Hello:
I bought a 2004 F-350 SuperDuty Short bed SuperCab last Summer and love it, BUT was foolish to buy the smaller cab, considering I have 4 kids. It's too small.
SOO, I've located a nice private party 2005 6.8L V10 XLT 4x4 with leather, 45K miles. Pretty plain jane otherwise but looks and drives beautifully!
The other rig I've found is a 2004 6.0L PSD with 102K miles, Eddie Bauer 4x4 with DVD and everything else.
The 2004 PSD just had a dealer head gasket job done about 1K miles ago which worries me. After 100K miles, did the head gasket go because it's been chipped or that he's overheated it?
I've got them both down to the same price right now, $16.5K.
I do have a 31' bumper pull travel trailer, about 9K lbs that it'll tow a few times a year. Throw in 4 kids, wife, two dogs and all the gear and it's a load!
Do I go with the 6.8L with fewer miles for the same price or take the maintenance risk on the PSD?
The V10 has 57K fewer miles on front end, tranny, interior etc., so that's a consideration too.
Any guys out there with some insight into Excursions? I know the specs on a 2 valve V10 aren't that impressive, but it's a good solid engine right?
Thanks a ton! (or thanks 3.5 tons )
Kevin

 

the v10 is almost as reliable as they come. the few slight issues they do have..which was possibly spitting plugs but that was only on the older 00-02s? and exhaust manifolds. the only issues you might acutaly have with the V10 is wether it has enough power for you and you can deal with the MPG.

for me, i wanted somthing i would not have to worry about beaking down on me. so i went with a V10 about 10 months and 13k miles later and done nothing then put gas in her and brakes..i absolutly love the thing.

it really comes down to what you really want. with the v10 you have alittle less power and worse MPG i get about 9-10ish in town give or take and can manage 13-14 on the highway. towing i dont know as i dont tow anything. but with that comes reliablity, and less cost..buying and maintaining.

goodluck, but i would say the '05 v10 as its only got 45k miles on her.

 

I would go with the diesel and have the dealer throw in an extended warranty just for peace of mind.

 

I chose the V10 - 325hp and 425lb/ft was plenty for my needs. All of the diesels I looked at fit into 3 categories - high miles, bad Oasis report or significant premium over a gasser. Add in the very real possibility that you will have significant repairs with the 6.0 and it was an easy decision. Another factor for me is a lot of shorter trips and some times several days between drives in the Ex - the diesel will not fair well in those conditions.

Do some searches on the 6.0 and you'll find plenty of threads. Some will be with problems and the others will be what mods to do in order to reduce the chance of them happening again. Most upgrade the head studs to ARP when the head gaskets are replaced at reduce the problem happening again.

It comes down to almost a religious discussion on here - so do your research and ask questions before you put down your hard earned money. For the record - I have the V10, 4x4, 3.73 gears and tow a Sea Ray 270 - which is 30ft overall and on the trailer weighs a bit over 10k. The Ex tows it like a dream.

Whatever engine you personally choose, the Ex is a great vehicle!

 

Get an OASIS report on the Diesel for sure before buying... The 6.0 is just very hit and miss as far as reliability... that's why the 7.3's are so popular because they are bulletproof reliable just like the v10's , for the towing you would do, I would definitely check the gear ratio on the V10.. you gotta get the 4.30's not the 3.73's for towing....
look for the following codes on the driver door tag
31 — 3.73 non-limited slip, F-250/Excursion
C1 — 3.73 limited slip, F-250/Excursion
32 — 4.10 non-limited slip, F-250
C2 — 4.10 limited slip, F-250/Excursion
33 — 4.30 non-limited slip, F-250
C3 — 4.30 limited slip, F-250/Excursion

If you are not doing a lot of miles you will not see the mileage benefit from the diesel to pay off the difference... If you really want a diesel then look for the 7.3 in first half of 03 models or earlier.... you can definitely find 100K mile 7.3's around... if you do not do your own auto repairs then the gasser is also gonna save u money there too.

 

BINGO! We have a winner!

 

Hi Folks:

Been awhile since I posted anything to the forum, sorry, real life got in the way. In answer to this particular request, I would highly recommend a V-10. As has already been pointed put the 6.0L diesel is a hit or miss deal and can be very unreliable. The 7.3L diesel is a great and dependable engine, however, you have to buy a fairly old used vehicle to get a 7.3L and I have not heard enough reviews and unbiased comments on the new 6.4L diesel to make the jump just yet. Too many issues and really crappy mileage for the upgrade premium, although I usually don’t care about fuel mileage. Not to mention that, at least where I live, diesel is almost $1.00 a gallon more than regular unleaded, so I would go with the V-10.

On a separate, but related topic. I've been thinking about replacing my Ex with an F-350 or F-250 and I know I'm going with a V-10. For me it's the best way to go for the variety of reasons I just mentioned. I was going to replace my Ex this year, but like a lot of folks had to put that plan on hold.

Does anybody know if the V-10 will continue to be on the option list for the 2011 and 2012 model years? It looks like I will have to order a V-10 because I can't find any around here, just the 5.4 gas engines are on dealer lots.

Thanks,

 

I'd disagree - I've got the 3.73 LS and it tows my boat with no issues. Could it accelerate faster - of course, but it does a great job and I don't have to push it hard. Now - the frontal area of my boat is a lot less than towing a TT but getting the weight up a ramp or just moving is not an issue for me and the frontal area doesn't matter at that point.

 

One thing to consider, the only people who complain about their 6.0 is the ones with issues. The majority who are silent are happy. There is a reason the 6.0 brings a premium, people are willing to pay it. If the 6.0 was as bad as many lead to believe, they would be everywhere cheap. I was looking for an Ex and had no preference in the beginning. I noticed people would still have the v10 when I called but the equally or slightly higher priced PSD's were always sold. I decided the PSD was in higher demand and this was the one I wanted. I had called earlier in my search on a 2005 v10 with 38k miles but eventually found a 2004 6.0 with 96k for the same price. I bought it 3 weeks ago. The guy with the 05 called last night to see if I was still interested. I know the v10 is a fine engine but I have an excursion with room for 8, pulls my tractor and gets 17mpg. I sold my 94 wrangler with 36" tires and a 4.0 and got a vehicle with 3x the capacity and increased my mileage. I drive it 12 miles to work every day. Oh yeah it has 37's on it.

 

We have an 01 Ex V10 for a family rig. The V10 really pulls well in my opinion, and that is compared to my 95 F350 7.3 diesel with intake, exhaust, injectors, chip. In the 60K we've owned the Ex I've changed fluids, filters, brakes, bulbs, and cleaned the IAC once. That's it. Other than gas it has been very inexpensive to own/maintain.

 

I am just paraphrasing what the consensus was in many threads here regarding the v10 towing and gear ratios... I could care less what the OP buys just trying to give him the info he is asking for

 

Hey Guys:
I appreciate all the input.
That's exactly the kind of info I was looking for.
So far, the guy with the '04 PSD hasn't been returning my calls anyway, so maybe he's getting cold feet about selling it?
My wife really wants the PSD, but I'm also concerned about the daily short trips into town (3 miles each way).
Thanks again.
K

 

Hey we've put a lot of miles on our 05 V10, not a single engine or tranny problem, just oil, brakes, shocks, windshield wipers, brake calipers (rear), and gas. Plus if I do have to switch out the engine, I found one on ebay with low miles, good year and shipped for free for less than $3,000. Look how long Ford has been using the 6.8 V10, for a while now and still use them in the new Super Duty, tells you its a good engine. How many diesels has Ford gone through? A friend of mine had an 2009 F350 Lariat SB CC 6.4 TD, nice truck but the engine pooped out on him first few months of ownership, they took it back and gave him a refund, and then he got the 2010 V10. I say forget about the diesels, expensive repairs, unstable fuel costs, and unreliable in that year. If you really want a diesel, find an older one with the 7.3 TD. Thats my take, but the Excursion is and awesome machine, it will take you anywhere.

 

That sounds like almost the same scenario I'm dealing with.
The V10 is so very tempting because the rig drives and looks like a brand new machine. Pretty tough to find in a heavy duty rig for $16.5K.
Thanks again.

 

"My wife really wants the PSD," --

Your wife sounds like a great woman!!!

Whichever Ex you decide on, it will be fun and you will love it. I have plans for a Cummins swap once my PSD finally dies - I'll give her at least 250K miles before I ditch her.