Would you buy this truck?

Chuck,

Hi. First, in my opinion, a 10 year old truck with only 65k miles hasn't been used too often, towing or not aside. You don't say if it's gas or diesel, 2x4 or 4x4, a/t or manual shift... but as with any used vehicle, you would be well advised to take the truck to an independant mechanic for an evaluation prior to purchase. As everyone knows, a lot depends on how well the previous owner has taken care of the regular maintenance schedule... check for any documentation concerning this, it is more important if it's a diesel because an improperly maintained diesel can be very expensive to repair.

Another thing you can do is get the VIN and run a CARFAX report, that will provide a wealth of information concerning where the vehicle has been for it's 10 years, and if it's been in a reported accident, has a salvage title, correct mileage, etc... And of course, use your common sense, look at the vehicle carefully, inside and out, start it up and make sure everything works like it's supposed to, test drive it, make sure the steering isn't loose, breaks don't pull, etc... I'm sure you'll find, as with any 10 year old vehicle, some cosmetic damage externally, and normal interior wear and tear, and only you can decide it it's normal or excessive in comparison to what you'd expect to find in a 10 year old truck. You should be able to tell if it's been abused on a regular basis.

Now, getting to the meat of your question, if the truck has been properly maintained, and the fifth-wheel trailer didn't exceed the towing capacity of the vehicle, these trucks were made for towing. You would be hard pressed to find one without some kind of hitch on it. If that's the true mileage, it looks good and checks out mechanically, I wouldn't be afraid of it at all. Towing a fifth wheel shouldn't have been a big deal with this truck.

My truck ('95 F-250) came with a hideaway goose neck ball right in the middle of the bed, which indicates it has pulled some fairly hefty trailers. Considering where the truck came from (Texas), my guess is probably horse trailers, but who knows for sure if you can't speak to the previous owner. That said, it was a 9 year old truck when I bought it 2 years ago. It's a

7.3l diesel, 4x4 with a/t, had 183k on the clock. It looks great, no rust and only minor dings and scratches to be expected, and the interior shows very little wear, which to me indicates the previous owner probably hauled more horses than people. I had it checked out mechanically and it was in great shape in that respect, I changed all the fluids and had a shop do a 4 wheel alignment, and put new tires on it. It now has 212k on it and still going strong, I love it. The best part is that I regularly see similar trucks for sale these days that are selling for a lot more money than I paid for mine, so that tells me that it's holding it's value pretty well.

Good luck with your search and purchase. Let us know what happens down the road.

Websurfer

I would buy it, especially if it is at a ford dealer,or someone who is offering a warranty. I just bought a 95 f350 4X4 7.3L diesel XLT crew cab from Texas, no hitch for 5th wheel, but in excellent condition, bought it off there website did not test drive it, took the dealers word for it, I paid 8000.00 and had it shipped to MA. I repleced the drivers side window motor, and a feul switch, it had a small feul leak. I have a front wheel shimmy, like every other ford f350 I have owned, I have new tires, front end is aligned. so I am told because it has

266K for miles it may be the rims? I think not because I rotated the tires and had them balanced and it is still on the same side. is it the steering box? who knows I will find out and I will still have less than 10 grand into a strong running excellent looking truck that would cost me 46 grand brand new, and a buddy of mine just bought one, and it turned out to be a piece of crap and had tohave the entiire truck replaced, after nearly a full blown out lawsuit so you be the judge,,, if it has low miles, and runs out fineand even comes with a warranty, and the price is right go for it. I expected to spend 1000.00 on the truck and I will but it is still cheaper than a new one. now any suggestions on my front wheel shimmy, it only happenswhen I hit a bump around 35 or so.

Many of those are used for pulling horse trailers. A couple horses and a few bales of hay are not much of a load for that truck. So it all depends. Maybe sniff around the rear end a bit for signs, you know......

PS. On the other hand, if he's been towing the QE2 around, I would look at the rear differential and U-joints for some signs.

I forgot to give enough details.

It's a 460 (gas) automatic 2WD.

And, there's only one "glitch:"....for lack of a better term:

When you pull away from a stop; even under the lightest of throttle...there is a slight "wind-up" or "step" or "thunk" or "catch"...geez it's so hard to explain in words. it just feels like there's play somewhere that gets absorbed on getaway. It's not universal joints. The mechanic at the dealer drove it and said "That's spider gear wear.....normal wear...they all do it".

Anyway...I hope that the people who already replied will read this and let me know if the added info helps at all.

Sometimes that "clunk" can be cured by taking the rear drive shaft off, and heavily greasing the slip-yoke. I drilled, tapped, and installed a zerk fitting on mine, and got rid of the "clunk". Be sure to chock the wheels first if you do it.

Spdloader

Chuck,

Be careful... spider gears are in the differential... I'm wondering if he meant planetary gears in the transmission, it could be those... they are made out of aluminum from the factory, most trans shops replace them with steel one's when rebuilding the trans... a costly repair... I'd find out which it is before I'd buy, like I mentioned before, a third party mechanic should be able to inspect the differential and tell you if the spider gears are worn... the dealer's mechanic works for the dealer, he has a vested interest in selling the truck, cause you might bring it back to him for future repairs.

Websurfer

I expected to spend 1000.00 on the

It should be cheaper than new...you have an engine with 11 years and 266,000 miles on it, a transmission with eleven years and 266,000 miles, a ......

Why can't I find a buyer like you when I'm ready to sell my worn out stuff?

I've seen enough of the transmissions being rebuilt too! I wish I could give you more info.... but I'm not a transmission guy- but from my fathers and father-in-law experience about $2500

I bought a 97 F250HD LB 2WD off ebay last year from a guy that acquired it from a farmer that bought it from the original owner. A rock quarry. It was registered to 79,000 miles before it was sold to a private party. Judging by the truck type and all the rock hard limestone dust underneath, I'd say it was worked hard. The truck since then has 130,000 miles on it. The 2nd owner had a fifth wheel hitch mounted in the bed. I also use this truck to haul my Jayco F265 5th wheel around. Never had a thought this truck would fail me. It only has a 5.8L gasser in it, but it serves me well enough. The truck still rides like a tank. Very harsh ha ha ha. But it was made to work and haul heavy stuff, which it does great.

Long story short.

I'd buy it. Paul

just put an add up here in the northeast, we buy anything, especially if it looks good.and has a complete service history, and all the records to prove it. the 1000.00 was suppose to be for rims or other misc stuff, still have 500 or so dollars left to spend. but that front end shimmy will eat that up! BTW I have had diedel trucks go over 500K and they were still a good truck when I sold them, now the gas trucks??? I would not buy after 60K just my opinion or good records...............anyways it still beats a 40K truck with a payment. as for "C" maybe you should look for another truck, there are thousands for sale evrywhere.

Which Transmission are we talking about here?

Well Joe, it's an automatic...but I don't know exactly what model it is.

With only 65,000 miles, it may not matter too much which kind it is. They made a big, heavy-duty overdrive, and that's probably what's in there. It's made for trailering, but of course that's no guarantee either way.

The transmission is the only thing I'd expect to be worse off from heavy towing. I can't see any other part of the truck really wearing out as a result of pulling a fiver. I would assume, for purposes of decision making, that you'll be rebuilding that in the middle of the next 100,000 miles somewhere. Not a bad thing, really.