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Old 03-14-2008, 07:23 AM   #1
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2008 25' Safari
Quiet Green , Connecticut
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used F350 '02 diesel for '08 25' Safari FB?

another TV question, could use some experienced advise, please

A few weeks back I admired a guys truck in a local parking lot, flagged him down and asked him how he liked it, and told him about a similar used one we were looking at that seemed overpriced for the year and mileage (he agreed). Ended up giving him my cell# in case he decided to sell anytime soon. He called this morning.

He has an '02 F350 Super Duty Super Cab, 4WD, automatic with overdrive, 158k miles. New tires, recently put over 5k into front end, including seals, brakes, steering box, trans flush, oil change 1k miles ago. Has remote start, HD towing w/ elec adjustable brakes. Needs a detailed cleaning, one owner, non-smoker. Wants $14,500. Paid about $45k new. Says it is loaded with power options, etc.

Ran it through KBB, had to guess at a few things, went low end (put in XL, not not XLT or Lariat 'cause I don't know yet), and they give a private seller price of $14, 280 for good condition, $15,345 if excellent. I remember it looked good to me, no obvious defects or rust, though I would have picked a different color

Please, if you have any knowledge of this type of vehicle and it's reliability, or just want to suggest some questions I should ask when I see and drive it tomorrow, let me know. I am most grateful!

We are slightly freaking out at committing to a brand new TV at the same time as a new AS, as these payments are NOT small. Want to size the TV for possible bigger AS (esp. if buying TV new), though I cannot imagine needing a bigger one unless we find ourselves FTimg (my dream, including a vintage resoration, but not his, we'll see!). This gives us the opportunity to pay cash for the truck, which would be a huge monthly savings. If we get even a few years out of it we will be in much better shape.

Also, I will often find myself a Rivette during all or part of the adventures, so I need to be able to handle this whole thing myself!

Cat, very excited about the possibilities
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Old 03-14-2008, 07:38 AM   #2
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2003 30' Classic
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Roamin,

I owned a '02 F350 diesel and it was a great TV. I towed my '03 Classic 30 across country, round trip to LA and found it a joy, plenty of power, decent milage. The 7.3 L Power Stroke is a very durable engine, you should get well over 300,000 miles before it needs to be overhauled. The only problem I had was a cam position sensor failure, a common occurance.

Diesel maintenance is more expensive, 15 quarts of oil, several fuel filters and air filters. Keep the fuel and air clean for the best performance and reliability.

I liked my F350 much more than my present Excursion 6.0 diesel. I wish I never traded it.

Keith
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Old 03-14-2008, 07:57 AM   #3
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Reliable truck

Cat

I have an '02 F350 with the 7.3L. Mine is an XLT, Auto, CC with the 8' bed. I use mine primarily for towing and it is more than capable in hauling my 30' Excella around.

The only non routine maintenance issue I've had with my truck was that an interior light solonoid went bad within my instrument cluster and the whole cluster needed to be replaced.

Do you know if the truck has the 6' or 8' bed? The 8' bed comes with a larger gas tank for extended trips between fillups.

Since you state that he paid "about 45K" for it new, I would expect that the truck you are interested in is a fully optioned Lariat.

The mileage is not high for the 7.3L. However, I would expect the tranny to need a rebuild sometime down the road - length of time depends of course on how it was maintained and how hard it has been used.

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Old 03-14-2008, 08:36 AM   #4
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I did not have time to check but go to Edmunds.com and click used vehicles and appraisal. This will give you into what they call True Value. It is a data base of recent auction pricing in your area. I always use it for my kids cars and offer about 500-750 above trade in price.

You are at a disadvantage in my opinion. You approached this guy and we are all guilty of thinking our vehicle is worth more than it is. You do not like the color, and it is dirty. The only advantage you have is talking to the owner and asking questions about the history. I prefer a dealer, no emotion, and walking from the offer that they always turn down and then always call back to make a deal.

A f350 is huge overkill for a 25 footer. If you want a beast such as this then go for it, but for a daily driver get whiplash coverage for your neck, they hit the bumps very hard from the ones I have driven. More set up to tow 15k lbs, not 6k lbs.
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Old 03-14-2008, 08:52 AM   #5
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If your serious about that type truck....perfect for your towing purposes....and can look around, search this part of the country. (North Texas...not the Panhandle.) The "Horsey Crowd" go for these trucks as their week end tow vehicles, usually don't beat or work the truck, are low miles, no rust outs, maintain them well and trade 'em in (for tax purposes?) every couple years. Have it professionally checked out and then either come get it or ship it to CT for about $600.
All of my Ford trucks required a major transmission rebuild before 100000 miles. Very expensive.
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Old 03-14-2008, 01:40 PM   #6
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hey cat...

shopping used on the tv side is a good plan.

did it have leather seats? if so it's a lariat or kings ranch.

is it a long bed or regular bed? the long bed will ride smoother and tow smoother, but takes more room to park.

LIST price may have been 45k but purchase price was much lower...but doesn't really matter NOW.

the 02 did have front end issues but it reads like this work has been done.

my reservation with an 02 is turning radius and a weaker tranny.

these trucks had leaf springs up front and have a very large turning circle...

in 05 they switched to coil springs and trailing radius arms which makes turing much easier...

they also corrected the front end wear issues and boosted the tranny specs.

most folks LOVE the 7.3 for durability, while the 6.0 has a bad rep.

later model 6.0s (05-07) have most of the bugs solved. i am very happy with my 05.

this MIGHT be the perfect truck to start with, but there are a BUNCH of ford diesels available from 02-06...

and with fuel prices going UP the purchase price and buyer pool for these trucks keeps going DOWN.

that trend is actually a BONUS for anyone shopping 3/4 ton trucks right now. it's a buyers market.

so visit a lot and DRIVE a BUNCH of them, REALLY GO DRIVE USED TRUCKS!

this will give you a much better understanding of the various models and trim and you may just find the perfect color too!

an added bonus with going USED but a little newer (05) is that ford has a 200,000 mile warranty available now

and you could negotiate with a dealer to have warranty this included...

cheers
2air'
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Old 03-14-2008, 07:55 PM   #7
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I've had three Ford diesel TV's - two Excursions and now an F250 - all with great results (including the 7.3, 6.0 and now 6.4L). I had a veteran diesel mechanic tell me that they wouldn't do anything to their 7.3's until they had 500K miles on them. At 150K, yours is probably just getting broken in.

Don't forget you've got a trailer behind you - you wouldn't know it if you didn't see it in your rear view mirror.
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