So I have kinda been tow rig shoppin and not too sure what I want. At any rate, a friend texted me the other night knowing that I was lookin that his truck is for sale and what he would sell it to me for. (which isn't a screamin deal but is his payoff so I can understand his pricetag)

2001 F250 4 door short box, white, 130k miles
7.3L Powerstroke, Edge Juice w/ Attitude, dualcat back exhaust, intake, etc. etc.
Auto tranny, rebuilt 4k miles ago along with the transfer case.
6" Revtek lift on 38" Toyo's with over 80% tread left.
Also has in dash DVD, painted to match canopy, and I'm sure some other minor stuff.

I have known this friend for a while and have known the truck since he got it several years ago bone stock. I know he has throttled it as anyone would at times but I bet as far as chipped/lifted powerstrokes go this one has been taken the best care of. He doesn't tend to beat on his shit as he works hard for his money like most of us. I know the tranny was starting to slip a couple years ago so he has pretty much babied it for the whole time. I ran into him a couple months ago and he said the tranny was finally about to give up for good so he had the new one ready to go(ironically while everyone was in Parker I had Keri's Dakota and he somehow recognized me in it going through an intersection and followed me to my destination to shoot the shit)

He has already told me to trade him rigs for a day so I can drive it around and see how much I like it. I don't doubt that if I do that I'll want it. But beings that I've only been shopping a few weeks, what would a decent price for this truck be? Like I said, I know his bottom dollar and don't expect him to go below that for me cause he needs payoff on it and I'm sure he can sell it for that amount eventually. He just wants to get rid of it and build a Megacab Dodge.

And if it matters, he works for Les Schwab, did most all the work himself at work.

hmm, well KBB is saying 16-19k and a quick search on auto trader put the range from 13-24k depending on options. I'd guess he could get 18k or so and possibly 19k or more to the right person. Personally I'd shoot low. Diesel truck prices fluctuate with fuel prices so if the price of diesel goes up another dollar you can cut several thousand off that truck. Personally I'd be looking at 16k or so since trade in is only ~15K

Do you know what was done to that auto? The autos in those years of fords were never very good and just a rebuild is only going to last so long with a chip, even driving nicely.

I am picking the truck up tonight to drive for a day or so and I will find out more about the tranny at that point. I like the numbers you're telling me. The number he told me is less than what you said you'd be looking at, more like the trade in value.

buying around trade in is nice. But keep in mind when diesel was $5 a gallon you couldn't give those rigs away. Dealerships were offering half blue book for a trade-in, if they would take it.

Are you just looking for a truck or more of a tow rig?

Not exactly sure what I want/need yet. Cant decide if I want a rig that I mainly use for towing or something to DD and tow. Kinda depends on what I do with the Jeep.

I picked the truck up tonight, drove it around a bit, and its here at my house now. I'll give it this, for being on 38's it drives damn nice. I think it may be easier to drive around than my Jeep.

He had the tranny rebuilt by ATS. Not sure who or what that entails but he said they were the people to rebuild those and he has a $3600 receipt from them for the work not including removal or installation. Also just put a new water pump in.

It does have a minor coolant leak that just developed and he says there may be a chance it will need a head gasket soon. Gonna drive it around tomorrow and ponder on it.

My dad also went next door to talk to our neighbor earlier. The guy is out of work and can't make ends meet so might be dumping his 07 Dodge. Its a 4 door long box CTD and either has 20k miles on it and wants $25k or has 25k miles and wants $20k. Gonna try and talk to him about that this week too.

IIRC ATS does some very nice stuff for diesel autos, much better then the factory stuff. If he had them do the transmission it should be golden.

Head gasket is going to be a pain in the ass. Do you know how many miles have been on it with the chip? If you are really interested in the truck I'd call around and get some quotes on getting that fixed and adjust the price of the truck accordingly.

The Dodge will have more power, or at least more power potential with a chip. It will also probably get better fuel mileage. Personally I think the dodges interior isn't as nice and the ride isn't as good. That being said I'd rather have a Dodge then my Ford, mainly for the mileage.

I DD my truck to work every day and get about 16mpg. Most people with the same truck as mine and an Edge are getting 18, but I drive like an ass so that probably explains it. Towing my jeep on the trailer I'm running down the road around 16k and I get 11-12 mpg.

What makes him think he has a head gasket problem? I don't think I've ever seen a 7.3 with a failed head gasket. I have seen several 6.0 with blown head gaskets, and egr coolers. I personally am a big fan of the ats trannies. I've driven both dodge trucks and ford trucks. Personally I prefer ford but I am a bit bias. The biggest downfall of the superduty is the front wheel bearings. They are prone to failure especially on lifted trucks. I would jack up the front and see if everthing is tight. Those bearings are around $500 per side. Also take a look at the ball joints while your there.

He didn't say it was blown, I believe he said that it may have a pin hole leak in it. Can't remember why he said that. And he said there is a plug on one of the heads that has an o-ring seal he believes. He has been told that the oil leak is from there.

It has had the programmer for about 3 years, lifted for almost as long.

Most likely the intake orfice tubes (orange) goint to the heads are leaking. It's very common. Also see the high pressure oil pump fittings leak but when the go it leaks REALLY bad.

I traded back for the Jeep tonight and I realized how much I love driving my Jeep fighting that big truck around everywhere.

I did throw the edge tuner on level 5 real quick this morning and that is impressive. I'm still contemplating my options.

It definatly makes my Mazda look smaller....