Hey everybody,

I actually rarely post in this area of the forum. Most of the time I am over in the 7.3 or VA area. I am wanting a bit of third-party advice/insight on a couple options I have presented to me. Those being:

1. Keep my 7.3 and update it to make it the way I want it inside and out (A repaint and new bed is needed). This would mean new seats, added creature comforts for the longer trips I take, etc.

2. Get a 2011 F250 with a 6.7 (ECSB) that has 55k miles on it for 30K and sell my 7.3

With my wallet doing the talking, it says to take option 1 as it may be the cheaper option. I say may as my truck has 363K miles on it and counting, so things are going to need to be replaced faster and faster coming. The thought of also having to take the cab off to do any major repairs on the 2011 also scares me a bit.

Now the argument for the 2011 is that it is a one owner, is setup for towing a gooseneck already, and is slated to have less problems than the current truck I have. Thusly making it a more enjoyable ride.

The truck was nice, and the seats felt wonderful compared to what is in my truck for the long trips up to PA and other areas of the East coast I take a couple times a year.

I suppose I want what people that have had both think of both. Is it worth it to go ahead and get a newer truck, or should I put about half to three-quarters of the money it would cost to get a new truck into mine and keep it.

 

The newer truck would certainly have more safety features, as well as factory-integrated creature comforts (as opposed to bolt-on after-market stuff). Keeping what you have is usually the cheapest option, but having a substantially newer truck makes life that much nicer. Everything has a price. If you have the money, I'd make the move to the '11.
-W

 

New truck unless you feel comfortable dropping 10k on your 7.3

 

I'd find out if that 2011 is an early build or not before you go any further. The early builds had a run of bad valves and dropping a valve ends in motor replacement. Just my 2 cents

 

10K is about what I figured completely renovating it would cost. Got a quote today for $1250 to redo the seats in leather, and 3k-4.5k to get it painted the ebony/tan two tone that the truck currently is.

I will be sure to find out what build the 11 is. Definitely do not want to replace the engine out of the gate. There was talk of a possible warranty being added on the truck, but it would have to be an all-inclusive bumper-to-bumper for me to feel real comfortable with it. I can rebuild my 7.3 - the 6.7 not so much.

Most of the amenities I am looking for are things like clearance lights, upfitter switches, phone integration for my radio once I leave my surrounding area, and a parking brake that actually wants to hold the truck steady on flat ground.

The 2011 was definitely nice, but I am not sure how I would feel towing with it. It was a ECSB, and I am looking at towing a 36' gooseneck with either truck. The longer length of my 7.3 is more appealing in that aspect of the two.

 

I sold my 2002 to buy my 2012. I owned the 2002 for 11 years and put a bunch of money into it. It broke down 2 days in a row with 2 seperate failures on a ski trip in Colorado. I fixed a fuel pump laying on the concrete in 20* weather and the next day the oil cooler started puking oil. It had about 250k on it when I sold it. I got tired of fixing things. It seemed like it was always something. Even the 2011 won't guarantee that you won't be fixing things...although it sounds like less. The 6.7 can be expensive to repair. That said...I absolutely love the 2012.

 

All the comfort issues you speak of should already be in the '11.
One more issue to check out on the '11 is the turbo. The early f250 turbo's had issues with ceramic bearings failing and thus the turbo had to be replaced. The later model, I think after 12 or 13, had steel bearings and no more issues of that sort.
I know the 7.3 is legendary but the 6.7 truly beats it in both torque and HP and I've not heard of any major common issues, so far.

 

That is a good looking truck 89LX306!

I do appreciate the insight on the early 6.7s. I haven't heard much other than some of them had radiator issues in the early years. That and that just about any repair is a cab-off!

I believe I am going to pass on the '11 I was offered though. I have done some figuring and I am looking at hauling trucks with a 36' gooseneck. Not sure how comfortable I would be hauling trucks to and from my shop in a littler truck like that.

With that being said, if I am going to get a new truck I will go for a '15 or '16. Would need to be CCLB as I figure get the best of both worlds. Plus the length would be nice for towing.

Do the '15 and '16 6.7s have any bad omens or are they fairly refined? Going new '16 or used '15 would at least have a warranty with it ('11 wouldn't have any kind of warranty) in the event something happens. Main thing I am debating is to wait until after 10/3 to find if the new incentives will be greater than current or not.

 

I love my 11, Unfortunately I had a turbo failure at roughly 112,000 miles that set me back $3k but all in all i have been happy that i traded my 03 for it that I was working on every weekend.

 

If you do not need the diesel, depending on what trim level you want, you can almost pick up a 2016 with the 6.2 for a bit more, maybe find a new 2015. I would take option 2. After 16 years even though my 2000 had no major issues and I bought it new, it was nice to, and I was ready for, an upgrade to a newer truck.

 

Looks like he definitely needs the diesel. See his post below.
I wouldn't worry about lifting the cab to do repairs unless you're set on doing them yourself. Even then, it seems the later builds have excellent reliability.

 

I would go for the new truck!

 

Went and test drove a 16 (RCLB, local dealer didn't have any CCLB there). Was nice, seats were comfy, and was offered it at 40k (X-Plan plus incentives).

The kicker was what they offered me for my truck. Three or four salesman came out before I even talked to anybody asking about it and what it'd take to get it from me. I threw out a number a tad higher than blue book trade-in on it, and they threw back just under half of the truck's value. Needlesss to say that trade was not going to happen.

There are a couple dealers farther away with some CCLB I am going to go look at either this week or the following week (actually have a trip to PA this coming weekend).

If only I could get a manual '16...

 

I would upgrade to an 11 or newer. I plan on keeping my 06 for a few more years. My next ride will be something 11 on with the 6.2 gas.

 

I have a 15 F250 6.7 scsb (didn't need the extra door) and pull a 34 ft.5th wheel and it has tipped the scales at about 13,000 lb's. and no problem. I went on a 12,000 mile trip across the country and no problem even on a windy day the truck was very stable and there were a few windy days.