Advice on 7.3 Purchase

uncle

Observer
Last year my wife totaled out my 2000 F250 2wd 7.3 XL. It had 270K on the clock, was my daily driver and never let me down.

I have an 89 F350 4x4 CCLB with 7.3idi in Custom trim. I don't drive it much, just hauling wood or hunting trips. It too has never let me down.

I have a chance to buy a 99 F250 ext cab LB 4x4 7.3 6sp with 150K on the clock. It too is a Custom trim with vinyl bench and rollup windows. It has the turn-over ball in the bed and seems to run great.

The price is $6500. I really liked my XL trim with the AC and Cruise and the 60/40/console. My 89 will never pull like a Powerstroke. I can go on and on but...

I haven't talked myself into the price break for the powerstroke over my 89 F350.

Is this a good price?
Am I missing something?

Thanks,
Brian
 

Ramblejam

Observer
My 89 will never pull like a Powerstroke.

2000 Power Stroke was 235 HP/500 TQ.

1989 7.3 IDI was 185 HP/338 TQ.

For $3k with the Banks Sidewinder turbo kit, that goes to 260 HP/500 TQ.

ford_sdwdr_8393_6973L.jpg
 
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F350joe

Well-known member
Love my 2000 7.3. Was going to get a little car to run around in but love the truck too much, the car would just sit. Real easy to work on and a truck load of good aftermarket options for the truck and engine. At that price you cannot go wrong.
 

jeep-N-montero

Expedition Leader
You have to ask yourself if you "need" the 99, as it appears you currently have the 89 7.3 and a Montero that seem to cover your needs. If you aren't towing often and can live with towing a bit slower then your current 89 will be just fine, and the Montero takes care of your off road adventures. If you were out west dealing with mountains the 99 would be more advantageous when towing, but in the flatlands you should be fine with your current vehicles.
 

SDDiver5

Expedition Leader
Jeez if I ran across a low mileage 7.3 for that price I'd swipe it up very quickly. Must be the west coast but any model truck/van with a 7.3 is super expensive.
 

tgreening

Expedition Leader
It's not just the west coast. Most people would want at least double that price. Personally I think there's a whole lot of 7.3 kool-aid out there, but apparently there are also plenty of guys lined up to pay it. I saw a low mileage 97 for sale 2 weeks ago for $28,000 freakin dollars. Anybody willing to pay that is foolish at best.
 

Bella PSD

Explorer
The 6 speed had more HP than the Automatic. IE the 2002-3 7.3 with the 6 speed was 275hp stock, so that almost 100 HP over your 89 IDI. low milage 6 speeds 7.3's are getting hard to find. For that price, if you don't get it, it will be gone soon to someone else. And by the way, I have a 7.3L/6 speed and its been perfect up over 160K now.
 

uncle

Observer
Thanks for the replies and the advise. I'm still undecided. My 89 cclb pulls what I need and carries my Palomino truck camper well. It does grunt and loose speed when I get up in the Ozarks.
I guess I just miss my old 2wd powerstroke. The Montero is a great rig for running fire roads with my atv and roof top tent on the trailer.

I might just fix the AC in the 89 and enjoy what I have.

Thanks again
 

jtcym1149

Member
I have two 2001 7.3 6 speeds. I bought the last one in 2014 for $7000 after looking hard for a year(body didn't have a speck of rust). Truck had 200k and the trans was damn near shot. I don't regret the purchase. Super reliable, fuel efficient and easy to work on. I've noticed some things on the 99 are a little different from the 2000-2003 models but it's not a big enough issue to turn me away. I say go for it
 

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