97 F-350 CCLB build:

[vintageracer]

SELL IT!!!

What goes up also comes down.

OBS truck are "Hot" NOW.

Like everything else in the "Collector World" you describe they all have their time in the spotlight where they are "Hot and In Demand" and then they are Not. Prices rise and prices fall along with interest. Don't worry about selling it short just worry about selling it NOW while you have the opportunity. Don't be that guy that gets GREEDY "Cause I know what my truck is worth" and only then decides they need to sell it long after the market and interest in that item has already passed em by!

You no longer like the 5 speed yet you got 2 of the damn things and your ole lady can't drive either one of em! Happy Wife Happy Life! Your gettin old and that Automatic Transmission in that late model truck is sure lookin good!

Sounds to me like it's TIME FOR BOTH OF EM TO GO.!

 

[longroad2nowhere]

Bring it to California and sell it if you really wanna get some money for it. 97 is the last year of no smog for us, so they sell for insane amounts. Drove to Oregon to get mine and could have driven it home and turned a $5k profit no problem.

 

[IdaSHO]

IMO doesnt matter how much you get for the OBS.
You will be beyond happy with a 6.2, in every regard.

Better everything, bumper to bumper.

And dont fret about the auto trans. The 6r140 is hands down the best thing Ford has EVER done for the F250/350 line.
Its really that good....

 

[Seabass]

Sounds like the consensus is to sell it....! I may list it with a silly high price and test the water a bit. Who knows? The truck I had before this OBS Power Stroke was a 3500 Dodge dually with a Cummins. I somehow managed to get way more than it was worth when I sold it. It does help that I keep meticulous maintenance records and log everything I do to my vehicles. I also like them to be in perfect working condition. This old Ford is no different. I have a journal that lives in the glove box of everything I’ve done. That matters to buyers.

I can’t justify selling both of them though. 1: I really like OBS Fords. 2: The other truck is “home made”. It has a lift, a flat bed, I did an engine and transmission swap too. It’s not “original”. Granted I parted out another obs to build it (wanted a 460 in place of the 351). So it’s a gas hog and gas is high now. Plus it’s about the best work truck I’ve ever owned with TONS of modifications to make it that way. I don’t want to start over to get another truck to where this one is. And it’s not worth too much either. The odometer shows 330,000 or so. I don’t mind though. There’s literally nothing I haven’t replaced on it. It’s basically a new truck. But the high miles and big block and it not being all original make it worth a few thousand bucks tops. Like maybe 5-6 k. I can’t replace it for that. But the other truck.....the opposite in every way other than the lift. It’s a bit of a cream puff. Maybe I’m partial. But right this second I’d sell it for less than I think I could get just to free up the money to buy a newer Super Duty like Ida-sho’s. Thanks guys.

The Diesel as of yesterday:

The gas hog!

 

[justbecause]

But since I really like base model trucks that are white there’s an almost unlimited supply of well maintained fleet trucks available.

Where do I find this unlimited supply of well maintained trucks?

 

[givemethewillys]

I agree with the posts above. I bet you could get new CAR prices for that truck, and even though it's an awesome truck, the newer trucks are nicer in every way except the nostalgia.

 

[Seabass]

Where do I find this unlimited supply of well maintained trucks?

It’s easy to forget that there’s always someone who will take every word literally. Maybe I chose my words poorly. But just in one evening of checking Craigslist I found 8 different trucks that were all white, base model 3/4 tons. And they had 8’ beds. Each had an auto, 6.2 gas, extended cabs. Some had lift gates. Only one had a gooseneck ball. All were likely fleet vehicles. Each is within 200 miles of home. Each was within a couple thousand dollars in price. That’s just the long beds. If I’d be willing to own a short bed I could likely double the list of potential candidates.
I’m sure that upon visual inspection not all of them would be what I’d want to bring home. But I’m very confident that at least a couple would be.
I’ve never found that many potential trucks while shopping before. But- the 2011-2014 trucks are getting old enough now- and are between 100-150 thousand miles. Many companies are flipping into newer trucks at this point. So that’s why I say it’s an almost unlimited supply. Maybe it’s not really unlimited.....but there’s more of them available to look at in my area than I’m going to take time to see.

That’s the beauty of a white 3/4 ton Ford. They are popular fleet vehicles. I’ve owned a couple. They were great. But only if it was a fleet that had a good maintenance schedule. I’ve seen fleet trucks that were garbage. But most companies want their businesses moving and working. They can’t do that if the trucks are not running. And since depreciation schedules are what they are- it makes good economic sense for a lot of companies to get into new vehicles every five years or so.

I won’t lie- the truck I’m most interested in isn’t and probably never was a fleet vehicle. It’s private owned but meets some “wants” on my list. So we’ll see. Ain’t sold the obs yet. May not. But I’m thinking it’s worth a try.

 

[IdaSHO]

Your on the right track.
My "new" truck was a fleet rig.
Couldn't be happier.

Low mileage (around 100k) and maintained well. Paid $16k for it.
I did wind up sucking about 5# or dirt out of the interior, but beyond that it was very clean.
Its an XLT, with rear locker & skid plates.

My #1 requirement for finding a newer Ford was an extended cab.
Seems they were only ever purchased for fleet usage. So that's what we wound up with.

When we go it...

And after wheels and tires, bumper and winch, and way too much time & 10k into a new bed.
Still more to do though.... but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for this project

 

[justbecause]

I wasn't trying to pick an argument. I agree 100% that the price of OBS fords is unreasonably high.

16k with around 100k miles is what I have seen, that doesn't strike me as great deal. my local dealer had an 250 XLT 4 door, fx4 brand new listed for $33k, "lifetime warranty" deal on free oil changes, maybe free tires? 0% financing for 5 years.... These are the numbers that make me say screw it I'll just buy a new one.

 

[vintageracer]

"So it’s a gas hog and gas is high now." Your words.

GAS HIGH???

Paid $2.13/Gallon today.

What do you consider "High"?

 

[Seabass]

"So it’s a gas hog and gas is high now." Your words.

GAS HIGH???

Paid $2.13/Gallon today.

What do you consider "High"?

Those old ford gas motors like 93 octane. They run on the cheap stuff but they tend to grumble about it. I paid a little over $3 a gallon yesterday.

 

[Seabass]

I wasn't trying to pick an argument. I agree 100% that the price of OBS fords is unreasonably high.

16k with around 100k miles is what I have seen, that doesn't strike me as great deal. my local dealer had an 250 XLT 4 door, fx4 brand new listed for $33k, "lifetime warranty" deal on free oil changes, maybe free tires? 0% financing for 5 years.... These are the numbers that make me say screw it I'll just buy a new one.

It’s all good. I know you weren’t picking a fight. I did get a bit snarky though. I apologize for that. Thing is for me.....I’d just as soon pay the 16k and be done with it. I hate payments. And 150,000 or less miles will last me 10 years easy. I don’t put tons of miles on my trucks. And this truck will take the place of my “good” truck. Last year I only put 3,000 miles on the diesel. But those were traveling miles or miles when I wanted a clean vehicle to drive. The 460 work truck is usually dirty and loaded down with farm related stuff. So this potential 6.2 truck will likely see similar usage to the diesel. Maybe a little more till the new wears off....and in the winter I’ll drive it more. I’ve tried hard to save the diesel from any exposure to salt. It’s a had a rust spot or two and I’ve worked hard to prevent any more. But the new truck won’t be as big a deal. Since hopefully it will start off rust free for me.

 

[vintageracer]

"Those old ford gas motors like 93 octane. They run on the cheap stuff but they tend to grumble about it. I paid a little over $3 a gallon yesterday. "

Wow!

Your gas is a lot more than I pay for Diesel!

 

[pappawheely]

I've had tons of different cars and trucks. I never regret selling any of them, (except maybe my 510). Your needs and tastes change. No reason to suffer with a truck that you no longer want to drive. Just feel great in knowing you chose wisely when you bought the OBS. I sold my 67 El Camino to make room for my Ford. No regrets.

 

[gtbensley]

Keep them!