I am considering selling my F150 King Ranch and getting an F250 diesel.

I won't be buying new this time and needing advice on which vintage used ones are the best.

Hoping to find something late model with low miles

let those opinions fly boys !

Just don't do it. I have a Dodge 2500 with the cummins and love it for power and giddy up, but with price of fuel and the fact that there are several good 1/2 tons (Ford ecoboost), I might stay from a diesel with the cost of ownership also, I might not do it again. Jayson

I'm watching this too. I want to buy a tow vehicle someday, but new will be out of the question unless I grow up, leave Gunnison, and get a good job. That is NOT going to happen, if I have anything to say about it.

Sorry to hi-jack, but I was wondering if an F250 is enough to tow a Bronco and carry a slide in camper, or should I be looking for a F350?

IMHO, make sure there's a blue oval mounted on the grill! BUT......stay away from the 6.0L and 6.4L. This being said it only leaves you with the option of a 7.3L diesel (last made in 2003) or the new 6.7L diesel (2012 or newer). I have the 03' 7.3L and couldn't be happier. Your mileage may vary.

I am running two F-350s with 6.0s and so far they have been great, no problems. About 120K on each of them. They will run circles around a 7.3 on the highway. That being said I wish that they had 7.3s in them. cuz I am scaird.
Ive always had very good luck with the old 7.3s. I usually run them to around 240K before I sell.
Look for a nice 03 with a six speed you will like it.

Not to try to start a pissin match about fords vs chevys vs dodges, I do love my dodge. I pull a 20ft flat bed loaded with lots of stuff (bronco, camping gear and lots of fuel and have gone over monarch like a burnt ass ape passing everything in sight). I do have friends with fords and my truck does pull better than their's with a load. No issues in 155K on my dodge other than worn out suspension stuff. One thing to remember is cost of maintenance, most take at least 3gallons of oil and every 5k that can get expensive, even if you do it yourself. JP

My vote would be 99.5-01 7.3 or 90-98 12v Dodge

My 99.5 F250 has been a poster child for reliability, It has 210k and has been tuned to around 300hp for the past 10 years with no problems but an auto transmission in 05.

late 01 and up 7.3 have weaker connecting rods but at stock hp levels will never fail but once you put a tuner on it you might worry a little bit after reading some stories online.
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I broke a leaf spring over the summer hauling 2 pallets of grass home and replaced it with a new spring from a F350 and I couldn't see any difference in the two so I don't know what is different in a 3/4 and 1 ton in 99-03 but I don't think it is anything. Not a rearend, frame, or springs ( unless the steel is heat treated for a different rate that I can't feel with my seat of the pants meter)


I had a very bad experience with a 05' 5.9 dodge that I bought for the sole purpose of driving 200 miles per day and getting 20mpg.. It got 12mpg and after 10k of driving Denver to summit county it had a bad injector burn a hole through the piston. It had an engine code go off every few hundred miles related to the fuel system and I replaced it with the newest and latest crap on the market then the fuel gelled in the filter so now I drive a gas truck for that commute and couldn't be happier with maintenance, fuel prices, or fuel economy but miss the power.

I have a 01 PS and am very pleased with it. I bought it used from thr Ford dealer in Longmont who had just put a new auto trans in it. It had right at 100k on it but was obviously pretty well taken care of. It has 5" exhaust all the way to the turbo and a engine brake. It also has air bags on the rear so the weight of the camper isn't an issue. The computer had been reprogrammed and wouldn't pass emissions here in the springs. The Ford dealer set it back to stock and it easily passed but stock power sucked. Checking out aftermarket chips I settled on Bully Dog three position and am very pleased with the power it allows you to have. We've used it on many trips with the camper and pulling the Bronco on a dolley. I didn't want a 6.0 because of all the problems they were having with the engines. The only thing that I see bad is that it is a little smokey. Yes the cost of fuel is high but it gets better milage than the F250-460 that it replaced with probably three times the power.

I would get a DuraMax with an Allison right after all of the regular gas motors were gone from Chevy/GMC, Ford, and Dodge. My wife's GMC Denali with a 6.0 Vortec with chip pulled my wakeboard boat and Harley trailer amazing. My boat weighed 4500 lbs and did great. If you are going to get a camper and pull, a diesel is necessary. If ya pull 10 times per year, a gas motor Is MUCH easier to live with the other 355 days. If your wife will be driving it, gas engine may be a better choice too. This is just my opinion and my circumstances as I have never needed more power. Just depends on how you and your wife will use it.

how does the ecoboost do? towing a trailer with a bronco on top of it?? I got the same problem i really want a diesel truck BUT for the few times a year that i would actually be towing i just can't seem to justify the cost of a diesel.

I drive an 06 f250 everyday in downtown Denver traffic I get about 11-13 mpgs. I love the truck and have had only 1 problem with it. The fuel injection control mod went out without warning and left me without a ride.for a day other then that it is a great truck. That being said if almonds wanted to trade me straight up for that new 6.7 powerstroke I would do it. It is a Ford engine and is the first powerstroke not made by international. I spoke with a tech at Phil long and he has yet to work on the 6.7. It is a masterpiece of an engine.

lots of really great advice so far

nuttin' but blue oval for me

yeah, wanting to pull a trailer with a Bronco and camping gear but no camper for the pick up planned just yet

Booger told me that the EcoBoost does great towing but since those only come new (or slightly used) I won't be getting one. If I was gonna go with an F150 I would probably just keep mine.........it might lack power but it also doesn't have one other thing............a payment !

Maybe I should wait a couple years and get a used 6.7.

thanks everybody

Last night I wrote a whole story here and them my laptop shutdown due to a dead battery. I wont repost all of my reasons again, but will say that if you do go with one, make sure its a well maintained used one if you go that route. A good owner will have documented all repairs and maintenance and youll find them in all categories. I wont buy one based on my own experiences and my wallet couldnt afford the parts o fix any of them. As booger says too, that Ecoboost will do just fine with moderate use. I would like to see how it does with common use as a construction truck or plowing. When I did the PDI on that one in Steamboat it ran right along with the 6.7l no problem at all. He actually had trouble keeping up, but that's not what a Trucks intended purpose is for.

Great advice here. I bleed blue as well, so it's only Ford for me. I would also recommend against the 6.0 and the 6.4. I have heard way to many bad stories on the 6.0 and have two family members who own one and won't ever own another. Some guys like REH have good luck, but it's really a crap-shoot. 6.4's are OK, but horrible mpg's and bogged down with lots of emissions junk. I have heard many good things about the 6.7, so if you can hold out for another year or two, I would. And I only advise this because the 7.3's are aging; newest one being almost 10 years old.

However, there are good used 7.3's out there. Mine is an '02 F-350 and I've had the standard problems like HPOP leaking etc, but by and large, been a great truck. Only real issue was a shorted injector, which left me stranded camping one time. Fixed under warranty. I upgraded from a '99 F-150 4.6L and the difference, even stock, was incredible! The downside to 7.3L is the Auto tranny behind it. Not the most reliable and the standard's are hard to find. I had a hard time finding one back in '03.

You can get some good power out of the 7.3L's pretty easy. Add a good intake, exhaust, some gauges and a DP tuner and you've got a nice rig. I say DP tuner because I hear so many good things about it. 6-position, on-the-fly adjustability. Anything from race to drive-up (makes the engine quieter) tunes. I don't have one, but in the diesel circuits, is known as the best. Plus Jody Tipton (the programmer) has been coming to CO annually to do some custom tuning headed up I-70 West.

I would love to see an eco-boost pulling a 7-9k load because that may be a good option as well (if you're able to hold out a while)

I am selling mine later this summer, but I think I already have a buyer for it.

I know the actual diesel discussion in this thread is a little dated, but I thought I would throw my $0.02 in as well.

You'll find it hard to find a 7.3L owner who hates his truck or motor. Myself included. The damn thing is just fun. I would keep an eye out for a lower mileage truck (>150k-190k) and see if you can grab it for a steal. Factor in at least 3k on top of purchase price for upgrades, maintenance, and repairs right off the bat. Upgrades would include: gauges (pyro, boost, transmission temp at a minimum), bellowed up-pipes, turbo back exhaust, a new intake, and a good tuner (JD mentioned DP Tuner and I would second that). On the maintenance side, you'd be looking at possibly new ball joints, glow plugs, a new glow plug relay (Stancor makes a massive, nearly indestructible relay), under valve cover harnesses, injector control pressure sensor (ICP), and camshaft position sensor (CPS). These are just a few of the items I have either replaced, or plan to replace on my truck since purchase. If you really want a bullet proof insurance policy when it comes to automatic transmissions (until Viper starts building 4R100s), I would look into a rebuilt transmission from Brian's Truck Stop. BTS makes a transmission so stout, they will guarantee it against almost any horsepower rating. It is my understanding that there is a Super Duty out there running 4 digit horsepower numbers, or close to it, that has blown two motors but never a single failure on the BTS 4R100.

On the 6.0 side of the house, I would avoid anything earlier than the 05 model year. 03 and 04 were both leaf spring front ends, and there is nothing wrong with that. But they are also the first years for the 6.0 and the most prone to the issues that plagued the 6.0 line. I have heard that by 05, they had most of the kinks worked out. Obviously, you'd want to be absolutely certain that any and all issues known by Ford, and the 6.0 crowd for that matter, were taken care of prior to you buying or shortly thereafter. But, in my mind 03-04 trucks may have had significant issues on them and when eventually serviced by Ford under warranty or recall, may have only taken care of the known issues, not the damage (no matter how slight) potentially caused by those issues.

I really have no input on the 6.4 or 6.7 lines. I've heard a few techs mention an issue with the diesel particulate filtration (DPF) systems on those trucks. Something to the effect that when they are processing exhaust gases at max performance there is a possibility of the cats/DPF system getting so hot that driving through a puddle will causing the system to detonate, but I have never heard a real world case of that happening.

Some will say to avoid a truck that has been modded. I think that can go either way. If the seller knows what he is doing and has done it smartly, I would have no problem with buying. I would be more hesitant to purchase a truck where the seller knew little to nothing about its history and the modifications done to it.

If you decide to pull the trigger rather than waiting on a 6.7L, I'd bring Dan along. He was very helpful when I asked him to look at my new truck with me. Also, I have a copy of Auto Enginuity now so I could hook the potential truck up to that and check out the health of the motor.

In the interim, I would hop over on and start pouring through the diesel forums over there. Read up on the threads pertaining to the motor you would like to get so you can get a feel for what kinds of issues current owners are having. I did about 4-6 weeks of research prior to ever looking at a truck, just so I would know the trouble spots. And there are plenty of current Colorado diesel owners (and dare I say diesel zealots), who can tell everything down to what size and thread pitch bolt goes in to the right rear seat belt mounting point.

So far only thing I don't like about my 7.3 is it feels a little gutless at times. But I did just drive my 550rwhp mustang around a bit so anything feels gutless. If you keep your eyes open you will find a low mileage 7.3 pop up. Mine is an 02 and has 90k. I plan to get a dp tuner f5 this spring. Also looking to add a 38r to the mix at one point. Id like something in the 300-350hp range.

Got gauges intake and 4in turbo back exhaust. Seein 18-20psi.

Sounds like tuning is the only thing missing to get you some higher HP numbers then. How's your MPG been so far? With the lift, tires, two injectors on the way out, and my leaky up-pipes I have been holding steady at 13. One of these days, I'm hoping to get all of that taken care of so I can get back closer to 15.

Rob, mine has some custom tunes via an SCT programmer and Tadd at Elite Diesel. His 130HP program yielded 333HP and 734ft/lbs. I have been running his 100HP program for several years now and rarely change it. It's a good balance between HP and MPG (and smoke). I tow with that program, just keep a close eye on my EGT's. I originally acquired his tunes because he asked me to test them. This was 8 years ago. Then that business went under and he said to keep the tuner and tunes and he'd continue updating them based on my observations. That didn't last long since he's always putting his effort into the up and coming motors.

basically, what you're asking for is easily achievable.

J.D.

Zack, overall mpg since I bought it in august has been 16.6 average. But that bass been dropping since its been cold. No lift or big tires.

Jd, that's my plans for the dp tuner. Ill only run a max of 100hp tune since its a pmr motor. I want reliable with decent mpg. I already own too many gas hogs. My big thing is turbo surge. I get it real bad. I've been told that a good tune will fix it rather than a new ww or housing.

I'd be interested to know if a tune fixes surge. I have never heard that. I have a WW, and my case was minimal. I still get it, but rarely. The only for sure fix I know of is the housing.

If the tune doesn't fix the surge than its 38 time.

I rest my case.........................................


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