I’m very disappointed in how Ford marketed and continues to market the 3.0L. I’m sure there is the push for the EcoBoost and the PowerBoost, but the 3.0L is a great option for some. That includes me.
So I can’t help but wonder, is having the 3.0L and the benefits of the great mpg’s going to come to roost? Will the 3.0L on the used market become a taboo red herring for resale? Or will the limited availability on the used markets drive demand upward?
We decided to get a travel trailer this summer, and although I’m fine with the truck pulling 6k, we are at the limits. I will likely buy a less optioned higher payload XLT, or jump to a Super Duty. For a daily driver, I love the 3.0L. In fact, for all my uses, it fits, but I do need to pack accordingly when towing the TT, and sometimes that requires an additional vehicle to take additional passengers and gear.
Just wondering in this crazy time of asinine used prices, should I seize the moment, or ride it out to 85-90k before trading. At Covid miles, it could take me another 2-3 years, and I’m not sure I’ll be selectively packing another 2-3 years. I just can’t dig 14mpg of a Super Duty gasser, don’t want a $10k 6.7L option after 27mpg+. I also don’t want to give this truck away a few years down the road because no one wants one. Has that ever been the case? Heck, I still see the 70’s GM diesel boondoggles driving down the road. 😆

 

I think your assessment of it is the main reason that there are no takers. Most people equate diesel with massive power and abilities. The MPG is great, but the work abilities are not. Ford could have bumped that engine up to 4 liters and really had a hit with it.

Anyway, the reason used prices are so crazy right now is that supply is low. If you decide to trade or sell it, make sure you have a deposit on a replacement as the new ones are selling fast too.

I would probably consider a more common truck. Used prices will never be better. That 3.0 will probably be very expensive to repair or replace in the future. I think it’s a good engine but rarity doesn't always mean desirability. Ford has done nothing to market them and their availability is on and off. Unless we have another fuel price spike it will never be worth more than it is now.

 

Your best option might be to just buy a used 3/4 or 1 ton. If you keep your eyes open you can find one in good shape and for a good price also; since you will be using it only occasionally even a high mileage one will do. That was my solution - my F150 is my daily driver but I also have a 2005 Dodge/Cummins dually for hauling the camper and towing. The Dodge is used only a few times a year but it doesn't cost that much to have around and when I have some real work to be done it is there.

 

5L will go far to meet fuel mileage and towing power requirements.

 

I wouldn't buy one for the simple reason that if I'm going for the diesel power I'm going to get a truck that has some capability.

 

Had one. Never again.

 

I purchased the 3.0L prior to Covid, which changed our plans. If I was really in need of diesel power, I’d certainly have bought a Superduty. However, the 6.7L won’t come close to towing mpg of the 3.0L with a few thousand pounds, or daily driving, of which both were my primary reason I went with the 3.0L. Now enter the travel trailer, and large frontal area, and a whole new set of criteria enter, as well.

 

Sorry to hear of your poor experience.
Your permeant decision may be a bit too extreme and hasty in my opinion.
I have a 2018 without any issues at 33,000 miles, over 21 mpg capable ., around 16 in town and a lot of towing power.
Surely some get a vehicle that has issues but not everyone does.
On these boards you see a concentration of issues enough to scare, but it's not the rule over hundreds of thousands of the same models.
The concentration of these reports is but a very small fraction of the totals for 5L being used.
If you looked on other boards for other mfgers, you would see the same thing. They all can have a small percentage of issues.
I have been on various boards for nearly 25 years and see this continually.
Good luck.

 

I think your signature might be a bit out of date lol

 

You've gone the Super Duty route, so you know what to expect there. If it is only a matter of capability, then you are stuck with needing a heavier duty truck.
If you are fine with the capability of the 3L, then there is no reason to trade.
To sell now because your powertrain may not be 'popular' is to give up more $$ now than what having an unpopular powertrain will cost you later. No matter what, there will be a dude drooling over a diesel F150 on the used car lot...it's the salesman's job to make you think it's not worth anything....and then he'll go sell it at a premium to someone. It's all part of the game. Even if you get $3K less in 3 years for it, that's nothing compared to what you'll lose by trading now.

It's your prerogative, just make sure that whatever you choose is in your own best self interest.

 

I understood your reasons when you bought it and they were good ones, I think overall many share the same sentiment as I do which could affect sales down the road...but that's just speculation on my part.

 

The decisions made jumping from 5L to 3L come into question, and now find out it was still not the best decision for the long term.
I would still go with a 'good' 5L as the one to most likely to fill the needs, as stated. Even if pre-owned..
Making decisions and choices under duress is never wise.
The replies offered are actually a great help, for the future.

 

I like mine.

 

The question for me on the 3.0 is :
Does the increase in fuel mileage make up the difference in increased fuel and maintenance cost?

I never thought there was a spot the 3.0 filled in Fords lineup.
I was surprised when the finally did it.
I won't be surprised when they drop it.
Some of the dealers in my area had trouble selling them..... when they were available.

 

While one driving a 3.0L does not MAKE money, the common misnomer is most everyone who thinks they know diesels, actually knows nothing about the 3.0L.. That statement was NOT directed at you. It’s not like standard diesels in terms of maintenance. It costs no more than any gasser. Oil filters cost $5. It takes 6.5 quarts of oil. Fuel filters are a breeze to change, and the 30k interval drains you a whopping $42 for the kit of both filters. The service intervals, except the 40k fuel filters, are longer than the 6.7L, and equal or better than most gassers. That includes antifreeze. The first major service is at 150k, and that’s the timing belt.
So, to answer your full question, I figured before I bought the 3,0L at the mileage so drive a year, if I could net 25mpg with diesel being an average of $0.35 a gallon more than gas on average, I’d break even with the substantial increase in monthly payment going from an XLT to this Lariat. So far, in the last year, diesel get has averaged over $0.25 a gallon LESS than gas, and I’ve averaged over 26mpg. Even dragging my quads north on a trailer nets me close to 21mpg, where my 5.0L could barely muster 14mpg. So, at the end of the day, this 3.0L has proved exactly what I set out to do when I bought it. My ONLY reason to consider a change is for payload with a trailer, which would never have been in the equation in the 2-3 year span I intended on owning this truck. My 40-45k a year driving has been cut in half thanks to Covid.
Frankly, Ford did a horrible job marketing the 3.0L. For 90% of the Suzy homemakers, the 3.0L would be better than any other mill in the lineup purely due to the mpg. A generous portion of F150s are just grocery getters that haul absolutely ZERO in their lifetime. Frankly, if I didn’t have four adults in the cab when we camp (again, without Covid, we had no plans to camp in the next 2-3 years), we’d be golden. The 3.0L would fit the daily driver niche, the weekend warrior project niche, the hauling with my 10k flatbed, etc. It’s just a freak of nature that the moon went out of alignment.
I agree to not make a hasty decision. After all, what is the loss holding on until I get some more miles on the truck? Probably nothing. It pulls like a freight train, so I have no issues there. I’m not white knuckled after towing for years. It’s just not what I would have bought had camping been in my horizon last year. My oil-burning 5.0L kind of pushed me to making a decision, and I don’t regret it at all. There was no way I was looking at a gasser Superduty then at 14mpg for a daily driver, and y to be $10k adder for the 6.7L regardless of capability, is not really where I wanted to go then, either.
Thanks for all the replies. I’m not looking to jump right now. I’ll keep working my ouija board and if/when things align, I’ll make a move. There are alit of options and choices out there. It could be as simple as changing trailers, too.