Those prices are way too high for over 300k miles. I’d take at least 4k off. The 2nd transmission is coming soon, for sure.
What do you mean by 2nd transmission?
The automatic transmission (E4OD). They usually last around 200k miles, but less in many cases.
My '94 was on its 3rd E4OD by 160k kilometers before I swapped it to a ZF5 manual.
Yeah, E4ODs are known to be pretty bad. They were designed for gas trucks with way less torque. Definitely the weakest part of an OBS 7.3. The 4R100 isn’t much better but usually lasts 200k miles unless you’re running a tune. The 5R110W is great, but that one was paired with the problematic 6.0 and 6.4 engines, so you can’t really win if you want a good automatic in a Ford diesel.
We used to joke and call them ‘E-4-oh-no’ because they were always worked too hard, and the shift logic was so bad it felt like it shifted seven times before finally getting into 4th gear overdrive.
Ah, so you’re talking about the transmission.
Yeah, pretty much spot on taking 4k off the price. I bought mine for $6500. You can check it out on my profile. It’s a ‘96 F250 with 310k miles, 7.3 4x4, extended cab, long bed. It was originally listed at $8500, but I negotiated. Had a minor fuel leak, turned out to be a bad hose. Ended up fixing the fuel bowl and lines for about $100 and an afternoon of work.
I don’t drive it daily, but it gets used weekly. When I did drive it every day for a couple of months, I realized it’s not ideal—big turning radius, long bed makes parking tricky.
As for reliability, I’ve had it less than a year, but these trucks are known for being solid. Just remember it’s nearly 30 years old with over 300k miles, so parts will wear out. It’s good if you can work on it yourself, but some replacements can get expensive.
I paid $7600 for my '96 F350, crew cab, long bed, dual rear wheels, 7.3 with a ZF5. Still feel like I overpaid. 220k miles and no rust, but these prices are nuts.
That’s nothing. Have you checked AutoTrader lately?
Yeah, but mine isn’t in great mechanical shape. Needs a dipstick tube seal, leaks everywhere, tires are shot, needs rear wheel cylinders, and a full front-end rebuild. So yeah, definitely overpaid.
Oh, in that case, yeah, that’s overpriced for sure. But still a solid project.
No way. Trucks that old, nearing half a million miles, are not great for daily driving.
Do you drive a diesel yourself?
I totally agree with you. Especially if you’re driving a HUEI truck in the winter. I had a 7.3 and now own a 6.0. You have to plug them in when it’s really cold. I wouldn’t want to daily drive one, especially in cold weather—I’d stick to gas if that was the case.
Yeah, gas is cheaper in pretty much every way. Unless you’re towing heavy loads or driving through mountains a lot, diesel doesn’t make sense for most folks.
For sure. I can do two oil changes on my wife’s car for the price of one on my diesel. And don’t even get me started on the 10k-mile maintenance.
Yup. My 6.7 diesel fuel filters cost almost as much as getting an oil change done at Jiffy Lube, and that’s buying them from Amazon. Then there’s the 13-17 quarts of oil (depending on the year), which easily runs over $100. Last year I had mine serviced at a dealer in Michigan, and the oil change plus fuel filters cost over $400!
I’ve been daily driving mine for about 4 years now. Love the truck, but you have to be prepared to do your own repairs. Old trucks like these break all the time, but it’s still cheaper than buying a new one if you find a good deal.