2020 F250 6.7 – Should I buy it?

Thinking about getting a second truck for work, specifically a 2020 F250 6.7. Looking at the Carfax, I noticed it’s been to the shop twice in the last 20k miles for hard start/no crank issues. First time they replaced the pump relay, and the second time they replaced a battery. The dealer told me they replaced the batteries again during their pre-sale inspection (just 10k miles after the previous battery replacement).

The truck has 90k miles on it. Should I be concerned about these issues, or do you think the fixes they’ve done are enough? It’s clean otherwise and started up fine multiple times while I was at the dealer. Just feels odd that it was traded in so soon after these problems were addressed.

Anyone have thoughts or similar experiences?

Think about why someone might trade in a truck like that:

  1. They have more money than sense.
  2. The warranty is about to expire, and fixing a modern diesel out of warranty can get insanely expensive.
  3. It no longer met their needs, or they couldn’t afford it and downsized (you could ask the dealership what they bought next to rule this in or out).

Then there are the reasons you won’t like:

  1. The CP4 was starved and could fail anytime.
  2. The DPF (diesel particulate filter) is on its last legs, but they managed to clear the warning light temporarily.
  3. The DEF heater is failing, and the truck will need expensive DEF system repairs once it gets cold.

Decide how much you want to gamble $50k.

@Bevin
Good points. The dealer said the previous owner upgraded to a 2024, so that’s reassuring.

I plan to tune and delete it, reroute the CCV, and install a disaster prevention kit. So the CP4 and emissions equipment aren’t as much of a concern for me. Just wanted to make sure there isn’t another major issue tied to the symptoms I mentioned.

@Drew
If you’re planning those upgrades, then the main thing I’d worry about is rogue electrical draw or a bad alternator causing the battery issues.

I have a customer with a 2019 F450 6.7 that’s had similar issues. In the last three months, it’s been towed three times for no-start problems:

  1. First was fuel filters.
  2. Second was the fuel pump driver module above the tank.
  3. Third was the fuse box, which wasn’t sending power to the fuel pump driver module.

It’s frustrating, but sometimes these things happen.

@Gentry
I’m wondering the same—if the dealer tried the cheap fixes first and the original owner traded it in when they found out the real problem was $$$. If there was a major issue, though, it probably wouldn’t have started up multiple times at the dealership for me.

And replacing two batteries over four years and 80k miles seems normal. Just trying to cover all my bases before dropping $50k on a used truck!

My cousin owns a shop and works mostly on diesel trucks, especially the 2018-23 Ford models. He says they’re garbage, lol.

Tully said:
My cousin owns a shop and works mostly on diesel trucks, especially the 2018-23 Ford models. He says they’re garbage, lol.

Everything I’ve read says the 6.7 is one of the better engines out there, aside from the emissions stuff and the CP4 pump.

I’ve got a 2015 F-350 with 250k miles. Most of the maintenance has been routine: replaced one DEF heater, tie rod ends, draglink, upper radiator hose, thermostat, and now looking at body mounts and an oil pan.

Other than that, I’ve spent more on tires, brakes, and oil changes than actual repairs. It depends on how the truck was cared for, but mine still runs great with no major issues. I’ve seen others, though, that are nothing but trouble.