Hi folks,
New guy here. I'm in the process of purchasing a 5th wheel camper, which will likely lead to the purchase of used F350 with the 6.7 diesel in the near future.

Right now I've got two possibilities on my radar, a 2011 and a 2015. Both have around 80,000 miles on them. I've looked up maintenance histories on Ford.com for both, and they both appear to have been regularly maintained at a Ford dealership, although it does look like the 2011 mostly sat without being driven much from Dec 2020 to Jan 2023. I haven't gone to look at either truck in person yet.

As you might expect, the 2011 is priced significantly lower. If I were to buy that truck, I'm thinking that I would want to have the turbo replaced with either an aftermarket or a 2015+ OEM turbo (the shop I'm talking to suggests going aftermarket). I would also likely want to put in a CP4 disaster kit while I'm at it. Based on the shop's labor rate ($95/hr for about 10 hrs) and what I'm seeing online for parts prices, I'm figuring about $4,000 for the turbo and disaster kit, installed. After accounting for that $4k, and after accounting for all the other stuff I would need to do to outfit each of the trucks, the all-in cost for the 2011 would be about $8k less than the 2015.

Does $4k sound about right for the turbo and disaster kit?

Are there other factors that might sway you one way or the other? Obviously I would consider general condition, rust, etc. I'm talking about inherent differences between the two model years.

Thanks in advance.

 

Check the cab mount bushings carefully, regardless of which one you go look at. 08-16 bushings tended to deteriorate rapidly.

 

I'd go with the 2015, even if it ends up being more. But that's me.
First, the resell value, if you ever need it, should be higher, even if you do some work to try to equal things out. You'll also need to replace the intercooler as well -- well, maybe not "need", but, probably should. Also the 2015+ don't have a wastegate, so, you'll need a tune to deal with that.
The turbo isn't the only difference between them as well, but the rest are fairly minor differences.

Are the trim levels and options the same between the two?

I'd take a cable and FORScan and thoroughly check each as well, before and after a test drive.

 

The trim levels are different. The 2015 is a Lariat and the 2011 is an XLT. XLT is fine by me, but I'm sure I wouldn't mind the extra creature comforts of the lariat. The 2015 is a crew cab short bed whereas the 2011 is a super cab long bed. I prefer the super cab long bed setup, but could live with either. The 2015 has the 7,000 lb rear axle that i would need for my 13,400 lb 5th wheel. I need to contact the seller to make sure the 2011 has enough rear axle capacity.

Can you educate me on the intercooler? That didn't come up in the research that I've done so far.

I appreciate your help.

 

I'd have to go back and try to find it. I may even be wrong there, but I thought there was a slight change to the design of it in 2015.
My 2015 is also an XLT, and while it's pretty fine for what it is, but, it's pretty skimpy. I don't think I'd want to do really long hauls in it, with family.

 

I'm a crewcab guy myself. always issues with supercab doors at some point. I also like the extra room. Of this option, I would go 2015. Although, I never liked that industrial look they started back whenever, so I personally would need a 2018/19 when they changed the vents to a more aesthetic design.

I'm not familiar with issues on the 6.7 but you seem like you're doing your homework. In the end, you have to get whatever fits your budget/ needs best. You may look at both and find hidden issues.

when i went to help my Nephew find a truck, we found several that looked nice and seemed nice until we saw them in person. Pictures can hide so many things

 

My current 2015 F150 is an XLT. We've done 4,000+ mile towing trips in it without seriously missing any of the creature comforts of higher trim levels. The only thing I would change about it is the sucky sound system.

 

Yeah, whenever I look at a used vehicle I bring my flashlight and crawl under it. The salesmen look at me funny.

 

That's a look of despair and disappointment, probably. Lol

 

I'd go for the 15 as well. The early build 11s had glow plug and valve problems from what I remember reading on here.

The 15 is a higher trim level and already has the bigger 15 turbo. The 11 to 14s turbos build boost quicker but the 15s make more power and are supposed to get better mileage than the earlier 6.7s.

As to the intercoolers, the change came in 2017 with the Alumina Duty trucks. They have the 2.5 inch inlets and the 11 to 16s have the 3 inch inlets.

I live in the rust belt and my truck's body mounts are still in good shape but I have been getting my truck oiled each year at Carwell Products with a light oil that IMO has kept the body mounts in good shape as well.

Like said, I'd bring a flashlight to get under the truck and look for leaks and condition of truck underneath. Maintenance records would be informative as well as getting an idea of the history of the truck.

Good luck...

 

Thanks for the input, everyone. Unfortunately some life "stuff" has interrupted my truck shopping, probably until after Christmas at least. I guess I'll see if either of these two trucks is still around when I get back to it.

 

Hope your search goes well! For what it's worth, I started looking in early June of this year, and only bought my new-to-me 2015 F350 diesel SC SRW LB a couple weeks ago. Unless you have to rush it, don't. Eventually one will pop up that'll hit all the right boxes for ya.

 

Closing the loop on this thread. Both of those trucks got away from me during my Christmas pause. But yesterday I ended up buying a different 2015 that is almost identical to the first 2015 that I found. It's a Lariat crew cab short bed. Already equipped with a slider 5th wheel hitch, tool box, and 5th wheel tailgate, which will save me some money and hassle. I might have preferred a long bed extended cab, but those are few and far between in the used market. The CC SB will work fine with the slider hitch, so I'm happy with it. Thanks for the input everyone.

 

Is the truck you bought an f250 or f350?
Either way glad you got something that you can enjoy.

 

Yeah, the Regular Cab and SuperCab Long Beds are... nearly unicorns. I see a handful out and about, but they almost never pop up for sale. I'm glad I got mine, and I'm glad you got yours. Need to see some photos!!