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Old 07-18-2019, 11:51 AM   #1
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7.3l Sportsmobile Questions

I'm considering buying my first wife approved sportsmobile 2000 e350 7.3l with about 265k on it. I have been told it's been on and off of CL for a while, so I'm guessing someone on here has seen it (green, come with a matching trailer). It's located in Alaska.
I'm not well acquainted with diesel engines but I have read around a bit and it looks like this engine, with proper maintenance, can run upwards of 500k. Anyone not familiar with Sportsmobile, they convert vans into offroad rv's.

The info I have received from the seller is as follows:

7.3L Powerstroke Diesel
Quigley 4x4 Conversion
3:73 gear ratio
Agile Off-Road RIP Kit (New Leaf Springs, Coil Springs and Fox 2.0 Shocks)
Engine Maintenance done at 250K Miles
New Injectors
New Glow Plugs
New Valve Cover Gaskets
New Garett Turbo
New Water Pump
New Serpantine Belt Actuated Vacuum Pump
New Camshaft Position Sensor
New Exhaust Back Pressure Tube
DP Tuner Custom Programmer
DP EGT gauge
Custom Cold Air Intake
4" Turbo Back Flow Through Exhaust
Brand New Transmission Built By G-Force Transmission with Billet Parts and HD Billet Torque Converter
New Rotors and Complete Front Brakes (July 2018)
New Wheel Bearings and Warn Manual Lock Hubs (July 2018)
New Rear Axle Seals
46 Gallon Transfer Flow Fuel Tank
1-yr old Interstate Starting Batteries
1-yr old Interstate "House Battery"

He also has a pre purchase inspection report that says tie rod end at pitman arm is loose and recommends replacing rear fox shock set and the bearings in the rear differential. No blowby.

I've seen MPG from 13 to 22 with other owners, would that be in the wheelhouse of a setup like this?

My reason for posting... not being familiar with these setups, what other questions should I be asking of the seller? What red flags should I be looking for?

Or should I just wait for the 7.3 V8 cutaway in 2021...

Thanks for your time!

Jeff

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Old 07-18-2019, 01:46 PM   #2
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What about that van is drawing you to it? The layout? The matching trailer?

I think the seller started out at like $100k for the pair so he's come down quite a bit, but I still don't think it's a screaming deal. If your wife digs the trailer, then I guess you have to pay to play, but if it's the van's layout ("50"), that's the most common layout Sportsmobile made so they will pop up more often.
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Old 07-18-2019, 01:52 PM   #3
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Wow price dropped to $63,500 for that van.

It has all the goodies plus custom paint. Nice.
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Old 07-18-2019, 01:57 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by mikracer View Post
What about that van is drawing you to it? The layout? The matching trailer?

I think the seller started out at like $100k for the pair so he's come down quite a bit, but I still don't think it's a screaming deal. If your wife digs the trailer, then I guess you have to pay to play, but if it's the van's layout ("50"), that's the most common layout Sportsmobile made so they will pop up more often.
I like the 7.3l more than the 6l of the newer diesel engines. I have a good friend that has had tons of issues with his 6l which I'd like to avoid. I've read about "bulletproofing", but haven't seen anything in my price range that has been modified as such. If I could get the 7.3l to last another 200-250k it would be worth the price.

I like the money he's put into it. I do dig the color but that's not the draw. As for the trailer, it's kind of a bonus. I don't need a sauna, but with a family of five it would be a good base camp and place for the kids. I spend lots of time in the snow so maybe the wood stove would be a plus. I do like the 50, but I would most likely add a third captains chair (SMB quoted about $3k). I've been looking around for about a year on and off, this is the first one that has caught my eye.

That all being said, it is 20 years old, has 205k miles on it, and is in Alaska. And it's still a lot of money.
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Old 07-18-2019, 02:40 PM   #5
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In my opinion if he is not willing to split up the trailer and the van its a hard no. While the trailer is "cool" I don't think it adds a whole lot of value, and I would rather put that money into more van features.

As far as using the trailer as a base camp... if you don't have the trailer your camp becomes wherever the van can take you. In my mind the trailer just becomes a limiting factor.
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Old 07-18-2019, 02:42 PM   #6
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Heres one listed but not sure if its still available since its been about a month since the listing. Its an EB50 with the third captains and "only" 100k miles.

https://bend.craigslist.org/rvs/d/po...916033139.html


Also, don't sleep on the V10's that Ford offered, especially 2005+ with the 5 spd trans. Solid motor/trans thats easy on the maintenance.
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Old 07-18-2019, 03:01 PM   #7
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If I could get the 7.3l to last another 200-250k it would be worth the price.
---------
That all being said, it is 20 years old, has 205k miles on it, and is in Alaska.
While the motor will likely go 500,000 everything bolted to it won't, not without some TLC.

The 13 MPG estimate is probably accurate. Maybe 15 on a good day. 17 downhill with a tailwind. 22? Not a chance.

If you really want something hands-off that won't require any work, a newer V10 is the way to go. Or like you said, wait for the new V8. But this a brand new engine engine, using an architecture Ford hasn't built in 20 years, combined with new tech. I think it might be prudent to wait a year, until the they work out any bugs in the manufacturing process.
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Old 07-18-2019, 03:28 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikracer View Post
Heres one listed but not sure if its still available since its been about a month since the listing. Its an EB50 with the third captains and "only" 100k miles.

https://bend.craigslist.org/rvs/d/po...916033139.html


Also, don't sleep on the V10's that Ford offered, especially 2005+ with the 5 spd trans. Solid motor/trans thats easy on the maintenance.
Agreed. And carringb knows his stuff too.
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Old 07-18-2019, 04:03 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by mikracer View Post
Heres one listed but not sure if its still available since its been about a month since the listing. Its an EB50 with the third captains and "only" 100k miles.

https://bend.craigslist.org/rvs/d/po...916033139.html


Also, don't sleep on the V10's that Ford offered, especially 2005+ with the 5 spd trans. Solid motor/trans thats easy on the maintenance.
I spoke with that guy for a while. He didn't seem to know much about the van or any work that had been done on it.
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Old 07-18-2019, 04:05 PM   #10
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While the motor will likely go 500,000 everything bolted to it won't, not without some TLC.

The 13 MPG estimate is probably accurate. Maybe 15 on a good day. 17 downhill with a tailwind. 22? Not a chance.

If you really want something hands-off that won't require any work, a newer V10 is the way to go. Or like you said, wait for the new V8. But this a brand new engine engine, using an architecture Ford hasn't built in 20 years, combined with new tech. I think it might be prudent to wait a year, until the they work out any bugs in the manufacturing process.
I'll look into the v10 more. I've been stuck on the diesels for a while but maybe branching back out would open up some better options.
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