Is this 200k miles PSD a good buy?

OldManNeil

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I have been looking for a 4x4 CCLB for a while now and could go either way PSD or IDIT if I find the right truck. Obviously IDI are cheap to buy, cheap to own but I know PSD are the holy grail.

Anyway, I have found one for sale that SEEMS in good shape and I wanted to get some expert opinions here on whether it's a good buy or not.

$13k
1995 F350 CCLB 4x4 ZF5
215k miles

Interior good shape

Bed will need patching as it has a hole cut for gooseneck and then next to this hole it has rusted through. i'm sure a body shop can patch it, then I would do a spray in liner.

Bottom of the drivers door had some rust that has been treated

Overall paint is 6/10 with chips on the hood, peeling clear coat on the roof.

I don't want to put much money into it [for now] and want a reliable truck that I can use for a long time. With 215k miles, am I going to be constantly throwing money at it for stuff like injectors, HPOP, UVCH harnesses, etc etc?

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austin92

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I just passed on a 2000 eclb 7.3 zf6 4x4 with 151k for 12.5k. It takes a lot more than just having a 7.3 to put these trucks over 10k imo. Probably depends on your area too though


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Thewespaul

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I paid 3000 for our 96 cclb with 85k miles last year. I bought it off a city auction in a tiny town in Alabama, the interior was rough but for a crew truck it’s perfect.
 

OldManNeil

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Thanks guys, and interesting. I see really cherry PSDs on Craigslist over $20k all the time. It seems ridiculous to me too but somebody is buying them.

I am also in California where everything is expensive [before I bought my house my rent was $3050/mo for 1.5 bedrooms and 2 garages].

I guess my real question comes back to: is a 7.3 PSD with 215k miles going to be reliable or a money pit?
 

austin92

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Thanks guys, and interesting. I see really cherry PSDs on Craigslist over $20k all the time. It seems ridiculous to me too but somebody is buying them.

I am also in California where everything is expensive [before I bought my house my rent was $3050/mo for 1.5 bedrooms and 2 garages].

I guess my real question comes back to: is a 7.3 PSD with 215k miles going to be reliable or a money pit?
They’re dam good engines but everything needs regular maintenance. Does it have service records? The fuel system life relies on proper oil changes


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greenskeeper

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I guess my real question comes back to: is a 7.3 PSD with 215k miles going to be reliable or a money pit?

At 215k miles, you're just past the B10 life of a 7.3

However proper maintenance is required for any engine. An easy test is to remove the oil cap and place it inverted on the fill stem with the engine running. It should just sit there and not be blown off by engine blowby. Another test is to remove the air tube going to the turbo and check the vanes for dusting indicating the engine has sucked in dirt in the past from a faulty air filter setup.

Finally be sure to inspect the oil pan as the engine has to be removed to replace it correctly if rusted out.
 

u2slow

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I guess my real question comes back to: is a 7.3 PSD with 215k miles going to be reliable or a money pit?

My '97 E350 PSD with 230k (miles) turned into that money pit. Finally sold it for $5k (CDN) in 2012. I had the same F350 you're looking at, 145k (miles), lifted, locked on 35's... sold it in 2011 for $8k (CDN) before it got to be a problem. The van was ex-transit, and the F350 was a landscapers work truck. There are likely better maintained, and more nicely treated ones out there, I consider my two to have been average.

The plan was to score a cheap gas crewcab and swap in a 12v Cummins (my holy grail).
 

Coopons

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First thing is the price is way to high. In Canada a fully loaded cclb psd cost a little over $35g brand new in 1996. That's in Canadian dollars. If you are serious about a psd here are the things you need to look at and know about them

As Greenkeeper was saying, oil pan make sure it's not leaking and rust free
Check blow by
Check the air filter, if it has a K&N walk away

Other things to check
Dip stick tube not leaking can be a pain to fix
UVCG make sure they are not leaking oil at the electrical connectors.
Same thing goes for the icp sensor and the ipr
If you check those few things you can get a good idea of how the truck was maintained
 

Coopons

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On another note I don't know how to check for this but it seems a lot of trucks of this year the speedo rolls back at 400,000 kms. Back to 300,000. It happened in my truck and to at least 2 other guys I know personally. Not sure if any of you Yankees have had that happen to you.
 

nj_m715

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in my day they all rolled back at 100k
just look at the truck, look for wear on the steering wheel, clutch and brake pedals, drivers carpet etc
a 70k truck always looks less used than a 170k so an extra 400k would show

I paid 7k$ for my 96 in similar condition. it certainly wasnt a steal but I needed new wheels and felt it was fair
it's surprising hard to find a single wheel 4x4 crew with zf5
 

OldManNeil

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Undercarriage pics from this truck. The frame has been treated with a new undercoat called POR15. It looks nice but concerned that it was pretty rusty before the coating and that rust will come back one day. Remember, rust never sleeps!

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