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If you found an old diesel (or maybe I should say, one with high miles) and it was "cheap" enough, would you buy it...if you only planned to use it for a TV (plus maybe to the market once a week during non-camping months, to keep it moving)?

 

Do you think it's wise to consider this... or are we better off buying newer/less miles and spending more??

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Diesels are durable and known for their longevity (unless it's the old Ford 7.3s or 6.0s)  However, items like injectors will be costly.  Another thing to consider with the mileage and age of truck is the rest of the parts on the truck itself.  Brakes/Suspension/Transmission/Rear End Gears, Transfer Case if 4x4, etc....Those items will wear out and degrade much quicker than the diesel itself.  Approach an older, high mileage truck with those factors in your mind and find out if they need replaced or will go out soon.

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A lot depends on the truck and how it was maintained. But I have found when a truck isn't driven regularly it starts to have little odd problems. Where a truck that is on the road all the time just keeps going. I will also say when something breaks on a diesel it is never cheap. In all the diesel truck I have owned I have never been hit by a high repair bill but I have never kept one passed 150,000 miles. But they all ran and drove perfect when I traded them in. My friend bought a 06 duramax with 169,000 miles on it last July it's been a good truck he is at 195,000 miles now and he has spent about $1,500.00 in repairs. But now he is thinking about getting a newer truck. While the motor runs good it's the rest of the truck that is showing it's age.

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A lot depends on the truck and how it was maintained. But I have found when a truck isn't driven regularly it starts to have little odd problems. Where a truck that is on the road all the time just keeps going. I will also say when something breaks on a diesel it is never cheap. In all the diesel truck I have owned I have never been hit by a high repair bill but I have never kept one passed 150,000 miles. But they all ran and drove perfect when I traded them in. My friend bought a 06 duramax with 169,000 miles on it last July it's been a good truck he is at 195,000 miles now and he has spent about $1,500.00 in repairs. But now he is thinking about getting a newer truck. While the motor runs good it's the rest of the truck that is showing it's age.

 

Hmmm.... so, it sounds like whatever we get (if we get a diesel) this is something we should drive everyday; not just a couple of times a month??

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I bought an old diesel. A 2002 dodge ram with a 5.9 cummins. Best fuel mileage from a pickup period for towing. I paid around 13k for mine January 14. It's a dodge, it's loud, it's pretty clean ( see my post in fort pictures section) And most of all it was affordable. I drive it daily, it has 120k miles on it now and it was the right truck for us at the time. I just didn't have 50k to throw at a diesel truck. In a few years I'll prob upgrade to a 6.7 ford diesel definitely with a crew cab, maybe 1 or 2 years old. There's certainly no right answer

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I bought an old diesel. A 2002 dodge ram with a 5.9 cummins. Best fuel mileage from a pickup period for towing. I paid around 13k for mine January 14. It's a dodge, it's loud, it's pretty clean ( see my post in fort pictures section) And most of all it was affordable. I drive it daily, it has 120k miles on it now and it was the right truck for us at the time. I just didn't have 50k to throw at a diesel truck. In a few years I'll prob upgrade to a 6.7 ford diesel definitely with a crew cab, maybe 1 or 2 years old. There's certainly no right answer

 

You mention 120k miles now... how many were on it, when you bought it?

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My current truck is a 2011 Ford F450 and it has 125,000 miles on it. When I got it about a year a half ago it had 110,000 miles on it.

The truck before that was a 2004 Chevy 2500 and I bought it with about 128,000 miles on it. When I traded it away for the current truck it had 180,000 miles on it. It sold from the dealer in less than a week.

 

As other have said the motors are good for a LOT of miles, it's the parts around them that make and break a truck. If you can find a high mile truck with good service records or receipts I would not hesitate to consider it.

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My current truck is a 2011 Ford F450 and it has 125,000 miles on it. When I got it about a year a half ago it had 110,000 miles on it.

The truck before that was a 2004 Chevy 2500 and I bought it with about 128,000 miles on it. When I traded it away for the current truck it had 180,000 miles on it. It sold from the dealer in less than a week.

 

As other have said the motors are good for a LOT of miles, it's the parts around them that make and break a truck. If you can find a high mile truck with good service records or receipts I would not hesitate to consider it.

 

Wow... only 15k miles in a year and half?  You drive like I do :)

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so, does that indicate with all else being equal, (other drive train, non-motor mechanics etc.) two older diesel motor coachs about the same age but different mileages, the higher mileage might be the better bet?

 

We are beginning the search, no hurry, and came across two RVs of the same manufacture, different models, same age (1998), but one has 35k miles and one has 89k miles.  Sounds like I should be a little concerned about the lack of use of the lower mileage unit?

 

Probably won't buy either...too early in the search, but trying to ed-u-ma-kate myself!

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so, does that indicate with all else being equal, (other drive train, non-motor mechanics etc.) two older diesel motor coachs about the same age but different mileages, the higher mileage might be the better bet?

 

We are beginning the search, no hurry, and came across two RVs of the same manufacture, different models, same age (1998), but one has 35k miles and one has 89k miles.  Sounds like I should be a little concerned about the lack of use of the lower mileage unit?

 

Probably won't buy either...too early in the search, but trying to ed-u-ma-kate myself!

 

I'd be concerned about a 1998 diesel motorhome with only 35K miles on it.  We bought our motorhome when it was 4 years old, and I was a little concerned that it only had about 60,000 miles on it.

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Wow... only 15k miles in a year and half?  You drive like I do :)

 

I have a short commute to work, those miles include 1 trip to Disney and a trip to the beach :)

 

 

That's a good question Leon!  I'd like to hear the answer on that one as Tom actually found a 2006 Ford with under 30k miles.  Crazy, but the man has a work truck and they only drive this (obviously) VERY rarely.

 

Watch those Ford's with the 6.0 motor in them, they can be tricky.

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My truck had 102k on it when I got it last year. It has been to Florida twice now, and a third next week. Lower miles are better in all instances IMHO. Some people think that if something sits it's not good. There are new cars that sit for sometimes 18 months before they are sold, sometimes buried in snow or in blistering heat. What really concerns me is was the previous owner an idiot. I know better than to do something like take a gas motor home up a grade with my foot to the floor because I don't want to overwork, overheat or strain the engine and such. But there are people who know nothing about driving these types of vehicles and do just that. How would you ever know. And the 6.0 ford is one of the best diesels built in that era= AFTER it has been "bulletproofed" and quite a few have by now.

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My truck had 102k on it when I got it last year. It has been to Florida twice now, and a third next week. Lower miles are better in all instances IMHO. Some people think that if something sits it's not good. There are new cars that sit for sometimes 18 months before they are sold, sometimes buried in snow or in blistering heat. What really concerns me is was the previous owner an idiot. I know better than to do something like take a gas motor home up a grade with my foot to the floor because I don't want to overwork, overheat or strain the engine and such. But there are people who know nothing about driving these types of vehicles and do just that. How would you ever know. And the 6.0 ford is one of the best diesels built in that era= AFTER it has been "bulletproofed" and quite a few have by now.

 

I've heard that... but it's our understanding that it cost around $5k to bulletproof it.  Not cheap :(

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Throwing these out there... opinions?

 

Private owners, so I'm guessing they have more room to negotiate.  Last one has not had any of the additional work done on it, but the miles are super low as they only drove it a few times a year (mentioned this one above): 

 

 

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/5067259437.html

 

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/5067259437.html

 

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/ctd/5060114537.html

 

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/5059714366.html

 

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/5069705526.html

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6.0 Fords can be good trucks if they are fixed correctly. I have a 06 and had an 05. Both were bulletproofed ahead of problems. I talked to the buyer of the 05 a few months ago, and it is going strong approaching 200k.

If the work was performed correctly I would not hesitate to buy one. With that said those trucks in your links are high priced imo. I paid 16k for my 2006 dually, lariat, cc, 4x4 with 122k on it back in 2010.

I also had a 2003 and 2005 dodge 2500's with the Cummins. I had more problems with them (no engine trouble) than the Fords.

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Throwing these out there... opinions?

 

Private owners, so I'm guessing they have more room to negotiate.  Last one has not had any of the additional work done on it, but the miles are super low as they only drove it a few times a year (mentioned this one above): 

 

 

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/5067259437.html

 

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/5067259437.html

 

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/ctd/5060114537.html

 

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/5059714366.html

 

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/5069705526.html

That last one is a rare find for sure. For me to spend over 20 grand on any vehicle, Anything over 125K or so is too many in my opinion for that price range.  Once you get past that mark, anything could happen- especially the ones you posted with 200K on them.  I could see if they were 15K or so , but IDK, thats a tough call. And I have to ask, for me its a must, do you need 4x4? In hotlanta?

 

I searched in Orlando for something I would like,and this is more my speed- lower miles, a little older to save some dough, but excellent condition.  If I was in the market, I would buy this tomorrow- and it should be a 7.3L, you could hand this down for generations with proper care:

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=34746&endYear=2016&inGalleryView=true&modelCode1=F250&fuelTypeGroup=DSL&driveGroup=RWD&showcaseOwnerId=66343&startYear=1981&makeCode1=FORD&searchRadius=200&maxPrice=30000&showcaseListingId=397768835&mmt=%5BFORD%5BF250%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&listingId=402487427&Log=0

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6.0 Fords can be good trucks if they are fixed correctly. I have a 06 and had an 05. Both were bulletproofed ahead of problems. I talked to the buyer of the 05 a few months ago, and it is going strong approaching 200k.

If the work was performed correctly I would not hesitate to buy one. With that said those trucks in your links are high priced imo. I paid 16k for my 2006 dually, lariat, cc, 4x4 with 122k on it back in 2010.

I also had a 2003 and 2005 dodge 2500's with the Cummins. I had more problems with them (no engine trouble) than the Fords.

My ex brother-in-law's Excursion 6.0 has been "bullet-proofed" twice by two different repair facilities and it's now sitting again with bad injectors and an oil pump.  This is the 3rd set of injectors and 2nd oil pump.  He mulling around the idea of fixing it again and selling it.

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