Hi all,

I have decided to upgrade from my '94 F150 4x4 standard cab in the next few months, and I'm considering going with a diesel 4x4 super crew. I recently purchased a 16 foot car trailer and plan on doing some towing, taking my car to the track and my father-in-law's car to some shows that are too far from home to drive ( he is 74 years old and the car is 65 years old ).

I realize I don't reallly "need" a diesel, but looking at the market, it seems like the diesels hold their value much better than the gas models. I'm in Pittsburgh, so this truck will serve daily driver duty in the winter months and on rainy days when my 2014 GT stays in the garage. So we're talking about 5000-7500 miles a year on the truck ( I work 6 miles from home ). Because I'm not going to put a lot of miles on this truck, I am not too scared of a truck with some miles on it. How many miles are too many miles...that's the $2 question.

I have 2 daughters, so I am set on getting a super crew, as the 4-doors will really make life easier. And I want an automatic so my wife can drive it if necessary. She can drive a stick, but with a truck this big, I figure the auto will make it a little less intimidating for her.

I have never owned a diesel, so bear with me here. What I have learned about diesels over the past few days ( yes...days ) is this. Please weigh in on my comments and answer as many questions as you can. The things I am most concerned with at this point are durability, aftermarket tunes, cost and frequency of maintenance, and gas mileage.

I know that the 7.3 PowerStroke is legendary for its durability. I don't really know of any issues with these motors. I have heard that some aftermarket tunes can greatly increase power and gas mileage. I'm not too concerned with increasing power - but the gas mileage improvement seems worthwhile. What gas mileage do you guys get ( empty / towing; city / highway; stock / with tune )? What other mods are worthwhile from a durability / economy standpoint? I'd consider a 2001-3 with the 7.3 motor. To me, where these trucks are lacking is in the amenities - the 2004+ models seem to be much nicer inside and the exterior styling really is fantastic. But if I find the right 7.3 for the right price I could possibly pull the trigger.

Moving on to the next generation, the 6.0 motor seems to have a bit of a bad reputation. Should I steer clear unless the truck has had the head stud upgrade and the EGR delete? Seems that would be a pricey job. Still, there are lots of 6.0's out there with lots of miles that seem to have been fine. Murphy's law follows me around sometimes, so I want to hedge my bets. Any other issues with these motors I should be aware of? Should I be concerned if a 6.0 has been run with an aftermarket tune? Can these tunes be too much power for the transmission? What gas mileage do you guys get with these 6.0 PowerStroke motors ( empty / towing; city / highway; stock / with tune )?

Next comes the 2008-? models with the 6.4 PowerStroke motor. To be honest, this is the model that appeals to me the most. I have heard that the radiators are a weak spot on these motors and that they should be replaced. The interiors look amazing and the adjustable pedal feature is a plus since my wife is only 5 feet tall. Any concerns with the 6.4? Is there some sort of additive that is needed each oil change? ( Sorry - I can't remember the term - but I think it adds about $100 to each oil change ).
What gas mileage do you guys get with these 6.4 PowerStroke motors ( empty / towing; city / highway; stock / with tune )?

Here is a 2008 that has about everything I'm looking for...

Ford F 250 Lariat 6 4 Powerstroke Diesel 4x4 4WD Off Road Pkg | eBay

Miles are higher than I'd like, but that's the look I like.

And this one I like a little more - the miles are much lower and the blue is simply gorgeous...

Ford F 250 Lariat 4x4 Off Road Crew Cab Diesel 4WD 1 Owner | eBay

The newer models with the 6.7 motor are out of my price range - so they are out of the question.

It may turn out that a diesel isn't the best fit for me - and that a gas F250 might be a better choice. Your input will be a big help in making my decision.

Thanks for reading this far. I really appreciate anyone who will take the time to help me thru this.

Take care, and Happy Holidays!

Ron

 

I'll throw my 2 cents in here. I have a 2001 F250 diesel I bought new. I bought it with the intention of pulling my jeep all over the country, but between working and kids that never really worked out too well. Anyway, I just ordered a new F250 with the 6.2 and here's why. I drive 4 miles to work one way and the truck will be my winter transportation as opposed to my Mustang GT. I would have to leave town and go somewhere distant so the diesel could get good and warm and do the regen thing. I pull a trailer of any weight at all, usually less than 7000 lbs. about seven or eight times a year. I thought my 7.3 was the greatest thing ever, but the rest of the truck is getting a little long in the tooth. And honestly I do good to get 15 MPG out of it empty on the highway. I've decided for myself for the use I have a diesel is more than I need, and the $8000.00 price difference and the $0.80 price difference in fuel I don't think it would pay off for me. I'm not anti- diesel or anti-gas it just seems to me right now gas was the better choice. Believe me, it wasn't any easy choice. For others, diesel is the best thing for them. The 6.0 and 6.4 I have no opinion on since I've never owned either. Diesel have better resale, as well they should for the higher initial cost. But most vehicles are not an investment IMHO, I think of it more as money down the toilet.

 

Sounds like a 2008-2010 V10 might be perfect for you.

In the Super Duty line, the four full doors are called Crew Cab (just an FYI...)

A CC 4x4 7.3 should give about 16.5 mpg mostly freeway and 13.5 mph mostly city while unloaded. Towing will be less of course...

Good luck with your search.

 

Thanks for the reply jeepnford. I'm not sure what you mean by fuel regen. Is 15mpg on the highway empty on the low side? My buddy has a 2002 7.3 and he gets 20 mpg - but his is a 6-speed manual. Thanks again for the info - I have a few months to make up my mind, so I need all the info I can get.

 

I own a 2005 f-350 drw with 6.0 I bought it new, now it has 230,xxx miles runs as strong as the day I bought it. As far as the cost of maintenance it is twice as much as a gasser, an oil change that you do yourself is at least $100. A 6.0 takes at least 10 miles at highway speed to get warmed up, a 6 mile trip and 7500 miles a year is not good, The 6.0 is better as a work horse not a pavement princess I think you would be better off with a gasser.

 

Thanks for the info Shake and bake - is the V10 really thirsty? I have seen some for sale - and lately they seem to be on the cheaper side - so I assumed it was because of the mpg. If I don't go diesel I might consider a loaded up 5.4 F250 or maybe one with the Coyote 5.0 if I can find one in my price range.

Keep the input coming folks! Thanks!

 

I think 15 is a little low for a 7.3. The newer trucks, at least the 6.7, not sure about the 6.4, have a particulate filter in the exhaust to lower pollution and once in a while they go through a regen cycle where the filter gets hotter than hades to clean itself. It's my understanding frequent short trips cause that to happen more often.

 

Thanks Greentree - I know my short commute isn't really good for any car - but you're saying it would be worse for a diesel than a gasser?

 

Paxton I was with you until you said you would be using it to drive 6 miles to work. That's not enough to warm the engine up to keep it clean inside and that is hard on a diesel(and gas engines for that matter, although a gas engine will warm up pretty good in 6miles). If I were you I'd get a v10 or a newer SD with the 6.2, stay away from a 5.4 powered SD because you will not be happy when towing and the mileage will be just as bad or worse than the larger engines.Yea you will burn more gas but since you're only putting 5-7000k on it in a year it will take a very long time for the mileage you gain with the diesel to offset the price premium the diesel brings.

How much can you afford to spend? If you don't have to have all the goodies you can get a brand new XL SD gasser in the low $30's.

If you are still stuck on the diesel it's hard to beat the 7.3, but that engine hasn't been made since early '03 and those trucks are getting up there in years/mileage. I've never been a fan of the 6.0 but all the problems they had are well documented and aftermarket fixes are available if you want to spend the money, although there are a lot of people who have never had any trouble with them. The 6.4 might be a little better, but the DPF system really kills the engine and because of it the mileage is TERRIBLE(I've heard reports of averages in the low teens to single digits depending on how much the DPF regenerates) . IF you delete the DPF and EGR on the 6.4 you'll save yourself a lot of trouble and gain economy, but then again that costs money.

Diesel's are a whole different animal that requires more attention than a gasser, but since you look like a car enthusiast maybe you will like the diesel. I would be wary of a truck that already has a tune on it, the easiest way to make a lot of power is to dump more fuel into the cylinders, but there is more to it than that if you want to do it right(ie bigger injectors, turbo etc.). If you put a hot tune into an engine and get a driver who likes to hotrod it you could have some issues down the road. You tube is full of idiots that abuse their diesels. The videos are neat to watch but I would never want to buy a truck that was drove like that.

Another thing you have to account for is how cold does it get where you live and do you have a way to plug your truck in while you're at work. I know these newer diesels will start down to some pretty cold temps but it's a lot easier on the engine if you can plug it in for a couple hours before hand.


ETA. I know a guy that has close to 400k on his '00 7.3 and another guy that has an older '95 model 7.3 and he had 500k on it a couple of years ago. I see a lot of 6.0's sitting on dealer lots around here with close to 300k. I really don't know too many people with 6.4's, but the one's I do all complain about the horrible MPG's.

 

I'm saying your commute would be worse for a 6.0(I no nothing about other diesels) than a gasser

 

All 2008+ diesels(at least ones that haven't been modded)come with a Diesel particulate Filter(DPF) that traps the soot and other contaminents from the exhaust and every so often the filter will self clean. When the filter cleans(regenerate), diesel fuel is used to burn the filter out and this is what kills the mileage with the 6.4L. The amount of times the DPF regenerates depends on your driving habits. The longer trips and working the engine hard keeps the engine running cleaner so the DPF will regenerate less if everything is working right.

The newer 6.7's have an updated DPF that works better and the addition of the urea setup also helps keep things working better since the urea cleans the exhaust up quite a bit before it hits the filter. Less regens equals better MPG's.

 

I would recommend the v10 too. The v10 is a very torquey gas engine designed for trucks. A 6 mile commute is not good for the diesel unless you take it out every weekend and drive it, I mean really drive it. The v10 will pull anything you put behind it, no it doesn't get the greatest gas mileage but it won't let you down either. My favorite years for the v10 would be '08-'10 because of the 3valve heads and the 5 speed transmission and of course of the interior you already mentioned.

 

Thank you for the advice fordman. I will look into the V10 some more - but that puts me into an older truck just like the 7.3 does. I don't know much about the 6.2, but a buddy at work has a one in his F150 - a crew cab at that - and his mpg is in the upper teens and it seems to have good power.

Thanks for the DPF info - and for the warning about tuned PSD's. Do diesels need to pass emissions ( I'm in PA)? Does the DPF or EGR delete impact emissions compliance with the state?

The weather gets cold here in Pittsburgh, but not too bad. Lows are usually in the 20's or better. On really cold nights I would keep it inside. There is no way for me to plug it in at work.

My budget is from $15k-$25k or so. Since this will be the family truckster in bad weather, it needs to be nicely equipped so my girls like it - I don't think a new SD XL will cut it - that's why I'm looking to go used and let the original owner take the depreciation hit.

Thanks a bunch for the help folks - keep it coming!!

 

Emissions will vary by state. In NJ if your registered over 10k you don't have to be inspected, but you are subject to roadside inspections. And the v10 was made up until 2010 so if your considering a 6.4 you're already in that year range anyway.

A 6.2 in a SD will get lower mileage then in the 1/2 ton platform for weight reasons alone. Plus the difference in gearing.

At 20° you won't "need" to plug in, but it would hurt.

Sent from my Galaxy using IB AutoGroup

 

Dualwheels - thanks for the info - I didn't realize the V10 was made thru 2010 - and definitely didn't know about the 5-spd auto tranny in 2008-10. Sounds more like I need to drive a V10 and a 6.2 ( and maybe a 5.0 ) and see what I like most. Or...find a nice 7.3 :-)

This is tough - my choices are increasing instead of decreasing!