Hi.

I am in the market for a Ford F-250 diesel 4x4. I have a jet ski that I will need to tow. I will be doing beach launches with the truck. I am looking for an f250 that gets good gas mileage and can tow on the beach with ease. I have read a lot of forums and noticed that their are a lot of different models with the f250s. I am looking to spend between $5000 and $12000. Doesn't need to look pretty. Just get the job done. I currently have a 2013 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 Trd with a manual transmission. Looking to step my game up...

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

Weight is going to be your enemy on sand, so a diesel Super Duty wouldn't be anywhere near my first choice for what you're looking for. What's wrong with the Taco?

Most FWD sedans will tow your jetski, and it's going to take lots of work to make a heavy Super Duty perform on sand with a trailer. Why do you want an F250? By all means get what you want, I just hope you don't regret the purchase.

 

As much as I hate to say it...keep the Tacoma. A SD truck is way more than you need and none of them will compare to your current mileage.

 

yeah, with sand, it's also how you drive and airing down your tires [and then filling them up when you go back on the road].

 

Looking for durability and more power. Doing lots of soft sand driving whilst towing

 

It's pretty tough to beat a Tacoma for durability, is there something it's not doing for you? $12,000 will buy you a truck that's over 10 years old with nearly 200,000 miles on it. If 7.3L you have a worse transmission and less power than you currently have, and a 6.0L with that kind of mileage is liable to cost you >$5,000 if and when something breaks. On top of that you can plan on $2,000 in larger wheels and tires to make such a heavy truck float on sand.

 

12,000 doesn't buy much truck these days. You may want to consider a F150 . Lighter than a 250 , would easily tow a pair of jet skis and gets better mpg.

 

You are better off with the yota or a jeep wrangler for those duties. I take my sd off road but it isn't the best because they are so heavy.

 

keep the taco or look at a used f150. for your 12k your looking at a bone stock 10 year old f250 with lots of miles and no where near your taco's mpg.

 

Well, guess I need a new western star to tow my landscape trailer.

 

Com'on. The OP was just looking for advice on buying a larger truck. I towed a 6K trailer with my Max Tow '10 F150 and upgraded to a '15 F250 so I didn't "feel" like I was beating the crap out of the 5/8 ton truck. To each their own, but I think most of us agree he will have a hard time finding a reliable truck that can outperform his current truck, based on his needs. Let's cut this guy some slack and give him some good feedback.

 

As for F250 go with a gasser, at least its lighter, honestly I would suggest going with a F150 as it would be more then enough for what you need, what do the jetski(s) weigh? I would say the F150 would be the best option for you, if you want the SD make sure it ticks all your needs, not sure how much you go off road but you may want to look into a good 4x4 model, and I would consider either the SRW or DRW for extra traction, just be mindful that the more weight you have on this truck the less it will tow and the better chance it will get stuck, at the minimum I personally would ensure it has a posi in the rear so both wheels spin together for maximum pushing power in the sand...but thats just me

 

We just sold a 2000 F250 7.3 with 200k for just under 10k. IMO it's not worth the cost of entry if you don't need it. In general you won't get much truck for $12k at a dealership even for a gasser, and buying private party means you are responsible for going over the truck. So going from a 2013 to a 2000 would not be stepping up the game much.