Hey everyone,

I currently have a '22 with a 7.3/4.30s and its a great truck. I really need a long bed so I've been in the market for a truck. I have been calling dealers locally and so far the best deal I can get is $60,500 and that's for an F350 STX with 7.3/4.30s. I called a dealer about 7 hours away about some trucks they have in stock and I offered less and they came back with $64500 for a '26 F350 STX with a 6.7. It's missing 3 options (Remote start, wheel well liners, and running boards) but I can add 2 of those options later. If the difference between a 7.3 and 6.7 was $10k I would never consider it. A difference of $4k really has me contemplating making the purchase instead of waiting for an ordered truck.


Would you guys considering jumping up to a 6.7 or staying with a 7.3?


I'm familiar with issues with both trucks.


Thanks!

 

4k isn’t a bunch, if you already considered taxes, title and depreciation.

For my use I’d skip the diesel and the maintenance, actually I’d skip new all together if your trucks been great. 4k can fashion one hell of a fancy bed extender.

But 4k and n extra 40k powertrain warranty sounds nice too. Not a bad spot to be in either way.

 

I wouldn’t step down to a diesel. Especially not a modern one.

 

What do you need a long bed for? I cant see how adding a rack or sonething, wouldnt be a better call than purchasing a new truck.

Ive got a 12' Kayak and four 55 gallon totes in my shortbed right now.

 

Yeah, $4k doesn't seem like a huge difference. I'm worried I'll regret it if I ever have an issue with the diesel.

I've been more than happy with my 7.3. At the same time I wonder how many issues are blown out of proportion.

I'm planning on hauling an atv rack with 2 atvs and I'm not sure if it will clear my camp trailer. I also would like the bigger gas tank. Honestly my biggest reason is my paint is damaged and it bothers me.

 

all three things can be added later on to the stx. i had similar concerns as well switching to diesel so i spoke to a bunch of mechanics both dealer and independent. yes there can be issues with the CP4 but the mechanics i talked to said its usually due to owners lack of maintenance or bad fuel. the fuel issue can also happen with gas engines cause not long ago a gas station near me had diesel put into the gas storage and a bunch of cars had issues.

i stepped up from a 6.2 with 4.88s to a 6.7. so far i have no complaints. the 6.2 with the swapped gears did okay but so far the 6.7 for me has been better all around.

 

Bad fuel is out of the buyer's control so yeah it can hit any vehicle, diesel or gasser. But let's not pretend that means they're equivalent risks. I've dealt with gas engines that have had diesel put in them. To repair you drain the fuel tank, refill with real gasoline, unhook the fuel line return and put it in a bucket, and jump the fuel pump to run until you've flushed the diesel out of the fuel lines. That's it. If you can't do this yourself you're looking at maybe $1,000 at a shop. That is 1/10th of the money you're looking at when bad fuel grenades the CP4.

 

7.3 all the way around.

 

To the OP, I would say that it really depends on what all you need and intend to do with the truck, how often you're going to pull/drive, what kind of weight you're typically going to be hauling, etc. If you're going to be towing a lot or it's going to be a lot of weight, I'd say go for the diesel, getting fuel at reputable stations cuts down the chance you'll get bad fuel, and running some lubricating additives generally covers the rest. If it's only going to be a few times a year, going to be light weight, etc, then I'd say go order up a gasser and wait for it, especially if it's what you would rather have - getting what you want makes you happier in the long run.

 

error. wrong post

 

get the diesel!

 

Unless you are towing heavier weights I would stay with the gas burner. Costs all the way around are cheaper and you are already comfortable with what you have.
I would not hesitate to buy a psd personally but my uses are a daily driver and towing anywhere from 20-30k often.

 

What's the MSRP on the gas truck and the diesel truck you're looking at? I went through the same decision for part-time towing of a 16-17k RV on vacation trips and the majority of the rest being local trips otherwise. I enjoy doing as much wrenching on my vehicles as possible myself. I pulled the trigger on ordering a 26 F-350 7.3L Lariat crew cab long bed DRW with 4.30 rear. I found my best deal with Granger, they have their **** together and it only took six days to get scheduled after placing the order.

 

When shopping for a new truck I was surprised to find diesels in my price range, based on list price I did not think it was an option. I have driven and towed with diesels ( duramax both stock and modified) and both power and fuel economy were fantastic for a truck this size. So did I buy my first Diesel? No I bought a 6.8 gasser as the power output fit my needs.

For me ( you may be different for numerous reasons) any benefit in fuel economy were gone after paying for more expensive fuel , services and more need to find a good diesel mechanic. The power was awesome pulling a loaded 30' box trailer but that's now what I do so I would have had to find reasons I needed silly power. Yes the duramax was faster than any other car ( including an acura and other "sports cars") at Grattan raceways front straight, though the tires break free easy in the corners. But as I age I have less need to drag race the tuner kids.... sucks to get old.

The diesels are supposed to last longer but when I looked you could buy a crate 7.3 gasser from ford for a reasonable cost so if I get to 200000 miles it could get a fresh motor and be good for another 200000.
As others have said it your needs for the power is there, I would have jumped on one.

 

I waited until the right truck for me just appeared on lot, but afterwards went out for Mexican, didn’t realize it at the time but that’s where I ordered gas!