Replacing my F250 5.4. Diesel or not? Help!

My truck isn't for sale anyway, but 22k seems high. I have an '03 6.0 lariat Crew cab 4x4 with 170k. It's fully built and bullet proofed, new engine (long story..) and I'd be lucky to get 14k for it with the market here.

 

I'm just outside of DC, not in Texas so the markets are a little different. But 170k is 70% more miles than the 06 has and an 03 is three years older so maybe 50% more $ is not all that much more. It hasn't sold yet and I am not desperate to buy so I think it will be more like a $20k truck.
Initially my cut off was "under 100K miles" since I've gone well past 300k in my last three trucks. All of which were gassers. And if the hype is true about diesels lasting longer I could be looking at 200k miles for $20k.
Most of what I have heard here is that a bulletproofed 6.0 should be a strong, reliable truck. But the few that have chimed in with experiences quite to the contrary have me worried. A diesel would be a new experience for me (the Isuzu doesn't count. It was dangerously underpowered) and my thread here was to get a feel for whether or not to give one a try. I have had better luck than most with two 5.4s and a 5.0 Ford gas engines. The question is whether or not to stick with what I have had good luck with or try something different.

 

An example of the math is this one nearby at a dealer:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/112337633962?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&fromMakeTrack=true

Or Offer so lets say $18k or less. Halfway between your $14k and the $22k. And at just under 130k miles it is roughly halfway between the 97k and your 170k.
I hate the "tire black" that some detailers use though.

 

I bought my 07 6.0 Lariat crew cab 4x4 with 87k miles for 22k last year as a reference. I'm in Annapolis.

 

I paid 18 for my 06 three years ago with 105K I'm now at 176K Houston TX

if you are looking at the 6.0 closer than check out the ford-truck forums and they have a 6.0 specific section

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum107/

With a convenient Craigslist find thread

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1352707-craigslist-find-of-the-week.html

 

Thanks for that. A very similar deal to an 06 with a hair more mileage and documented "bulletproof " work.
So what made you choose a diesel?

 

Im not sure i understand why you are even contemplating a ford diesel?

Youve had great success and seem to be happy with how the ford gassers have treated you.

You're not gonna be towing a lot of weight nor frequently.

Diesels cost a lot more.

Diesel maintenance is more.

Diesel reputation is not good.

Diesel Potential for major repair.

Diesels are noisy.

Diesel fuel costs.

What are the cons to a 6.2 gasser?6

 

You either want a 7.3 (pre 2003) or a newer 6.7

Don't touch anything else from Ford. Those were International motors by the way up until the last generation.

I've had them and still rock our old 7.3 service truck. I run a semi/diesel company.

Do NOT fuck with a 6.0 even if it has studs/no egr and everything else and they offer free blowjobs. Still walk away.

Also if you hear that somebody put a tuner on it, turn around a walk. Doesn't matter what brand truck. The trucks with tuners all have long term issues.

 

I just wanted a older sorted diesel to pull the bikes around and homeowners stuff, it's not my daily driver. Diesel is actually cheaper in fuel cost if you use it to run hours to the track or your favorite camping site with a large load. It does cost slightly more on maintenance but keep your filters clean, oil changed, and good fuel and you'll have minimal issues.

 

Note to self...when I'm ready to sell my 6.0 do so up north...

 

I have a 2005 6.0 that I purchased new. Over the years it's had all of the known issues. It currently has pretty much all the stuff the OP mentioned in his first post in this thread, plus I recently added an air cooled oil cooler from BFD after replacing the OEM cooler 3 times (it has a coolant filter but that's really only a band aid fix for the problem). The truck has 120,000 on it now and probably 95% of those miles have been towing. On average I'd say I've had to put about $1500 a year into it fixing things, of course some things cost a lot when you have to do them all at once. It's been mostly reliable for what I've used it for, but it did leave me stranded once. I think with the truck mentioned in the first post, assuming all that stuff has really been done, the only thing I would keep in mind is the injectors. They can go bad at any time, and if you are going to replace one, you might as well do all four (or eight) while you are in there. Also, the oil cooler will eventually need to be replaced again even though it is stated new and the "upgraded" one. BFD makes a relocation kit that makes it much easier to replace, or you can opt for the air cooled one like I did. Otherwise I wouldn't be scared of a 6.0 at all as long as you know what you are getting yourself into. The aforementioned Ford truck forum is a wealth of knowledge on these trucks. There you can find the real reasons behind the issues with this engine, and how to fix them.

If you are in the Atlanta area there is a performance shop in Monroe called Lead Foot Diesel. They did a lot of work on my truck a few years back when I had an issue when I was down there. I thought they were awesome and they know 6.0's inside and out. Just a little plug for them because I thought they did such a good job for me.

Overall I really like this truck and issues aside, I don't regret buying it. I plan to keep it for a long time still. However I recently purchased a 6.7 and man is it nice. It's so quiet compared to the 6.0, and feels much more like driving a car than a truck. It's a completely different experience towing with it.

I think the bottom line is that if you don't want to ever have to do anything except oil changes then a diesel is probably not the right choice, however if you do a lot of towing I think it's by far the best choice.

 

They have my van right now and have handled every repair needed on it. 2 or 3 week waiting list doesn't matter to me, I will wait for those guys.

 

Oops, sorry. I forgot to mention that this would also turn into a gas versus diesel argument. That should have been the first warning.

 

Some people just like diesels I only tow about 10,000 on race weekends but I'll never own another gas truck. I just like the diesels. I have 176K on my 6.0. I've put 5K into the bullet proofing but that included replacing a lot of wear items while in there so closer to maybe $3K. Also it's been tuned most of it's life.

I ran a fleet of about 30 ford trucks I think 27 or so were the 6.2L. I had some random issues like A/C condensate leaked into the cabin on one. but the majority of it all was just oil changes and tire rotations. There trucks were hooked up to 5-7K trailers 2/47 and did 10-15K miles a year.

Oh the cons to the 6.2 is shitty fuel mileage. they averaged 10-12mpg in and around Houston, when I'd drive one around without trailer I'd see 14ish mixed driving. not sure how that compares to the old 5.4

 

How is it not? I take my vehicles to Akins, the diesel oil change is over twice the gas oil change. Also fuel filters and the like as well I don't deal with on the gas vehicles.

 

15qts of oil vs 5qts
Fuel filters vs none
About the only big ones.

Diesel has no sparkplugs, but plugs only get changed every 100K? Diesel has high pressure fuel system to worry about plus injectors, not sure about the cost of injectors G Vs D Really that's the only thing I can think of is the high pressure fuel system, if you ever have a problem with it, otherwise they are the exact same trucks. DEF on a new diesel maybe but that's what $7 every 5-10K miles.

On the diesel side though you're getting about 10-15% better mpg around town and 20-40% better while towing. So it seems like a wash in the long run. there is about 10% higher diesel cost here in Houston so the saving wash out if you never tow.

 

Not sure where the Ford 7.3 hate is coming from? The praises for it can be found up and down the internet, while the dislike is few and far between.