1996 or 1997+ What F-Series should I get?

[BroncoFan74]

Hi my name is Shane and I’m looking to get a Ford truck. I live in Michigan and would like to get an F-150 or F-250 for my wife as a daily driver. She drives 14 miles each direction five or six days a week. That would leave her with roughly 9,000 miles travel for work per year as a daily driver. Add about another 3,000 miles per year for non work related travel and I would expect around 12,000 miles per year on the truck. My wife also shows horses. We currently have a two horse bumper pull trailer. The truck would need to be capable of handling towing a 2 horse trailer with horses and the required tack. Since we only expect to put a fairly low amount of miles on the truck fuel economy is not as important for her. I drive 30,000+ miles every year and that is much more important to me. With the price of gas I would like to get improved fuel economy but I understand with the limited miles this truck is intended to drive yearly even improving fuel economy from 14 to 24 MPG (not a realistic) is only a net difference of about $1,400 per year with gas at $4.00 per gallon. This makes large modifications to an engine not really financially feasible due to the long return on investment time. Although modifications that would improve drivability and fuel economy or reliability could defiantly be worth it to us. We have a Great Dane and are likely to start having kids soon. This puts us in the market for an extended cab truck. Since we live in Michigan we are looking across the country for a rust free truck. Living in Michigan I have seen more vehicles die from corrosion than from major driveline issues. We are looking in the under $5000 range and I would appreciate advice on what truck to look for. I’m not very excited about the 97+ motor options. I would prefer a 96 with the 300 I6 and A40D. But this puts me in a very weird spot looking for a truck. There are tons of trucks out there but it seems finding one with exactly what I want is almost impossible. 1) 1996 or newer: I want it to have OBD 2. The 351w switched to rollers, rockers and MAF I believe for 95.5+ The 300 Switched to MAF for 95.5+ 2) Rust free or close to it 3) Automatic Transmission 4) Extended Cab 5) 4x4 preferably limited slip differential rear Since I’m being far too picky I would appreciate some advice on expanding my search criteria. I’m also more willing to look at the 351 Winsor instead of the 97+ engine offerings. Will the Winsor run reliably for 250,000 plus miles like the 300? How does the Winsor compare to the 300 in MPG? Should I not be afraid to include the 97+ trucks into my search? The 1997+ F series trucks are much more likely to have an extended cab from what I can tell. I’m also avoiding the F-250 PSD 7.3. I know it is a great engine and far superior to the 6.0 PSD that succeeded it but we don’t intend to do that much heavy towing. With the better fuel economy offset the increased cost of maintenance even with only 9-12k miles per year? I really prefer the 4.9/300 straight six. This engine is known for its reliability and it also gets decent gas mileage too. The 300 six is questionable one of the most reliable engine ever made. The one thing of note I have read is that the pistons are the weak point on the 300. That would make a good light rebuild to add new pistons to get the static CR to 9.5 to 10.5 to deal with the lousy 10% ethanol that is in almost all pump gas in Michigan. Any constructive advice would be appreciated. Thank You.

[rikard]

I have had a 94 and now a 95 with the 300 and 5 speed manuals. Both trucks went over 200k and both are still running. Both were OBD1 and very reliable. I have had two 302s that went over 200k but they were not running well and due for rebuilding.
The older trucks are cheaper to repair than the newer trucks and if you are a DIY mechanic much easier to work on.
The 97+ have better handling, more usable back seat, ride a little better and of course are OBD2. They have better aerodynamics than the older trucks and are quieter. They are much more expensive to work on and are not as DIY friendly as the older trucks. I have heard about the piston issues but none of my 300s or my work truck 300s ever had any internal mechanical problems. I use my 300 to haul a 4500 lb fifth wheel and I was pleased with the performance of the 300.

When I was looking for a replacement for the 94 I wanted an extended cab 300 5 speed with the XLT trim and the handling package and no rust. I finally found one and its been great except the rear seat isn't really good for adults or any kid out of a car seat. I love the 92-96 style since I use it as a truck and can live with its short comings.
BTW with the 300 MAF won't give you a significant power or Mpg increase. If you plan to do any mods the V8s offer many more options than the 300.
Diesels are great for hauling and will deliver better fuel mileage but can be expensive to repair.
You are using the right approach and be picky it is your money.
YMMV
rikard