So I am looking for a new to me pickup and I need some advise. I need a f250 or f350 crew cab pickup to haul the family around camping (7000 lbs travel trailer) and around the house yard work and normal none money making truck work. The truck will be my daily driver but the problem is I drive 7 miles one way on roads with speed limits of 45mph. I would like to get a 05 or 06 truck with the 6.0L the issue I am having is short trips are very hard on a diesel and the cold weather in the winter time the truck will never warm up. My other option is a V10 but I don't want that poor of fuel mileage when hauling the camper. Any suggestions on if a 6.0L would do poorly in my situation. Just for reference I currently have a ranger and I drive it Monday-Friday 14 miles a day so I know the new truck will not get driven very long distances.

 

the biggest thing is not to get on the truck too hard before it it up to normal operating temps. so on you drive to work just take it easy and then hopefully at least everyother week take it on the highway for a drive or to pull your camper to get everything running and "blow" out everything. these turbos are know for sticking because of the veins and vgt set up.
you can get a diesel because that's what you want and just not worry what happens. get a warranty or extended warranty through Ford 7yr/200k. the v10 like you were saying. it all depends on how often you tow.
i'm not sure if the towing spec's are legit but i really like the new F150 with eco-boost. has a turbo, diesel like torque curve, and super mileage.... just saying. good luck
http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/features/#page=Feature9

 

Why not keep the Ranger and get the 6.0? I have my daily driver (small sports car) and when I need the truck, it's there waiting. Truck gets about 3000mi/yr.

 

High Binder has a good point, I would do something like what he said. But I don't think I'd get the 6.0 again. I just traded my 2005 for a 2011 PSD. If you do get the 6.0 then I HIGHLY recommend an extended warranty.

 

Hi - I'm in a similar situation to the OP, and I'm looking at an '06 with 6.0 and 109k miles. Where can I find the 7 yr/200k warranty? The only Ford ESP I can find is a 2 yr/24k mile warranty for $2100.

I only drive maybe 5-6k/yr (currently have an '05 Titan with 39.5k on it, bought new in '05). Would the 2 yr/24k warranty be worth it, or would that money be better spent doing EGR delete and head studs? Or should I be looking at a Cummins?

The truck I'm looking at is '06 Lariat CC 4x4, excellent condition for the mileage, and $23k (could prob get it for $22k).

 

To the OP, driving 7 miles to work in the winter where you are living I do not think your truck will like that very much. You would probably end up idling so much, you could by a commuter car to do the trip for less than you will spend warming up your truck.

Second, I recommend to anyone buying a used 6.0. BUY a Scangauge II or something like it to shop with. Need to check the ECT Vs. EOT on anything you look at. It's a good insurance policy and you will have gauges for what ever you end up getting.

 

x2 on the scan gauge it is the best thing when looking for a used truck.

 

why a 6.0? i've never owned one, but i've driven plenty when the company bought about 15 in fleet vehicles. i think every one of those motors beat itself to death within the first 60k miles. if a 6.0 is your only option in a diesel, go with the v10. the money you'd spend in repairing the 6.0 will far surpass the gas $$ of the v10

 

If anyone can run 15 out of 15 into the ground, it isn't the truck/engine that should be blamed ..........

 

Well Said...

 

Bismic, I certainly can't disagree with you. They were driven hard by a lot of people. But all things considered, the 6.0 is short-lived for a reason. You can't deny their horrible reliability.

 

Personally, I think most of the horror stories are self induced. I agree that many are not - and I will also agree that there are too many problems for a truck this expensive. On the other hand, most people don't do the things that they should for longevity.

There are MANY trucks out there with 150k and no issues. Many over 200k w/ only minor issues (although that is near the end-of-life for injectors IMO). A mechanical device can have fluke failures, but I do not believe in "fluke reliability". I have too much industrial reliability experience to believe in it. IMO, that says right there that the design is fine. That being said, poor reliability can be narrowed down to a quality control issue on parts, poor maintenance practices, poor troubleshooting/repair, or a combination of all three. Ford has addressed most of the issues w/ parts quality (and tuning issues also).

Lots of advice on this and other forums to enable MOST PEOPLE to get a great deal on a 6.0L, do the proper things to it, and enjoy GREAT reliability at a very good price (unless they buy a used truck that has been totally abused - which can happen w/ ANY used vehicle purchase).

I have spent way too much time staying up on these engines to ever agree w/ the folks that say it is a terrible engine.

As far as being short lived, that was the plan at the beginning of production - due to emissions limts. The short-lived arguement grows tiresome.

 

Your evidence serves to counter your point. You said yourself that your nineteen 6.0s were abused so why attack the 6.0 for said abuse?

 

I smell a TROLL

 

Relax guys. The only point I was trying to make is that there are better options. The 7.3s that we had were abused much longer and harder than the 6.0s, but the 7.3s are still around. I know there are 6.0s still running great, but its my opinion. Take it for what it is.