I took a leap of faith, of a sort, on this date in May 2004, when I purchased an '02 F350 SRW long bed crew cab diesel (7.3 liter w/ 4R100 automatic trans). Keeping with my lifelong requirement that I have some communication with the prior owner, even when the purchase is from a dealership, I was able to reach the guy who had put 96,500 miles on it over only 22 months since purchasing it new. Having no reason to lie to me, he spent 15 minutes on the phone with me and I learned of his oil field service company work throughout Texas and Oklahoma, putting 1,000 to 2,000 miles a week on it, never chipping it, changing the ATF at 15,000 mile increments, oil and filter changes at least monthly (sometimes every 2 weeks), and most importantly, never having towed anything other than a light utility trailer with it. He told me he wasn't sure anybody had ever sat in the back seat--even his kids. "Let me tell you something for certain, after the work weeks I have, the last thing I want to do is drive that truck with my family in it when I'm back home here in College Station".
With plenty of ongoing scheduled maintenance, and probably with some assistance from having switched over to full synthetic engine oil, ATF, and rear gear fluid, she turned 269,000 on Monday on the return trip from a weekend on Chesapeake Bay. Still gets 20 mpg when very gently driven on flat ground, 17-18 mpg when driven a little faster, and 15 mpg towing my 6 x 12' utility trailer. The Blackstone oil and ATF analyses always come back with rave reviews of the metals, water, and fuel %s in the fluids, and she burns essentially no engine oil between changes.
This carefully selected and thoroughly vetted fuel oil-burning pickup is, hands down, the best truck I've ever owned, and I've owned an even dozen IH Scouts, 4WD Suburbans, half-ton 4WD pickups, and Jeep Wagoneers/Cherokees over the last 43 years. Having done lots of homework on a particular 6.0 IH diesel in a Ford pickup, I would have no hesitation about buying one.
Foy