Been looking for a "fleet" model 4wd reg cab. Looking at 2010 only because of the 5k in rebates i can get on one with x-plan this puts me at 22500 for base xl.

Origionaly wanted a 6.8 but im having trouble finding one msrp under 34k nearby. Did find one that is 800miles away that i like-- are dealers charged for transfering from that far? Mine wouldnt even search over 300.

Meat of qestion is i can find tons of 5.4s that fit my req i.e msrp under 30k to get me around 23k.

My usage is short 5mile commute mon-fri (must get in even more so in snow usually make 2-3 normal money in bad snow). Then most weekends 200miles to my cabin that involves a ton of steep grades (w.v mountains). I do alot of firewood (including hualing it back to city to sell to yuppies at inflated $) and generql moving dirt and crap around property on weekend.

Currently dont even own a trailer but would like to be able to pull a car carrier or a farm tractor on trailer. How much will the 5.4 with standard trans tow?

And finally i want to be able to plow, not like you pros bt just my property or some side jobs when im not working.

Can the 5.4 do all that or will i be wishing for more power? I assume it will get a bit better milage but am concerned about 15%grade and a bed stacked high of firewood. Right now im using a ranger and can haul just enough to pay for gas, but i sell out every week and would like to be able to carry more

 

I would get a Diesel, however it would be hard to get one for 23K. The V10 might be your best option.

Good Luck in your search!

 

The 5.4 will do what you need just fine. It has 320 hp/390tq. Plenty of power for full payload, plowing, and trailer pulling.

 

I have an older 2001 5.4 and it does real nice. Fuel milage is horrible though. I get about 11 mph when I tow or haul and about 13 mph empty. I tend to pull more than I should but it has had no power problems for the 6 years I have had it.
I routinely tow 8-12k on a trailer and have pulled almost 20000 lbs with it and it pulls it with no problems and I recently hauled 3600 lbs of wet sand in the bed with no trouble at all.

 

See? fflt765 has the older 2V 5.4 with 260hp/350tq and has no problems. Even pulling 20K and 3600 lbs of payload!! (That's not recommended!) The 5.4 is a good engine.

 

I have a 2004 2V 5.4.

Solid motor, can tow up to 7,000 lbs without a sweat.

16mpg at 80mph for the E van with the big front.

18 mpg at 55.

 

I have an 03 expedition with the 5.4 and it does fine. I was just wondering what it does with the extra weight... Since the 10 gets about the same mileage i would gofor one but cant find any. I know getting the 3.0 instead of 4.0 in my old ranger was a HUGE mistake. It was underpowered for all 180000 miles!

 

5.4 is good for about 9500 lbs towing..rough estimate without looking to close. Get one with the snow plow prep package as it will have the heavy duty alternator and 6K springs up front.

Don't get a diesel if you are only commuting a few miles during the week. It will kill the both of you. The newer emissions stuff requires that you get that motor good and hot.

800 miles away for what you want, have you considered a road trip to trade for it?

 

IMO, the 800 mile drive or transfer is worth the drive for the V10...

Back when I was a manager at Circuit City, people would come in to buy a new computer and ask for the most basic machine. When you ask them about their old computer and what it did, it far exceeded what the most basic machine they asked for could give them. In other words, they were selling themselves short and wasting their money on something that's a big investment. Part of what I did was sell them a machine that not only exceeded their expectations, but had room to grow. This way they wouldn't be disappointed or dissatisfied with their decision at any point. It would give them years of faithful service and out perform their needs.

The point I'm trying to make: Sure the 5.4 will get the job done, but if you're looking to work the truck as you describe, you'll want the V10. The V10 will give you room to grow and the power you need to do whatever you need it to do. So my vote is for the V10...

 

Mine is for the v10 as well unfortunantly there are 0 left on autotrader thqt meet my requirements. Plus i can get a few extra mpg and 200k miles later a v10 swap is possible and should be easy with the manual trans and commonality of parts. Found a 5.4 msrp of 30500 that i can go look at and testdrive. Will let you all know

 

It looks like you put less then 15,000 miles a year on the truck so a 5.4 would be the best choice. I run smokers but I have gotten to the point where I put only 20,000 miles a year on my trucks no so the gasser might be better for me also.

 

5.4 will do anything you need of it but you might end up wanting more in the end. The 2010 5.4 is rated at 310hp/365torque. That's the same amount of HP and 60ft/lbs less than the 2valve 6.8v10. However the 5.4 has the advantage of variable cams and the 5 speed torqshift transmission. So you're getting close to 2v V10 power with a better trans.

The new 3v V10 is more powerful, but that's just some food for thought.

Mike

 

Im going with the 6spd stAndard

 

Check truckpaper.com. I was looking for just about the same truck but an XLT a few months back and there were still plenty out there. FWIW at the time there were a few 6.2L 2011's in the $27K range. I'd guess the 2011 rebates are even more now, they were around $1K then.

Also when we got our F450 I found the exact one I wanted in NH but none of the local Ford dealers said they had any kind of a network to get the truck here, they would simply fly a guy out and drive it back. I thought for sure Ford would have something put together to ship new vehicles across country but apparently not. There are a few huge dealers in PA and NH that have 100's of fleet trucks and they may have just what you want, both advertise on truckpaper.

 

Make sure you get 4.10 gears if you get the 5.4. Either way you still get near 2v 6.8 power.

Mike