I am looking at buying either an f250 or f350 diesel truck and my dealer told me 6.7 is the way to go. The service department told me the older diesels will be more problematic for me. Thought I'd ask the forum for your opinions. I own a landscaping business and plan on pulling heavy loads 85% of the time and going off road 15% of the time. Are the 6.7L a better choice than the older versions when it comes to problems?
Happy Father's Day to all you dads!

 

Never look back - newer technology, better mileage, more power, smoother, quieter, etc. For a new engine, there are much fewer problems with the 6.7L than most.

I've driven trucks for 25 years but mainly gassers. Due to early problems with the 6.0L I was a little gun shy. When I first wanted to change to a diesel truck I considered a 2006 or later 6.0L but didn't pull the trigger. Then after the 6.4L came out and it was a poor mileage beast I wasn't interested.

Ford pretty much solved all of my concerns with the in house built 6.7L and I decided once it was available that I would go this route if the early results were good - and they were - so 1 year ago I bought my 2011 6.7L and put 30,000 miles on it highway and towing - no warranty anymore and other than regular maintenance only replaced one NOX sensor for about $300 at the dealer. This truck still puts a smile on my face every time I get in and drive it.

The 6.7L is one of the most advanced diesels on the market for the average man - even though they are expensive as hell. If you are looking at a 6.7L with low miles or under warranty (or new) you've got a lot of coverage in case of catastrophic failures.

All diesels are expensive to repair if you have a major failure - so the older you purchase and/or higher mileage vehicle, the higher the possibility of component failure or major repair.

I don't find diesel trucks more expensive to maintain than gas vehicles, but you need to be prepared to tow with it and put on the miles to justify the higher initial cost.

Most failures or repairs you hear about are actually a very low percentage and often more likely to be found on the forums where peole come to vent, have an ear to bend with their problems, etc.

By the way, Welcome to FTE!!

 

Jagwells, I agree with WWW

 

I don't think older diesels would be problematic.
No more so than a 6.7, and a new truck will drain the old wallet pretty hard.

If money is no problem, buy a brand new 6.7.... you won't regret it.

 

If my 2012 Ford can provide the longevity to match the 180,000 miles I got from my 1997 F350 I will be very pleased. The 7.3 averaged 16 mpg highway unloaded and 10.5 pulling anything between 6000 - 12,000, whereas my 6.7 gets 18 and as high as 21 highway and towing 11.3 - 12 mpg towing 12,000. The power of the 6.7 is awesome and no comparison to a chipped and power performance upgraded 7.3. Time will tell and I hope I made the right decision to let my reliable 7.3 go.

 

If I could find an ultra clean 2003 with the 7.3 in it, I'd consider going that route and bumping up the power on the 7.3 - however, out of the box, NOTHING compares to the 6.7.
You can see in my sig that I've owned a 6.0 and a 6.4, and currently drive a 2002 7.3 and the 2011 6.7.
The 7.3 gets pretty good mileage - upwards of 18 mph, but the 6.7 gets that and at almost double the hp/tq and is a true joy to drive.