Hello Everyone,
I am new to the site and will be a first time Ford and pickup owner. I am about to order a F250 crew cab and would like Lariat trim, but can't decide on the long or short bed. The truck will be a daily driver from the country to a small city. I think the short bed looks a little better and would be easier driving/parking around town. However, the long bed seems to be more practical when hauling. I just don't want to short change myself. Either way, I will order the reverse aid sensor.

I am leaning towards the V10, but the piston slap/plugs blown posts makes me nervous. Would like the diesel but I don't think I can really justify it. I only drive an avg. 30 miles/day and want the truck for hauling, not towing. They sure sound good though IMO. But, if I did go diesel. Would it be worth it to go for a very good deal on an 03' "leftover" 7.3 Lariat, or wait an order an XLT (budget!) 6.0???

With no first hand experience with a pickup, I need your assistance! I have enjoyed the many posts and they have been very informative!

Thanks,
Mike

 

I have a 2001 XLT PSD Super cab, with a short bed. I like you use my truck for the trip to and from work and some personal hauling on the weekends and what not. I had considered the V10, but I just really like the power of the diesel. I have a short bed which is much easier to park, plus with the tailgate down a full sheet of plywood still fits in the bed with no problem. Besides with the crew cab thats a real long truck with the long bed.

It all comes down to what you feel comfortable driving on a day in and day out. I would take a trip to the dealership and ask to test drive a frw trucks set up differently, this way you havew an idea of what your getting into. As for the the new diesel I wouldn't get into till it's been on the market for at least one modle year. Others here will say there is no need to wait.

Well hope this helps, good luck finding a truck and let us know what you get. Oh and by the way welcome to FTE.

Will-

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 01-17-03 AT 10:39 AM (EST)]I have a F350 CC SB PSD
I like the look of the short bed myself, plus I needed to get the short bed to fit in the garage.
The V10 and diesel are both great motors.
If you go for the diesel, the 7.3 is already dialed in and if it's a good enough deal I'd take that one. From what I have read, they are having some problems on some of the new 6.0, look in the diesel forum.
I have a diesel and love it, but you do have to let it warm up and cool down some, so take that into consideration.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 01-17-03 AT 11:05 AM (EST)]Short Box. Unless you are using the truck to haul stuff longer than 6.5' on a regular basis, or "need" the added fuel range of the second tank, the SB is the only way to go. Especially with the CC and when used as a daily driver.

V10. Don't be afraid of the negatives you see on this board. This board is a place to go to post about negatives and get help. It in no way represents the average truck out there. For your peace of mind, the piston slap problem has been eliminated and the plug blowout was pretty much isolated to a small run of serial numbers (mostly '99 and early '00), and has been eliminated as of 2002. The V10 is a great engine, you have to be pushing the limits of the truck before before the power of the diesel becomes a factor. As a first time truck owner, I would strongly advise sticking with the gas engine, they're just more user friendly and I think it will serve your needs better. You can pretty much get in and drive it the same way you drive your car. No warm up, no cool down, no smell, none of the little idiosyncrasies that come with operating a diesel. That, and maintenance costs are significantly less.

Waxy

 

I'd just ask myself how often and what uses would I have for a full 8' bed. If you are heavy into construction projects, or plan to mount a full size camper, go with the 8' bed. If you think it will be empty 90% of the time, go short bed. I mainly use it for automotive related parts so the short bed works for me. I have had to haul one load of drywall, and it fit fine with the tailgate down with one tie down. Good luck with your choice!

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 01-17-03 AT 11:09 AM (EST)]People are getting 12 miles per gallon average from the V10, right?

I've heard 19 miles per gallon from the 6.0 PSD.

I've heard one guy say that he went ahead and put down the extra money for the PSD because over time the fuel savings would make up for it, and the diesel will last longer, be stronger, and just sounds a lot meaner too.

My father recently bought a Cummins-powered Dodge to replace his gas-powered work truck, and he is saving 400 bucks a month on fuel now. THAT makes up for the huge payment on the new diesel 4x4. Plus he has a nicer truck now.

As far as the box goes...if you are getting a regular cab, go for an 8-foot bed. Otherwise, my opinion is that the 6.5-foot bed is what you want.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 01-17-03 AT 11:48 AM (EST)]The fuel mileage argument is suspect for a number of reasons.

I get 14-16mpg on the highway with my V10, empty.
I average about 10-12mpg in the city, in the cold.

PSD's require longer warm up idle times (more fuel), and they don't actually get 19mpg around town, anyone that tells you they do is stretching the truth. Diesels are not as efficent when used for short trips, especially when the weather is cold.

I don't know what the difference in fuel cost from unleaded to diesel is in your area, it varies a lot.

An oil change on a diesel is about a $150. Compare that to $30 for your gas engine. That chews up a lot of fuel mileage.

A lot of guys have done the calculations, as a rule, you have to put on over 100,000 miles to break even on buying the diesel. Ask yourself if you'll be doing that before you sell the truck.

All in all, operating costs are roughly equal between the V10 and the diesel, in my mind, it comes down to the expected useage of the truck. Both are great engines, just be realistic about what you intend to do with the truck and the features you want most.

Waxy

 

Waxy, $150 for an oil change for the diesel? I have a 99 PSD and a case of Shell Rotella is $34. Add $6.00 for a Fleetguard Oil Filter (we get a good discount at work). Unless that is what the dealers are getting.

Definitley true about the short trips with the PSD. For that amount of driving I might consider the V10.

As for the bed with the crew cab the short box looks better. I love my 8' bed beacuse I us eit a lot, but I have a regular cab.

Good Luck

 

I keep "doing the math" and I can't figure out how people can justify the higher initial cost of a diesel based on mileage. If the diesel gets 19mpg, that's 5250 gals of fuel in 100,000 miles. If the gas job gets 14mpg, that's 7140 gals. At a cost of $1.50 per gallon (currently in Chicago area) that's a savings of $2800. Last I checked, the diesel cost an extra $6000! So I would have to keep the rig well over 200,000 miles to make it pay, based on fuel costs. And where I am, diesel actually costs a little more than gasoline, although that may vary with your local.

And remember how your gas truck barely wanted to start last winter when it was -20F? Well the diesel may act like that at +20F!

Need "last minute" fuel in the middle of the night? Unless you're near a truck stop, most of the 24hr stations don't have diesel fuel.

On the other hand, if you do a lot of highway driving, long trips, and heavy hauling, it's tough to beat the diesel!

In the past, I have owned both fuels. I have just about 100,000 miles on my 1999 F-250 with the V-10 (it was a VERY cheap option back when I ordered the truck in the Spring of '98) and it runs fine, and if I'm driving a lot of 2 lanes where the average speed in around 50, I can actually get 19mpg, although I average closer to 15!

JC

 

>Waxy, $150 for an oil change for the diesel? I have a 99 PSD
>and a case of Shell Rotella is $34. Add $6.00 for a
>Fleetguard Oil Filter (we get a good discount at work).
>Unless that is what the dealers are getting.

$150 is a little unrealistic, that's just what my local dealer has for pricing on the board for an "oil change and XX point inspection" for a diesel. I agree, if you do it yourself it's a lot cheaper, I can change my own oil for a lot less than $30+tax too.

My point is that to change the oil on a PSD is 15L rather than 5.5-6 for the V8/V10, it also requires more frequent fuel filter changes. Count on ~3X the expense to do an oil change on a diesel.

Waxy

 

 

First Pickup;

These guys are all making really good arguments. Take it all with a grain of salt and analyse the information. Remember, everyone has an opinion.

I've got a '03 F350 Supercab XLT, longbox, dually with the V10 and I love every square inch of it. Granted, there are some spots downtown I can't go, but I went with the longbox to haul my camper around, and the V10 so I could take my boat as well.

Take your time and get the truck YOU want!

Good Luck

Rick

 

I knew this one would create debate. I've got a V10 with 89,000 on the clock......still going................... In the end, get what YOU really want. You may hate yourself when you buy it, but you'll LOVE yourself every TIME you drive it!!!

 

I have the crew cab with the long box. I wanted the long box so I could put my Polaris in the back and still be able to close the tail gate. Buy what you want, but sift through all the comments first, someone may come up with something you haven'y thought of yet. You will NOT regret the SD........
Doug

 

my opinion is that you get the long bed... i have always had short beds because i thought they looked better and were eaiser to manuver.... well i have certainly changed my mind on the look better part and as for manuvering around... jack it up nad run over whatever comes in your way