Hi,
I've been mentally flip flopping on the gas vs.diesel question... I hope to soon order a new truck which I have wanted for a very long time... It will be the F250 4x4 crewcab automatic trans. longbed. The truck will be used as a family recreation vehicle. No plans for towing right away, but a boat is possible in the future... I thought I would go with the diesel because I tend to keep my vehicles a very long time. (my current truck is a 1986 F250) I like the "supposed" longevity of the diesel, and the "supposed" better fuel mileage... I've been reading posts on this board regarding MPG, and many are getting 13 to 16 MPG with the V10... I've also been reading about "cackle" with the diesel... I'm starting to lean back towards the V10... Anyone want to throw in their two cents??? I really appreciate your comments... I do not personally know anyone with either truck, so your oppinions are greatly valued...
Thanks,
Mark

 

The answer depends on what you want to do with the truck.

If it is going to regularly haul or tow, diesel is mucho better, especially at altitude. If not, the diesel is a $3600 toy. Cackle fix is supposedly on the horizon, but you might want to keep an eye on this. Supposedly, a new #8 injector will make the sound disappear.

Unless you keep the vehicle a long time or drive a lotta miles, it is hard to justify a diesel on mileage alone. The diesel's main strength is strength. The mileage increase is a modest bonus. You get a diesel to do work that a gas engine is just not as efficient at doing and the mileage is a nice but tangential benefit.

I ran the numbers and for my situation, about 100,000 miles was the break-even point on fuel mileage. This was fine, I always keep vehicles at least that long, so no problem. Also, I RV with a slide-in camper in the mountains and that type of use is made for a diesel.

If you don't have a need for a diesel, buying it would be an odd thing to do. They are fuel sensitive and the fuel quality varies dramatically from site to site. The fuel itself is temperature sensitive, slimey and nasty and smelly. Diesel is not sold everywhere. Routine maintenance is more expensive. You really should look at your intended uses and make a decision based on that, not on mileage.

That said, diesels are the right choice in a lot of situations. It was in mine.

 

I agree that the PS is stronger at altitude and longer lived overall but most of us don't keep a truck past 200,000 miles or tow exclusively in the mountains. If you tow at altitude and want to keep it past 150,000 or 200,000 miles get the PS. In the real world the V10 F250 -check Ford's charts- has a higher tow rating than the SD. I pull both a horse trailer and a large rv all over the US, and the only time a PS will pass you is on high steep mountain passes- otherwise they are equal in towing ability. In the real world the choice between the very quiet V10 versus the very noisey and very expensive PS is a no brainer for the average guy. Tim

 

As a former owner of a '87 Ford F250 diesel pick-up and a current driver of a '96 Ford diesel which I drive daily for work, it came down to a couple of points that led me to by my '2000 V10 4x4. The diesels stink, are loud, expensive to maintain, need to be plugged in during very cold evenings, and the fuel can gel up unless properly conditioned. Diesels also take a long time to warm up on winter days, so don't expect heat for a while. Yes diesels get better mileage and may last longer, and have more strength. But like the posts have said, make sure you NEED a diesel. I plow and tow a four horse trailer now and then, mostly use it for around town, I get about 10.1 mpg with 1500 miles around town. When the temp drops to 5 degrees like it did twice this week, I didn't have to worry. One more thing, at least here in NE PA, the diesel runs about 10 to 15 cents higher than gas.

 

I'm plotting my direction on a 250/350 SC 4x2 dually for generally hauling of the family and an occasional outing with a future trailer purchase. Was all set on the Desiel until I drove it. Rather loud for a drive in the country or general back and to to work. Adjusted my sights on the V10 and oops, my 3.73LS option and the 4.10LS option went away. I certainly don't want the V10 with a 4.30. Check your "rear-end" too before you decide.

Probably will step back to the single rears and keep the 3.73 for economy.

Besides, I always have trouble spelling Deseil.

 

mark you have rec'd a lot of good info. from the use you plan i would not even consider the psd. i have a '99' psd with which ipull a 37' 5th whl that weighs 12k lbs dry, all up truck,trlr & gear i gross at 21500 lbs. i travel thru the far west on grades of 4-7 percent (there are two that are 8 percent) at altitudes of 9000 ft. under these conditions the diesel is the only way to go. it is true the v-10 has a higher towing cap, but this is a result of the dif in actual vehicle wt. look at the charts and you will see that the v-10 is rated at a greater tow cap than the f-350 even when equiped with the v-10

 

If you are going to buy a diesel buy a dodge with a cummins. I have owned both and the cummins is by far the superior of the two. The cummins will give you a few mpg better andwill start easier and have fewwer problems due to its simplicity.

Id rather be cummin than strokin

 

there is no way I would EVER buy a Dodge. They have shoddy build and reliability, and their transmissions are the worst. Also, if you have been on any Diesel pages, you will see that there are MANY complaints about the new 24v Cummins engine.

The PSD is a fine engine, and the Superduty is a Superior truck.

 

After doing calculations, based on
-avg mpg (I forget the exact numbers I used, it was something like 18mpg diesel, 14 for the gasser)
-fuel costs (i did this a while ago before diesel fuel skyrocketed..)
-maintenance costs:
12-15 quarts oil of more expensive oil for the diesel per change, vs 6 quarts of 5w-30
$10 oil filter vs $3
fuel filter changes every 6 months (vs. not)

It came out to about 100,000 miles before the you recovered the extra $$ for the diesel.

Then there's the noise and smell factor (which my wife would not overcome). You can smell it in your garage, if it fits..

So, if your keeping it in the long run, (over 100k miles), you can go either way.. Both are great motors.. I would expect that you can get 200K miles from the V10 as well if you take care of it. (Which obviously you know how to do).

 

I have a 99 f250,v-10 with 30,000 miles
I get about 11 mpg. Love the power.
From reading other reports, if you plan to keep your truck more than 200,000 miles, youre beter of with the diesel. 2 reason: longevity and milage will pay for itself. Although the diesel is loud and less power around town. I have driven both and prefer the v-10. Also they say if your going to buy a diesel, buy the dodge even though I prefer the ford. (i fell the looks, comfort and build are far better) I doubt if this will help your decision

 

I know some one with a '99 3/4 ton PS 3.73. He loves it. they tow appx. 10,000 lb. He has towed it in the ozarks, smokeys, and plan to go to the black hills and oregon, washinton, and colorado. he gets 13-14 in louisiana. we traveled 400 miles empty last summer and averaged 21 mpg! I think the $4000 and 20 mpg is well worth it.

 

 

I have never owned a V10 so I cant really comment on that, but I have owned a ford diesel as long as they have made them, usually 5 or 6 at a time, and I can tell you that with decent maintenance they can last you a lifetime almost literally. I may not be the most popular man here but as far as trouble free in diesel I have owned both and I prefer the 6.9 over the 7.3. I have never had any major problem with a 6.9 and I have owned 7 of them. Actually I still own all 7 but 2 are no longer used as the bodies have seen better days but the engines are still running. I use them on my ranch and work the dog out of them regularly but I service them religiously. I change my oil every 3,000 miles and the fuel filter every 6,000. My newest truck is a 1988 right now. I just rebuilt the motor at 410,000 miles, never touched before then other than 2 fuel pumps. One of my trucks has over 600,000 and has been rebuilt once. I am not saying a 7.3 is a bad engine, but I have only owned one and it was worn out at 250,000. Could have just been the one, but I stick to the 6.9 by preference. Also, in defense of dodge, somewhat, it is true the bodies do not hold up as well as ford, but I have owned one 1993 dodge that I just stopped using at 560,000 miles. It still runs well but the body is shot. As for Chevy, I made the mistake of trying one once, I hope for their sake the new Duramax works out well, because that 6.5 turbo was the biggest turd i ever saw. stan ables

 

Mark,

I just went throught the same thing. I spent 5 years hauling Flight Simulators across the country with 99' Super Duty with the 7.3 diesel and pretty much had myself convinced that this was the way to go if towing. I knew they had BIG gassers but man to put your foot into that diesel out on the highway and listen to that turbo whine is really something. Anyway, I have a buddy that has the V10 so I drove that and a new diesel all in the same day just to make a comparison and I could really tell the difference. Compared to the V10 the Diesel just fills big (heavy steering in my opinion), smells, is loud and has very poor throttle response at slow speeds (driving around town). I went with the V10 and don't regret it a bit, infact I'm thankful. What made my descision other than what I listed above was that most of my towing was going to be to the local lake (40miles) and one long trip (cross country) a year for family vacation. Only averaging 16k miles a year and figuring everything equal but milage it was going to take around 7 years for the diesel to pay off.

I guess what I'm saying is think real hard about what your going to be using the truck for and then listen to what all the folks above have already told you. I did a lot of thinking and a lot of searching (my wife was so sick of hearing about it)and what I found is that unless your doing some real serious towing (something huge or tons of miles) it all come down to personal preference. GOOD LUCK!

Rob ps sorry about the book!

 

WOW I have to commend you guys on posting real usable information. A lot of times it is just that thing is junk buy this etc. Thank you.

I bought the PSD in 99 and put over 100K miles on it my next truck was a V10. I also did the # thing and in my situation the PSD never paid for itself. The $120 oil changes made sure of that. Now like most said if you live w/ a trailer on the back or in mountains the PSD will pay off pretty quick.
Day to day driving I got tired of the turbo lag off the line but we have a truck stop on every corner b/c of the gambling thing and filling it up was about 3 times faster than sitting wating for the slow gas pumps.