Hello All

The Question is Diesel or V-10?

I have bought a new fifthwheel camper. (6000lb dry/around 7500lb loaded).
My 150 is pulling it OK, but I am planning on buying a new F-250.

2000 F150 5.4, tow pkg., Flowmaster, K&N.

 

Not even a contest. Diesel, a 7.3 turbo to be exact.

 

I did not think that they made the 7.3 anymore. Just the 6.0

 

if you want it to last long. id look for an early 03 with a 7.3. theyre the best.

 

Even if its the 6.0, same answer.

 

Mel if you want more opinions that you know what to do with you can find similar questions in the Super Duty and V-10 and Diesel forums which are a ways further down on the main forum page.
I think what it comes down to is how often do you tow? For me a diesel would never pay for itself. I tow out of town only a couple times a year at most. I tow to our local race track about 15 times a year. For me a diesel would never pay for itself, even with the better fuel mileage. The extra purchase price, the extra maintenance costs etc. For the difference in prices I can buy a lot of gas.

 

I'd go with the V10 for many reasons. First, the V10 is a $600 option last time I checked. The diesel is about 4-6000 or more. That's just the upfront cost. Second, the diesel gets what, 18MPG or so on a good day. The V10 can give you 13-15 on the highway. So you're not getting much more. On top of that, diesel is now more than 87. It is in my area at least. Usually 5-10 cents more per gallon, so your fuel savings about cancel out. Then there's the fact that PSDs hold more oil and a bigger filter, so maintance costs more.

I've heard that before diesel went up that you had to drive 250000 miles just to break even. Even if the engine lasts that long, the rest of the truck still has 250000 miles on it. Most people I know don't even keep thier trucks for 100K.

Diesels have thier place, for work and those with fat pockets. They are very cool, but I can't justify buying one without a very serious need.

Mike

 

My 6.0 gets 16 in town and 20 on the road...with a trailer! Over mountain towing is incomparable with the new 6 liter. Plus, look at the resale values of the diesel vs. gas.

 

The resale value difference reflects the original purchase price difference. For resale, around 3-5K more. Even when diesel was $1.40 and they got 18MPG on the highway, it still took about 250K to break even.

Mike

 

You're leaveiing one or two things out BLK94. 1. the diesel will last about 3 times longer and 2. it'll hold it's value much more than the V10, check kbb.com or nada.com. Plus the 5-10 cents diff a gal in more than made up by the better mileage. Their more reliable because theres almost nothing to break. And oh yea, you'll hardly notice that 7k trailer behind you. If you ever pull a big trailer with a good diesel you'll never go back to gas.

btw. No blown Plugs!

 

Yes the diesel might last 2-3 times longer but will the rest of the truck still be around?
Will you keep it that long? Most people wont.
It will hold it's value better but will that offset the up front cost?
Like BLK94F150 said the mileage vs fuel costs will probably work out pretty even.
Almost nothing to break? Maybe on an old diesel but a new one has more finicky parts than a gas engine. 14 litres of oil, an air filter that costs $90 Cdn, 3 hours to replace the fan belt.
After saying all that I'll mention that I really like driving the new 6.0s. The power is great
If money was no object I might own one. I'm hoping to buy a V10 next year....if the wife lets me

 

I just traded an 04 F350 sick litre on the truck in my sig, factory order. After being towed twice, oil leaks , and poor economy that even got poorer after I got it reflashed, I would never take a chance on a 6 litre again. They are an incredible motor, performance wise, but at what cost. My 95 and 2000 7.3s were great motors and both better on fuel than the 6 litre. In 07 Ford is going to yet another PSD so what does that tell you. When I ordered my 05 I would have went with a 7.3 if it were available. This is not so now that I have owned my new V10 for a month and 1000 miles. I love this motor. I am getting around 12 miles to the gal mixed highway and city. The 6 litre was under 14 same type of driving. Now that diesel is more expensive than gas, this truck will be no more to operate than my diesels were and I have an extra 5000 bucks in my wallet. The higher resale of the diesel is only the original cost coming back. It saves you nothing, you paid 5000 bucks extra to start with plus the oil , crazy filter prices , etc, ect. Wrenchtraveller.

 

No, I addressed all those things. Sure the engine will last 3 times as long as the V10, but the rest of the truck still wears at the same rate. As I've mentioned, the resale value difference reflects the original price difference. About 4-6K new. I just did two identical KKB report on an 00 F250. The only difference was the engine. 19900 for the diesel. 15500 for the V10. About 4k difference, just like when new.

That 250K to break even was calculated with diesel being in the 1.40 to 1.50 range, so it would be even longer today.

Nothing to break? A modern diesel is a complex machine, not 12V Cummins. Variable pitch turbos, high pressure injectors, high pressure fuel pumps, etc. There are plenty of things to break. As a matter of fact, I heard more problems with the 6.0L diesel right when it came out than I've ever heard about the spark plug pop out.

7K? You don't need a diesel to pull that. Most diesels I see hardly ever even have anything in the bed, let alone towing anything. That is part of the reason the cost of the diesel is so high, demand by people who don't need it.

I'm not against diesels, in fact I love them. I like them better than gasoline engines. The problem is the price difference. I drive many diesels on a daily basis. 2 ambulances, 3 F250s, and 4 firetrucks. I love diesel. But if you aren't pulling heavy loads, you're wasting your money.

Mike

 

Thanks everybody for your insight. I will let you know what I buy.

 

As always, I think we've left the questioner completly confussed. Just so long as he buys a Ford. I think we all can agree on that one.

Ditto?