So about a month ago I started to shop trucks on the internet looking for prices and so on. I hadn't decided on diesel or gas, but I definately wanted a F250 or F350 4x4, preferably a 4dr crew cab. I started looking at prices and found them to run from 15-20K for a V10 model(less than 100K miles), and 18-25K for PSD models which very few had less than 100,000 miles. In the end it came down to a dark purple/blue 2000 F250 PSD 4x4 auto SB XLT supercab with 99,200 miles for $19,800, or a Gold F350 XL 4x4 Crew LB with V10 87,800 miles that went on sale at the local ford dealer for $12,900!
After doing the math on gas cost and mileage, current prices put diesel at avg 20 cents/mile, and gas at 25.4 cents/mile. This comes out to 129,620 miles to make up that $7000 price difference. As much as I use a truck, about 5000-6000 miles a year, thats 21 years for me for the diesel to pay off the difference.
So now the Gold V10 Crew has a new home in my driveway They gave me $3500 trade for my old F150 4x4 and I wrote a check for the rest. I'm very happy with it, tons of torque, and I'm getting about 12mpg mixed city/highway/light towing. The 4dr crew is very nice for taking the whole family around town(wife and I, parents or grandparents). The bottom end torque is very surprising, I've gotten it sideways twice romping on it to squeeze out onto our busy main road. Moving the car hauler around with a car on it the truck hardly feels it, and the enclosed trailer it does just as well but you can feel the aerodynamic drag at highway speed a little.
All in All couldn;t be happier!

 

Congrats...when I placed the order for my new V10 I calculated 90,000 miles to break even based on gas prices at that time. Add in financing and the more costly oil changes and that number goes up. There's no question in my mind that I made the right choice.

 

Ah yes, sideways......... The V-10 does take a little getting used to .....

 

Congrats on your new truck!

Excursions are fun to get sideways, too.

 

Yes, it's a bit of a new thing "drifting" a 3-1/2 ton vehicle out into traffic!

 

Bseg!!!!!!!!

 

Just an update of my super old post.
Almost 3 years ago I bought my F-350.
All I've been doing is feeding it gas and changing the oil.
Just rolled over 102,000 miles this month.
I have some service coming due...going to change all the fluids..just installed new Yokohama's(rears were almost bald-BSEG!), and I have a squeeky dry bearing noise coming from my drivers side front wheel when in 4x4....other than that still running great hasn't let me down. Most memorable moment was pulling out of the lumber yard with an entire garage kit of lumber plywood and roofing, and having to goose it because the oncoming light turned green releasing a flood of traffic. Despite the tonque weight I torched the rear tires and that damn trailer just took it's time to get moving

 

Glad she running good for you! Be careful installing new tires only on the rear with a 4x4. Best if you purchase 4 new tires to prevent any difference in tire size. It's also time for spark plugs.

 

Nice to hear the report!

 

Yeah, sorry I wasn't clear there.
Went with 4 new geolanders in stock size load range E's.
Planing on doing plugs too this winter...right now I am yarding a boat around with this 3-4 times a month, don't want to have issues with the plug threads and be SOL this time of year.
Might look into exhaust but I really like the power and torque where it's at, when I welded on a stock diesel system someone had tossed from a low mile truck onto my last one, a 5.0L Ext Cab, I saw a decrease in torque down low that hurt towing performance.