I am looking to sell my '95 F150 XLT 5.8 and move up to a newer truck. Here's the criteria, looking for informed opinions on models years, driveline, etc.

I am looking to spend around $10K because this is not a high-use truck.

First decision is 150 or 250?

1) Use - just a hauler for occasional mulch, 4x4 for winter, possibly pull a camper later, won't be anything big enough to justify diesel. I travel a lot so my daily sits at an airport lot so I might use it for that as well to keep my car garaged.
2) Diesel preference - Had a cummins big block diesel RV for 8 years and just kinda want one. Fuel mileage should be better that gas.
I see 7.3 and 6.0 options. What's the most reliable? Don't care so much about pure pulling power.

3) Can anyone comment on ride quality of F250 vs F150? Not looking for a Caddy but maybe something a bit nicer than my '95. I don't need the quad cab, my kids are gone so extended cab is plenty and I prefer the longer bed.

I am doing a hunt more in the south to pick up something rust free and bring back to Northeast. At $10K there seem to be some decent options.

 

You'll get a lot of differing and passionate opinions on the 7.3 vs. 6.0 debate if you do decide to go that route. The 7.3L is one of the most reliable engines ever made. They routinely go 500k with adequate maintenance. The 6.0 has a poor reputation due to a plague of early problems. There are good aftermarket solutions to address all of these design problems, and with the fixes they are also extremely reliable. The other side of that coin is that the transmission behind the 6.0 is a much better one. The 7.3L transmission needs a lot of upgrades to be truly reliable, although there are many 7.3L owners with original transmissions, mine included with 172k miles on it.

It's also more expensive to maintain a diesel. The larger oil changes, the ELC coolant if you decide to flush it are two things that come to mind. It's not really a maintenance item but consider the fuel system upgrades that you should do even to a stock motor, etc.

Also remember that your camper always ends up being bigger and heavier than you thought it would.

 

I upgraded from years of diesels to gas motors now.
-Whats more important to you: diesel or the ride of the F150?
-F150's ride much better than any F250, it's not even close.
-At $10k on a diesel, I would fully expect to have to put money into it in the first year.
-I would be looking for a 99-03 7.3 first,
-Then a 6.0 if you are willing to work on them and interested in a diesel learning project.
-You say reliability, and not concerned with pulling power.....this sounds like the F150 would meet these needs.
-All said, at $10k, I would be looking for the newest gas SD I could find.

 

From your criteria, I would be looking for a 2004+ F150. Unless you just want a super duty to have a super duty. Then I would be looking at the newest V10 in your budget.

 

Thanks for the advice. I think I am going to be heading towards the 150 route but the 250's look pretty awesome. I am seeing lots trucks with issues on the 5.4, especially the '04 model. I really don't want to move from an old rusting truck to a newer one full of engineering issues so I am back to thinking that the 7.3 with the simplicity of the diesel engine might be better. What's the MPG on a 7.3?

 

A properly running and well maintained 7.3 can see upwards of 20 mpg in proper conditions. 16-18 mpg on average is more realistic though. Also have to factor in tire size, lift, gearing, etc. In my personal experience I have had 2 OBS 7.3's and now a SD 6.0. I've seen the best mileage out of my 7.3's, often times over 20 mpg with a lot of highway driving. Dipped down to about 17-18 mpg in the city and in the winter could get as low as 15-16 mpg due to cold starts and crappy winter fuel. My 6.0 averages around 16 mpg highway.

 

I've been around a lot of 7.3's. If you want the best mpgs get a manual tranny. My manuals got between 16-18 avg. The auto's I have been around are 14-16. These are full tank averages. I have modded several 7.3's just for mpg's and the best tank avg's were always about 18. I saw some tanks around 19.5 if I was mostly only hwy for a full tank. This I thought was great since I had a 4x4 with 33 or 35 in tires.

 

I will say; I'm a Ford guy, I've owned them all, but it you want a mpg diesel truck, get a 5.9 and deal with the fixes of the Ram truck.

 

Thanks for the advice. I've seen a few 7.3's for sale so it's time to get out and drive a few.

I won't go Dodge because all of them in the East are rust buckets. Besides, I don't drive it more that 2K-3K / year so milage isn't a huge factor, just a curiosity.

 

In the last 10 years I have had 3 SD diesels(6.0, 6.4 and 6.7(currently own)) and have had 3 1/2 tons, including an 11 F150 with the eco boost.


From what your requirements are I think a half ton is your choice. Your talking about something that is rarely used and will not haul much, with a diesel youll never use it to justify the cost.


A diesel will never ride as good as half ton, not even close. One thing at 10k your looking at something that's probably 10 years old or older and has 100-200k on it, you might find a gem from a widow, but not likely. Any truck I bought for 10k with that kind of age and mileage, I would prepare to money in it within the first year of ownership, just nature of the beast, in this scenario the half ton would be cheaper.


If it were me with that budget I wouldn't get wrapped around just looking at F150s. Other brands out there that might give you more options.

 

The F150 definitely rides much nicer than the F250. The F250 rides nicer than I expected it too. I would say it rides nice on all but the worst roads. When the roads get rough so will your ride. For the last few months my F250 has been my daily driver. I actually like sitting up higher driving in the traffic. The F250 is a little tougher to park in the tight lots and parking spaces like the airport. It also has clearance issues with some garages in the city.
It seems like either truck would do the job for you. The whole time I owned a small farm I used nothing but my F150 to haul stuff around and tow equipment. It can do the work. I would go drive a couple and price them out to see what the best deal is.

 

Just some food for thought, when I was truck shopping just a couple years ago I was looking for a 1/2 ton truck. Most every truck that was appealing had over 130k and was over my budget. I then began looking in the 3/4-1 ton truck market and found some really good deals. Ended up getting mine for almost $10k less than book value.


I would have to agree a 1/2 ton would suit your use better, but there are good buys out there. It is getting harder to find them, but be patient.

 

Sorry wrong thread

 

For your needs I would go with a gas engine. The ride is stiffer on the 250, but I would rather have too much truck than not enough. The problems on the 5.4 are easily fixed and cheap too. Change the plugs properly on the 2v and switch to a one piece plug on the 3v and you shouldn't have any problems. You could spend half of your $10k budget just bullet proofing a 6.0. I liked my 7.3, but I spent more time working on it than I did my three 5.4's and 5.0 combined.

 

A newer f150 would fit your needs a lot better than a 10k diesel would unless you would like to either spend money on repairs and they are costly on diesel trucks just oil changes a lone $109 with coupon and as far as fuel mileage goes my 2010 got 11.5-12.5 the f 150 is better and handles and rides better than 250 I just sold my 2010 diesel and bought a new gas in the fear of diesel repair bills. The new f 150 drives handles and rides better than f 250 I just like the looks of them and sacrificed for it. I'm sure the 10k f150 would be fine if not up the ante and buy f 250 with a 6.2 gas