When it comes to engines....... if two trucks are equally equipped otherwise. What engine is preffered, 6.0l or 6.4l. I know the 6.4 is newer, but if mileage was comparable what are the +'s and -'s. i.e. maint., power, mileage, etc. I've read many articles, but I want to know from the guys where the rubber meets the road. I expect personal opinion to be involved but I'm going diesel soon and want to make the right choice overall. thanks

 

If cost, and maintenance history are all equal, I'd go for the 6.4 every day. Newer motor, more power, newer truck,etc

 

If all things were equal, it seems to me 6.4 only makes sense.

 

I'm going to disagree with the others so far I say first get an oasis report for both trucks if your seriously considering them which it sounds like you are but I would go with the 6.0 the 6.4 is the first truck with a dpf and the and they didn't have whole process down as well as they seem to now. The 6.4 unless deleted will get worse fuel mileage be less reliable and be more expensive to repair. during the regen process they also make oil because of the extra fuel injected to create enough heat to clean the dpf so that's something you need to keep an eye on as well if do a lot of in town driving you will have trouble completing a regen especially if your doing short trips Now if your towing with it out on the highway constantly that seems to be where the 6.4's excel. That being said I would still go with the 6.0 the 6.4 can be a monster when tuned and deleted but I'm not a fan especially when they are in stock form. But you know what they say about opinions I did try to include some facts though.

 

There are way too many variables involved to make any educated decision. You are the one who is going to have to drive it every day and pay the bills on it. There's a lot of personal choice in the decision (color, options, etc.). I do agree on the OASIS to see if it has been serviced at a dealership and what it's gone through.

That being said, I'll throw my opinion out there. Remember, this is MY opinion. I have very little experience with either of these powerplants. There's a lot of positives to both but the negatives I can think of off the top of my head (just spitballing from what I've read/heard, there's no research here) is that the 6.0L has a bad reputation overall and the 6.4L has DPF and (I've heard) the cab needs to be lifted for a number of repair items. Again, no truth to any of this, just spitballing.

If I was considering these two engines right now I would lean towards a second generation 6.0L ('05-'07) over the '03-'04 6.0L (first generation) and the 6.4L with DPF. That's with no other considerations. If I was looking at a '10 6.4L and an '05 6.0L with similar miles, price, and conditions, a truck that is 5 years newer would be awfully tempting...

 

I'm honestly not trying to be sarcastic with this answer to you but it goes something like this...

the heart of any vehicle is under the hood but there are soooooooooo many other things to factor in when looking at a truck. Even if both engines were equal from a maintaining point of view. They both have transmissions, axles, tires, brakes, transer cases if 4wd, odds are they will be of different color, interiors etc etc...you do not sit under the hood, you sit in the cab. You don't stare at the inside of the fender wells and valve covers while in the drive way but you do look at the outside of it.

I say all this because either truck will be a big purchase that you probably will not be disposing of any time soon.

I advise you get which truck you fall in love with. If you find the truck to have been taken care of and you feel good and confident it was taken care of ...no matter the engine...get that one.

At the end of the day they are still machines with moving parts put together by humans with components made by humans....
so even if that truck lived at the Ford Store for its required service all the time, on time and every time...well that still equates to no guarantee other than you being a bit more confident.

Moreover you are looking at a used piece. No matter how lightly used something they always require you to put something into them. Brakes, tires, lights, etc etc...

Good luck!!!