Need some expert guidance,

After a lot of reading I would like to ask a few questions and see if my thinking is on the right path.

Plan of use: Family mover, camping, highway road trips, towing of 2 jet ski’s once in the great while and other times a pop-up camper (weight is about 2k) Plus the monthly drive out to the base for groceries wife goes stock pile crazy. lol

I thought I would go for the diesel but after a lot of reading a 4x4 6.8 v10 makes a lot more sense for how I would use it.

What were the best years for the 6.8L?

Now taking into account the best years for a 6.8L … what would one consider high mileage?

I plan to keep this vehicle for a very very long time, as in I’m dead and gone still driving it lol.

Thanks to all for the advice.

 

The 6.8 sounds like a perfect fit for you and your family.
First everything your towing will not need any mods at all.
In my opinion 2002 to 2005's were the best years and less likely to shoot out a spark plug.
Mileage really depends on the maintenance that was given to the ex your considering.
I sold my V10 with 228k miles and she was running perfect. I did drop a lot of money into her at 154k miles ( mainly front end work ) all other was just maintenance. The only problem my v10 gave me was a $40 part under the hood. I've owned well over 50 cars including many in the $150,000-$250,000 range. To this day I can say my previous excursion V10 was my most reliable car/truck I've ever owned. I really can't stress that enough.
If I were in the market today for one and like you stated its for the long run, I would look for newest and try to find with under 100k miles. Again at 150k miles they will need frontend work if not already done.

Things that can cost you a bit under the hood would be broken exhaust manifold studs. Most when this happens go to aftermarket headers like Banks for example.

Good luck in your search for your perfect excursion, there's still a few great ones out there.

 

I totally agree with Michael above, the V-10 EX sounds like a perfect match for your planned usage.
I've had my V-10 EX for just over 5 years now and 40k miles, it's used almost exclusively as a tow rig for our 11k travel trailer and the only part failure that I have had to repair has been a fuel pump. I've done plenty of other work to it but that was all mods to make it better at what it does and to make me happier while driving it.
As he said, the better model years are late '02 through '05 solely due to the upgraded head design that has more spark plug threads, earlier design had only 4 threads and they can spit a plug every so often. In '05 the pickups got the new 3 valve V-10 and coil front 4X4 suspension while the '05 EXs kept the same 2 valve motors and leaf springs as earlier trucks. All the modular motors suffer from the exhaust manifold studs breaking eventually, these can be removed and replaced in the driveway, I did mine. And like Michael mentioned, when I did my exhaust studs I added a set of banks headers for a nice little performance gain.
As with any used car purchase proof of past maintenance history is huge and can make higher miles more attractive than a similar unit with unknown history. Starting off with the lowest mile best condition is the most desirable choice but a lot of times those rigs can be priced pretty high. I'd pass on a premium priced super low mile rig to take one with under 100k that's reasonably priced, these things are good for lots and lots of miles.
Another major thing to consider is rust. It's a game changer and finding a rust free EX in some parts of the country is next to impossible. If you are in the rust belt and are looking for a looong term ownership experience, look elsewhere (South!) for your dream rig. It will be well worth the trip to get a rust free one if you are in the rust belt, then you just need to keep on top of rust protection to preserve it for the long haul. Much easier than rust repairs.

 

Go 6.0 if you plan to rack up the miles. I have a v10 and a 6.0 and other than the mileage, the quality of ride, power , and durability are not the same. Sure you could beef up the v10 with the sway bar, more power, added weight, etc but the 6.0 just works and lasts. It's my preference having both. 6.0 is easier to work on as well in my opinion.

 

Hmm.. could you expand on the 6.0? and how many miles would one should be comfortable to considering and where is a practical limit, years that good or better then others???

Thanks

 

I hope I'm not jumping on this thread but WE3ZS I'm looking at a 2000 Ex with the V10.Are you saying that this is a bad year for this motor?It has a 170,00 miles on it but had some work done at 160,00

 

Jump on, from what I can tell from all my reading the 2000 V10 had the 4 thread spark plug issue. Plus it is a first run for the X's ... I tend to stay away from 1st run anything in the car world.

I'm sure someone with more insight can answer your / mine question.

And a BIG THANK YOU to any one who does.

 

I've got an early production Ex with the 6.8 and it's very reliable, in fact I've put off the 12v conversion I was planning for it because it runs so good.

 

My 2000 V10 has about 216k on the ticker. Haven't popped a plug yet, and I tow heavy and take it off-road in the Colorado mountains.

That being said, I wouldn't mind knowing there were a few more threads in my heads. Look for a newer one.

 

Another 2000 here. Not a V10 but there's nothing wrong with the first year.

 

Buy a newer one if you can, but if you find a deal on an older one and feel comfortable with the timesert fix or know a mechanic who is familiar with tritons (the 5.4 had this reputation as well) then don't hesitate. 2000 models had some specific wiring and other small changes, but I haven't seen any indications that they were any worse than later models. 2003 through 2005 should have the revised heads though. My v10 served daily driver duties until last year when I decided to keep the miles off of it. I see the v10 as the most reliable and cheapest to operate choice in excursions.

 

We purchased a 2002 V10 3.73 Limited 2wd 103k 4 months ago and went thru the same sort of considerations - V10 or diesel. We plan to use ours for occasional camping and not put over 7k a year on it. We recently pulled our 23' WW 7k trailer from Thousand Oaks, CA to Whidbey Island, WA and got exactly 8 mpg for the trip. Next trip we towed to San Diego and got 9 mpg (no hills). In Seattle we fit into a 6' 8" parking structure since we're sitting at 6' 4". Love the V10, quiet for when we pull into campgrounds late at night, smooth and plenty of power. Being a Socal car there is virtually no rust anywhere. All the trans cooler tubing, exhaust, suspension, etc. looks almost new. The shocks were shot at 103k. I also replaced the rear springs with F250s and installed a set of Hellwig sway bars. Huge improvement in handling, highly recommended for V10 or diesel. I think my tie rod ends are next, there's a thunk in the steering going over dips while turning. Everything looks original stock. Just added the large Dorman trans cooler similar to the 6.0. The cooler has 32 plates versus 13 on the stock V10 cooler. With the 1/2" ports the cooler head pressure is 3 psi lower and the return pressure is 2 psi higher. A 6.0 diesel would come with this cooler, highly recommend for the V10.

 

The V10 is so damn reliable you don't need to open the hood except to change the oil and air filters. I'm on my third one, they are awesome engines. Lowest mile and newest you can find, but none of them are "bad".

 

No, not at all! Many, many early V-10s lead looong lives without ever having any issues with the 4 thread plug holes and plug blowouts. My comment was more of a "all other things being equal" what would be a better choice. Even IF a plug pops out you can still drive it home and the repair is something a driveway wrenching guy can knock out fairly cheap (see JaySVX's recent thread). I wouldn't hesitate to buy a nice early V-10 rig. Heck there have even been a few plug pop outs with the later head designs, a lot has to do with proper plug replacement procedures and torqueing.
The V-10 (early or late) is a super reliable and cheap to maintain power plant!

 

I've put 144K on my 2000 V10 without doing any repairs, just regular maintanance. Very reliable motor. It really likes the banks headers and an open airway. My hwy milage is better now then when it was new, got over 15mpg on a 250 mile trip last week driving 65mph. City milage still sucks though.