Hello everyone! I'm the new guy here. Been looking at getting into a powerstroke for years, however have not ever been in a situation to pull the trigger on one. Now I am and can't decide on which one to get. I'll preface this by saying, this will be my secondary vehicle. It will be used to cruise around, run errands, and haul a few things (nothing more than 1k lbs). I also plan on keeping this next truck till the tires fall off.

Now, I test drove two trucks today within my price range (under $20k) not sure which one would be the smarter choice, if any. Here they are, tell me what you think
$15,000 - 2007 f250 XLT 140k miles. Bone stock. Ran great.

$20,000 - 2005 lariat 100k mi with some cosmetic additions (wheels, leveling kit, fender flares). However, the guy seemed pretty honest and said there is a small leak in one of the heads and it needs to be studded which they said they would full bulletproof it for 3800$ and warranty it for a year. Would this be a reliable truck for the long haul?

I've done alot of research on these motors and have heard alot of mixed reviews, just wanting to see what you guys thought. Thank you all!

 

 

Purchase an Old Diesel without a high level knowledge....... BAD IDEA!!!
Be prepared to hate it...

 

Hey Big Tuck, welcome to FTE. I saw under your profile that you are in Texas. So I have a couple thoughts for you. First, if you're going to search for a 6.0, I would recommend dropping down to that specific forum. Second, post up your location with the questions as there are most likely knowledgeable folks close to you that are more than willing to look at a truck with you. You will want someone with a scanner to check one of these trucks if you don't have one. Lastly, in Texas there should be plenty to choose from so don't get in a big rush. So what are you waiting for? Drop down to the 6,0 forum, post up, make some new friends, and go find a great Ford truck.

 

$20K for an 11-year-old truck that you know needs work? Pass.

As 00Dave mentioned, go to the 6.0L forum to ask this question. If it's a specific powerplant you are looking at those forums have the most knowledgable people that can give you some experienced insight.

Best of luck on finding what you want!

 

We have two 2007s, 105k and 120k on them, both have been largely trouble free. I would seriously look at the '07 if I were you, it could be a great truck.

Your described use is fine. The first 50k miles on my truck were put on 7 miles a day, 3.5 miles a trip, with a lot of sitting while I rode a motorcycle (since that's when diesel was almost $5/gal in 2008). The other truck was used for two years of 0.5 miles a day around trip (half a mile, not joking at all - the street they lived on ended in the parking lot of work). Both went through stints of heavy usage off and on, and now average 5000-7500 miles a year as secondary vehicles, mainly pulling light trailers or just going to the store so that they get driven at least once a week. You might end up needing a battery maintainer, to clean the EGR valve more often, and you'll probalby end up changing the oil annually instead of based on miles, but it won't cause the truck to spontaneously explode to use it like you want. It's eleven years old, there are going to be normal "old truck" problems as it ages, but there were enough of the engines made that quality aftermarket support will continue for a long time.

Life would be great if everyone could drop $40-80k on new trucks, but old ones work just fine. You're starting more than halfway through the designed B50 life of the engine, which was then tuned up power wise by Ford so the odds of a head-off mechanical is greatly increased simply because they're getting old and come with a solid chunk of miles on them. But changing a short block is a whole lot cheaper than a new 6.7L.

Whatever quirks there are you can learn about, don't let people scare you away. The internet will always be full of people telling you they know more about what you need than you do, sometimes it's perfectly fine to do what you WANT even if it doesn't make the most efficient dollars and pennies sense to other people. Come visit the engine forum and meet some people who like the engine:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum107/

Yeah, for that kind of money it would need to be running perfectly AND be un-touched by a hacked up headgasket job like they want to push on it. Buying into known problems that the shop can just "fix real fast" is a bad idea... if it were that easy, they'd do it before they tried to sell it.

 

if you are going to spend that kind of money for an old used powerstroke.....let me recommend that you go to the powerstrokehelp website and check out their vehicles for sale. they dealer proof and take care of wear and tear issues based on the miles before they sell .

 

 

For your use, a 1/2 ton F-150 is all you need. But it is clear you are in the "want" space.

And as to the perception of not running up a lot of miles, I did catch that you are in Texas, which is known for miles and miles of miles and miles. It's a place where "just down the road" requires a full tank of fuel.

The 6.0L can go 400,000 miles if well maintained and not hopped up. Sure, there are horror stories for the engine. But if it has already gone 100.000 maintained miles, it might be one of the good ones.

If you plan power adders, various bullet proofing items are a really good idea though. Better to start with one that isn't already showing problems.

My truck ('03 7.3L with almost 290,000 miles, minor power adders, see signature) came from Texas. Not many will find as good a deal as I did.

ETA: Welcome to FTE, Pass on the '05, pay a dealer to check out the '07, and you could also ask a moderator to move this thread to the 6.0 section.

 

Find an 11-16 with 6.2l gas. You still get the Superduty truck without all the diesel problems/maintenance/emmissions. You can find them all over the place from 16k to 20k. I would steer very very far away from the 6.0 considering this is your first diesel. The trucks texastech diesel mentioned were probably great trucks, but he also owned them from the time they were new. The trucks you are looking at, have no history with them. You don't know if they were maintained properly or not (one obviously wasn't, considering the current issues it has). If 20k is your price range, I would seriously think about whether or not you truly need a diesel. The 3 valve V10 trucks (05-10) were extremely good reliable trucks with tons of power. They new 6.2L (11-16) have taken their place and are just as reliable, if not more, and have comparable power. You really need to do a ton of research and know what you are getting into with 05-07 6.0 trucks and 08-10 6.4 trucks. Both generations had some issues that could make that 20k truck more like a 30k truck after you get it back on the road.

 

So there you go, your first diesel should be a gasser. In a logical world Clint is absolutly correct. But seriously stay away from the '05. The '07 looks like a better deal but it's not a lariat.
Clint is right to an extent, you can get into a financial hole with a six oh. The biggest problem they have is that there are alot of people that have no business working on these trucks, working on these trucks.

Take that '07 for a long test drive with a scangauge 2 attached and a certified powerstroke mechanic and see if you fall in love with the 6.0.

 

Just saying, to get the most for your money, and a newer truck, look for the new style gassers or slightly older v10s. More bang for your buck, minus the turbo whistle of course. Our just say screw it and go totally old school and find a 7.3 with decent mileage and have a diesel without all the issues of the newer diesels. Lol...hi (maybe a few minor issues like changing a battery or a belt)

 

Really excellent suggestion for a first diesel!

 

Depending on the market, that's not unheard of, truck prices are F ing ridiculous in some parts of the country. When vehicles live in an area they rust within a few years, the cleans one keep their value. My roommate has been looking to repace his 08 Ram for over a year. He can't find anything similar, less than 5 years old, for under $30, unless it needs works. I've seen 1-2 year old vehicles for sale for as much as a new truck. Everything's gold now a days.

 

Out of the two trucks you mentioned, hands down the 2007. I never got into 6.0s, so I won't claim to know a thing about them, but I've always been told that 2007 is the best year. I understand budget reigns supreme and you do what you can with what you get. I'm sure the experienced 6.0L guys can give you some in depth pointers what to look for on that 2007 to ensure you're not walking into a hornets nest.

If you're really only going to haul 1,000#, I'd get the newest F150 you can afford.

LOL. I was always fixing leaks on my '00 7.3L. O-rings for frickin' EVERYTHING. Water pump, hoses, fuel bowl rebuild, turbo boots, oil from top, oil from IDK where (turned out to be the top again), front end leak, rear end leak, oil through a bolt that holds the damper, VCs, hubs, other leaks. The water pump left me stranded. I bought this truck from an attorney and it was meticulously maintained. It was immaculate. I had no clue what I was getting into, but felt up for a challenge. Knowing what I know now, if I were to do it again, I would've bought that same truck and sank two grand into it immediately to address the leaks and install key common mods. This would exclude the 6637 mod. Worst mod I did to the truck, by far. It turned my truck into a fluttering turd that couldn't pull grade empty and it had a drone at a couple of speeds. The wicked wheel is wicked annoying sounding, so I avoided that gem all together. I switched the intake all back to OEM. The 7.3L is a bit of a slug compared to the newer motors. I'd never buy a 7.3L that was hopped up either.

I ran a 6.9 IDI that leaked fuel through the return line system until I machined some return line caps for the injectors and used quality viton o-rings. The VCs leaked a little, but that went away when I went under and installed new GPs.

If I were to get into an older diesel again, I'd probably opt for an IDI w/ a turbo or a 12V Cummins. Either would be swapped into something, more than likely a Ford, but it would be a resto build. Probably will never happen as I don't have any real interest in doing so.

My '16 PSD has been flawless for 58.5k miles thus far (knock on wood). I did install new shocks because the OEM shocks seem to be junk. The '16 will pull anything and maintain highway speeds while doing so. I'd be hard pressed to DD an older diesel after running this '16 since Oct. / Nov. 2015.