OBS Survivor: 1997 Ford F-350 Diesel 4X4
Among car and truck enthusiasts, there’s always a group that emerges with acronyms and phrases to describe their preferred generation of a particular model. While I’m familiar with this concept among the brands and cars I personally follow, I wasn’t aware Ford F-Series enthusiasts had coined earlier models of its iconic truck as OBS – for Old Body Style, like this 1997 model here on eBay that’s equipped with the desirable 7.3L turbodiesel. With just 109K on the clock and a very clean body, could this be an emerging modern day collectible?
A quick scan of various Ford truck message boards and forums confirms that many of Ford’s faithful find the current design direction to be a misstep, losing the clean lines of this era of Ford pickup. And, to be fair, you still see a ton of these on the road, so their popularity hasn’t been too threatened by the new Ecoboost-equipped models. This one likely checks a lot of boxes for fans of this era of truck with the single cab, four-wheel drive and the 7.3 mill under the hood with the kind of mileage that means it’s barely been broken in.
The interior does show some signs of wear, with the edge of the bench seat slightly frayed and the door seal fuzz slightly soiled. Minor issues for sure, and the rest of the interior is holding up well, including the carpets and door panels. The seller says it comes with all books and manuals and two sets of keys, which are qualities of a gently-used daily driver, not a truck that sat on the jobsite and got passed around to different drivers. While some may prefer the four-door examples, the single-cab ensures fewer passengers mucking up the rugs.
The 7.3 Powerstroke is a workhorse, and generally spoken highly of in Ford truck circles. The mileage on this example is low, but we’d still like to see more information about maintenance history and/or any recent mechanical work. Basic items like the health of the glow plugs and injectors would be useful information, along with the shifting action of the automatic transmission. While the New Jersey location may be a cause for concern, underbody photos show virtually no signs of rust anywhere. Is this “OBS” F350 a modern day collector’s item?
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Comments
This guy really likes his Amor All !!!
I’d bet it’s 303
Indeed. Not often that you see a reflection in a tire!
Beautiful Highly Desirable Truck. A genuine workhorse and a real bargain priced much cheaper than a new truck. Just needs a plow mounted up front and will be ready to ring the register next winter!
Bargain? $12k for a 20 year old truck? Thanks but no thanks.
I like the truck but I don’t like it $12k much.
You must not follow the pre-emissions era diesel truck market. These trucks are still in high demand by diesel guys. I recently sold my 97, same configuration and very similar shape with 157k miles for $16k the same day I listed it. I also recently saw a 96 extended cab with 27k miles sell for $30k so the demand is there and the 96/97 7.3 Powerstroke trucks bring the money.
Right now it’s at $14k with nine hours left, that’s a good buy for a powerstroke with 107k miles any day of the week.
I would say the new owner will either put a fifth wheel attachment in the bed or a plow on the front, too heavy duty for the common homeowner.
They are great work trucks, and the main difference between the 250 and 350 was actually just the load rating on the equipped tires, could get max cargo and max tow packages (or whatever was called back then) on either trim.
I have a Brother-in-law that has the same Truck only Blue! Good hard working Truck. The truck always ran good until his lame brain son put gas in it in a hurry one day, he made it about 5 miles when the motor blew up!!!! Dan and I put a long block in it and he kept it a few more years and traded it off! This is the only style of Ford Trucks I like, don’t own one but have always liked this body style!
In the 90’s, I worked for a trencher dealer, that had F350’s as their service trucks. The new ones had the Powerstroke, but the older ones had the worthless pre-Powerstroke, Huge difference.Nice truck here.
If this had the longer cab ( super cab ? ) It wouldn’t be that hard to get $12,000 for it. The refinement of new diesels tend to make this powersroke a little too inefficient and loud . I ordered a brand new 2000 E350 Chateau van back in the day with the 7.3 diesel. Put a superchip on it and got 20mpg on the highway. Then in 2005 I ordered a superduty with a 6.0 diesel. Most on this website know the transmissions before 2000 were weak behind the 7.3. I believe Ford had a class action lawsuit against them for their injector problems. Injector wiring harness problems as well. A friend has two trucks 1999 with a 7.3 and brand new 2018 with the 6.7. He said nothing beats over 925 lbs of torque of the 6.7
It would be called an extended cab. True newer diesels are more refined and quieter but the fact is the 6.0 has major issues and the 6.4 had its issues too. The 7.3 is know for its longevity and it’s reliability as well as no emissions items like DEF, DPF, or EGR to deal with which is why it carries a premium. Sure it’s loud and smelly but tons of diesel guys want that in their diesel truck.
Also keep in mind that the minority of diesel truck buyers out there can afford $30k+ for a used rig and $60k+ for a new one.
Your comments regarding the trans is likely coming from guys modding their 7.3 as the 4R100 is set up well to handle the stock power. Not sure about your comments regarding the injector system as the 7.3 has a much more reliable injection system.
That 7.3 was around before the 6.0/6.4, and will be around long after they are dead.
Adam,
Injector wiring harnesses could burn up under the valvecovers on these trucks. The HEUI injectors were a great idea, but the high pressure oil pump ( and the huge shear forces imparted to the oil) insured you were changing your oil (16 qts of it) every 5K miles. Not to mention, the injectors were so sensitive to dirt, many owners made it a habit to change the fuel filter every other oil change. I’m not certain, but 97 may have also tried to use pilot injection to quiet things down a bit. It’s been a while since I’ve owned one. :)
Speaking of the fuel filter, the housing had an intricate heater built in, that would fail. Not a big deal, but over time, these housings start to leak diesel and are expensive and a pain to replace.
Even with all my complaining about what could go wrong, I absolutely loved my 96. I sold it with 200K, as little things just kept going wrong and were becoming a pain to fix.
One thing no 7.3 DI should be without: an extra CPS in the glovebox!
I have owned my 97 7.3 since 2003, it had 73,000 on it when I bought it, now has 275,000 miles and still going strong. Regular oil and fuel filter changes are a must. The worst problem I have had to date was the mechanical fuel pump went out. Other things that would go out on any vehicle are common, starter, alt, etc. but the 7.3 power plant has remained a strong constant. no cold start issues, missing or anything. All that stuff is usually related to some electrical component or sensor anyway. I would post a pic but I don’t see an option for that here.
12K is just the start, watch the auction and you will learn a little bit about 7.3 trucks
Could not agree more. These trucks (like the C10’s) have a huge following and are good for 300k without question. This is a very clean truck and well work the $12k it is sitting at, only going up in value. Like Steve said, watch and learn, I have no doubt it will hit $15k.
For the newer bodystyle (99-03) with a 7.3 I’d pay this kinda money not for this 90’s tonka truck.
I had a 6.0 and I was 1 out of 100 that never had issues with it. Never had a 6.4 but I own my 3rd 6.7 and they are the new 7.3. It’s too bad they’ve all the emission crap on it.
$14,700, just shy of my $15k prediction and worth every dollar. You could not buy a truck today purpose built that would be as dependable as this one. no computers (or not as many)….just a solid drivetrain that is bullet proof attached to a great styled body and turnkey.
Good-looking truck. I’m sure a two-step ladder is included with sale
OMG, that’s no POS, but WTF, no SBC in that OBS.
omg
With 1 day left, it’s now at $13,800…
I’m not so sure this truck is as “Cherry” as the pictures would have you believe. There’s red paint over spray on the interior trim in the door jam pictures and it appears the wheel arch on the right side of the bed has had some rust repair. Also, it has XLT trim on the dash bezel but, it does not have the XLT trim on the tailgate. Also, the lower edge of the right door looks like it’s had some work done there as well. I think if you were seriously considering this truck you should do a very thorough inspection before bidding.
The XLT call out is on the tailgate. But without question this truck has been repainted. All 4×4 equipped trucks had “4×4” stickers on the rear quarters. This is a dead giveaway it’s been repainted as well as the overspray in certain areas from poor taping and papering. Also that engine bay is pretty grimy for 109k miles. My 97 with 157k Miles was all original garage stored since day 1 and religiously cleaned to prevent any corrosion and it was much more cherry than this example.
Not a pig with lipstick on but certainly has been dolled up.
That is a fender badge on the tailgate. For an XLT the tailgate should have an aluminum applique about 12 inches wide running across the entire width carrying a black reflector and the Ford block letters on the lower right side. Here’s a picture of my XLT tailgate.
Not true, my 97 F250 XLT doesn’t have that. Yours looks like a F150.
Diesel gals might like it too!
On the plus side it’s truly low mileage as long as all the records back it up. And they do hold their value quite high as I recently sold one with 250k for $8000.
On the negative side you can sure tell this is an East Coast truck it may not have (rust) as the East Coast knows it, but from the looks at it you can see the rust stains on all the bolt heads everywhere. You won’t find that on a clean West Coast truck.
Glow plug harnesses and relay problems always seemed to haunt 7.3s. The mid ’80s trucks also sucked engine oil. (Recall was to punch additional holes in the air filter housing.) Mid ’80s and early ’90s trucks had automatic transmission problems (but so did the 460s without the C6) And the mid ’80s manual transmissions had problems with the dual mass flywheels. (Being a former Ford parts and service director I am just now getting over reliving the customer nightmares from these.) The ’94 7.3s and newer were the best ones.
The Bidders have spoken and they agree with Adam … SOLD on Wednesday July 27 for $16,100 which means that they also agree with LAB3 that it would have been a good buy at $14k and confirms that it was a bargain at $12k.
Chad
6.9/7.3 R gooduns. Gotta know some mod tricks (oil burners dot com). 1st rebuild @ 300K. Follow’ the rules’ till then.
B sure to ck how the specific vehicle U look @ was optioned due to an incredible array of choices (read price differences).