Ok, guys. I am new here and new to fords. I am currently driving a Chevy but am looking to give that to my wife and get a heavy duty truck for pulling our 30 foot 10k lb travel trailer. I have found several Fords that fit our budget and mileage/seating requirements but I am a little gun shy. The last time I crossed brands (dodge) I had 2 trucks in 3 years leave my family and I on the side of the road. Several of the Fords I am looking at have the 6.0 diesel engine. After several weeks of research it seems that these are horrible engines if you are expecting longevity. Several of the trucks have the V10 and others have the Triton V8. I would like some real no BS assesments of these engines. I pull my camper 1 or 2 times a month usually no more than a few hundred miles round trip but there are trips out west (rocky mountains) and south (apalachian mountains) that we are planning and I really don't want to be stuck on the side of the road again. Aside from pulling my camper I haul the usual family crap and occasional load of dirt, rock or sand and the truck will be a daily driver. Any help and or advice will be great.

 

The 6.0 is not horrible, but it does need more TLC than others.

The V10 is a good engine. It has its pitfalls like every engine, MPG being one of them

The V8 will do the job but leaves a lot to be wanted. Under-powered and similar economy of the more powerful V10.

Have you looked at a 7.3L? They will get better fuel mileage than both the gas motors, and have a reputation for longevity that surpasses the other three mentioned (without starting an engine war)

 

none of the trucks that are for sale in my area or within 100 miles (autotrader.com) have the 7.3L. I would probably jump on it if they did. In your opinion am I safe buying an F250 or F350 with around 100k miles in the 2003 to 2006 vintage with the 6.0 or am I looking at several thousand dollars in potential repairs in the near future?

 

it really isn't a fair question - it is a crap shoot. you are looking at several thousand dollars of potential repairs with any vehicle you purchase.

i would, if possible, get car faxes and/or OASIS reports on all of the 6.0L trucks you are considering, or any other maintenance history, for that matter. spend a little time talking to the seller, try to get a feel for if it was a problem truck, and have those issues been addressed already? possibly even bring a scanner and check it for codes.

 

Sorry about the loaded question. I really like the look of the F250 and F350 trucks and I know they have very little other drivetrain issues but it's a one shot deal for me. I can either afford the truck or afford to fix it but not both...lol

 

I liked my 6.0, it had plenty of torque to pull whatever I wanted, but It did leave my family on the side of the road twice once with the camper hitched to it. I still would buy a 6.0 if I would find a low mileage one, then i would spend $6000 to make it right. I traded that 6.0 in on a 3v V10 and that was the best engine I ever had. I would highly recommend the 3v V10 which was made from '05 -'10 and in F250- F550 trucks. Actually it is still available in the f450 and f550 cab and chassis models. If you buy the 3v V10 just change the plugs every 50k and keep gas in it, it will last forever.

 

I would stay away from the 6.0. I haven't owned one but have two friends that did and both had big expensive issues. Dualwheels66 is right, you can purchase the 6.0 and put 5 or 6K into it and you will probably be happy (if you dont buy one of the big 6.0 lemons that seem to be out there). I love my 7.3 but they also take more TLC than most gassers and most 7.3's available have higher mileage (200,000+) and will need a thousand or two in maintenance/repairs to get them reliable. The only bad thing I have heard about the V10 is the MPG. Not sure if the V10 is a 300,000 engine so watch out for the higher mileage options.....In the end there is always a risk with any used vehicle. Good Luck!

 

Thank you for all the information and help. I would like to have Ford as an option when looking for my next truck. I really like the look and feel of the F250 and F350 trucks but I'm spending close to 20k and have to be sure that I can do more than just sit on the side of the road and look at it. I think I will look for a V10 truck and see what is available. I have heard they have problems with oil starvation in the front mains due to the block being so long. Is this a problem or just some anti-Ford hype?

 

As for the 6.0 i cant comment because i dont want to speculate, i have driven but never owned or had to maintain one. As for the V10, My dad has a 2009 V10 and he loves it, he wont ge a new truck because he loves his f250 but loves the V10 and thata combo is not offered anymore so he is holding on to this truck probably forever. My younger brother drives a 2006 f250 V10 and he has about 150K on it and it has towed goosenecks all across texas and the ONLY problem with it was the steering stabilizer that was recalled, we upgraded it ourselves and that truck is a runnin truck. It has comparable HP as the diesels but not the same torque. Both V10's have towed all across texas and some out of state which is nothing compared to 15 hours and still being in the same state on the same highway but none the less both trucks have been great to own. The downside to those engines is simply the mileage or lack thereof i suppose, if you toss a transfer tank in the back you can roll for a while longer.


I personally drive a 6.4 powerstroke and have put the added money into it to keep it running strong for a while to come hopefully. I love my truck as well as their trucks, all F-250's

IMO if you are willing to put the time and extra money into the 6.0 to make it a more reliable engine AND it already shows a good history of service then i would go that route. If you dont want to throw extra money into a truck then with the info you have given and a "budget" in mind If not able to find a 6.2L V8 then i would lean towards a V10 with good service records. I personally would not try to tow a 10K trailer across mountain passes with anything smaller than the 6.2L V8.

None of this is meant to start an engine "war" just giving my experiences and input.

 

Well I will throw my $.02 in here. I do own a 6.0 and have for the last 3 years. i was in the same quandary as you when I was looking. I wanted the diesel, did not want the gas motor, and understood that any of today's diesels are more maintenance heavy than those of the past.

With that said i looked for a while to find one that met my requirements. Then I researched what it was going to need vs what i could afford.

I recommend that you do not rule out an engine type based on hearsay and propaganda, do your own research. Drive all the trucks that meet YOUR needs and visit the different forums that are related to the engines you are considering. In the 6.0 section there is a tech section that gives you things to look for when buying, maintenance tips and such.

I will say this though, I looked at all the other brands and found that Ford superduty's were better overall as far as my needs went, for the price i could afford.

Good luck in your search

 

I am stuck in a quandry now. I have a budget of about 20k I am trying to get as new a truck as I can that meets my requirements of seating capacity and mileage. I know that buying used is a crap shoot no matter what I buy but I can't afford to spend that much and then possibly need to drop another 5 or 6k into the engine. If I go older then the mileage goes up and the odds of those potential expenses does as well but the cost to buy goes down. It sucks not being independantly wealthy...lol I am open to either type of powerplant (gas/diesel) but I don't like maxing the truck out every time I want to take the family camping and with 4 kids I definitely don't want to be on the side of the road broken down listening to my wife bitch about why I HAD to have a diesel. I wan't power to spare but just don't know if I can afford it right now.

 

You can get a nice truck for $20,000. I just did a search for F350s within 200 miles of the zip code your IP puts you at. I would look at a 6.0L truck for around $15,000 that gives you some budget for repairs should they come up. The 6.0L engine can be reliable as long as you keep on top of things, and you will really enjoy the towing power and fuel economy of the diesel engine. Especially on trips over the mountains.

Here are some good options in my opinion:

2006 Ford F350 King Ranch, $15,900 - Cars.com

2005 Ford F350 Lariat, $17,885 - Cars.com

2007 Ford F350, $19,962 - Cars.com

If you're concerned about sudden repair costs ask abount an extended warranty. You could by a $18,000 truck and spent $1,000 on a warranty plan that would give you some peace of mind.

 

Hands down-look for a used 6.0, preferably an 07', and budget 5k to bulletproof it. If you can afford a little more than 20k you can get an even nicer 6.0. There are tons of websites with information dedicated to fixing the issues with the 6.0. The 6.0 is an amazing engine once the few issues from the factory are removed and repaired. Here is one guy who has videos you can watch to gather information to make an educated decision. This man repairs these things for a living and really knows his stuff. Honestly, if your budget was slightly higher I would recommend the 6.4 and budget a a few k$ for upgrades to make it reliable and increase the fuel mileage. Here is a helpful link as well. Good Luck!

 

I really love the V10 option but understand when we say bad MPG we are talking 9-10 empty 7-8 towing 10k. The V10 engine will outlast my 2012 6.7. But I do love the power of the 6.7.

For the 6.0. Reserve 6 thousand to bullet proof that engine. I wanted to keep my 6.0 under warranty so I did not did not bullet proof it, That was a big mistake. The "last" time it broke down we were on vacation kids, wife, 30 trailer the turbo blow next to ford dealer. It really hard to keep a truck when the wife is on the lot looking for a new truck .

I should have done the upgrades to bullet proof the engine. That would have saved me 15 thousand.

If you want simple go V10. It is the best for simplicity.

 

20k is the max. If I go to 20k there will be nothing left for repairs or "bullet proofing". I did find a few of the V10 trucks and a few lower mileage (under100k) 6.0L trucks pretty close to where I am. I'm gonna do some driving and start looking deeper at individual trucks to see the records of what has been done. Thanks for all the help and information guys.