I have convinced my brother-in-law to purchase a diesel truck for his 5th wheel trailer. He is not sure wether to buy (order 2011) with the 6.7L or find a 2010 (off the lot) 6.4L. Everything I have read and been told about these two engines is to stay away from the 6.4 and get into a 6.7.
Any advice from previous owners?

 

I had an '08 6.4 Lariat 4x4. There is no comparison to the 6.7. More. . everything. . . . power, quietness, fuel economy, sync, etc. I never think about my old 6.4 anymore, except when I'm at the fuel pump and remember how much the 6.4 guzzled the fuel.

 

You will find Champs post to be the common opinion here. Unless you are a mod happy, high performance, warranty killing power freak and have your 6.4 hopped up, you will be as happy as Champ.

The 6.7 is getting itself a good reputation for reliability and power. The difference in price between a left over 6.4 and a new 6.7 will likely be returned in whole at resale time, JMO

Regards

 

A 6.4 at this point is truly an orphan.

It will also be extremely hard to get parts for once the legal period for parts availability is over and a bit --- because it was only made for 2 and change years.

Go back in the history of diesels, and you will not find a shorter production run than that one for a long time.

There is also not much parts commonality with the 6.0 that might mitigate that.

 

Considering the 2011 has been in production for nearly a year, I'll bet it would be difficult to find a left-over 2010...not sure.

It takes me a long time to make new vehicle purchase decisions and I was concerned about the 2011 having a brand new diesel engine and transmission....especially considering some of the issues with prior diesel engines. So, I was inclined to wait at least two years until Ford worked out all of the bugs. However, based on my careful research, I took the plunge and ordered a 2011 F-350 King Ranch in December. Looking at the improvements and owner satisfaction results, I think the 2011 would be a much better choice.

 

At the time I got my 2010 I wasn't convinced that the 6.7 was the way to go - I didn't want to be a guinea pig for DEF and didn't want to run in to issues with the engine (first off the line). Plus I could get all the $$ discounts on the 2010 and it had 3 years of production behind it to get some bugs worked out.

Since I am forced in to the truck market now I've been converted. I have seen a few members 2011 trucks here pull heavy and do just fine - and neither of them have reported any issues with their 6.7's. That seems to be a pretty common theme. In my case my next truck is going to be a 6.7 - I just need to get the numbers to work and I'll either drive one off the lot or have one built just the way I want it. I'm leaning towards the latter, although it will take longer. I wouldn't hesitate with the 6.7.

I will throw out there to look at the other features the 2011's have also, not just the engine. In my case the added safety features are what pushed me in to the 2011's, no questions asked - stability control and side curtain airbags. If I had the stability control I would have had a better chance in my accident, and if the outcome ended up being the same the side curtain airbags would have helped. Hopefully no one ever experiences that but as much as we all wish accidents don't happen, they do.

 

Not to get too far off topic, but since I can't PM you yet Rod - how long was your wait? My trigger finger is getting itchy. I need to explore a few more options, though, before I take the plunge.

 

Very typical ending to this question. When I traded in my 6.0 last June there were a bunch of 6.4's out there. At the time, there was $4000 difference between the two. I had to believe down the road, I would get it back. Gear...'s orphan story also swayed my thinking.

Besides, I talked to Cheezit before I decided. He would not let me buy a 6.4 I believe he was right...

 

It took a certain leap of faith to buy the 6.7 when rick did.

But, judging by results so far, a pretty good bet.

It is highly unusual to have Ford (unofficially) people show up and talk on forums, when they use to just lurk or never acknowledge their quasi official status or show up for the rare "on record" interview.

That tells me that Ford is a real different company from even 3 years before.

Another reason for me to buy Ford...

Come to think of it... I have yet to see engineering staff from the top 2 or 3 Japanese makers show up on their forums and be helpful.... either officially or unoffically...

 

Truer words have never been spoken...Amen brother

 

Yep. I know how another company is with open forums and they have not been the most pleasant about discussions of certain topics. I have to believe Ford is the same way.

However, having said that, I have to agree in that having people from both Ford corporate and dealer techs willing to come over here to FTE and offer their expertiese and opinions, to whatever extent they do (within their predefined limitations by their responsible dealer or corporate) in an effort to better support the general community - the end users of those products they have a hand in producing or supporting - is a huge help. It also shows that there are people in this line of work that care about - and take interest in - their products and their work. There is a wealth of knowledge here and the support of those "in the know" is greatly appreciated. The odds are there are a lot of topics that have never been, and never will be discussed on the forums (for various reasons) but the efforts of those "in the know" to provide input in certain areas, to some extent, is helpful.

 

Not much of a leap at all. I have never looked at the purchase as a gamble at all. First, Ford's diesel reputation had been bruised by the two previous Navistar offerings. The loss of their stellar reputation was hard for Ford to swallow. Second, Ford engineers knew that the future of Ford's diesel pickup business was hanging it's hat on the new engine. There would be no fourth chance to get it right. This was go big or go home time for Ford. Third, Ford spent hundreds of millions of dollars, maybe more, to design, engineer, develop, and test the new engine. The engines had 10 million miles of testing on them before they went to production. The Ford test mules were piling up the miles. The mission was to build a completely in house Ford diesel that had to succeed and do it big. Fourth, my recent history with the 6.0 had brought me to this site. As I battled 6.0 gremlins, I made friends with some very knowledgeable Ford diesel guru's. Guy's like Bismic, Cheezit and Vloney provided the solid advice that brought some comfort to my travails. I became personal friends with Cheezit. Lastly, I needed to trade and the choice was 6.4 or 6.7. With Z plan privileges, there was going to be a $4000 difference between the two. A couple of phone conversations with Cheezit sealed the deal. I bought a 2011 6.7 diesel. It has been the best truck I have ever owned, and I have owned a bunch of them...

Regards

 

Well, my ordering experience was a bit unusual. I placed my order on December 9 for a loaded King Ranch (MSRP over $66k). I read about the availability of the rear window defroster on the "Job 2" series trucks and asked my dealer to include that option even though I had not seen it on the "Build & Price" internet screens. I was told the truck should arrive in 6 to 8 weeks.

On December 31 my dealer called to say the rear window defrost option wasn't "accepted" by the factory build order but they could re-order another truck with that option during the first week of January. I was a bit skeptical and thought they messed up the original order. I decided to be patient and asked them to re-order to get exactly what I wanted. After all, this truck is more costly than my first house (but that was 30+ years ago).

My dealer called on February 3 to say my truck had arrived. Sadly, I've been out of town since then to attend to an ailing family member. I expect to pick up my new truck on Feb. 21 or 22. My dealer promised to secure it in their yard until I return. I sure hope it's perfect since I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas morning...at least, that's what my wife says!

 

This thread makes me feel soooooo good.. My 6.4 had more coolant issues and still at 75k when I traded it had them.
Despite I lost some money and work hours setting it up to my needs I am so happy now with this 6.7..