Hello everyone and thanks in advance for any assistance you may be able to offer.

I'm currently in the market for a used F250, preferrably an extended cab with a full 8' bed.

Up in the air is either the 5.4 V8 gasoline engine or the 7.3 Turbo Diesel. I'd like to know what to expect mileage wise. I'd be driving this truck a whole heck of a lot for work, from Houston to Dallas and back once a week as well as around town for daily work and need something very reliable and something that gets reasonable gas mileage as well as something that can take a beating and keep on ticking as they say.

I've talked to a few guys selling their 7.3's, one said their's get's up to 21 highway with a controller and/or a fuel box, whatever that is. He said the fuel box is no longer made if that gives you any clue as to what that is.

Can I also do something about fuel mileage if I were to get the 5.4 gas motor? No one has given me anything about what to expect with the 5.4 gas motor as far as fule mileage goes. I'd like to believe that since the motor itself is smaller than the 7.3 it would get better fuel ecomony. Is that a correct assumption?

Thanks guys and my apologies for posting this in two places, I didn't see this Super Duty section of the forum prior.
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There isn't really anything you can do to the 5.4l truck to increase mileage much at all. If you can find a nice 7.3l truck for a decent price that will yield the best fuel mileage. Sounds like you will be putting on a lot of miles and using the truck a lot which the 7.3l will excel at. The 7.3l truck will more than likely yield better fuel mileage than the 5.4l truck. Enough of a difference that you will most likely be able to make up the additional diesel cost per gallon vs gasoline and extra maint costs.

 

Ditto what he said!

 

May want to consider cost of routine maintenance.

Steve

 

6.8 and done. ;-)

 

IMHO, maintenance costs of a diesel are only slightly higher than a gasser......if you do your own! It takes more oil, but otherwise, what?

 

Diesel 7.3 sounds like your best bet.

 

I agree with bunklash. The 7.3 will be the best bang for the buck, provided that you take on some of the basics yourself. Oil change on these trucks can be done pretty inexpensively with good materials if you shop around. My truck is getting a combined 16 roughly and around 19 empty with 0 mods and 250,000 miles. I should add that my truck is a single rear wheel.

 

Add the "slightly higher" provided you do your own, which lots of folks don't, then pile on the higher price of diesel and I have a hard time seeing how running my diesel cost me less than running my 5.4 (and I have one of each). I like both trucks and am not trying to put anyone down, but I never choose my diesel as a more economical choice.

Just my thoughts,

Steve

 

Its not as bad on the 7.3l but there are is still a decent difference in price in filters between 5.4l/6.8l vs 7.3l. Motorcraft fuel filter for the 7.3l is $27.79 vs $7.97 for the gasser. A MC oil filter for the 7.3l is $8.86 vs $3.45 for the gasser. The difference is enough to bankrupt anyone but the % of difference is over 2X more expensive for the diesel. Air filter prices for either are about the same unless your running the larger oval filter in the 7.3l.

 

As of right now I'm picking the '06 with the 5.4, simply because it's the newest with the least amount of miles. The 7.3's had about a hundred thousand more miles and were more expensive not to mention older, much older. I know diesels easily trump gas engines for longevity but I don't want to be married to the truck, just need to get from point A to B and back for a few years. It's simply a work truck, nothing more.

Unless someone else posts a serious bargain or one of you guys says something that makes me reconsider, I'll be picking this up this coming weekend.

'06, 5.4 triton V8, 120k miles, $5995.



I was told by the seller of the 5.4 that there is a chip of some sort to improve fuel economy I can put in. Is that not correct? He owns nothing but Ford Super Duties so I took him at his word.

Thanks for all the help.

 

That 06 will get the job done fine.

People like to get all mystical and quote proverbs when it comes to the "added" expense of running a PSD.

IT IS MORE EXPENSIVE. No questions asked

But, of you do your own maintenance you can negate alot of the incurred cost. Also, the PSD will get 3-4 mpg better than an identical gas powered truck. Easily! If not more!

Take mine, lifted on 35's with 100% city driving and last tank I got 13 mpg hand calculated. You'll see gas reports of sub 10 mpg for similar trucks.


Just food for thought. I grew up in Texas driving big trucks. That 06 with the 5.4 3v will be fine. Get her up at speed on cruise control and enjoy. Especially at that price. No reason to pay another $10k for the PSD

 

 

Truck looks good for that price!

 

That's a big consideration.