Retired Old Lady Seeks Exploring Truck

Dr. OldKat

New member
Your F 450

whiskeycutter,

Can't help you in your quest to buy the perfect replacement truck, but have a few questions about your F-450; if you don't mind. I happen to be looking for 2002 F-450 with a 7.3 L right now to replace my existing F-350. Is it already spoken for? Is it a 4x4?, Condition? Mileage? Color?

I'm kind of far away from you, but for the right truck I would travel to pick up or ship.

Thanks,
DOK
 
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bftank

Explorer
i would agree with the goodtimes about the dodges. i would get a 94-98 12v longbed 2500 cummins 5 speed with airbags.

fix the killer dowel pin, add air bags, and go. should do everything you need it to.
 

Regcabguy

Oil eater.
i would agree with the goodtimes about the dodges. i would get a 94-98 12v longbed 2500 cummins 5 speed with airbags.

fix the killer dowel pin, add air bags, and go. should do everything you need it to.
Stopping that year Dodge especially with a cabover and a trailer is marginal at best.
 

bftank

Explorer
what makes it marginal? the only reason i stopped at that year is that i prefer not to deal with the electronics of the later years.

the 12v, nv4500 and suspension are beef. the only major weaknesses are the unit bearings and steering, that i know of. i would of suggested the earlier 1st gen but i figured she wanted something with a better ride.
 

bfdiesel

Explorer
what makes it marginal? the only reason i stopped at that year is that i prefer not to deal with the electronics of the later years.

the 12v, nv4500 and suspension are beef. the only major weaknesses are the unit bearings and steering, that i know of. i would of suggested the earlier 1st gen but i figured she wanted something with a better ride.

I think he means stopping... with brakes
 

bftank

Explorer
i have heard of that, supposedly swapping in a brake cylinder from a 14bolt ff chevy axle fixes that.

or swap in a disc braked dana 80 from later years
 
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lllateralus

Observer
i have heard of that, supposedly swapping in a brake cylinder from a 14bolt ff chevy axle fixes that.

or swap in a disc braked dana 80 from later years

This lady is talking about selling her F450, and spending 35K on the perfect truck... I seriously doubt she wants a 15 year old dodge project truck that involves swapping axles.
 

bftank

Explorer
illaterus this is why i suggested the dodge.

I am not a motor head but understand all of the basics. I have had a number of diesel trucks but am not excited about the new ones.

i am just putting this out there as an option. you can find low mileage 12v still. there is no such thing as the perfect truck. every truck has weaknesses. i pointed this one out because, there would be no need to replace expensive electronics, or injection systems that the newer trucks tend to have problems with.

spending $15-20,000 on a low miles truck and having an offroad shop swap in a dana 80 in the rear and the steering corrections for a couple thousand doesn't seem like a stretch for this woman. i mean her favorite wheeling rig was a '54 panel, much respect by the way whiskeycutter. i did not suggest getting a rig with 3-400,000 miles on it for $4000 and giving that a go.

sorry if i came across harshly i don't mean to. i guess my thinking is that spending $10-15000 on a low mileage truck wether that be dodge or ford, and then spending another $10k on upgrades would leave you $10k to get out and do something. in my experience spending $35k on a rig is a waste of money because the newer ones have just as many if not more problems than the old ones do. and factory warranties are a joke/way to get money out of people for things that the manufacturer didn't do right in the first place.
 
Comments

Keep the comments coming guys. Appreciate them all. I agree nothing is perfect and warranties these days seem another way to hang that brass ring out there and then finding a way to make sure it is always out of reach. However a beater is also not in my idea. Lots of good older ones hanging around if you are willing to look. I am. More comments welcome!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whiskeycutter
 

jronwood

Adventurer
I love this, good for you ole girl.

Personally I am a Ford guy, the 450-550 with a 7.3 are incredible trucks, I just rid of a 2000 550 7.3 2wd ( Detroit Locker and 3.91 gears, which i removed before the sale) and got a V10 550 4x4 for local stuff, and also recently upgraded my F-150 extended to a 2002 F350 CC 7.3 4x4 for family tripping and over the road deliveries. All older 550's have 488's (gears) and they tach the engine highly, if over the road consider regearing. An F-450 has a Dana 80 (same as F-350) and can be regeared for half the money of a 550. The shop that regeared and put the Detroit in my 550 (Dana S-135) charged $2500. F-450's came with higher gearing , 410's and the like. Also, worth considering is your GVW, if you go F-450 it will give the ability to haul a 10,000 GVW trailer without going over the "magical" 26,000 lb CDL threshhold. I dunno what your horse trailer is , but this is worth considering. F-450's usually are 15,000 GVW or there about.

You should look in Truckpaper.com and also LarryStiger trucks in Tenn or Kentucky (cant remember which) he gets lots of good fleet units. I would stay away from all newer Fords (diesels) and even the Duramax has head gasket issues from 150-200K. And Dodge, well not my cup o tea, but the Cummins is great, to bad about the rest of the truck.

Look to getting a plane ticket one way to pickup your dream truck from down south somewhere, LOTS of "units" come out of Texas etc....I have seen some really nice clean older trucks with reasonable mileages, yes the 7.3 will cost you a premium, but the reason is it's longevity and durability (all good reasons). IF you go automatic, the earlier Ford auto needs a $3500 rebuild/ replacement (go Jasper as nationwide warrentee) every 150K, which in the same mileage you may replace the clutch twice on a standard which ends up cumulatively costing you the same with out the hassle of shifting all the time.

It is highly likely you will NEVER see the mileage per gallon of the older diesels on the new ones due to EPA regs and on truck systems (urea etc..)

FYI, F-350's that came "Cab Chassis" have a straight frame like the 450-550 but are slightly thinner (1/4 in stead of 3/8")

I will PM you.

Enjoy your adventure.

Jronwood
 

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jronwood

Adventurer
FYI, Larry Stiger might take your 450 in trade as he deals in TONS of trucks like that. I thought about going that route when I was looking for a 4x4 F-550, but I found one locally I could "swing" buying.

Jronwood
 
keep em coming

Love the comments and pms. Really appreciate it. For you dodge guys, there are 2003 and 2004s out there with <50k or less miles for $15-20K. Are these worthy of consideration? Price for any of the big 3 varies by geographical area and there are good buys on all depending on location.

Thanks again,
Whiskeycutter
 

Tahoe Diesel

Observer
Given your generous budget, I think bftank makes a good case for restoring an older, simpler, reliable, more fuel efficient truck, and address the well known weaknesses of whatever brand you're dealing with, with aftermarket upgrades.

In your shoes, I'd go for the cleanest late model F250 with the 7.3 that I could find and have a reputed specialist do a bumper-to-bumper mechanical overhaul/restoration, and beef up the transmission. Otherwise, I'd keep my bow-tie on and get a low milage 'Classic' Dmax/Allison 2500HD :victory:
 

4671 Hybrid

Adventurer
I think the 88-98 Chevrolet C/K Pickups meet all your requirements, are cheap to buy and maintain, and have a great support network. They can be worked on by any competent mechanic, are used on farms all over the US, and are proven platforms with no huge weaknesses. If you want longevity and reliability, I'd suggest the 5.7L engine with a manual transmission.

If you want something newer looking, the 99-07 Chevy HD Silverado's aren't a bad choice either. The 5.3L/6.0L engines are durable and repairs are fairly cheap. A manual transmission is harder to come by in this series but the automatics aren't bad.

If you want a diesel, the 7.3L Powerstroke Ford is pretty solid and most any problem it might have can be fixed by a knowledgeable Ford diesel mechanic. It's not as easy to work on as the classic Chevy 350 (5.7L) found in the GM trucks but it does have the off-roading advantage of having a solid front axle. Since your off-roading is mainly forest service roads, this might actually be a negative since the Chevy's have the "plusher riding" IFS.

Since you're in NC, here's a few examples from Charlotte Craigslist.

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/2510999588.html <--98 GMC
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/2465972248.html <--99 GMC
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/2456690123.html <--01 GMC
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/2499985643.html <--02 Ford (overpriced though)
 

4671 Hybrid

Adventurer
After I posted above, I took a few minutes and clicked through the manufacturer's sites to see what $35K will buy you nowadays. Food for thought but with a $35K budget, you could buy a brand new truck that'll do everything you want, from GM, Ford, Dodge, or Toyota.
 

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