In going through a Ford F-250HD brochure, it doesn’t look like a long bed was available with a 4×4 F-250HD Crew Cab in 1997. This outstanding-looking 1997 Ford F-250HD Crew Cab 4×4 Diesel truck is listed here on eBay in Spokane, Washington, there is no reserve, and the current bid is $14,100.

A short bed (6.5-foot) or long bed (8-foot) bed would have been available with the F250 Regular Cab and SuperCab, but a long bed wasn’t available on F-250 Heavy-Duty (HD) Crew Cab trucks, just F250HD SuperCab trucks. The F-250HD Regular Cab had only a long bed available and the F-250HD Crew Cab only had a short bed. Also, the diesel engine wasn’t available on the regular F-250, just the F-250HD. Is that confusing enough?

I just wanted to get that over with right away as even the seller refers to this truck as having a short bed, but there was no long bed available in this model. Enough of that. I’d love to have this one no matter what size bed it has on the back. You can see a few dings and small dents around the truck, mainly on the rear portion, but they say there is no rust – although there appears to be some sort of undercoating spray on portions of the underside. Inside the bed looks, well, like a truck that’s been used as it should have been. It would look worse if I owned it from dragging motorcycles and ATVs in and out of it.

There is a crack on the top of the dash and the driver’s seat bottom appears worn and/or torn, but there aren’t a lot of alarming things inside that I can see. I love a crew cab mainly for the unusual factor. Now, most trucks have four doors but that wasn’t the case in 1997 and a 4×4 with a diesel and four doors is just plain cool in my world. A guy who likes Subaru 360s, King Midgets, and Comuta-Cars likes a 4×4 crew cab diesel? Yes. It just proves that we all have eclectic tastes in vehicles and you can’t judge a person by just one vehicle they may own or like.

Beautiful! This is Ford’s 7.3-liter OHV V8 turbo-diesel, which would have had 215 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque when new. It sends power through an optional four-speed automatic transmission and an F-350-sourced 4407 transfer case to all four wheels when needed. The seller says it starts, runs, and shifts as it should and they wouldn’t be afraid to jump in and drive it cross-country, even with 200,000 miles, and neither would I. Any thoughts on this blue beauty?