I'm in the market for a pickup and have always wanted a 250 diesel; for no particular reason since I don't haul anything but household items at the moment. I had driven one for work for a year and loved it.

Now I find an F350 Lariat with only 140k miles on it for $25k.
Most diesel's I find in my price range have over 200k miles on them so this caught my eye.

Down the road in a couple of years I want to get a camper to pull, but don't have one now or anything heavy to haul. So I'm thinking about it but am also looking at the F150's around the 2011 time frame. Looking for a V8 but so many now come with V6 and turbo's....but I'm leery of those running at higher rpms.

So I'm wondering if I should get the F350 now and be done with it, or should I get a smaller truck and upgrade later. What opinions on that might there be....

 

Ok, got a chance to do some research here today at work (no computer at home) and have answered my questions.

I was looking at the 6.4L Diesel and have realized that if I wait until I'm ready to get the larger camper I might be able to get me a 6.7L which sounds like it has fewer issues than the 6.4L. I'll pass today on the diesel and move ahead with a lighter truck.

Thanks for reading.....

 

have had a number of trucks, but for me, if I am not going to work it, a half ton is far and away a better daily driver.

Steve

 

for day to day life (travel) a 1500 class is much better..

in and out of traffic... parking spaces.... rides better.

Wife does NOT like my 250 Empty.. even with lowering air pressure in tires

 

Ford is coming out with a f150 diesel 3.0 in 2018 no sure what it will haul but it is another option

 

I would wait. The 6.7 is awesome. The 6.0 and 6.4 are as well but many had issues. Depending of the weight of the trailer you get will make the decision easier.

 

Thanks for all the feedback.
I've been out doing some test drives the past few weeks.

Found a beautiful 2006 F250 but it rode rough and the hi performance parts they had installed on the 6.0 were too noisy for my girlfriend. So we went off to look at F150's.

Drove two 2011's with the EcoBoost V6 - thought that would be what I needed, but both of them were terrible performers. Stomping on the gas at start caused the engines to buck and seemingly misfire. So I'm 0 for 2 with the V6.

I have a couple of the V8's lined up to look at over the next few weeks.

Also drove a RAM with the Hemi...wow, the power is unreal. That truck was bumpy as well, probably due to the aggressive tires they had on there. I have more RAMs to look at too....

That diesel in the F150 would be interesting, but I won't pay the inflated prices for a new truck. I'll have to wait a few years to look at that.

 

You are doing it right. Don't rush to buy the first truck you see. Wait till you find the one that works for you.

 

Settling in on an '08 with a 5.4L. Mechanic checking it out tomorrow morning. Smooth, front end redone before sale, holds true on the road. Slight lift to give it a little attitude.
Find out tomorrow if I'm going to keep it....

 

Is it enough truck for the camper you potentially want in a couple of years?? IMO, When towing you can't have too much truck. Just something to keep in the back of your mind.

 

You should consider the V10 before you go buy that little 5.4L
especially if you have plans to tow anything bigger than a Jon boat or red rider wagon.
you thought that RAM was powerful...

 

Enough truck? Well, I decided that I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. The 5.4L is all I need for now. I always buy vehicles with the intent of running them into the ground, but I think I might look to upgrade this in 2-3 years.

My girlfriend said I need to get this and this and this option for resale value...and I said 'What's resale?' Lol.

 

I would run like hell from any 3 valve 5.4L. Ford should be forced to buy back every single one. Worst engine ever.

 

Millions of others would disagree....