well my transmission went on my dodge the other day and now im in the market for a used truck. There is a 2000 f250 for sale at a local dealer they are asking $9,800 it is equiped with a fisher v plow , new tires and has about 130,000 on the odometer...the truck looks to be in great shape the interior is emaculet, there is no under body rust or fluids leaking.....any way do you guys feel this is a good deal or should stay clear of a high mileage truck...also, is there any know problems that i should look out for with this model year?
one more thing if any one has a subscription to carfax or something like that would you mind running the vin? 1ftnf21l9yea75884
thanks in advanced,
jim
Think long and hard about buying a used plow truck. Unless you can do most of the wrenching on it. The truck may need a transmission soon. I would bet it's on it's second one with that many miles. My truck got the name " The Big Red Drain " for a reason.
MY Dad always said " NEVER buy a Used Plow Truck" but I didn't listen! You might be better off fixing the Dodge and searching for another truck at your leisure.
Sounds like a very decent truck to me. Make sure to check the service records if you can. What motor is in it? Go to www.ford-trucks.com and someone there will run an oasis report for you. There are alot of plow trucks that are used but not used up. Do a very good check under the truck and see what you see.
Just don't be surprised if you have to put some money in it. With it's age and miles it's being traded in for a reason. It's been paid for, so it may have some un-addressed problems. Your now the new owner, you have to deal with unrepaired problems / failures.

i have the 97 F-250HD never plowed with ford are they good and handle plows good i have a 8' boss off my other truck will be putting on this one when get mounts and all. just curious ive always had a gmc 2500
Well, that's a matter of opinion, but I think my F250 is one of the BEST plow trucks out there. You can't lose with the engine selection and a solid front axle is super durable. Also, my 04 is the last year for leaf spring front suspension, which I prefer.
But other than that, I think that Ford makes the best plow truck on the market. You should be in really good shape.
uh-oh, read below
Hehe! Not trying to rock the boat, but you should have stuck with the GMC. It seems with Ford, you either get a good one or you don't. The 02' F-250 was great at 40-60,000 miles. Once I hit 60,000 miles, it seemed like everything took a crap.
Sway bar bushing replacements(2 times), rod end links, upper and lower ball joints, drag link ends, u-joints, new lock-outs(go with WARN), hub and bearing assembly(both sides at a nice $700 repair per side), and exhaust manifold studs(which I never replaced because Ford wanted $2000, you will find that very common on the 99'-04'). So I think at about 70,000 miles when I went to check the oil level and the f*ing dipstick tube fell of at the engine block, and I spent 4 hours extracting the remaining piece, I got on the phone with GMC dealer.
Those are the most common problems with Ford. I just happened to experience them all. In my opinion those kinda problems should not happen to a truck with that kinda mileage. However, if I had to do it all over again I would NOT get one with automatic 4wd. Sorry for the lengthy opinion. Good Luck !
I love my 06 F250 SD. You cant go wrong with a solid front axle! We have a 02 Chevy 3/4 at our shop and it has a turning radius of a semi, I hate plowing with that thing and whats up with the retarded mirrors? It seems they only let you see a small portion of anything when backing up.:confused: You'll be fine, thats probably one of the best plowing trucks out there!
I believe the 97s still had the twin traction beams, not the full solid axle. I was never a big fan of those, but that's just my opinion. My local highway department plows with several of those and have never had a huge problem though. You should be just fine running a Boss or whatever 8 footer on there. Lets see some pics when you get it all mounted up. J.
thanks for the info. i know with the gmc i made it 4yrs with out tranny or any other problems plowing other then front sag some what with torsion bars tightend. i really like that truck was best out all so far. but seems like the solid axle and leaf springs on the front might hold better then just shocks. so hopefully will do me some good. just have to finish putting the mount and wiring on it soon will be ready for the snow.
Hehe! Not trying to rock the boat, but you should have stuck with the GMC. It seems with Ford, you either get a good one or you don't. The 02' F-250 was great at 40-60,000 miles. Once I hit 60,000 miles, it seemed like everything took a crap.
Sway bar bushing replacements(2 times), rod end links, upper and lower ball joints, drag link ends, u-joints, new lock-outs(go with WARN), hub and bearing assembly(both sides at a nice $700 repair per side), and exhaust manifold studs(which I never replaced because Ford wanted $2000, you will find that very common on the 99'-04'). So I think at about 70,000 miles when I went to check the oil level and the f*ing dipstick tube fell of at the engine block, and I spent 4 hours extracting the remaining piece, I got on the phone with GMC dealer.
Those are the most common problems with Ford. I just happened to experience them all. In my opinion those kinda problems should not happen to a truck with that kinda mileage. However, if I had to do it all over again I would NOT get one with automatic 4wd. Sorry for the lengthy opinion. Good Luck ! Sounds like someone beat the hell out of their truck!!! It doesnt matter what brand of truck you drive, if you work the hell out of it, things are going to fail and wear out! I love my Ford and it plows great, just take care of the new one and you will be fine!
I have a 97 250hd and have owned it for 6 years the first I plowed with it the way it was set up and it worked fine the second year I put timbrens on the front made a huge difference the way it handled the plow that's the first thing I would put on.

im looking at a 2001 ford f250 xlt with a v8 gas engine does it matter that it dosent have a plow prep package i want to put an 8' plow on it
Most of the time you just have to upgrade a few systems. It may need a new alternator if it does not have at least a 100 amp. The biggest battery you can fit installed on the tray.
A big towing transmission cooler if it does not have one yet. Install new heavy duty shock absorbers if the ones on it look old.
what does a tranni cooler cost and is it easy to install
It's not real bad to install. You should do it with hard line, no rubber hose.
Done by someone that can bend the tubing and do the connections right.t's a little radiator that goes in front of the trucks radiator to cool the transmission fluid better then the stock cooler. If the truck has the towing package it should have one.
If it's a Super Duty or Heavy Duty Truck it should have one. The dealer may be able to run the VIN and see how it was ordered / built.
i would also be able to see the extra smaller radiator right
It should have the main engine radiator then forward of that the A/C condenser, then forward of that a small about a 1 foot by 2-3 foot radiator which is the trans cooler. Most have them, but there are people that are so cheap they order / buy the bare bones truck!
Search charging and other questions you have on the gray line above. There's a lot to read and info is here. People will help you with problems and questions. Keep in mind a plow truck is not cheap to build. If you have to pay to have repairs done it can kill you.

Just as it says
Thanks
It should say on dip stick.
If not look at owners manual.
I would say it's Mercon II at least.
If you plow with the truck make sure it has a good add on tranns cooler. That tranny dies without good cooling! Had a few die under me unlike the C-6 witch goes on forever.