done everything I have needed it to do without fail.

Not knowing much about these trucks this is a half educated guess but... Syncros for Reverse are going out, the dual mass clutch is starting to fail (any ideas on possible time failure?) fan clutch needs replaced and possibly glow plugs (will try to get a bit more info on the hard starts from him) and the icing on the cake is that the body isnt exactly in pristine shape (dents in the bed, left over company graphics on pass door). On the plus side it is 4X4 with the ZF5 tranny but only SRW and hes only asking $1500. Unfortunatly this is over in Cali so cant go take a look but should I possibly invistagte or just keep far far away (money pit to get reliable?) ?

And one more possible...

Up for auction is my 1992 Ford F-350 IDI Diesel. This truck is in very nice shape for the year. No Rust. The IDI diesels are international Engines like you would find in a school bus. Has 235,*** miles but dont let the miles fool you these engines rarely ever die. Non-Turbo. It is a 2 Wheel drive dually. Ext Cab, Power seats, Power windows and locks. Cd player. Has a tow package installed on to it for reg trailers, light hook up, and brake controller. About 3 years ago the truck was repainted. This truck does have 2 fuel tanks both are 17 gals so a total of 34 gals which with this truck i get anywhere from 25-30 mpg which is excellent for a Diesel. Id hate to see this truck go but its time for a new toy.

New parts..

New Tires, New brake booster, New cab lights, New Glow Plugs, New License plate lights. New Alternators, New batterys.

The engine runs strong now unlike the powerstroke this truck was ment for hauling not the get up and go. Ive never had any problems with this truck.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjHvXa9CDAs

Besides the fact that this guy doesnt know how big his gas tanks are and probbly cant calculate mpg accuratly (Im guessing closer to 15mpg...) this one sounds to be a much better example however its in PA so Ill end up spending $500-700 to drive it back here, current price is $1125 but thatll probbly go up. It also is only 2wd (probbly wont notice a diffrence but 4X4 would make a good backup vehicle in the winter) and the E4OD tranny which could cost big $$ down the road

Im also not a big fan of buying stuff sight unseen as Im not very trusting when it comes to for sale ads... (only 1 ton diesel for sale I can find in the state for sub $5k the seller is being almost completly uncomunicative) I know any IDI I get would need a turbo before I could trully use it up here but...

 

[saltbranch]

Not that this helps any, but the 92' I just got is also hard to get into reverse. Mainly when the truck is first started in the AM, after driving some it shifts easier. Definetly sounds like the flywheel is going to need to be replaced sooner than later. I did the SMF on my 89' and loved it. Will be doing it on my 92 when problems arise. Are Texas trucks out of the distance to buy? I have seen several good trucks for sale. Saw a 89' CC dually 5 dspd about a month ago for 3k, sayd everything including AC worked, looked very clean. If so I will keep an eye out, let me know price range. I got my 92' for 1500.00 with everything working, but that was a trade, both trucks worth more than 1500.00. I just had 1500.00 my trade

 

[Hydro-idi]

Both trucks seem to be okay in my opinion. It will come down to your needs and what you are looking for in a truck. For an example: Do you need 4 wheel drive? If you do, then the first option is a must. However, the owner clearly states that the gearbox is showing signs of its age....a little hard to get in reverse. It will probably need some work.....sooner or later.....when it comes to the manual transmission and clutch, flywheel, etc. This can be very expensive if done by a mechanic and not you. But again, the price seems great.

The second option is a nice truck as well. Looks to be a very clean truck and well taken care of. Although its 2wd, this can be both a benefit and an issue. Benefits include less parts=less expensive repairs if something happens to go wrong or wear out with the 4 wheel drive system. Issues are well......you don't have 4 wheel drive to assist you in sticky situations. Auto transmissions in these rigs seem to be good when taken care of properly. I also heard a nice running idi that has no visible smoke at idle which is a good first impression of the truck. A dually rig will be a little rougher ride but not by much. It will have the ability to handle quite a load when towing. If you can, test drive the truck. LOTS can be determined when doing this. If you pay close attention, the truck will tell you it's problems.....if it has any.

Again, this is my opinion but I am leaning toward the second option. But don't let my opinion change your mind too fast! More will chime in sooner or later. Hope this helps with your decision.

 

[Hydro-idi]

Ooops. It doesn't sound like you would be able to test drive it with it being an auction truck. Still looks like a good solid truck with a few new parts.

 

[Puller]

To me its not even a choice, a PA truck will be rusty so keep in mind that when you work on rusty stuff its a pain not to mention the guy flat out lies in his ad which would make me run away from that vehicle in a split second. I would wait for a nice rust free vehicle to pop up that suites your needs. The Cali truck seems okay and is rust free but will need a new flywheel case if its rattling somethings broken, it may drive a long time like that or it could puke out when you get home so figure in an immediate SMF to the sale. I not very trusting to people selling vehicles as I've bought a couple of vehicle's site unseen and they are always worse than the seller described, normally much worse! Good Luck!

 

[kc0stp]

Sounds like that yellow truck is getting air in the fuel lines so not a simple glow plug fix.

Not that this helps any, but the 92' I just got is also hard to get into reverse. Mainly when the truck is first started in the AM, after driving some it shifts easier. Definetly sounds like the flywheel is going to need to be replaced sooner than later. I did the SMF on my 89' and loved it. Will be doing it on my 92 when problems arise. Are Texas trucks out of the distance to buy? I have seen several good trucks for sale. Saw a 89' CC dually 5 dspd about a month ago for 3k, sayd everything including AC worked, looked very clean. If so I will keep an eye out, let me know price range. I got my 92' for 1500.00 with everything working, but that was a trade, both trucks worth more than 1500.00. I just had 1500.00 my trade

Price range is $2500 or less (preferbly less so I can afford a turbo...) , diesel, going to be used for towing only, need AC (im a wimp...) seats 4 (dont care if crew or extended) and prefer ZF5, turbo would be much appreciated, 4X4 and dually