I can't speak from first hand experience but I have heard good things about that dealer, and that is not easy for me to say. I would most certainly look for a F350 over the 250 because of the TTB front axle. They can be real expensive doing ball joints etc. My 96 w/280k never had any miss while reving it up, I think it was wise to pass on that one truck. I went through 5 auto trannies 4 of them were local rebuilders the 5th I did. If you pay less then $3200 for a rebuild then you are just getting a soft parts reman, no upgrades, meaning it isn't worth a darn. I agree with the Trans-Go tugger HD2 kit, the 4r100 t/c is a upgraded converter and it is cheap. Suncoast or a Precession torque converters Stallion model are the only aftermarket ones I would use but they are around a grand+. 97 was the best year for a E4OD it had all the factory upgrades. By cavitation are you talking about the coolant? and the cylinder walls flexing causing air bubbles thus you need to add the SCA like in the IDI engines? If so the answer is yes you do need to watch the SCA just like in the IDI engines, but it is not as much of a problem as in the IDI's. There are quite a few real cheap mods that can be done that will really wake up these OBS engines. Take your time and wait for the right truck. That last one looks nice, ask if anybody lives near Fondulac and see if they will go and take a look at it for you.
I guess I'll just drive it 
