2003 F250 6.8l V10
 

Hello everyone,

I am extremely new to this site, so much so this is my 1st posting. So here's the question:

What are your thoughts on the 2003 F250 6.8L V10? Pro's vs Con's? Towing Capacity/Handling/ MPG?

I currently have a 2011 F150 Lariat Ecoboost. I love the truck however I bought a new 2018 Salem TT which unfortunately the '11 F150 will have problems towing...

I am looking at the above mentioned F250 to pull the new camper with. It has 250k miles on it however it's in perfect condition and looks to be well kept (asking 5k)... Can someone educate me on this possible purchase.. Anything I should look out for prior to purchasing?

Thank you all in advance for any help you provide!

Which rear end does it have? That makes a difference on towing, but whatever it is the 250 V10 should be a better tow vehicle for you.

I had a 2002 F250 V10 with 3.73 limited slip, it was a solid performer. But in 2005 they upgraded the V10 and entire truck significantly and switched to the heavier duty 5 spd transmission. My 2005 V10 has a 4.10 limited slip rear end and it is much better.

MPG will suck but that is the price you pay. 10-12 mpg is expected, you can squeeze out a little more by driving like a grandpa, and towing heavy it will go down a little.

Yep, x2 on what asdrew said. MPG's suck, but as they say...you have to pay to play.

I had a 2004 with the v10, (before the upgrade in 2005) turning 4.30 gears, and it towed like a dream. My only issue I ever had with that truck was the cruise control went out, twice.

v-10 good, mileage on subject v-10 not good.

I would not buy a v-10 with more than 75K miles on it.....they become money pits real quick.

Really? My V10 has 175K on it. In the seven years I've owned it, I've done a complete tuneup, replaced a grand total of two COPS, replaced the air filter a couple of times, and changed the oil/filter every 5K miles. That's all the engine has required (except a lot of gasoline).

Yea, not an accurate statement

Shaun, the V10 is one of the best engines that Ford has made. It does have its minor issues(exhaust stud breakage, spark plug blowouts) but can be remedied for little cost compared to other engines. They do like gas. 7-9 mpgs expected towing your TT, 10-13 empty. There isn't much you can do to improve that mileage. If the truck has been well maintained it is very possible to get 300k or more out of the engine. Now, the rest of the truck will need repairs...Front end rebuild(ball joints, hub bearings, steering components, sway bar end links) and a few other things. The truck you are looking at with 275k on it will more than likely need a trans rebuild in its near future especially if you plan to tow that camper. It would be highly recommended to upgrade the trans cooler to the 31 row cooler that the 6.0 diesel has. If the truck has 3.73 gears, it will work the trans hunting for gears. I know, I have one I tow a camper with and I swapped to 4.30 gears. Big difference. Now that is a costly swap for a 4x4($2k+). These are a few things to think about. 275k miles is quite a few for that truck, but not saying that it does not have more life in it.. If you can get it reasonably cheap and have some funds to address what you will find it needs, then it may work for you. If it were going to be a local work truck, it may be a good deal, but for taking the family and camper across country, I would have great hesitation in buying this truck with the miles on it. But that is my opinion and you know what they say about those??!!

Bought my 2000 new, ordered it February of 2000. F250, trailer tow, manual tranny, 3.73, Lariat. Towed our 27' Traillight fine. Only towed our current 32' Jayco one time. Towed it fine. Sold the truck with 134,000 miles. Only issue besides mice chewing some wires a few times, one starter and passenger side exhaust manifold bolts, and an ac pressure switch. Brakes one time. Two plug coils. Used Royal Purple most of the time then switched to Mobil 1 about the time I sold it. Changed oil, rotated tires every 10 k, oil filters every 5k. Would have ordered it in my 2016 if offered. Price sounds ok to me. If the motor craps, you get to throw in a new one!

My '02 V10 has 144K on it and engine still going strong, but as noted,she dioes suck up the gas.

Use a lot of gas? You bet! I always chuckle when I read about V10's and gas. My '04 V10 with 4.30 gears got arou.d 11, 9-10 towing. A hell of a sight better than my 2014 F250 6.2L. That truck drank gas!!

Appreciate the replies
 

I ended up taking the truck to get inspected today and everything Diamnd1 stated held true with this given specific truck.

Luckily, I've located a couple more that I am going to look at this weekend (180k mile-ish for $3.5k). I've really heard good things about this truck (for the most part and besides gas mileage) and I don't know too many trucks that are out there for the price which will tow this camper with the ease/safety I'm looking for...

Again, I really appreciate the schooling.

Glad to help. Also great to hear that you had it inspected before making a mistake.

My 1999 F250 v10 has 253,000 miles. Runs great. I has hesitant with the Mike's at first, and I really wanted a psd or one that had a 6bt conversion. BUT it has hands down been the best truck I've ever owned. Gives me no problems. Starts on the coldest days (-18 here few weeks ago) even when I don't plug it in. And tows great. I'd say for $5000 if it's clean, you can go wrong. And I agree with several above, the v10 2valve is prob the most reliable engine ford built. I have had 2 now, my 1999 35' Motorhome had it too. They built a tons of them for Motorhomes too.

Re maintenance: I went a head changed all the coil packs but that was because on the 2 valve engines the ecm do not tell which one was bad only that one was bad. I've had one bad sparkplug and a heli-coil kit fixed that issue. My 4wd didn't work and a simple $100 electronic shift motor fixed that. Recently I just replaced the front bearings, upper and lower ball joints and drop arms with bushings. Mine burns a little oil, about 1qt every 1000-1500 and I just keep an eye on it and top off as needed.

Re fuel mpg: 10-13 Hwy depending how I drive; 8-11 towing depending on the load. And not much improves that. But the way I look at it, diesel is about 30% more and has been for about 10 years now. The PsD engines do not get 30% better fuel economy so it's a moot point.

Good luck with your purchase. Whatever you decide to buy, make sure you post a picture.