UPDATE: I had a beautiful repaint done in July, 2013 in the original Ford Oxford White.
She had some scratches and minor dings here and there from a career of honest hard work and with 200K miles on the legendary 7.3 liter Powerstroke, this F-250 is still in her prime with at least half of her life ahead of her (much like middle-aged me).
1997 is the favorite year for diesel pickups in California because '97 is the last year that diesels are exempt from smog testing.