I am trying to pick out a new truck to run around town and haul with. I am looking at a clean 2000 F350 DRW with 175,000 miles, 2 wheel drive for about $13,000. Is that a good thing or bad as I am not so sure about the 2 wheel vs 4x4, mileage and price??? I am in Florida but may be driving around the country some, just mostly in my neck of the woods though.
I used our 2-WD dually for many years and never got stuck with it. But they are notorious for having issues on wet grass, mud, snow. Without weight to make the duals bite into surface, the front wheel drive might come in handy at times.
We got a heck of a good buy on our truck, but were careful what situations we put it into so we didn’t get stuck. It hauled down the road beautifully, handled any load we ever put on it, hauled big loads, stopped loads well and with weight in the back it did well in slippery situations. Empty? Not good in slippery places. Just too much tire surface on the road, dirt, and couldn’t bite to move it.
You would know better than us were you need to go when driving it, so if good roads are being used, it will probably be a great truck. Will you be putting heavy things in to be moved? I LOVED having the duals to stop fast if needed, they did hold the road well.
I would probably offer a bit less, but still try getting it. Sounds great for the age and not so many miles if it is a diesel engine.
What will you be hauling? Duallys to me just mean two more tires to buy, unless you are towing a big old gooseneck 4 horse living quarters. Gas? You’ll get 10 miles per gallon just tooling down the road, less when you haul. (I had a F350 4x4 V10 gas truck…the agony of low mileage hauling sucks!). 4x4 is great if you drive on wet grass or muddy fields or snow. I’ve pulled trucks out of wet fields at shows with my 4x4, but if that isn’t a concern that a 4x2 is fine.
We bought our 99 F350 with 99,000 miles 4WD for $13K four years ago.
I don’t think I love how many miles are on your truck for the price. And I don’t see any reason for you to have a dually, more expense for not that much reward.
I want to get a 3/4 horse gooseneck with living if possible to haul. It will be a little later down the road though like next year. Show grounds often have dirt, therefore mud, on the way in and out and parking on the grass. :-/ I have liked (borrowed) driving drw when hauling, but will be driving around town more than hauling at this point. I am intending to keep another vehicle as my main town driver, but we all know that when you have that diesel sitting there, it is far more fun to drive it and hear that rumble than leave it sitting. Plus, it likes to work.
I just saw another F350 with SRW at 140,000 miles for $16,000 (4x4) just listed today. It is all basic though with cloth interior. The dually is a lariat I believe…
We have a 350, extended cab, not dually, with 4wd and I still hate, hate, hate driving that truck anywhere in civilization. Out in the country, farm roads, etc fine. But for city driving and parking it’s a nightmare unless you only go places with huge parking lots! If you get a good deal on a dually, I don’t think you’re going to like it for your main driving vehicle unless you can avoid crowded roads and traffic and cities. You’ll need 4 parking spaces every time you go to the grocery store!
I had a 2000 F250 PSD.
The 2wd would bother me more than the mileage if the engine and drive train were well maintained.
I loved that truck… all 7.3L of it 
Well, if you said Chevy than NO…it’s not foolish. 
I have a 1996 Chevy dually 2WD. I bought it used from a Pony Club friend for $5K seven years ago, which was the deal of the century. I live in New England. I do NOT drive it when it’s snowing, but otherwise it’s been just great. I really like the stability of a dually. I use it to haul to horse shows, get hay, pull my husband’s boat and skid steer…etc… I’ve never gotten stuck (except for in snow) . The gas mileage is better with 2WD over 4WD. The mileage on your prospective truck would bother me more than the 2wd. I also think that’s too much $$$ for the age/mileage.
That’s probably too much truck for tooling around town, although it would be fun at the stoplights to look down and smirk at the cowboys in their 6 cylinder pick ups, especially if yours is a diesel. :winkgrin:
It is a very good price, though. Have a mechanic go over it before you buy it.
I have a 1997 F250 diesel with the heavy duty package–it’ll pull anything. Plus, very minor problems with the engine, transmission etc. The driver’s side interior door handle broke off. Now I have to roll down the window to let myself out. :lol:
PS: Check the price of tires!
The mileage wouldn’t bother me if it’s got the 7.3 in it. We’ve got a '99 F350 regular cab dually 4x4 with the 7.3 that’ll pull anything and not give it a second thought. It loves hills!
However, parking lots are not made for beasts like that and I don’t much like to drive it around town. But ours is a standard tranny with a really tight clutch- holding that down at stoplights makes my left leg cramp up.
Duallies basically suck off-road, 4WD or not. And the front end of a diesel truck will sink quick in mud and such. Our '96 F250 SRW 4x4 7.3 was better in mud, but we still didn’t push our luck.
I think the price is a bit high for a 2wd truck, and way to high if it doesn’t have that much desirable 7.3 Powerstroke in it.
I am only looking at 7.3. I would have to be crazy to not, lol
Nope. It’s a very smart thing to do. My 2WD 7.3L F250 is My Precious. As long as it’s been well-maintained, you’re golden. All my prior vehicles were 4WD; I’ve driven in all kinds of conditions & never used it over the years, got tired of paying for the reduced mileage (weight), etc, traded the last one in, never looked back. Just bought some very nice AT 10-ply tires (ALL the difference) & have parked at plenty of muddy horse shows/clinics, I just think about where I park beforehand. FL is even easier than here (and oh yes, we have sand…).
Shakey is correct as well, a dually is so heavy, 4WD doesn’t make a huge difference anyway (I’m sure someone will pounce on that, but I’m used to it, ROFL, it’s still true) & it also decreases your tow capacity slightly (weight again).
If you find a 7.3L in good shape, snatch! I bought mine in 2009 with 109k, single owner, immaculate. It just rolled over to 175k & never an issue aside from routine maintenance/wear parts every vehicle needs. Those babies regularly go over 300k, so I’ve still got at least 15 years left, LOL!
I have a 2003 F350 Diesel Dually 4x4 with 55k miles. (yes, only ever driven really to horse shows, most local) I love that truck for hauling my 4 horse head to head. I feel secure to the road and never worry about sliding around. I HATE it for driving around town, as someone else said, parking and getting in and out of places SUCKS. The turning radius is non-exsistent. I just had to replace 2 tires in the back on Memorial Day. $296 for both tires installed. I didn’t think that was unreasonable. Good luck.
I paid 12,500 for a 2001 F350 duelly with 135k miles on it and some minor body issues last year and haven’t regretted one minute of it (well…other then when we needed to get the tires rotated and had to call 4 different places to find someone).
