Y'all been helpful on my other thread, BUT,,,,I have more questions.
Again, monthly we tow a 8k pound camper

Our new (USED) truck will be 4x4, 4 full size doors, short bed, not lifted, automatic trans, weekly driver...probably not daily.

I'm wondering what engines to avoid.....

..like the V10 Triton?....I really wonder about that one!

COULD diesel get better mileage around town? I'm really ignorant about diesels.
I'm not opposed to getting diesel to get better mileage overall.......

What DIESEL and GAS engines should I avoid in my search?

Trying to spend under $25k

Thanx folks!

 

The ones that don't come in Fords are generally advisable to stay away from. All the ones that come in Fords will do what you want them to. People are full of opinions, so you'd really be better served to read through the sub-forum for each of the major engine choices, and post in those once you narrow down the search.

Who told you to avoid the 6.8L V10? That's maybe the best gas truck engine Ford has produced since the original 460.

My soapbox speech: I love the 6.0. It cost a lot of people a lot of money when they were new, and used ones that have been beat on continue to cost people a lot of money. So they have a bad reputation, but until recently could be picked up at a nice discount based on that reputation. If you aren't willing to do a good amount of work yourself, just do everyone a favor and avoid it so you don't overpay for one then come on here whining about it forever after you sell it after taking a bath.

My worst to best list for the Super Duty:
1999 2V V10 - DOG. I would rather find a way to put a trailer on a Snapper riding mower than drive one of the 2V non-PI V10s. The Snapper would probably pull hills faster.
99-04 5.4Ls - smallest engine and lowest power ratings. 4R100 trans isn't a strong selling point either
99-03 7.3Ls - nice ones will cost you more than a minimum 13 year old truck is worth, the engine might last a million miles but you'll rebuild the 4R100 five times to get that far (minor sarcasm there). The engine might be great it's just not worth the price anymore.
99-04 V10s - Best of the 4R100 equipped trucks. But good luck finding one with 4.30 gears needed to make the 4R100 pull well. It's not the engine or transmission's fault the TC is set where it is, but it is what it is
08-10 6.4Ls - Worse diesel option put into a Ford truck since the 7.3L IDI that would cavitate and leak coolant into the cylinders. Like the 6.0, some people love them but good luck finding one for a good price that wasn't beat up.
03-07 6.0Ls - Don't buy one, sell it, and come back here and bad mouth it for eternity. We don't care. You were warned. The best point is the 5R110W trans came out with this engine, it's a more solid unit than the 4R100 was.
05-10 5.4Ls - 3V motor, better 5R110W trans, but still the runt of the engine litter. If you don't care about going places in a hurry, good solid choice.
2011+ 6.2Ls - Good solid gas motor, good 6 speed trans (6R140). This might be the best and newest bet for your price range. 4.30 gears help.
05-10 6.8Ls - Great motor, great trans, with 4.30 gears this is the tops for gas motors IMO. But finding one might be hard.
11-16 6.7s - The second best diesel in a Ford pickup, after.....
17+ 6.7Ls - The pinnacle of power, economy, performance. Just probably not in the $25k price range sadly. More like the $70k price range. We can all dream right?

If for some reason you're considering an F-150, the list:
Get a 6.5 foot bed, I still don't understand the fascination with the 5.5' bed. Seems like every F150 I see has the mini-bed, maybe it's just what dealers prefer to order?
2011+ 3.5L EcoBoost
11+ 5.0L
09-11 5.4L
I vote don't consider an F150 older than 2009, or anything other than these three top-tier engine choices. 09+ gets the 6 speed trans, and IMO at 8000# you're starting to hit the point of needing the heavier towing packages and 3.73 gears. Towing guide backs that up, realistically you need 3.55s or deeper with those engines to break the 8k# point. Or the 7-lug HD towing package that came with the 3.5L EB for a couple years. They'll do this, they just don't fit my desire for excessive excess capacity.

 

texastech_diesel, On what you said about the 5.5 bed, yes that is what the dealers order along with the highest gear ratio available for dealer stock. If you find a 6.5 ft bed and decent gears it will be a XL or maybe a low grade XLT. I know that I WILL order my next truck because, I want a Lariat with a 6.5 ft bed and only one of the Dealers within 100 miles of me have 1 and only 1 but it has 3.31 gears! I truly love my current 2015 Lariat Screw except for the 5.5 ft bed.

 

Because the OP is asking a very broad question, it would be difficult for any one person to review all available engines.

In light of that potential difficulty, I think texastech diesel's suggestion to visit the forum for any model that draws the OP's interest and see what the folks who own them have to say is excellent advice. If you want to know about any particular engine gather information with a broad based search both on FTE and on the Internet at large. Purchasing any truck is an expensive proposition and requires due diligence.

My two cents

Steve

 

diesel or Gas,

remember the near daily use is key here.
diesel does NOT like short or slow driving . they like to get all warmed up and stay that way till the job is done.

This was not doable for me. I tow 9k trailer AND 1,500 in truck bed.. but only tow about 4 times a year. so Gas it is. as daily used is about 10 to 20 miles per day.

that being said, my 2012 6.2L has 150,000 miles an just towed 1,800 miles, 3 weeks ago. total weight is 17,000 pounds.


my opinion, 25K you will be hard pressed to find a nice diesel at that price...
NEW.. diesel is a 9k up... 4x4 is 8k up. upper trim packages are 3 to 6k up. and the Highest demand is diesel AND 4x4... so more costly.

 

Given the usage pattern the OP describes it is kind of hard to make a case for diesel unless it is just a preference, IMHO. That narrows the field of possibilities considerably.

Steve

 

Texastech_diesel's approach to the 7.3 is wrong at best. A good used 7.3 will not be that overpriced and will be the most reliable and easiest to work on out of the diesels that Ford provides. Stay away from the 6.0 unless you are mechanically savvy and have a decent amount of funds and time to make it reliable, and even then it's somewhat of a gamble. I have nothing against 6.0s and I like them, but I also have the ability to work on them. If ti were me with that kind of budget, I'd either consider a 6.2 gas, or a 7.3 diesel if it is going to get used a lot. Like it has been mentioned, diesels don't like short trips and occasional use.

 

Absolutely nothing in this world can correct the 4R100 as the only automatic that comes behind the 7.3 PSD. Or change the 13 year old specs of 275HP/525ft-lb, which is vastly overshadowed by the 6.2L/6R140 coming in at 385HP/405lb-ft, with a 1st gear of 3.97:1 and available with 4.30 gears

The 7.3/4R100 (2.71:1 1st gear) /3.73 combo was fantastic..... when Bill Clinton was president. So cling to yesteryear, tomorrow has come in the form of the 6.2L V8 engine

 

Best is a relative term affixed by each individual to the one they anoint "best". There are always arguments for each side, which is why I encouraged the OP is seek out varying opinions from multiple sources.

 

Wow, thanks guys, I'm leaning back to gas since most weekly drives would be the 5 miles to town or 15 to work, empty...........and pulling monthly at most.
My daily driver is the '77 f150 with only 95k on a 302.

Y'all should put yourselves in for a raise!...with all this helpful knowledge.

It is a blessing to have such info at hand...you guys are amazing.

I'm an old gearhead from the 70's, but that was tooooooo long ago...like putting a 350 in a '65 Nova, or a 340 in a '70 Dart w/ twin hood scoops.

I understand the rear end gear info and that is a big help, too.

I may have to pry my wallet out a lil deeper, too....lol.

 

Quite the nice write-up, but the first 7 words said it all!

 

Well, I just found a 2014--f250--6.2 flex gas (whatever Flex is?) --Crew Cab--
with 62k miles for $25,800 on CL at a dealer about an hour away.
I forgot to see if its a 6.5' bed...uh oh.
That's high miles for 2 yrs, but probably just broke in. I put 35k/yr for the first 3 yrs on my Toyota which is pushing 300k now and mostly retired.
Might be test driving after work tomorrow!.......no gota plant sprouting "sang" and check beaver traps....hmmm, maybe Tues.

 

Eh, I have 63k on a 2014 Ford Focus I use as a commuter car. The only way to rack up 30k a year to to drive the thing, so there's something good to be said for it not sitting and the previous owner not being afraid to drive it.

"Flex Fuel" means it's E85 capable. Emphasis on the capable part, that doesn't mean it's worth it or even smart to run it. I do NOT run E85, to me it's not worth the initial (and lately very small) savings at the pump for the decreased economy since that's the point of driving the cracker jack box in the first place. No first hand experience with the 6.2+E85, but you can read a lot on here about here on FTE. One thread:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...2011-6-2l.html

You can check hours on the dash, it will tell you total and idle. My truck had 1500 hours at 63k miles, but I don't idle a lot. Under 2000 hours would make it seem more highway driven, more than that would mean more in-town or significantly higher idle time. Low hours high miles don't really concern me, if it turned out something stupid like 6000+ hours I would be a little nervous just wondering why it sat running so much, since there are fleet guidelines on maintenance using time versus miles. But really not even something to worry about if it comes back under 2500-ish hours.

Don't sweat the gears if the truck has the more common 3.73s. Running stock sized tires at the weight you mentioned you'll be fine. I've just never once in my life ever wished "gee I wish I was geared taller right now".

 

Stop messing with newer trucks. Get a 9th gen powerstroke and don't look back.

 

Um, what's a 9th gen PS?