i have posted my 96 psd for sale and planning on going to a superduty, i am considering possibly getting a v-10 instead of another psd. I love my psd and has been a great truck I cant complain about it in the least. however gas is almost always cheaper than diesel anymore so fuel millage might come out in the wash. parts are cheaper for the v-10 and oil changes are cheaper. as well as original purchase price. these are the things that have me considering possibly going to a v-10. I am looking for a super duty in the 99-03 range. what are some potential draw backs to the v-10's as well as some things to watch out for when looking at them? what kind of reliable millage can be expected out of a v-10

 

Well, if that's what you believe, then nothing else is going to change your mind. Enjoy.

 

my mind is not made up yet, but i'm considering the v-10 option, looking for options as well as things to look for good and bad when looking at a v-10 truck. I did not ask any questions about the psd as i am already knowledgeable with the 7.3

 

I have been having a hard time finding a v10. Seems like most are diesel or v8 5.4L. I am not shocked at the amount of diesels, but i am suprised at how many trucks have the v8 when the v10 was a cheap option???

 

i have noticed that as well lots of 5.4L witch is not an option for me. the v-10 worries me a little about not having the power i need as well, but they seem to be pretty darn peppy, i should try to see if a dealer will let me hook a trailer up to one of them and see how it preforms loaded.

 

I've been very pleased with my 05 V10 (3V) pulling my 4 horse gooseneck and 16 ft hydraulic dump trailer. I've had loads varying from 5K to 12K behind it and always been happy with the performance. I live up high-ish at 6500 ft, and even yet it'll drag my dump trailer with tractor (12K) up 5% at 70MPH, or just the trailer at 84MPH.

If you haven't seen this thread have a look..some guys compare hill climbing on V10 (2V) to PSDs.

Good luck,
Ord

 

Diesels get about 30% better millage. Diesel fuel does not cost 30% more than Gasoline. I have friends who have v8's and PS's. They always use the power stroke for commuting (even with the huge dump body on it) rather than the gas truck, its a very noticeable difference in fuel usage.

 

the most common thing to look for is rotted away exhaust manifold studs?bolts. i sold my 97 7.3psd and bought my current truck. i tow a 9000lbs. camper w/ me my wife and three kids, works good for me. i get 10 mpg towing and @14 mpg highway with a empty truck. also do a spark plug change. some have had plugs spit out on them.also have your local ford dealer give you an oasis report. it will give you the trucks history in regards to any warrenty,recall or any other dealership work history.good luck.

 

I'm surprised at some of the posts I've seen in this thread. I guess it's hard for some to stay on topic and not turn every thread into a "V10 vs PSD" stalemate.

Regarding the V10...here are things to look for:

99-04: Known of having corroded or rusty exhaust manifold bolts.
99-02 (and through 04 to a lesser extent): Known for ejecting plugs.
02+ Have Performance Improved Heads (PI) which have more power.

If it were me and I was going with a 99-04 truck, I'd look for an 03 or 04 just because of the nicer looking headlights over the 99-02 trucks, and the power increase.

My mileage seems to be the following:
9-12 City
11-14 Highway

Keep in mind that mileage includes ranch hand full replacements both front and rear, a tool box, 35 tires, and a leveling kit/F350 blocks. I suspect I would get better mileage (1 or 2 extra MPG) in stock form.

 

I have an 06 V10 a 08 V10 and 09 V10 all have been assome motors,one of my buddys,diesel has an 08 identical to mine,F350 cc long bed,we tow identical 16 ft enclosed trailers,he can out pull me on steep grades a touch,but not that great amount,he shows 11 on the lie o meter I show about 9 in mpg,and the 2 things I like ,no diesl perfume on my clothes during fueling ,and no clatter from the diesel motor,I think diesels are great ,but not for me.

 

i looked at a 02 today with 200k miles on it, nice truck and great price but the millage scares me how long can the v-10's be reliable for.

 

Theres a EX with a V10 come in the shop for oil changes that has 500,000 miles!!!! I doubt thats normal but I bet you could get 350,000 or so.

 

I just bought a new 2010 6.8 to replace my 1999 6.8.
The reason I went to the gasser was the 6.0 PSD. The gas truck has been great and very reliable and cheap to maintain. Plus owning out of warranty does not concern me as a new PSD would.
I guess you need to ask yourself what you need out of a truck. If your towing most of the time and your driving 50K a year the diesel makes more sense.

 

I'll try to be objective here...

Fuel costs difference is not enough to overcome fuel mileage difference, so fuel costs will be lower with diesel.

My mileage (note tires): 10-13 highway when unloaded, 7-10 towing travel trailer. I tow a lot on windy mountain roads, which is when the 7 figure starts cropping up. On freeways, usually in the 8-9 range.
Note: My honest buddies with 7.3 diesels are in the 9-11 range when towing on the same roads. Some claim 15, but we know what they're smoking....

If you do all your own maintenance and repairs, it seems the total cost (purchase price, fuel cost, and maintenance costs) will swing towards the diesel after 25-50K miles or so.

If you pay someone else, it will take much longer. Diesels do cost more to purchase, maintenance costs are higher, and repairs can be borderline painful.

For heavy towing at high altitude, the diesel is superior because of the turbo.

Used V10's can be hard to find as most of us are too satisfied with them to part with them... Finding a V10 with a stick is borderline impossible.

A correction on a previous post: The PI came out in 2000.

I have seen a few with 400K.

What I tell folks: If you drive constantly and put a lot of miles on the rig, go diesel. If it sits much, avoid diesel. And of course, if you're towing really heavy and need a lot of power and can afford to get it, diesel is the way to go.

 

I can see your dilema. The price of 7.3l SDs in the 99'-03' range is up there nowadays and it can be hard to find a good one. The V10s are not easy to find however when you find them they are usually in decent shape and the price is not too bad. For the V10 I would get a truck as new as you can afford. The 2V V10 was used in the SDs from 99'-04' and the 00'-04' 2Vs were PI (310p/425tq) and the 99' had the Non PI which has less power and torque. In 05' the 3V V10 was offered in the SDs with 362hp/457tq and recieved the 5R110 auto or the ZF6 manual trans. Depending on year the 99'04s got the 5 speed manual, 6 speed manual or 4R100 auto. As stated earlier broken manifold studs and possible spark plug thread issues can happen to the 2V. Best way to avoid any plug problems is to keep the plugs tight and do regular plug changes.

Look around for a bit and test drive some trucks.