Hey there Folks, this is my first thread here and have been reading lots from you folks for the last several years.

Im looking into buying another 1993 Era F250 4x4 Regular cab. Transmission wise I don't mind Automatic or Manual as they all have their issues (Clutches in the manuals these days are my biggest pain in the butt)

I want to hear your opinions on a few engines.

7.3 L IDI Non turbo? paired to a freshly rebuilt E40D

5.8L Paired to an E40D

and in an F150 (1995) a 5.0L paired to an E40D

Love these trucks, definitely my favourite on the road today!

Cheers
Ben from Squamish British Columbia----> F Truck Paradise!

 

They are all great motors, but it's hard to give an opinion without knowing what your planning to do with the truck.

If your going to be hauling a lot of weight on a regular basis then go with the 7.3 IDI.

But if it's more of a daily driver and maybe pull a small boat or trailer once in awhile, then get the 5.8 or the 5.0. But the 5.8 would be my first choice out of those two.

 

@ Fastback460

my plan is to use it as a daily driver. Ill be hauling a snowmobile pretty often in the winter time and Lumber for work id say 10 percent of the time. Also have a Line on a 1989 F250 Regular Cab 4x4, with a 460 in it under 80,000 miles.

Any opinions on the 460? I know gas wise they are pigs

 

I have a 460 in my 97 and a 5.8L in our 93, and the 460 has a ton more power. The 5.8L will be plenty for what you are looking haul, but the 460 will do it faster with less effort.

As you said they are gas hogs, but honestly the 5.8 isn't that great either. I get 9-10 mpg with my 4x4, 460, and 12-14 mpg in the 2wd, dually, 5.8 when it's empty. But when it's hauling a load it ends up being the same as the 460.

If you're okay with the 10 mpg, then my vote is on the 460. It's reliable, makes a ton of power, and is fun to drive if you have a heavy foot like myself

 

Daily driving a truck imo is a bad idea.Very expensive but if your going to and to fit your needs,the F150 with 302/E4OD is easily the truck for you out of this list.

 

I vote an f250 with 5.8L, that way if you're ever inclined you can run a sled deck, legally. In my experience the 5.0L just flat out has no torque, especially anywhere above sea level, but drinks the same fuel. Maybe 1mpg better unloaded with a tailwind?

If you get an E4OD equipped truck, go for a 95 and up so its the most up to date trans. Earlier models don't seem to last like the newer builds.

If you'll be towing or hauling very heavy, diesel or 460. A 5.8L working hard is not any easier on fuel than a 460 moving the same load. But a 5.8L running well will crush a 460's fuel economy when empty.

I have a light flatbed for hauling two sleds on my F150, work's great. I don't think Canada approves of that though.. Are you just putting one sled in the box?

 

For daily driving a 3/4 ton, I'd get the idi. Better mpg and dirt cheap to repair.

If a half ton will suffice, the i6 is hard to beat, but it's slow.

All that aside, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a clean truck with anything but a 5.0...a clean truck with a 5.0 and the right price would certainly make me think about it.

 

I daily drive my 460, but that's because I need to use it for work. And I need a 4x4 for 6 months out of a year due to snow. So I can't get by with any less than a truck as a daily driver.

 

This. Goes doubly so if you change your mind and go manual. Not one single sensor will fail to take you home.

 

When working,no doubt.However it's hard to beat front wheel drive 4 cyl cars to run in the snow......when nothing has to be hauled or towed.Not only because 30+ mpg is much easier on the wallet,you don't have to pollute the air as much and rather than sacrificing your good truck,you can let the salt eat away a disposable car instead.

I just went on a road trip across the northern states from Maine to Washington state in a front wheel drive car.(well two.my old beater broke down so i had to buy another one along the way lol)
The only times I held up and camped out while storms passed,was in storms where you wouldn't want to be out there with anything......4wd truck or car.



Guys,he's just going to be towing a snowmobile and a few sticks of lumber occasionally.He doesn't need a rough riding hd truck.The diesel would just go unused.There's nothing cheap about diesel trucks.Running an f150 with a 300 or 302 will be pennies on the dollar and be much nicer to ride in.I ran the f150's with 300's before hd diesels and they were way more affordable than these idi trucks.Compared to powerstrokes they may be cheaper but not compared to an f150 they're not.All diesel trucks are expensive (at least to me) trucks.

 

In _shallow_ snow, maybe. But it doesn't take much for an unplowed road to get snow deep enough to swamp the ground clearance of most of today's cars. Subarus are about the only notable exception. This past winter was an exception, but nearly every year we have at least one day where the roads are only passable by 4x4 vehicles with the ground clearance of a truck. Even when the streets are plowed, if you parallel park, the plow mound is usually too high for a car to get over. On really bad snow days, we telecommute, and I'll often take a break and go out and pull people out who've been plowed in. No one else on our block has trucks like ours.

 

Beaters are awesome for commuting, but not everyone simply commutes.

On fwd in the snow, I had an 86 Buick skylark for a beater in my high school years, I'd plow through snow with my bumper and not get stuck. 80hp and fwd works great!

 

I agree that a Diesel would be completely overkill for the OP's intended use and an F-150 would probably be the best choice.

 

I disagree, an idi doesn't fall into the same category for "overkill" like modern common rail (or heui for that matter) diesels that have 8000+ dollar increase in price tag with outrageous injector replacement costs, all for the guy who never needs his pickup. The idi is cheap to buy, cheap to run, reliable, and cheap to repair...when compared to a modern 3/4 ton, it's more like a 5/8 ton, and an obs 1/2 ton is like a 3/8 ton.

 

Against a modern truck I have no doubt that an IDI is cheaper in probably every way. But since I have never owned an IDI or a modern truck I'll take your word for it

I was just comparing it to an OBS F-150 with a 5.8L or smaller engine. I just hate seeing people go with a diesel when they never need to carry more then 1,000 lbs with it.