I too went through the gas vs diesel decision process when shopping for my EX. For my situation the PSD offered some benefits for sure along with some negative points, same with the V-10. I did my homework and for me the best option was a later model V-10 (spark plug issues resolved for the most part) and if I had to make the choice again I would go gasser again.

 

Wait... I gotta feed a ****ing horse now?!?

 

For me I was tired of getting gas ALL THE TIME.

It made me sick watching the gas gauge go down with every mile. With loads I could literally watch the gas gauge move. I pull lots of trailers all over the place and honestly there were some that the gasser just couldn't maintain 70mph on the highway.

The fuel mileage of the diesel makes me smile every single time I fill up. Plenty of power to tow any trailer. Did I mention the mileage is great?

Repairs or maintenance is minor to me compared to the constant fuelings. Out of any vehicle the most common "maintenance" you do is put gas/fuel in. Bad mileage really gets to me and I saw it over and over and over again, every single time pissing me off and making me sick.

For me the only extra real maintenance on the diesel is more oil. No mater what you have you still change an oil filter and fuel filter, the diesel just takes more oil.

I save the extra cost of that oil in fuel mileage with just 1.5-2 fill ups.

I have figured it out before that I save over $400 a year in just fuel over a gasser on just my camping trips.

Thats allot of oil!

 

I have, and I'm not even 30. When I was little, we owned an 81 Oldsmobile 5.7 IDI. We were in the DC area, and filled up at Hess all the time. Diesel was always cheaper than any grade of gasoline. Unfortunately, it hasn't been that way since I was a little kid.

Actually, I take that back. When we were in Kentucky this spring, there was one station that had diesel for like 3 cents less than regular unleaded. I was flabbergasted, and topped off, lol. I know that is a wild anomaly though.

Hahaha. Yup, we're just digging you in deeper and deeper.

I don't think there is any argument that either of the gas engines will do what you need them to do. There are wildly varying opinions on what engine will do it best though.

From what I'm gathering, you very much want a diesel. However, the initial buy in and possibility for expensive repairs dissuades you and makes the V10 an attractive option. I think you can have the diesel, and not have to worry about sudden expensive repairs. The initial cost will be higher though. That said, it'll also retain higher value throughout it's life. I got a good price on our 2001 7.3. However, it has 225k miles, and under-body rust I need to remediate. I'm not afraid of the higher miles, and I can do body work, so these were not detractors for me. The engine runs great and the transmission shifts crisply.

Someone mentioned getting 12 MPG with the v10 pulling a car hauler for almost all of the trip. While this may very well be true, if you do any research on v10 towing MPG, this appears to be very anomalous, not at all typical. And that is from data posted by other v10 owners, stating 7-9 is the norm on the highway pulling a 6-7,000 lb load. I don't have direct experience with the v10, and can't say for myself, but all the data posted by other owners leaves me highly skeptical.

I can say that I have yet to get less than 16 with my 7.3. Always hand calculated, always on a full tank. My drive is about 50 miles a day, about 70% highway and 30% city. I'm in Ohio and I towed my 17' tandem axle utility trailer to Florida to pick up an engine (diesel of course...). With the cruise set at 75, I averaged just over 17 MPG. Never a downshift on a mountain, she just cruised along, although I was relatively lightly loaded. Unloaded, all highway with the cruise set at 65, I have gotten just over 20 out of it. I got 16 with the cruise set at 65 with a car in tow, probably about 4,500 lbs.

So what does this mean? Not too much, it's anecdotal internet data to you. However, in this mans (admittedly biased) opinion, the 7.3 will not only satisfy your needs, but also your wants. If you're like me and keep vehicles a long time, you want them to fill both of those categories.

 

I've also had experience with vehicles that'd do the job, but weren't what I wanted. Note the diesel Bronco in my sig, and the Audi as well. The bronco had a 302/AOD. It did everything I needed it to. I pulled cars with it and it maintained highway speeds over the mountains, but it was revved out the whole time to do it. It also got 12 MPG empty. Once swapped to the 7.3 and ZF5, it got 21 MPG over the exact same highway course that the 302 got 12 on. It also doesn't feel like it's working when I tow cars now. All that, and I love the sound so much more.

The Audi came with a twin turbo V6 that has great power potential, but I'm finishing up the rather involved task of swapping a diesel into it. All the creature comforts, a 6 speed stick, AWD, and 40 MPG

When I'm through with this swap, the only things that take gas around here will be the mowers, generator, and weed-eater, lol.

 

That was me and I do indeed get 8-9 towing my camper. A car hauler is a different animal, much easier to tow. It's all about the aero drag, not so much the weight. I will admit to being a bit more frugal with the go pedal than some, I only had it to the floor once during the entire trip. Still had enough power to maintain whatever speed I wanted. Some people live with the foot to the floor.

 

Great point, most of the people stating they got 7-9 were pulling campers and such with way more aero drag. That number makes much more sense now, lol. Yea, the effects of how you use the go pedal are huge too, no matter what engine you're controlling.

I think the bottom line is, either engine could serve Apoc well. If that weren't the case, it wouldn't be the topic of so much debate. If one were significantly better or worse, you would see a fairly good consensus one way or another. He should choose what he wants and be content.

 

That's pretty much what I feel like now. Except my horse only eats oats from large, expensive boxes delivered by the UPS man.

These are the words of a man who bought a diesel because he wanted one, and is looking for reasons to justify it after the fact. This isn't a slam AT ALL! But let's be honest with ourselves and each other. There isn't a man around - myself included - who doesn't feel like their diesel truck or Ex isn't just a little bit cooler than the exact same truck but with a gas motor.

I absolutely didn't need a diesel. I *wanted* one. I could certainly have towed whatever trailer I wanted with a V10. I found ways to justify it, but the "man points" awarded by owning a diesel carried their fair share of weight in the decision. I would say that the majority of diesel owners bought one because they wanted one, even if they aren't being honest with themselves.

The maintenance is more than it is on a gas truck. And I'm not talking about just oil. A water pump will set you back $200 or so. What does a water pump cost on a gas motor? The coolant is $28 a gallon and you need 4 gallons. Your batteries need to be replaced? You're buying two. Double the cost right there. A fuel filter? That's $26 + shipping online, or $50 from the dealer. What does a fuel filter cost for a gas truck? $8? The front and rear differentials REQUIRE 75w140 syn lubricant. $22 a quart is $176 dollars in gear oil. I'm telling you, this stuff adds up in a hurry and anyone who says it costs less to maintain their diesel truck just isn't being honest.

Quite a few years ago, I was talking to a guy who split his time bartending and doing construction. He had just bought a Ford diesel and I asked him why he went with a diesel instead of a gas motor. His response: "Zero maintenance". I thought he was FOS at the time, but now that I bought my Ex, I look back at how embarrassingly wrong he was.

I hope I didn't upset you by calling you out Snowseeker - I promise it wasn't my intention.

 

No I would never do vandolism, maybe I shouldn't have said that, but I'm glad you recieved my post as intended . Basically what everybody else said, I would say go for Diesel, but go with what you want and not what we want. Because if it was up to us, we would already have like 10 or 12 trucks lmao

Also diesel was ALWAYS cheaper then gasoline when I was younger, I'm only 24. I have seen it in the past 3 years be cheaper then gas too more times then I can count.

 

I don't think his point was that the maintenance cost less, but that the increase in fuel economy offsets that added expense. That will vary from person to person however, based on how the vehicle is used.

 

That isn't a diesel thing though...

 

LOL @ people that feel the need to justify whatever they chose to buy.

 

Ok, that's a valid point.

 

x2, I wanted it and could afford it and all related costs. So I bought a diesel. That and I like to tinker and modify, and the diesel just provides better bang for the buck (to a point, I will admit) where that's concerned. Probably could've gotten by with a gasser, but I didn't want one.

 

My wife will be the first to tell anyone that if they can't afford 10mpg then they probably can't afford one that gets 15mpg(gas or diesel).

She drives the f-450 90% of the time. She loves that truck. Now keep in mind we need that truck about like we need another hole in our head. It get's 12.5mpg loaded or empty, the insurance is more than all the other trucks combined(thanks to N.C.Law), and the 19.5 tires are outrageous.

I have a standing offer from a buyer for both of my diesels towards a piece of river real estate that I've been trying to purchase for 10yrs. If all goes well we will have our favorite place to camp and fish and the current owner of the place will have two very nice dependable diesel trucks.

She wants a new dually if we sell the F-450 and I can assure that it will be a gasser after going through the 04' diesel fiasco with Ford and the dealer.

My neighbor just traded his V-10 for a new diesel for a net gain of 3mpg...lol.

Just get what you like if you can afford it.