Hey again everyone-

So from now until I graduate from college I’m looking for a new truck. Mostly it will be a commuter vehicle. I do plan on doing a little bit of towing approximately 3x per year – an approx. 3500 lb equipment trailer and an approx. 9500 lb farm tractor – from my home in Virginia to antique tractor shows in Pennsylvania. I also can’t rule out the possibility of buying a travel trailer, in which case I’ll want to use this truck to haul it so in the future it may tow more frequently. Aside from this, it will mainly be used to get me from A to B for a couple years, then, the truck will be mostly a weekend and inclement weather driver – it’ll be more of a prized possession and occasional hauler.

So here’s where I’d like some opinions and information. My dream truck is a ’96 or ’97 F-250 HD, and I would like to find one with the 7.3 Powerstroke as I’ve always loved and respected this engine. However, after reading up on the subject in my spare time I’ve discovered that it may be more advantageous for me to purchase a gasser instead, due to easier and cheaper maintenance and the fact that diesels don't like short trips. I don’t need a tire screeching powerhouse, just a reliable daily driver with enough power to meet my needs, but stock enough to remain reliable and trouble free.

So what does everyone think? Does anyone have any strong opinions on which powerplant would best suit my current and future needs? I respect everyone’s opinions and would really like to hear what people think. I’m only 20 years old and have no experience with anything other than my F-150, but I know some people here have exclusively driven these trucks and many more know them inside and out. I just really need to make an informed decision, as whatever I truck I choose I will keep FOREVER!

So, again, thank you to everyone who took the time to help out a broke college boy!!

Evan

 

Get the 460 for sure. You are correct that short trips and stop-and-go driving are not good for the diesel. As for cost, just do the math and figure how much you are going to save on fuel and then see how long it will take you to get that back when you figure the higher cost up front and the higher (like double) cost of maintenance. I disagree that the cost up front is "a bit more" - people selling trucks with the PSD in 'em seem to think those things are like gold.

Full disclosure - I don't like diesels. I've had a couple of 'em and I am always glad to see them go. The maintenance is a pain (the used oil is NASTY), they are noisy, and they smell. Plus you have to stand in that greasy spot on the ground every time you fill them up. Not a fan.

 

I prefer the 7.3, but also like the 460. I'd go with either motor if I found a clean low mileage one for a REASONABLE PRICE, since that might prove to be hard enough to do. Low mileage to me is less than 80,000.

Short trips are no worse for a diesel than for a gas motor.

I'd also go with an F350 over the 250 for the D60 over the TTB.

 

^^^^ +1; short trips are bad for ALL engines. The PSD will be so much more efficient, you should just take it out for a long trip (or "take the long way" on a commute) every week or so, just to fully warm it up. And by no stretch of the imagination could it be called a "gas guzzler".....

At the filling station, there may be some oil on the ground, but there are virtually no fumes like at the gasoline pumps (gasoline is much more volatile). I'd rather step on something toxic than breathe it.

 

I'm sure you will get a bunch of feedback on this, here is my 2 cents- I've had both gas and diesel F250's currently have a 96 with a 5.8 and am happy with it. Mileage is some better than the 460 but not great - 10 when loaded and towing, 14 empty highway. I like to be able to work on my own vehicles and was not comfortable wrenching on a diesel. As for towing power, if you only tow 3 times a year you can still tow with a 5.8, just not as fast off the line. Parts and service are quite a bit cheaper for the gasser. Good luck, hope you find the truck of your dreams = I was lucky to find one near me that belonged to a church friend. The engine had a bad cylinder (no compression) with 112K on the odometer. Body was good as was the interior with a good cleaning. I chose to install a re-manufactured Jasper engine in my shop and have put more than 20K miles since the engine install. Very happy with my $600 purchase for the truck. After the new engine, tires and a homemade flatbed I have about $4000 invested. Good luck on your search.

 

You need to shorten up your questions if you want people to read them. Like the old TV cop, "just the facts". We don't need the pre-Columbian history of the world to give an opinion. Sorry I can't help, just couldn't make it through all the yada yadda.

 

Fair enough. I just wanted to make sure people knew what was going on - I see a lot of "well we need more information in order to help", and I haven't seen a lot of "that's too much information"...

Not gonna argue though, I probably wouldn't want to sit around reading essays all day either. Thanks for setting me straight. I condensed it down a lot.

 

Grab yourself a clean f250 with a 460. you will never look back. Plus side you will never pay 2400 dollars to have an injector pump refurbished.

 

Injector pump? Do you mean a HPOP? You can can buy a new one for less than $600 and swap it out in a day.

 

That's because you won't have a chance to look back; you'll be looking for the next open gas station.....

 

My best advice is forget about a truck until your broke college student status is converted to full time tax payer. Find a commuter car that will keep more money in your pockets instead of the oil companies'.

There will be plenty of time to find what you are looking for later. Focus on finishing school without worrying if you can afford to fill the tank.

 

Fixed. For a student's daily commute, I wouldn't choose a car or truck. I would explore (in no particular order) motorcycle, scooter, bicycle, carpool, feet or bus. Parking on most campuses is a nightmare, and can be as expensive as fuel/maintenance. And it costs just as much to park a Fiat 500 on campus as it does an F450. You can often SAVE time AND money leaving your car/truck at home.

That doesn't preclude buying a truck now. In fact, if you can afford it, I would get into one sooner than later, as availability of a truck from this era is only going in one direction, and by the time you would actually use it on a daily basis, it may be too late to find a good one to buy. Maintenance on an occasional use vehicle is still an expense, but a MUCH lower one.

 

I would agree. I work on a campus, and only have my gas guzzling truck. It usually sits all week. I can bike to campus and park anywhere, for free, and it's faster. Almost all my colleagues do the same, or they complain about parking. My truck is basically a toy (hauler), only being used when I can afford to play or if going on SAR calls, in which case all fuel is covered. Many scoff at the idea of biking as an adult, but it's an easy way to get some exercise and saves money, enabling me to drive the old truck I like when I do drive.

 

rla - Thanks for the advice. I'm not going out to look for trucks and try to buy anything right now - just getting information and facts so that in a year or two I can start looking. Hopefully by then I'll have job opportunities and that'll make things easier. The "commuter" aspect was really intended for after college, getting to and from work and where I need to go - my truck will be given to my little brother since he will be in need of a car at that time.


madpogue - You're correct, I barely use my F-150 but maybe 1 time each week and a half. Everything I need now is within walking distance, and it'll be the same next year. My senior year I will be commuting to and from campus but even then its maybe a 3 mile drive at most? If I could start looking for a new truck tomorrow I'd love to but the folks say I'm forbidden from buying anything until I graduate from college.

 

GCWR of a 351 is 11,500 lbs with 3.55 gears or 13,000 lbs with 4.10 gears (manual or auto doesn't affect it per my '97 owners manual). Subtract about 6000 lbs for the truck and you're are 5,500 or 7,000 lbs for the trailer. So if you care about weight ratings the 351 is out for a 13,000 lb trailer. In fact, even the 460 only goes from 12,000 (manual/3.55) to 18,500 (auto/4.10) GCWR, so that's 6,000 - 12,500 for the trailer. The PowerStroke with 4.10 gears (20K GCWR) is your only option for towing that beast without exceeding your GCWR.

As far as F-250 vs F-350, assuming you're looking at 4WD the F-250 will ride lower (good and important for some, bad or unimportant for others) and will have the TTB front end (good for a very few, bad for quite a few, neutral for a lot) while the F-350 will ride higher on a solid axle (if 2WD there's not much difference, both are Twin I Beam).

How about cab type? I started out with a standard cab that I loved and hoped to never get rid of. But after having kids it didn't work for us so I moved up to a SuperCab. Then the kids outgrew that back seat and now I have a crew cab.

If you get a standard cab both F-250 and F-350 will have a long box. SuperCab is short or long box with F-250, and relatively limited availability in F-350. Crew cab is short box F-250, long box F-350.

My daily driver now is a '97 F-250HD crew cab with 460, auto trans and 4.10 gears. It costs a lot to drive. I really wouldn't recommend that as a commuter vehicle for anyone. Before this truck I had an '02 F-350 crew cab with a diesel, auto and (I think) 3.73 gears (maybe 4.10). That wasn't any cheaper to drive and I wouldn't recommend it either.

The wise thing to do is to get a decent commuter vehicle and have a truck too if you need it. Or wiser yet, rent one the few times you need it. So that's my advice to you, but I'll also admit that it's advice that I wouldn't take myself. I've spent too much time driving vehicles I don't like, and apparently I have a character flaw that makes that unacceptable to me. So I unwisely drive a 460 powered F-250. Just know that if you're doing that it's a pretty bad idea.