The only question you should you ask yourself is do you want a striped down truck or the more optioned truck. Miles don't see a issue for me bit the Lariat with almost double the miles. I like the more optioned truck only you can make that decision. These trucks are not easy to upgrade. The radio has most of the controls and .not easy to change out. If the Lariat runs good and that may be the best truck for you. If ether truck is modified don't bother with ether one. It will be a crap shoot as to what will go wrong and you won't know where to start. Good luck

 

At 29 posts, you can hardly be accused of overloading any forum, especially this one!
Rather than compare these two wildly different trucks, I recommend you make a laundry list of what you are looking for in your truck and then shop for that. If you want a Lariat Ultimate with 60,000 miles or less, then don't waste your time looking at XLT's regardless of mileage or price.
The reason you are shopping for a truck in the first place is because you want or need one. This makes it hard to be patient and makes it easy to buy something that you wouldn't normally look at twice.
Decide what year truck you want. There are significant differences between model years and the changes during a production run aren't always welcome. The CD player disappeared between 2018 and 2019 for example. This could be important to some people.
Once you've settled on the model year you want, locate an order guide and determine the trim level you want. Are cloth seats what you want or is leather better for you? XLT's are generally cloth while Lariats get leather.
Once you've determined the year and model, start making a list of options that were available that you want or absolutely don't want. I am not a fan of the moon roof or roof clearance lights. No need for me to waste my time looking at trucks equipped with either. So a "don't want" list can be just as important as a "want" list.
Once you've identified what it is you are looking for, start really looking for it. How far are you willing to travel to look at what might be the truck of your dreams or might be a nightmare? I travel all over the country, so travelling a few thousand miles is just an outing for me. Some people balk at travelling further than their nearest dealership.
In any event, stick to your guns. The truck you want is out there. You just have to find it. Of course, the more specific and long your list is, the longer it will probably take to find, so you might have to prioritize your "wants" and give up one or two in order to expedite the process.
In any event, know what you want and don't waste your time looking at trucks that aren't on that list, and the search will go faster and yield much better results.
Good luck!

 

Another change in the Disc player was it changed from a DVD in 2011 to a CD only by 2015. I could watch DVD movies on my 2011 truck, But could not on my 2015. Only audio off the 2015 CD player.

I find the Lariat leather start to really show wear by 100,000 miles. Unless the original owner had some kind of seat covers on the seats. And most owners with Leather, don't cover them. You can buy new leather from Ford for $500-$600 per seat and spend an hour replacing it.
I've not had a XLT, So I don't know how well the cloth seats hold up.

At 100,000 plus miles you are looking at tranny flush, coolant flush, and other major scheduled maintenance items. As well as just normal wear, ( I had to replace front hubs at 105,000, Turbo coolant and oil connectors,)

I've got a nephew who buys stuff all over the country. On several occassions, I've flown down, picked up a used truck he has bought online, hooked up trailers he has bought and drove home, to save him shipping on the trailers. He then sells the truck when it gets back to Utah. We have just not found it difficult to find trucks in most markets. If you are a long way away from a large selection, Broaden you search area and look at trucks in larger markets. I just did a quick search of the local classifieds for Salt Lake City for example and found 35 2013 F350's in the salt Lake Area. They ranged from $17,000 to $40,000. If I broaden the search to All Superduties, F350 and F250s and 2012 to 2013, I now get 136 trucks for sell..

Point is look at the classifieds for a major market close to where you live. Your choices could vastly improve.

 

I always start with the significantly lower miles vehicle. XLT trim is adequate for most.

 

There's a difference between adequate and enjoyable. The time you'll spend in the truck can differentiate between the two.

 

I think the 2011 XLT cloth seats are comfortable. Uncertain if the seats changed with the 2015-2016, 2017+. Much improved from the XLT 2008-2010 cloth seats IMO. I have used Carhartt seat covers about 60% of the trucks life. My XLT is the basic dash display with basic radio without Sync. If you like your phone connecting to Sync for calls, Spotify, etc. then go with the Lariat if it has Sync plus it'll have the 4.2" LCD dash screen.

 

 

Yes, since there are so many selections, there are plenty of 2012+ available used. Look until you find a good one. If you find a late built job 2 2011 possibly but just easier to start searches with the 2012.

 

 

 

As a first time diesel owner, I love the interior of my 16 Lariat. My last pickup was a 96 F350 XL that had a bench seat. I also owned a 88 4Runner, 94 4Runner and 99 XJ. Drove them all before I got into my 16. My leather seats have been covered with Carhart covers since new because of kids and dogs. But the heated and cooled seats are real nice. Sync for Bluetooth for the cell phone is awesome. I don't use the CD player much at all. It's usually Sirius XM for me.

What I guess I'm saying is now that I have these extras, it's a nice change coming from the basic vehicles I've been driving. If I had my choice, I'd rather go with the higher mileage Lariat than the low mileage XLT. Obviously you want a vehicle that has been maintained, but you always run the risk of something going wrong with a used vehicle. But that never stopped me from buying used in the past. Good luck in your endeavor of finding that truck.

 

 

I daily drive my 2022 F250 Platinum Diesel its an awesome vehicle very comfortable and I love it!