Hey guys I am new to this forum from a writing perspective but have found some of the most useful information for anything ford truck related. Which leads me to my questions.

I am looking to buy a used truck... I don't need anything special and I have friends that do the obvious buy Dodge or Chevy but I take those with a grain of salt. I currently have been looking at some early 2000 Ford trucks.

The first is a 2000 F250 V10 SC with aprox. 137k miles with a standard transmission. The second is a 2001 F250 5.4L SC Long bed with 127k miles on it with a 4 speed auto. This truck was also a city vehicle at one time so it should have a rather good maintenance history. Lastly, there is a 2005 F150 with a 5.4L with about 70k miles but the price seems almost too good to be true on it and always have to wonder about those deals.

My situation is that the truck will be my daily driver. Gas mileage will be pointless for me as i have a 94 Explorer V6 that gets a comfortable 12mpg in town. I do not currently tow anything at all but am also looking at getting a couple ATV's as well as a camper trailer in the near future. I dont need a diesel nor want one.

Would the F250s be a better deal once i start towing? Also I would like some input on the 6.8L for that year. What kind of gas mileage would i be looking at empty in town with the standard? Also please feel free to chime in on anything that could be relevant! Thanks again guys your awesome!!!

 

First welcome to FTE!

Second, I drive the Excursion with the V-10. (basically the f250 chassis) gas milage around town is sitting around 7-9, depending on how heavy my foot feels. The 5.4 will get you only 1-2 mpg better. My personal way of looking at it is, you can't go wrong with the bigger motor, because you just never know when you will want to tow heavy, and with it you have that option. I don't even tow, and it is my daily driver, but I am open for when we do decide to get a trailer, or boat.
My suggestion, go with the f250, more versatile, either engine v-8 or the v-10 will get the job done, just the v-10 with more power to get it done better.
Just do your research, and this site is HUGE for info, just use the search feature. The tranny in the earlier years has a weak diode that leads to tranny problems, so just research. I would post links, but I rebooted the pc last weekend and didn't backup all my links before hand.

 

Sweet, good starting point. Also should i be worried about how many miles each engine/body has on it? What is a good longevity for a V10 before work really needs to be done on it?

 

Longevity is really a mute point on how well it was taken care of. Anything in the 100k miles should have had most if not all the fluids changes, spark plugs and what not. That said you will probably want to check all that out when you purchase, because not everyone likes their vehicles and doesn't treat them well. Sometimes that is another reason why they rid them, not taken care of. In my perspective some of the worst abuse on an engine is short in town commutes. Never enough time to heat up properly to burn off any moisture inside the engine.
It is not unheard off for the V-10 to be over the 300k mark and still going strong, but then again most engines should now a days. Again do your homework on history if you can, and also an oasis report on the vehicle before you purchase. An oasis gives you history of vehicle problems that were taken care of at FORD when vehicle was still under warranty. There is an oasis thread on here to post the VIN # and someone will run it and send you the results, but even then, you take all that with a grain of salt.
Good luck on your search, and you can get more info on the engines in their own parts of the forum, just scroll down on the main page.

 

Odd...

While I cannot give you a definitive answer on mileage as there are just too many variables. I would go out on a limb and say that the 5-speed V10 will get the same mileage as the auto-equipped V8.

You didn't mention the F-150's configuration. Is it even comparable to the Supercabs Super Dutys you're looking at?

 

Awesome input so far on getting an oasis report and stuff and hopefully it will be look like it was taken care of.

Yes it is odd that i get 12 in town with my explorer haha. The F150 I am looking at is a 2005 SC 4x4 XLT model. I have test driven this one and it did ride good and had nice power. A huge drawback for it was that it was smoked in heavily, which I would prefer not to have a vehicle like that. It did have a decent interior minus a handful of crappy cigarette burn holes. On the outside it did have a few dings and scraps on the outside but overall not bad at all. I just wonder why the price is so right with this one, it almost makes me nervous