Looking at new Wood Hauler - Opinions?

[Cerran]

First of all let me say that I've been on the lookout for a good 1-Ton or 3/4 Ton pickup for a while. I was hoping for a diesel but this is such a nice truck that's it hard to pass up. I'm looking to pay cash so I have no need to finance.

That being said the truck has the following specs:

1992 F250 Standard Cab, XLT Package
Full Length Bed with bed liner.
Good tires, about 60% tread
Airbag Assist springs - Recently added
460 V8 - Recently tuned up, started fine dead cold, sounded good at idle
Tow Package with Stinger and Electric Brake Control
Automatic Trans

The guy wants $5300 which is way over Blue Book, I'm pretty sure he'll come down quite a bit. I was thinking of offering $3200 and going as high as $3600

Any constructive thoughts?

This will only get driven maybe 1500 miles a year wood hauling and maybe occasional towing and hauling.

View attachment 175790

 

[Guido Salvage]

I had a '92 F-350 diesel with the tow package that I sold last year for $3K. No rust on the body, bed liner, gooseneck hitch, custom wheels and better tires than the one in your picture.

Never had a 460, but suspect they are not easy on fuel. Of course, you will need the power for hauling and towing. The maroon and gray trucks of that era are famous for shedding paint, in fact Ford paid to repaint my 1990 F-250.

It all comes down to what you want and how badly you need it.

 

[Scrapiron]

a few questions

I have an 88 F250 (351W engine, XLT Lariat, 4x4) with similar specs.

How many miles does it have?
What type of transmission- Overdrive? I think the non-overdrive (C6) is more robust.
What is the GWCR? Ideally it would be 8,600 which would make it an HD and have a full floating rear end.
Automatic or manual 4 wheel drive?
How's the interior?
What can the hitch handle (10K, 14K)?
Does it have dual tanks? If so, the fuel pumps are notorious for going out. Try them both out.
Also, check the spare (if it has one).
Is this a one owner vehicle?
Might be worth it to run the Carfax- I know, it's $35, but it's good to know.

Ask for the maint records.

Check for leaks and try the 4x4 in high and low.

I'd say the $3,200 is the max, but it depends on a lot (and your location- what are trucks going for).

Here's a great forum to read up on that model and year: http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum28/

 

[bcorradi]

Thats a nice looking truck. I'm pretty certain by that generation there wasn't any issues with the gray paint. Eventhough you can tell its been taken care of...if the paint hasn't fallen off in almost 20 years, I don't imagine you'll have any issues with it. Like Guido said, the 460's are a bit tough on gas, but you won't be driving it much a year so it shouldn't be much of an issue.

Driving it 1500 miles per year you'll go through the following

If your getting 7 mpg with your 460 you'll burn up 214 gallons in a year or $750 in gas @ $3.50 per gallon.

If you were running a 15 mpg diesel you'll burn up 100 gallons in a year and $400 in gas @ $4 per gallon.

It would be a fair amount cheaper running a diesel, but they are a lot more expensive to maintain also. If it was me I'd buy the 460 for how many miles your driving vs buying a diesel of that era.

 

[Cerran]

I checked the transmission for leaks by crawling under it. Didn't check whether it's overdrive or not I'll have to ask. Good to know!

The mileage is 132,000 miles

The 4WD is hubs which I actually prefer

Interior is in good shape. A few dirt spots on the carpet but nothing ugly and the seats are in good shape.

It has dual tanks - Factory installed

I haven't checked the GWCR I'll do that this weekend.

The 460 from what I read gets about 12 MPG in this era which is about what I get now in my dodge W150 with a 360. The difference is this truck is in much nicer shape.

Spare looked in good condition. It's a two owner vehicle but his dad was the original purchaser and he has the paperwork. He had the Carfax and other than a minor fender bender it was clean.

He has some of the maintenance records but most of it was done at the dealer by his dad, he's working on finding out if they have the records for me.

Great feedback so far guys, thanks!

 

[Big_Al]

Sounds a bit high to me. I bought my 93 F250, 460, 5spd, 4x4, reg cab xlt last year from a guy in N Idaho for 3800. Excellent condition, had just turned 100k. Usually get 7-8 city and 12-13 highway with cruise set on 60.
Plenty of trucks for sale in the CDA/Spokane area. Prices should come down a bit as the gas goes up.

 

[Cerran]

Sounds a bit high to me. I bought my 93 F250, 460, 5spd, 4x4, reg cab xlt last year from a guy in N Idaho for 3800. Excellent condition, had just turned 100k. Usually get 7-8 city and 12-13 highway with cruise set on 60.
Plenty of trucks for sale in the CDA/Spokane area. Prices should come down a bit as the gas goes up.

Well he's asking $5300 that doesn't mean that is what I'll pay. I was going to offer $3100 and go up from there.

 

[JeffHK454]

Take a good look at the front tires for any odd wear... these trucks had the Dana 50 TTB front diffs and where known for getting sloppy....

 

[danrclem]

I wouldn't worry about the 460 since you're not going to be driving it a lot. The 460 has a lot of torque for pulling. I have one in a 24' motorhome with 4.10 gears and it gets about 7 to 8 mpg. but I'm assuming that yours will do better. It'll probably get about the same mileage loaded or unloaded. I was out west several years ago and a Chevy motorhome about the same size as mine would pass me on the level or downhill parts but I'd pass it back up on the long uphills. He probably had a 350 but there was a big difference in power.

 

[Cerran]

Take a good look at the front tires for any odd wear... these trucks had the Dana 50 TTB front diffs and where known for getting sloppy....

The tires had good wear on them with no cupping or feathering on either side.

 

[TMFARM 2009]

i dont think i would be scared of it.. nice truck for the year..

 

[EXCALIBER]

If you did want a diesel you could pick up a good duece and a half 6x6 for that price. Then wouldn't have to worry about overloading it. I have been thinking about buying one due to the fact of not finding any decent one tons 4x4's around here that they don't want a fortune for. I wanted a truck that would haul 6 people in the cab, so if I was looking at a reg cab pu truck at that price the duece would be a better buy IMHO. Either way good luck!

 

[Rowdius]

The single cab has a lot more towing cap than the extended cabs, but I enjoy having the extra room in my 92 f250 diesel.

I don't think I would pay that much either. With the rising gas prices he'll be giving it away before long. I bought mine for about $4200 before the fuel prices went up a couple of years ago, a year later and I saw nicer trucks than mine going for $3000 and less.

 

[fields_mj]

I'm driving a '93 F250 ext cab with a ZF5 trans and 7.3 IDI. I bought it the summer before last for $4000. It had 160K on it and no rust. Needed some work to the front end because the sand had eatend away a lot of seals and bearings (Florida). I get 17 mpg out of it now (3.55 gears) and it really does need the fuel system replaced.

With what you've listed, I would be VERY leary of the tranny. That year had an E4OD, and I've yet to see one go over 150K without a major rebuild ($2K min). I would avoid the E4OD like the plague unless it has already been rebuilt, and had at least some minor upgrades to the solenoid. The ZF5 (5 spd) is a LOT tougher, a LOT easier to work on, and a LOT cheaper to replace (about $1k).

The D50 isn't nearly as popular as the D60 (F350), but they do okay depending on what you are doing with them. Parts are reasonable too. I bought an entire third member/center chunk/ hogs head ore what ever you want to call it for $100 off ebay, and that was including shipping.

In this age bracket, I would strongly recommend the IDI diesel. Not just for mileage, but also for longevity. The nice thing about a diesel is that the standard options are already heavy duty. They heavy duty parts can be a little more pricey, but they are easy to find. If you really want a diesel, and are willing to live with a little rust, I would highly recommend going over to Oilburners.net and keeping an eye in their market place. Their IDI forum is THE place to go for info on those old diesels.

Mark

 

[Cerran]

Well it looks like unless he comes down in price I won't be buying the truck. He wouldn't drop below $4500 and even that's way above Blue Book value at $3700. I gave him my card and told him to call me if he changes his mind and in the meantime I'll keep looking. I'm not stuck on any one brand or year, I just want a nice condition pickup that can be used for hauling and woodcutting as needed that will hold a lot of firewood.

My 84' Dodge W150 just has too many issues to fix up so I'm looking for something better. I even wouldn't mind an older pickup since they tend to be easier to work on and I can do most of my own work on gas motors.

 

[Big_Al]

Not that I'm biased or anything but if you are looking for older rigs the late 70's fords are hard to beat. Classic style and easy to work on.

 

[mdavlee]

If you want a diesel try to find a 89-93 dodge with the cummins in it. It will be simple as can be and get great mileage.

 

[fields_mj]

Don't be afraid of working on the older diesels. Any of the Fords that are mid '94 or older, and any of the Dodges that are '98 (I think) or older. Those are all mechanically injected engines. Much easier and cheaper to work on than the electric ones. The cream of the crop would be an early 94 F250 or an early 98 Dodge Cummins.

The only thing I would add is that with any diesel, you do want to drive them a few times a week. Same goes for gassers really. Keeps things from rotting out.

 

[dh1984]

well the first truck with the 460 engine is it carb or feul injected?i had a 460 in a 1982 ford and it was a hauling machine

 

[bcorradi]

It is fuel injected...any ford truck after 87+ is FI. I believe there are a few real late 86's that were fuel injected, but they are really rare.