CL: 2002 E350 7.3 $3800 -Seattle-

[vivarice]

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/6086937261.html

Yes, it felt shady listing and didn't feel legit but I had to check it out anyway since it was on my way to work. Also being a noob and never seen 7.3 in person I had to check out 7.3. Here is what I know about the van afterward which is very different than CL listing.

1. Van is on 4th owner now. Current owner owned it just 2 months. Owner complains it's too big thus selling it.

2. Prior to the current owner, it was owned by 3 Corporations previously.

3. Mileage in CL is totally wrong. I didn't get to verify dash mileage since I didn't have an access to VIN number. According to CarFax, it's estimating over 600k as of date. In just first 3 years, it clock'ed at 250k and another 250k in next 5 years. So over 500k in a total of just 8 years.

4. There is a lot more body scratches not pictured in CL.

5. Carfax lists less than dozen maintenance records.

6. Good parts: No smoke, no leaks, and sounded great to me. I'm no expert though.

Given above points, I don't think it's worth $3800 even if it's mighty 7.3. Am I wrong? What do you guys think it's worth? Looking back I should have test drove it but I got a little bit scared.

Attaching pictures for viewing pleasures.

[86Scotty]

If it was fleet maintained that is a very good thing. It has had what it needed when it needed it probably. You should try and find out if the drivetrain is original. It's probably had a tranny rebuild, or two, but the engine may be original. I'd offer a couple grand on it and expect to put an engine and/or tranny in it. The rest of that van will essentially last forever with regular maintenance.

Why scared? Just go test drive it. No harm in that. If you're inexperienced working on your own vehicles or don't know anything about these or diesels it may not be for you. If that's the case and you don't want expensive oil changes or occasional maintenance you can't do yourself then run the other way and find yourself a cheap 5.4 van. It'll never need anything, or at least nothing like caring for a diesel. A gas van might cost you a couple hundred at the shop if something goes wrong, a diesel can easily cost you a couple thousand.

[vivarice]

Originally Posted by 86Scotty

If it was fleet maintained that is a very good thing. It has had what it needed when it needed it probably. You should try and find out if the drivetrain is original. It's probably had a tranny rebuild, or two, but the engine may be original. I'd offer a couple grand on it and expect to put an engine and/or tranny in it. The rest of that van will essentially last forever with regular maintenance.

Why scared? Just go test drive it. No harm in that. If you're inexperienced working on your own vehicles or don't know anything about these or diesels it may not be for you. If that's the case and you don't want expensive oil changes or occasional maintenance you can't do yourself then run the other way and find yourself a cheap 5.4 van. It'll never need anything, or at least nothing like caring for a diesel. A gas van might cost you a couple hundred at the shop if something goes wrong, a diesel can easily cost you a couple thousand.

Thanks Scotty, appreciate your input! I really like your wording, "inexperienced" is exactly how I would describe my current skill. I'm slowing getting interested in doing my own regular maintenance. So I just started doing my own small fixes whenever I can and start building up my skill through hands-on experiences. Baby steps so far, I've done oil, filters, break, alternator, etc, just small things.

But looks like it's more than I can chew right now, so maybe it's not a good idea to get this van as I have no idea where to look and how to find out what you just said.

[mikracer]

Could be a decent rig, but could also be a money pit. If you gotta have it, then maybe ask a buddy who knows about diesels take a look or even have a shop perform a PPI.

When I was first looking, I almost bought a 7.3 extended passenger van just like the one you posted. But it was leaking fuel/oil and I just didn't know what it would take to fix it so I passed on it. Turns out O-rings are a common cause for fuel leaks and it would have cost a few hundred bucks to fix. Had I known that going in, I probably would have bought it.

With a van with that many miles, you also have to consider suspension parts, transmission, and the rest of the drivetrain and how many miles they all have since you don't have maintenance records.

[vivarice]

I'll sit on it a couple of more days but most likely I'll pass on it as my wife is not keen on the idea of buying a van that has this many miles. If a seller is open to PPI then actually it's not a bad idea. Thanks mikracer!