Am I about to pay too much?

[rmarks]

I'm a new member. I've been reading as much as I can to educate myself. I'm about to pull the trigger on a 2003 E350 EB 4x4 7.3 PSD. I need some help determining if I'm about to pay way too much. It's a passenger van with 150,000 miles. The 4x4 conversion with a 4" lift is by Salem Kroger. The seller and I have agreed on $18,500. My plan is build in into build something similar to the EB50 floor plan and eventually add the Penthouse...and more. I realize that the 7.3PSD and 4x4 are getting harder to find, but, am I about to pay too much? I appreciate whatever help I can get here.
Thanks

 

[dwh]

I can't comment on the price. But I can say that my camper van started out as a window van and was converted to a camper (long before I bought it). I really hate all the bloody glass. Makes it into a sweatbox in the summer and an icebox in the winter. Of course in moderate temps, the view is nice, but if I was building from scratch, there is no way in hell I'd start with a window van.

$0.02

 

[rmarks]

dwh, thanks for the response. All of the windows behind the front compartment are heavily tinted. My thought has been to do some insulating throughout and doing some sort of wall covering including covering up some of the windows. This would also give me the flexibility to run cabinets/shelving all the way up. I'd probably keep the front windows uncovered for the view benefit.

 

[RyanUsesThis]

Seems legit.

* 2003 is the best year for the 7.3psd.
* 150k miles is pretty low for that engine.
* The 4x4 kit and lift are worth about 12K brand new
* the pop top will probably run you about 8k

So all in all you'll be in for about 25 to 26K.

Also keep in mind that while these engines are super reliable, they ain't cheap to maintain. An oil change will run you between $80 - $100, and the most likely thing you'll have to replace in the relative short term will be the injectors which I've had quoted out at just over 4k to replace all (including labor).

One important thing to note - if the body is damaged in any way, and you will want it straitened out.. body work on these things ain't cheap... they're essentially one big panel, so any chain body shop that does mainly insurance claims are going to write it off as a total loss for even minor dings on the main body. I know... I just had someone tell me they flat out wont fix a ding in my rear fender. I now have to learn how to do my own body work

That being said, I flew from Denver to OKC to pick up a 1999.5 PSD with zero bells and whistles for $5k. I'm sinking nearly 20k into upgrades... it's more of a labor of love, so if you're truly passionate about the idea, and the van is in good shape, I'd say snag it (but try and talk them down a thousand or so )

 

[rmarks]

Hi Ryan,

Thank you for your input. Some really good comments. I saw the van yesterday. I ended up passing on it. The reason was that it had a sliding side door and I really wanted the double door setup. I see that as much more beneficial. Otherwise, it would be sitting in front of my house right now. So...the hunt continues.

Thanks again for your input,
Rob

 

[RyanUsesThis]

I hear you. Mine has a sliding door and I'm having to get crafty to make the most of it. Good luck!

 

[hitek79]

Not to hijack the thread, but how bad is the damage on your van RyanUsesThis? Have you looked in to paintless dent repair to fix the damage? Might be an option. I know a few guys in the Denver area that could look at it for you.

 

[RyanUsesThis]

Hey hitek79 - I actually put together some reference pics for the shop I went to. As you can see, there are a few minor dings that could be pulled out, but the majority of the work would require sanding, priming, painting, And since it's a 1999, some rust mitigation.

If you think your buddy is up for the task I'd be interested to see what they could do, and for what cost.

 

[Bbasso]

2003 best year for the 7.3???
please enlighten me.
ps. at the end of 2001 was the beginning of PSM made rods VS forged.

 

[RyanUsesThis]

Heh heh. I suppose I was basing that on the fact that it had every upgrade available to the 7.3 that ford could come up with before discontinuing due to emissions standards, but you could get into some real nitty gritty details. I admit, I wasn't aware of the rod differences. The funny thing is that when I went to start looking it up, the first forum I found was this...

www.thedieselstop.com

There you are
Thanks for the heads up!

 

[OregonExplorer]

best year for the 7.3

Don't be afraid of the PMR 7.3's (Powdered metal rods, in reference to the connecting rods). They are more durable that the internet forums give them credit for, true that if you intend to put a chip in it be warned the PMR engines do not like poorly timed high cylinder pressure so select a tuner carefully (PHP, DP Tuner). If it is currently chipped, who's tunes are on the engine? Other than that, the price is good IMHO. The 7.3 4x4's are so difficult to find it's almost a game of what are you willing to pay, though that seems to be in line with the market. Injector cups are a fairly common issue on these, smell the coolant for diesel before you write the check. I wouldn't pass on it over bad cups, just budget accordingly.

 

[rmarks]

Don't be afraid of the PMR 7.3's (Powdered metal rods, in reference to the connecting rods). They are more durable that the internet forums give them credit for, true that if you intend to put a chip in it be warned the PMR engines do not like poorly timed high cylinder pressure so select a tuner carefully (PHP, DP Tuner). If it is currently chipped, who's tunes are on the engine? Other than that, the price is good IMHO. The 7.3 4x4's are so difficult to find it's almost a game of what are you willing to pay, though that seems to be in line with the market. Injector cups are a fairly common issue on these, smell the coolant for diesel before you write the check. I wouldn't pass on it over bad cups, just budget accordingly.

OregonExplorer, thank you for your input. I decided to pass on this particular van, mainly because it has a sliding side door and I want double doors. However, I have located a 03 7.3 powerstroke. Hopefully, I'll be picking it up in a little over a week. It does have a DP Tuner. The current owner hasn't ever used it and I don't know anything about them. You said to "select a tuner carefully", is there a way for me to determine if this is a good tuner for this particular engine. What should I look for to know if it will be a problem to run the DP? Thanks for any additional help with this, I'm new to "tweaking" these 7.3s. I had a 91 7.3 in the past, but didn't bother optimizing anything. Thanks...

 

[Mwilliamshs]

...I'm new to "tweaking" these 7.3s. I had a 91 7.3 in the past, but didn't bother optimizing anything. Thanks...

That 1991 7.3 and anything after 1994.5 have nothing in common. If you're looking at an automatic van (likely the case) you'll want a tuner that includes modifications to transmission logic/controls as well. Tony Wildman is the man IMO.

 

[rmarks]

That 1991 7.3 and anything after 1994.5 have nothing in common. If you're looking at an automatic van (likely the case) you'll want a tuner that includes modifications to transmission logic/controls as well. Tony Wildman is the man IMO.

Thank you for the input. One question...who is Tony Wildman and how to I contact him? (As I said, I'm new to the forum.)

 

[Mwilliamshs]

I have no knowledge of him being on this forum. Tonywildmanchip.com I think is the best way.