I had an 04 screw 4x4 with the 5.4 It pulled my 28' TT well, BUT the MPG really sucked. Unloaded on the highway I would get 15-17 doing 70-77mph. Pulling the TT I'd get 4.5-5mpg doing 55-60mph. & the short wheel base wasn't that great either! Sometimes it was scary! Then I decided to sell and get the 04 F250 FX4 CC PSD. What a difference! Pulled better, handled better, and the mpg towing are 13-14mpg at 70-75mph. Unloaded we get around 18-19mpg doing 70-75mph. And I love the new torkshift trans while towing. My wife is short too, (5'2") but with the tube running boards from the factory she has no problem getting in! She complain now that I have lifted it though! But she still can climb up into it. Go with what you need and save yourself some cash now instead like I did. Just my $.02 worth. And now I wouldn't give my baby up for anything!

 

I doubt that the V10 with 4.30 gears will get the 15mpg average you are looking for....

From what you have said I wouldn't even look at the 150 and would move up to the 250 and pay the penalty for the Diesel. You will likely get it back when you sell it and will love to drive it every day!
Best of luck with your decision.
Pat

 

A. Yes.
B. Absolutely not. 11-13 would be more like it, depending on your road speed.
C. No one really knows. You're asking the 250/350 to work a lot harder than the Ranger, plus the variable of "good one vs bad one." The Ranger may be one of those "good" trucks, where all the planets aligned and the karma was just right in the factory the day the truck was built. The 250 could have the same benefit, or it could be assembled on the day the UAW caved in to Ford and cut all the wages by 20%.

 

The reason I have an F350 PSD is because my previous '02 F250/V10 w4.30 gears could not best 13.5 empty at 70mph. The mileage towing, combined with the 29 gal tank, made fuel stops just happen too often. And in the Moab area, you better not be caught with only 5 gallons left using it at 7-8 mpg.

 

Man this is hard. We just don't have diesel money unless we get a really stripped down truck. We don't really want to buy used since we'll be putting a lot of miles on this truck. Several times a week it'll see 200 miles in a day. 11mpg isn't too good, what would it be with 4.10 gears? Will I still be able to tow my truck with 4.10 gears? Also what about getting the 5.4 with the low 4.30 gears? 2 less cylinders to feed and the extra leverage for towing. A good compromise between capability and economy?

 

Used to have 02 f250 5.4, daily driver and only towing in winter months. Seemed to be always searching for a gear and if you turned OD off then it sounded like the motor was screaming

I now have both, 02 Ex LTD V10(looking to upgrade to PSD) and 04 F250 C/C SB PSD, still only tow in winter months. Both tow wonderfully, plenty of power in either one, I feel the PSD will move a little quicker. They both get about tha same MPG if on the throttle 9 to 11, but PSD if not on the throttle will get about 13 to 15 while towing.

When it comes to empty a completley different story, 02 Ex V10 4.10 or 4.30(can't remember) will get at best on HWY 14 @ 70 MPH, around town more in the 12 to 13 MPG.

04 F250 C/C PSD 3.73 will get around 15 to 17 MPG around town and the HWY I'll see about 17 to 18 MPG as long as I keep the RMP'S under 2 grand.

 

Actually an XL F250 is still a pretty nice truck. The problem may be even finding one to see and take for a drive. A diesel is not the answer for everyone; for the usage you are considering it does make a lot of sense.

As my lease was coming to an end I started looking for a replacement for my 2002 F150 7700 series. I was living in a fairly remote area and the first place I checked was a smallish dealer in Flin Flon, Manitoba. Side by side they had an F250 XL with a PSD and the 6 speed manual and a 2004 F150 XL with the HD package. The HD caught my eye going by because it comes with steel wheels on seven bolt hubs just like my 7700 series. I was hoping it still had 16" wheels, but of course they were 17's.

I took the 250 for a drive and I was quite impressed. Once we started talking price though it became obvious that they really weren't that interested in selling it. I didn't even take the HD out because my wife has made it pretty clear that she won't drive a Scab long box.

One thing to consider is that if your lady is OK with a manual transmission you can save a fair chunk of cash over the auto.

Anyway you knew this wasn't going to be easy when you started the process. You came to the right place, you have definitely got a lot of good information and maybe more importantly a great way to start any marriage is to make some tough decisions together. Monsta is right; it's time to just start climbing into as many of the alternatives we have been discussing as you can. You are far better informed than most people are, or than you were a few days ago, and will be able to tell the sales hype from the facts. Just don't get in a rush to buy now. Before you make any final decision get back on here with your conclusions and see what everyone thinks, then go ahead and take the plunge.

 

1. Yes it will still tow your truck with 4.10 gears just fine.
2. The 4.30 gears are not available with the 5.4L as far as i know.
3. For what you want to tow i don't think the 5.4L would be a good compromise IMHO, as the fuel econmy would be really bad towing and the truck would be working very hard in the mountains you will be climbing.

As for the PSD option yes it is a nice engine, i have one in my 04 F350 and i love it, however i tow alot and that is why i paid the premium for the PSD, but since you will only be towing 2-3 times a year the V10 will great. Yes the V10 doesn't get quite as good fuel mileage as the PSD but you have to look at the money you save when you buy the V10 over the PSD there is a large premium paid for the PSD that will take along time to pay off even with the amount of driving you do. Currently i pay 30-35 cents per gallon more for diesel than my buddy pays for unleaded to put in his V10. My buddy pulls a very large boat with his V10 and loves it. He does not tow as much as i do so the increased price for the PSD and the increased cost of diesel fuel did make sense for him.

IMHO go with the V10 with either 4.10 or 4.30 and you will not go wrong. Yes the PSD is a nice option but it is pricey and only really worth the extra cost if you tow alot. I don't think blowing your budget to get a PSD has enough upsides for your use. Also why not keep the Ranger and drive it when you can as you will get very little money for it if you sell it.

Yes extended warranties are available, Only get the FMC extended warranties however, not after market. The extended warranties for the V10 are much cheaper than the extended warranties on the PSD also.

Hope this helps

 

The fact that you're putting a lot of miles on the truck is the biggest single reason to look harder at used. Resale is going to be your biggest single ownership expense, and that would decrease it. Remember- they're all used once they leave the dealership. The second thing to think about is fuel costs, since your monthly fuel expense will resemble some people mortgage payment. At 5,000 miles/mo (which is what this is sounding like), you're kicking out $800-$1000/mo in fuel alone. Yikes! There's a strong argument here that a Focus as a commuter would actually pay for itself, and then some- especially if you go the gas route.

re: 4.30 gears. That 11 mpg is getting optimistic with those gears. 4.10 won't help much.

re: 5.4. Lousy gas mileage, no power. Other than purchase price, I can't even figure out why this engine is offered in the SD's- it struggles with the empty truck (which weighs about 7000 lbs). the word "compromised" is more appropriate than "compromise" IMO.

 

Polarbear, agree with all you said except the 5.4 comment. I have the 5.4 in an '05 Supercab 250 - auto, 3.73. Tow a 7000+ lb. tt with it - no problems what so ever. Don't do much dueling at red lights, but it will move if you put the hammer down. Tows much better than the '93 Suburban 1500 it replaced. Totally happy with it & the 5.4. (Especially the 14-15 MPG combined city.highway).

 

For gosh sakes, don't let anyone tune it! I wasn't getting that on my Expy, and my '05 F150 Lariat came in at 13.8 after 5,000 miles of primarily two-lane highway driving. 'Course, we've got hills here too.

 

check out the V10 forum on this web site. Listen to the people that have them as daily drivers and use them to pull 12K plus on a regular basis. I am sure they can help you with any questions. Many have also owned both 7.3 and 6.0 diesels and can give you keen insight into both gas and diesel options in an unbiased manner.

 

I got my 04 8 months old w/ 16,000 miles clean as a whistle. No problem at all with it. have 44,000 now great truck. Just keep looking and 1 will come a long! I got mine for $28,500. after hagling for awhile! You can do the same!

 

I have an 06 F350 CC with the V10 and 4:30 gears. I also tow a 7.5K trailer and are planning to get a 5th wheeler at some point in the future. I also use the vehicle as my daily driver - 30 miles each way. I love the darn thing and it tows like a dream. (Towing was the reason we got the F350). Gas mileage is approx 12 to 12.5 mpg mixed driving. My better half loves the vehicle too.

 

Boy this thread took off. Lets see I commented about 04 numbers. Glad to see the 05-06 numbers went up. I had two V10's before my PSD and never got above 12-13 on the highway. Last one was a dully with either 4:10 or 4:30, really never knew, but it got 6-8 towing a heavy load. Hince the reason for the PSD. Same load and getting 12. Those numbers have alot to do with the way I drive. I probley could get better if I wouldnt pull every hill at 70. My opinion for what you want to do and spend go with the V10. Good mix for you answers.