I'm shopping for a used diesel. To keep it in my price range it has to be between an 01 and an 04. I,ve been told to stick with the 7.3's. Do yall agree? What is the last year they made the 7.3? Any advice would be great.

 

You'll find the last of the 7.3's mostly in '02, although some early '03's had them as well.

As far as what to get regarding 7.3 versus 6.0, that'll be debated well into the next decade.

Having had both, my preference is for the 6.0. Any early problems aside, it's just a better performing engine with the ability to be tuned well beyond what the 7.3 can be.

My two cents on the argument is that if you're buying used, any 6.0 with a decent amount of miles on it is probably going to be just fine. Keep in mind that for every 6.0 that had early problems, there are a VAST number that don't and run fine today.

For me, it basically came down to wanting a clean, well-kept, newer truck, so I opted for the later year models. And when I started my search I was dead set on having another 7.3. And here I am today with a 6.0 and couldn't be happier.

TX

 

Boy are you in for an earful! EVERYBODY loves their PSDs and are gonna defend what they bought.

As for me, I've been a F150 owner (F250 dreamer) since 86 when I bought my first SC. This year, I decided it was time and went shopping for the truck I bought. I was kinda like you, looking for...used...diesel...crew...4x4...XLT...low milage. I wanted the 8' bed but they are few and far between...mostly on work trucks. Mine have always been working toys. Mostly toy with a little occasional work thrown in to keep the wife off my back! LOL.

What I found was an 03 F250 King Ranch 6.0 Crew 6' bed 4x4 with 35000 on it. I had decided to keep my 92 F150 SC 351 8' bed as a working truck so the new one was to be more weekend driver...truck for longer trips to FL and NH. I'm thrilled with what I bought.

Go to kbb.com (Kelly Blue Book) and look at prices. There are three important prices to consider. Trade-In is what a dealer would give sombody who wants to trade something in...basically what the dealer is willing to pay for a truck. The Retail is what the dealer can realistically charge somebody for a truck. Private Sale is what we could expect to get or pay for a truck if we sold/bought it from an individual (but no dealer support this way). Running these figures once you find a truck will keep you from paying too much...and it's always nice when you start talking to a salesman to know what the price range should be.

Good Luck Pal!

 

I agree with msgt, because of course mine is the best, and it isnt even listed as one of you options. LOL

 

What exactly does go wrong with the 6.0's? I heard something about the EGR and antifreeze filling up the #7 cylinder.

 

silvers....it just depends again. I've seen a lot of posts about bad motors...and bad trannys. If you cruse over to the 6.0 forum, you can get a real education.

Just a note of caution before you do...EVERYBODY has an opinion. I try to discount the ones that start with 'I've got a buddy who....' if you know what I mean.

 

'03 of course...

IMO...go read up in both the 7.3L and 6.0L PSD forums. But whatever you decide to purchase...make sure to get an Oasis Report on the truck from your local FORD dealer. This will give you a history of the warranty and TSB work.

Good luck...


biz

 

Wow this question is just asking for trouble. I have to say for looks alone it has to be the 05-07 trucks, for best overall I don't think I can even comment. My 99 was great, but so far I love my 07 a lot more. They were completely different trucks though so I don't know how fair it is to compare them.