Well with 5 months left on the lease of my '08, its time to decide what to do for my future truck. I've got a few options in mind, keeping in mind that its going to be a cash purchase, no financing or payments!!

1)Buy my truck back. Pretty decent buyout on a truck that I know the history of, and I know it has been trouble free for every mile thats on it...

2)Upgrade to a F250 6.2L gasser, same configuration/options as my current truck, +/- a couple

3)Upgrade to a F350 6.7L Diesel, same configuration/options as my current truck +/- a couple

Unsure of what to do. I could probably sell my truck for a decent profit, possible make 5-6g on it, which would go towards the new truck. On one hand, buying it back would be a cheap option, I've got extended warranty, and I'd have lots of money left in the funds. However, its a 3yr old truck, will have 80+k on it, when will it start to nickel and dime??

The F250/350 decision is an interesting one. The gasser is about 10g less than going with the diesel, but in 3 years what I would save in fuel (in theory if one can believe what is posted)would make up that 10g difference. Resale would be much better on the diesel, but maintenance would be a little more, and there's the extra 10g up front to consider.

What would you all do?

 

Im a diesel guy, I KNOW what I would do.

Honestly speaking though, I personally feel that with your plans to move back east, and my mind visioning that you will not live very far from a town or city out there (Is that accurate even?) I would do the superduty with the gas engine.

It sounds like you could use the configuration of a superduty, but I question the diesel part of it. Diesels are really great though, and I have had great luck with mine, but I also tend to do a fair amount of highway pulling, as well as a 20 minute drive to and from the city each time I take my truck.

Other problem I have with getting a 6.7 right off the bat... you guessed it, the first year of production.

Now gas vs diesel in a superduty...
Gasser is more practical for start and go, city driving and traffic, loaded or unloaded, pulling or not pulling.

Diesel will pull more, and better on the highway, and I would say at low speeds a little better, but not as noticeable.

The maintenance of a newer diesel vs a newer gas is the diesel oil changes cost more. I dont find them a problem on my old truck, as it just costs a bit of extra oil, but I assume on a newer one it would be costly.

How long are ya realistically gonna keep a new truck? If a long long time, I would say the diesel starts to look attractive. I just know you from on here, but you have had 3, maybe 4 primary trucks since Ive known ya, (NOTHING at all wrong with that either!) but that tells me your the kinda guy that wants a new truck every 2-4 years. That tells me that the new gasser would actually probably be better in resale value, cause in my experience, they still have decent resale value at that age.
Longterm a diesel has WAY more resale value though.

Now financially. No questions asked that the cheapest would be to keep your current truck. Now what I question, is will your f150 be able to do everything that you are gonna require it to do?

Nickel and diming.... sometimes man its cheaper to go that route as well. I can only relate my own experiences, but my trucks "nickels and dimes" although always a pain in the ***, are always cheaper then new truck payments. I just bought new upper and lower balljoints and u joits for the front end, and I think the total bill was 300 bucks, and labour is free if I can manage it.

Whew! what do you have in mind sherm?

 

Thanks for the great reply prep, I'd rep you but it says I have to spread it around...

Where we'll be living, building our home is about 1/2 hour drive from the city where I'll be doing the majority of my work. Thus it wouldn't be so much stop and go which I understand the diesel wouldn't be the best for that. If I were staying here, I'd probably just keep my current truck for quite some time. I really love this truck, and in this flat land, I could haul much larger trailers than I do with this truck. I'm planning on buying a much larger trailer for the move, + hoping to start a venture or 2 that I can continue to use the larger trailer. NL is a very hilly (small scale) mountainous area, my current truck would definately start to struggle towing heavy loads. Much of my towing work trailer will be highway, I've always enjoyed working away from home as the drive to and from the job is a time to relax.

Another reason I've been leaning towards the diesel, which is similar to the first reason I guess, is that the towing capacity of the Superduties with the 6.2 gas engine is only a few hundred lbs more than the F150/ecoboost. Right near that 12g range. We'll probably end up with a RV trailer somewhere along the line, and having the higher towing cap of the F350/diesel would expand the selection of RV's to choose from.

From the reading I've done, and peeps I've been able to talk to, the 6.7L diesel seems to be almost double the MPG when towing and a good 5-6 MPG more empty compared to the 6.2L gas engine.

Finally, I'm, hoping that this decision will be a long term committment, hence again leaning towards the diesel. If things go anywhere near planned or hoped, I will be expanding my business in the east, and definately have need for a larger truck. It would probably be easier and cheaper to purchase the truck here than back east.

I guess it seems like I've already made up my mind and have settled with the diesel. Its just a matter of seeing how it holds out for the next few months as it nears time to place my order...

 

I had the same dillema last winter and I ended up going with a gasser. The difference between me and you though is that I was buying used. I am happy with my truck but next time I will be getting the bigger gasser. With the mileage my truck gets a V10 and the use a V10 would have been a better choice.

 

I would have thought that your F150 would be getting considerably better than a V10 would...

Some other food for thought, the 2011 F150 with the Ecoboost engine is rated for a 11300lb towing capacity. The F250/gas engine is only rated for 12000lb with 3.73's, and 12500lb with 4.30's. The F350 gas is rated for 11900lb and 12500lb. The only difference I could see would be with 5th wheel towing where both superduties are rated for 15000lb with 4.30's. The F250/350 has a 2500(ish)/3800(ish) payload capacity while the F150/ecoboost is 1900(ish). Numbers taken from the Ford Superduty brochure and Ford.ca website.

I guess my point here is a person would be far better off with the F150/ecoboost than with the F250/gas, unless you do mostly heavy hauling in the box. The theoretical fuel mileage of the ecoboost would be far better than the 6.2L when empty for sure, and it would be interesting to see a comparison between the two for towing.

I suppose the more research I do, I've ruled out the 6.2L engine in any application and replaced it with the F150/ecoboost combo...

 

The best mileage I have got with my truck is 16 and that was on the way back home this summer with very good conditions. A farmer that lives south of town gets 14 with his V10 and a truck I was looking at last winter the owner said he had got 14 -15 with his V10. I need some big power aabout a dozen times a year plus pulling our camper and our sled trailer with bigger power would be nice so that is why that ecoboost has caught my interest.

 

Thats pretty low for your best with the 5.4L!! My best has been 24.5mpg, cruise set at 105km/h by my gps, and don't touch the throttle for the duration. Usually summer driving I average 18mpg, mixed city/highway. It will be interesting to read peeps reviews of the ecoboost as they start to sell.

 

I also find that 16mpg is low for your best Colin, with my '07 I saw a best of 21mpg with the cruise set at 110k. With my '10 I saw a hand calculated 21mpg on the way home from Watrous when I picked the truck up new.

My truck is also rated for the 11,300lbs, and I find the 6speed trans really wakes up the 5.4l. I'm also interested in the new ecoboost, but thinking about a diesel for my next truck. My truck does a good job of pulling here on the flat but if we ever get a bigger fifth wheel or want to go to the mountains a diesel would be the right truck.

 

I was expecting better, something close to 20 but my best mixed driving is about 14 but most times it is more like 13. Sounds like my driving habits are like yours and when I go on the 04 -08 forums most of them are getting about the same mileage so I just figure my truck is on the low end of average.

 

What does your truck have for a rear axel ratio, I could get 11-12mpg pulling our fifth wheel on the highway at 100kl with the '07. Haven't figured out the towing milage with the '10 yet.

The '10 did get 18mpg on a trip to a rider game with five adults and cruise set at 130kl.

 

Are those hand calculated, especially Sherms 24? Most guys here who dont BS say about the absolute best has been in the 20-21 range, with more like 18 being the norm!
From whay Ive seen on the 150's, they are a much better truck than the SD. I wouldnt hesitate to go with a 150 and use air bags - this would meet most guys requirements! Ford rested on their laurels with the SD, battled engine suppliers and emissions, and is now at the bottom of the heavy truck segment in my opinion!

 

My truck has a 3:55 ratio with 18" tires which I don't think are a help. The good thing about my truck is I get the same mileage pretty much all the time. Towing my 24' camper trailer or my 20' sled trailer I get 13 - 14 mpg and trips to the farm or the city I still get the same mileage. I got an Edge programmer for cheap so I was going to send it to PHP to get some custom tunes and see if that helps with the mileage.

 

Yes, hand calculated. Like I said, that was on 4-3/4 tanks, leaving here and driving through to northern Ontario. Cruise was set on 105 by gps. Going further east once you get towards the cities where the traffic is heavier, speed limits are higher and traffic moves faster in general, mpg takes a dip. My average for that trip was 21.5. I record every mpg and distance travelled on all my fill-ups. I will add that I have an s&b intake kit, muffler delete and SCT tuner with 5-star custom tunes. This might account for 1-2mpg tops.

An interesting thing after talking to the service manager at the local dealer, He's had 3 trucks from '04-'08, all CC/4x4/SB/5.4L, 3.73 rear gearing. He said each truck has been totally different in how they drive, mpg, and just the "feeling" in general. One would flat out smoke the tires from a dead start, one can't turn them to save a life...

 

Remember that most guys on here are in the US, using the smaller gallon for calculations. This doesn't make you feel any better, but typically we should calculate about 20% better...

Yes, hand calculated. Like I said, that was on 4-3/4 tanks, leaving here and driving through to northern Ontario. Cruise was set on 105 by gps. Going further east once you get towards the cities where the traffic is heavier, speed limits are higher and traffic moves faster in general, mpg takes a dip. My average for that trip was 21.5. I record every mpg and distance travelled on all my fill-ups. I will add that I have an s&b intake kit, muffler delete and SCT tuner with 5-star custom tunes. This might account for 1-2mpg tops.

An interesting thing after talking to the service manager at the local dealer, He's had 3 trucks from '04-'08, all CC/4x4/SB/5.4L, 3.73 rear gearing. He said each truck has been totally different in how they drive, mpg, and just the "feeling" in general. One would flat out smoke the tires from a dead start, one can't turn them to save a life...

I will consider the F150/Ecoboost combo, but again, its fairly new technology as far as I know, really new for a truck application!! I had air bags on my '02 SuperCrew and it was amazing the difference in ride quality and load handling. Properly loaded, I could load that truck way beyond the manufacturers specs, and still drive in a safe manner...meaning the front end still touched the ground...

 

My calculations are also hand calculated. I never had fuel economy read out until this 2010 and it shows about 2mpg higher than what it gets. The Escape shows 1mpg better than what it gets, so I know not to trust the computer.