Thinking on a 99-03 super duty.....

[bab029]

So I love my truck. Easily the sexiest thing ever made. However, on days when I'm in the truck for a while, i find myself at odds with the thing. From what I can tell, for about 7500-9000 bucks I can be in a 99-03 SD (7.3 only...) with around 180-200K miles with more power, hydroboost, four wheel disk brakes, larger interior, better mirrors, 4 doors (extended cab).... basically fixes all the stuff I dont like about the truck I have now.

I guess the question I am coming back to is how much more problematic are the SDs vs the OBS trucks? They seem like a lot of truck for the money, especially since parts are getting harder to find for the IDI (i said harder, not impossible). Are the SDs harder to work on? I know the unitized bearings are not favored by some....

 

[Silver Burner]

I would say they're pretty darn nice trucks. More expensive to fix when they do require fixing, but much nicer overall, especially in an 02-early 03 Lariat. Then you get the jewel-beam headlights, different dash gauges, and different Lariat seats.

 

[diezelcrazee]

I just sold my 2003 FX4 Lariat 7.3 truck to get back in an OBS!! But.....I had a reason. I started running WMO for fuel in my 89 IDI and liked it some much I bought the 94 for the same thing. PSDs are not near as easy to run on waste motor oil as an IDI

To answer your question. That was the second PSD I have owned, and that truck was a powerhouse! It had some mods and a tuner, but man I never had a truck run and pull like it did. Now, your looking at more expense and trouble to maintain it. The glowplugs and injectors are both under the valve covers, so their a lot harder to change. And the injectors are more expensive. I had just put a set of rebuilt Full Force injectors in the PSD when I sold it. Your looking at about $1000 for injectors, but the originals had 210k on them when they were replaced.

And ya, the unitized bearing..... I hate anything that I can't rebuild. The first time I lost a unit bearing on the 03 I thought well I haven't ever seen anything with bearings that can't be rebuilt. I was wrong, so you have more expense there.

Also there is a lot more to go wrong electronically with a Super Duty than an OBS, but you can have trouble with any of 'em...

Overall, if it wasn't for the WMO I probably would have never sold my PSD......but I do like the simplicity of going back to an IDI.

 

[SparkandFire]

There is no denying the fact that the newer super duties are very nice trucks. Alot of comfort and functional improvements. I had an '02 as a worktruck and drove the thing all over the western US building cell towers, very comfortable (we had a lariat with heated leather seats...)

Truth is I would easily take a SD truck as a daily commuter, except for the cost of repairs as mentioned. I am one of those people who depend on my truck being reliable, but also affordable to own and operate. I don't necessarily live paycheck-to-paycheck, but with the insane cost of living around here, I don't have a bank account chock full of cash on reserve, just in case I smoke a $450 injector, or crack an injector cup and have to have a shop repair it for $1500... or blow an IDM for $350. or so on...

The newer the truck, the more expensive it is to fix when it breaks. The 7.3 Pstrokes are relatively reliable, but parts are still expensive, and considering that the average 99-02 powerstroke has 150,000 miles or more on it now (at least the ones around here do) it's a big gamble that the previous owner changed fuel filters regularly, and drained the water separator when it needed it, kept up on the coolant, oil, transmission, and so forth...

For me, if I had some extra $$ in the bank, and it didn't cost so damn much just to get by anymore, I might very well go on the hunt for a nice, cared for 7.3 powerstroke superduty. But, I don't see the cost of living going down anytime soon, any my paychecks are smaller now than they were five years ago, so I can't feel safe taking on a more expensive truck.