Buying a used diesel - 7.3L, 6.0L, 6.4L. Opinions?

krist003 · #1 Thu, September 20th, 2012, 01:09 PM

Hi there folks. I need some advise.I know there is too many threads to count on these diesel engines and which is the best, blah, blah, blah. I am looking for opinions on buying a used crewcab diesel 4x4 with 100k-200k miles. I once had a used 1999 7.3L several years back and it was a great truck, but i sold it at only 80k miles (should have kept it). So I am not sure if I would have encountered any problems in the 100-200k mi. range.

What are some concerns and what should i look for when buying a 7.3, 6.0, or 6.4 with this many miles? What kind of parts would i be looking at replacing on each model? Potential cost of repairs on each model? Looking for reliability and i know in this thread I will be getting a lot of "go for the 7.3" answers (and i am kind of leaning that way myself) But i am looking for answers from people who have owned several diesels or mechanics who have worked on all models, not the guy who has just owned one diesel like me.

I will be using the truck as my daily driver, tow rig, hunting rig, etc. I only drive about 20 miles a day city driving, 1300' elevation, and tow a lite travel trailer every other weekend. Looking for something below $15k.

I really appreciate the time spent on offering advise as this is a big decision for me. So thank you in advance!

spongecop · #2 Thu, October 25th, 2012, 06:55 PM

I just went thru this last year when I bought my 2001. I paid $15k for my truck with 189k miles. Lariat CC 4wd auto. In Texas the 7.3's sell for around 3k$ over blue book. Everyone I spoke to said stay away from the 6.0 unless you know the ENTIRE history. Even a couple truck dealers said so...they have them blow on the way back from auction. I like the 7.3 becasue I can work on it and its reliable. Not the fastest or the strongest but reliable.

6.4's were out of my price range and the fact you need to pull the cab off to work on it scares me.

cj45lc · #3 Fri, October 26th, 2012, 03:16 PM

JMHO but I wouldn't hesitate to get a 7.3 in the 150k mile range if it was kept up pretty good, oil changes, filters exc. What spongecop said is pretty much how I feel but I'm hung up on my 7.3 & don't much want to fool with the others at this time.

As far as what you are talking about doing with the truck I believe I'd be hard pressed not to get a gas job just for the maintanence cost involved with the diesel....JMHO

TwinTurbo · #4 Fri, October 26th, 2012, 10:43 PM

I've had a 7.3 for 13 years been an awesome truck 350,000 miles wouldn't hesitate to own another one, but I also just got a 6.0 with 84,000 on it. Here's my take on the 6.0's -so far I really like mine, if you can work on it yourself and not afraid to learn, there can be some pretty good deals found because of there bad rap. (paid 15k for mine - CC, Dually, Lariat). Most of the problems stem from the egr/emissions stuff which can be deleted if your state doesn't require testing or there are companies such as bulletproof that make better replacement parts. Just budget that in when your shopping, then get the FICM programer for the better throttle response, I hated how slow it would take off from a stop till I did. My brother has 220000 on his '03 and a few injectors have gone but no EGR issues yet, and his oil cooler is not as plugged as mine - checked the diff in oil temp vs. coolant temp should be within 10*, mine's around 30 so guess what i'll be doing soon? I would recommend running a synthetic oil. Either way you could end up with a good one or a bad one though. Good Luck.