Looking to buy a truck and need advice

I am looking to upgrade to a full size truck and have been looking into the following trucks.
1. 99-2004 F-250 w/7.3 diesel
2. 99-2005 Silverado 1500-2500 w/5.3 V8
3. 01-2005 Sierra 1500-2500 w/5.3 V8
4. 04-06 F-150 w/V8

I am currently checking out some forums to find out what are the pros and cons of these trucks. I have never owned or bought a 4WD truck or owned a diesel but know the 7.3 is a great engine.
Let me know what you guys know.
Thanks,
David

 

F150's are known to blow sparkplugs out of the cylinder heads. Don't ask me how I know this. It's a known problem with the triton engines.

 

If you are pulling a trailer with this truck I would go with option (1). I currently tow with an 07 Envoy Denali with the 5.3L w/ towing package. Does it work? yeah.. Do the brakes on the GMC suck? Hell yes!

 

It was only a rash of two years, then I believe they went to putting thread inserts in them. The V10 was terrible for it.

 

This is going to be my daily driver and track hauler. I have heard good things about the GMC's.

 

Option 1 FTW...good luck finding one. 2 and 3 are the same drivetrain, go with the Chevy it should be cheaper. If you must get a Ford gasser get the 5.4. Sure it's got issues but the 4.6 is just too weak to pull anything more than a Kendon.

 

Sorry. It was more than 2 years. My 99 Expedition with the triton 5.4 literally blew a sparkplug out of the engine at 40k miles. And my current F150 looks like it's probably going to do the same. The mechanic who repaired it this weekend said he was going to replace the plug, but it looked like it was going to cause more trouble so he stopped. I have 58K miles on this 2006 F150.

Next truck....most likely NOT a Ford at this point. Seems to have pretty crappy quality overall in my opinion.

 

I wouldnt touch a 7.3 engined truck with anyones money. But thats just me & my experience maintaining them. Im sure you'll get lots of 7.3 lovers to rebut that.

Nothing but praise for the newer 6.0s (2006+) and latest 6.4s. (both have proven dead nuts reliable in 350k+ miles combined service to date with nothing but fluid changes.)

Of course Im not versed on shopping used for these models. I would have money for a transmission in the budget ...which ever you're shopping for.

 

My 2002 Silverado w/ 4.8L V8 has 237,000+ miles on it. Still going strong. I've had very few problems with it and none that couldn't be expected in a 200K+ vehicle.

Next truck will not be bought until they make a 1500 (or F-150) with a competent diesel engine in it.

 

A 7.3 with 4.10 rears is really rough on fuel. I don't remember why, but I think they were improved in 2000 for more power or something. My memory is shot.

 

A superduty with a 7.3 should be your only consideration. I have a 99 that I have put 75000 miles on in the last three years and haven’t had any trouble starts right up even when it was below freezing. It may not be as fast as the 6 uh-ohs or 6.4 but I didn’t buy a truck to go fast I bought it to pull anything that I need to. They are also simple motors to work on and the maintenance is also very simple.

 

I have a 2000 7.3 with 250k miles. I've had some problems so far, but bought it used with over 200k. Based on problems I've heard from the 6.0's and 6.4's I would stay away from them.

I stopped by a Diesel repair shop the other day to ask them. He said they get more Ford 6.0 and 6.4's in for repairs than any other truck. When I walked up there were probably 20 Fords in there and 1 Dodge. He said the least repaired truck he gets is the Dodge with the 5.9 Cummins.

Repairs on my F250.
1st- The brass inserts the fuel injectors go into go bad and you have to have the heads redone. On mine, when this happened, compression started blowing into the cooling system and bubbling over. Valve cover gaskets have the injector wires going through them and are very expensive.
2nd-Had to buy a replacement turbo. Got a rebuilt one for under 1,000, I think it was around $600. Easily a DIY repair.
3rd-My crankshaft sensor is starting to fail. The truck will just die on you.
4th-Front ends on ford trucks suck. They get very sloppy and you have to start replacing stuff.

At work we have a tow truck with the International DT444, can't remember the number for sure. It is a heavier version 7.3. It has also had the head problem and needed all the injectors replaced. It has 308k miles.

I drove my friends Chevy with the Duramax diesel and Allison trans. I liked it better, but he paid a lot more for his.

 

I have heard the same thing about the 6.0's but I would not mind finding a newer dodge with a Cummings in it. I might be better served with a Sierra or silverado. I know the 4.6 is not a good truck motor at all.

 

I have both a Ford 6.0 and a Dodge 5.9. The Cummins is a great engine and very reliable but the tranny's in these trucks leave something to be desired. Also, the truck itself leaves a little to be desired. The 6.0 is a really strong engine with known problems that have fixes. The tranny in this truck is excellent, and the truck itself is very nice. If you can find a good 6.0 and have have some extra money to put into the engine to address the known issues then you will end up with a very reliable truck. I really like mine and plan on keeping it for a long time.

I can't really comment on the gassers. It seems to me that if you do any significant amount of towing that a diesel is the only way to go.

 

I had a 99 Sierra with the 5.3 and nothing but problems. I bought it new and it was always in the shop. Had a problem with carbon building real bad on the pistons and got shit for mileage

 

What about the duramax diesel's?

 

I think I would get at least a post 2001' model on the GMC or Chevy.

 

I have an 05 F-250 2WD with leveling kit, crew cab with full size bed, towing package, 5.4 Triton. Tows great, commutes great, 36,000 miles and it's for sale.

 

As a daily driver a lighter weight 1500 is MUCH more comfortable as a 2500. The 5.3 is a great motor, will last forever. In 2006 GM updated all their gas motors with more power and a little better mileage. I have a 2006 Chevy with a 4.8 v8, it gets over 20 MPG on the highway, about 12-14 pulling a 6x14 trailer.

 

This is only an issue because of aluminum heads and people that can't read directions. If you over tighten them, it starts pulling the threads then blows the spark plugs out of the head. If you torque them to spec, they last a very long time.