Looking at this 2012 Ford diesel and wanted to get some opinions before I pull the trigger. Anything I should be looking out for?
I’m gonna go ahead and say no, and here’s why:
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No maintenance records—so you have no idea how well it was taken care of. Ford diesels need a lot of upkeep.
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Lifted with tiny tires? That usually means someone treated it like a show truck instead of using it for actual work. Plus, since it’s deleted, it was probably driven hard.
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Deleted + tuned = potential problems. If you don’t know how it was done or what settings it’s running, you’re asking for trouble.
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It’s a 2012. Ford had a ton of issues with the early 6.7s. The glow plugs were known to break off into the engine, the turbos had ceramic ball bearings that failed, and the NOx sensor could throw it into limp mode. The 2014 models are much more reliable.
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If it’s deleted and you hear a loud hiss, what other mods does it have? You’re basically buying someone else’s project without knowing what’s been done.
Bottom line—buy a stock truck with lower miles and modify it yourself. That way, you know exactly what’s going on under the hood.
@Reign
Great info, but could you use some periods next time? That was a workout to read lol.
Reign said:
@Reign
Great info, but could you use some periods next time? That was a workout to read lol.
Hey man, I r diesel monkey, not grammar monkey.
Reign said:
@Reign
Great info, but could you use some periods next time? That was a workout to read lol.
Hey man, I r diesel monkey, not grammar monkey.
Lmao. Fair enough. 
@Reign
Why is the 2014 6.7 better than the later models?
Reign said:
@Reign
Why is the 2014 6.7 better than the later models?
The 2011-2012 models had a bunch of issues—glow plugs breaking, ceramic turbo bearings failing, NOx sensor clogging, etc. The 2013-2014 models fixed most of those problems and also had the best transmission Ford ever put in a truck. There are 2014 6.7s out there with over a million miles.
The truck is deleted—does it come with the tuner and tune info? If not, walk away.
Without the tuner, you have no idea what settings it’s running. A bad delete can be a nightmare, and you don’t want to deal with that.
I’m willing to bet this thing was driven hard. The kind of hard where the owner was trying to show off. With a lift like that, it was probably built to roll coal, not tow anything useful.
I’d stay away, but that’s just me.
160k miles on a lifted truck? Hard pass.
Not all lifted trucks are abused. Some owners take care of them.
That said, I understand why people avoid them—there’s no way to know how it was driven. Buying stock is always safer.
Blaine said:
Not all lifted trucks are abused. Some owners take care of them.
That said, I understand why people avoid them—there’s no way to know how it was driven. Buying stock is always safer.
You’re the exception, not the rule.
The color scheme is nice. If it was serviced at a dealer, you might be able to track down the records. When I bought mine, I found the dealer that took care of it, but they wouldn’t send me the records unless I showed up in person. Ended up finding everything in the glove box though. 
I love that color! The 6.7 is solid—just stay on top of maintenance and it’ll last a long time.
That’s a sharp-looking truck. Hard to go wrong with a 6.7 if it was taken care of.
Tyler said:
That’s a sharp-looking truck. Hard to go wrong with a 6.7 if it was taken care of.
Agreed. If it checks out mechanically, even with 160k miles, it should be solid.
Tyler said:
That’s a sharp-looking truck. Hard to go wrong with a 6.7 if it was taken care of.
Yeah, but if it doesn’t have the tuner, I’d pass. You’re buying blind.
The 2011-2012 6.7s are hit or miss. If it has records showing a new turbo, injectors, etc., it might be worth it. Personally, I wouldn’t touch anything older than a 2014.
I’d avoid it. Looks like it was owned by a teenager. If you want a lifted truck, buy stock and lift it yourself.
I’ve been looking at 6.7s myself, so your post got me curious. Found this post on powerstroke.org with a lot of good info.
I daily drive a 6.0 and love it, but I take care of it. If you maintain these trucks, they last forever.