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7.3 Powerstroke E250???

5150dhbiker

Turbo Monkey
Nov 5, 2007
1,200
0
Santa Barbara, CA
Ok, so I sold my Tacoma a while ago and am pretty sure I want one of these vans. Anyone on here know if they're reliable or not? Theres one for sale locally with pretty low miles (for a diesel...145k) in good shape for $6,900.

I was going to get myself a BMW since I miss mine but realized a cargo van would be great to travel to DH races to and for going camping for motocross.

Anyways, let me know what you guys think.
 

ALEXIS_DH

Tirelessly Awesome
Jan 30, 2003
6,147
796
Lima, Peru, Peru
i´d look for something with less miles..
while 145k might not be too much for a good diesel engine, its still an awful lot for a tranmission, and most suspension joints.

not to mention the driver seat should probably be very worn after being sat on for that long.....
 

stevew

resident influencer
Sep 21, 2001
40,494
9,524
murals motherfvcker.....it better have murals......wizards and unicorns and sh*t....

 
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kazlx

Patches O'Houlihan
Aug 7, 2006
6,985
1,957
Tustin, CA
The 7.3 is a great motor. I had a 2001 F-250 for a while and loved it. The only reason I sold it was to buy a house...otherwise I would have kept it. It got decent gas mileage for a truck that size, would pull anything you want and ran like a champ with 120K on it. Heads up is oil changes are expensive, as it takes ~15 quarts. I used Rotella T from Wal-Mart that you can buy by the gallon. Even if you change the oil yourself it's around $40-$50. If you take it somewhere, they will want $100+. Otherwise, it would seem to me like a van would be a great vehicle for traveling like that...

FYI, if you poke around the powerstroke forums, most people seem to get about 100K+/- out of the stock tranny. Obviously, it's not a hard and fast rule, but something to keep in mind. You might get 200K out of it, or it might blow up the day after you buy it. Mine let go at about 110K. I spent $2500 to have it rebuilt with a shift kit and a few little upgrades.
 
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KavuRider

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2006
2,565
4
CT
Vans are awesome.
This is mine. Its old, but it does the trick. It was shuttling us to our local lift hill for 2 years.


I'm thinking of getting a 2003+ E350 or so to replace it. Gas mileage will probably be the same, so might as well get the 1-ton.



 

jutny

Monkey
Jan 15, 2009
306
0
Montclair, NJ


thats my beast. 99 e350 extended 7.3psd. The high top is awesome because at 6" I can stand straight with reasonable room. Holds 3 motorcycles and gear for whatever... I paid 2200 for it, 260k. I put about $1500 into it to fix all the rust, fiberglass, prime, build a nice floor and put down etrack, all new steering components, shocks, brakes. It still really needs tires, next in the budget. Mechanically other than needing injector orings and an IPR job, its not half bad. I also threw in the audio system from my old turbo volvo project, which ended up working much better in the van anyway.

phase 2 includes insulation and some form of a removable bunk that still allows storage of 3 bikes.

I recommend one wholeheartedly. They pull like a beast, mine with the high top gets 17mpg @65 with 1000lbs of motorcycles and 2 guys and supplies/parts/gear/tools. With the injectors working properly and even a modest tune its not unheard of for them to turn 20-21mpg.
 
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KavuRider

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2006
2,565
4
CT


thats my beast. 99 e350 extended 7.3psd. The high top is awesome because at 6" I can stand straight with reasonable room. Holds 3 motorcycles and gear for whatever... I paid 2200 for it, 260k. I put about $1500 into it to fix all the rust, fiberglass, prime, build a nice floor and put down etrack, all new steering components, shocks, brakes. It still really needs tires, next in the budget. Mechanically other than needing injector orings and an IPR job, its not half bad. I also threw in the audio system from my old turbo volvo project, which ended up working much better in the van anyway.

phase 2 includes insulation and some form of a removable bunk that still allows storage of 3 bikes.

I recommend one wholeheartedly. They pull like a beast, mine with the high top gets 17mpg @65 with 1000lbs of motorcycles and 2 guys and supplies/parts/gear/tools. With the injectors working properly and even a modest tune its not unheard of for them to turn 20-21mpg.
Bad Ass. + Rep to you sir!
I've considered a high top for awhile. A high-top 7.3 is hard to find, but I'm hopeful!

Oh yeah, as posted in the Big Truck thread, I get 10mpg...UGH. So ANYTHING would be better than that! Even the oil changes.
 

BillE

Chimp
May 8, 2004
81
0
Franklin Ma
I drove an E350 with the 7.3 diesel for a work truck. The company had two with the 7.3 and the engines were great but the transmissions on both trucks went at about the same time around 130-140k. It was a great work truck.
 

kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
Other than the concerns of everything else wearing out, you can't beat the 7.3 motor, its uber reliable and gets pretty decent mileage.
 

profro

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2002
5,617
314
Walden Ridge
Absolutely a great deal. I have a 2000 F250 2x4 and a 2003 Excursion 4x4, both with 7.3 psd's (224k and 276k respectively). You might need to replace the ball-joints, but that vintage Ford 250's (e or f) were great and will last a long, long time. There are a few oil leaks that will develop over time with the 7.3s that always look like rear main seals but they are easy to fix. Most leaks are in the valley between the heads and usually are fixed with o-rings. Check out Ford-Trucks.com forums to get the low down. Other than ball-joints and a few o-rings, both of mine have been through at least one water pump. But its super easy do it yourself.