Truck Question

[liltank]

Ok, so I am going to be disowned by my entire family... or at least heckled if I should pursue this purchase. I am first and foremost a Chevy fan, and have had a few Dodge products. I have never owned a Ford. My family are huge GM fans and feel there is nothing else on the market.

So I need a beater and was thinking something small like a Nissan or Toyota midsize truck. The problem is that they are hard to find in the price range I am looking, and should I find something in that price range, it has a huge amount of mileage. So then I start looking for 1/2 ton Chevy trucks. Plenty out there with the mileage I am looking for.

BUT... but I then look for diesels just for poops and giggles. What should come up... you guessed it. A 1999 Ford F250 SD with the 7.3L diesel. And to my understanding this is the motor to go with in a Ford. It is a work truck with a ding in the side of the bed. Not bad, have only seen pictures. Haven't seen the truck personally yet. It only has 95K miles. They are asking $9990 for it.

For you smart truck fellers out there, is this one I should consider. I have always been a Cummins fan and wish I could find a Dodge with the same mileage and price. Chances of that are pretty slim. Looks like the Fords are a dime a dozen. Is the drive train on this thing going to be symptom free, or are there any inherent issues I should be aware of and stay away from this truck should it still be around when I am ready to purchase. This will also more than likely be passed to my boy when he hits 16 in 6years. Can I expect longevity? I will most certainly maintain the truck well. I usually do.

 

[Gunpoor]

Years ago I bought an 83 Ford with the 6.9L diesel that was swore to have 108,000 one owner miles on it, and I checked with the original owners wife ( her husband wasn't home) she said " we loved that truck" and she was sure the milage stated was accurate. I bought the truck and started to have issues very quickly and called the previous owner again and talked the him and the true skinny was it had 208,000 miles on it. Quite frankly, I should have gave the truck to a salvage yard and made certain they crushed it, as I would have come out better money wise. You couldn't sell me a Ford, especially a diesel now. I used to wear Ford blue underwear 40 years ago so it is not just a bias against the blue oval. Check that truck out very thoroughly before you buy! I have a Dodge with a Cummins now and really like it and my S-I-L has an older GM duramax and it is a good truck also.

 

[BCarroll85]

Don't think you can go wrong with it at all. Know a guy that just sold a 99 with 80,000 on it for $20,000. Dad would still have his 2000 that had 340,000 on it but it burnt to the ground in October. The only thing major that went wrong other than burning down was a transmission at 230,000. He did pull a trailer and skidsteer everyday with it. Sounds like a great buy with the mileage on it.

 

[Broz]

Die hard Chevrolet fan and mechanic here. Also raced Chevrolet professionally for a dozen + years for a living. Use to have a sign in my shop that said We repair GM products and we work on everything else. I believe the true list of oxy-morons include "jumbo shrimp" as well as " ford Racing"

Over the years I softened and even bought a ford ranger 4x4 for a beater and second truck in a pinch. What a piece of crap and a whopping 12 mpg even after a full tune and carb rebuild, from a light truck with a v6 and barely leg room for 2. When the engine started to talk to me in the mornings she went down the road. Good riddance.

Just bought a used 05 Avalanche for a second truck my wife to drive. We truly love it. I guess once you have experienced Chevrolet you just need to stick with them. At least we will be.

There is a reason GM stuff holds its value so well.lightbulb

Good luck,

Jeff

 

[cowboy]

This is coming from a guy that is on his 5th diesel - all dodge Cummings. At work we have tried the ford diesels, the predecessor to the Chevy duramax as well as the current duramax, and a dozen different other Cummings.

Long story short - if it was for personal use I wouldn't look at any of the diesels. With additional price of diesel (about $ .80 per gal more than gas), the price of oil/filter changes, and the cost of repair it just does not pencil out. Unless you are pulling hard everyday, I just don't see the cost effectiveness of a diesel anymore. And don't even get me started on the new models fuel mileage and having to use urea.

I wish someone would come back out with the V10 gas at 11-12 mpg with a straight stick and I could pull with any diesel and do it for less cost/mile..

Every time one of our diesels go into a shop and we get the bill, we just want to gag.

I'd pay the price for a 1/2 - 3/4 gas GMC and never look back.

In my opinion - whatever brand you get, it will only be as good as what the mechanic/dealer is that you use.

 

[mightyman]

The 7.3 Diesel is the engine to go with. If you take care of it, it will last forever. I sell to many Ford dealerships around the US and that is the last of the best diesl engines....many later diesels have problems and especially the 6.0
I can't tell you how many of them I saw in crates ready to be replaced by the Ford dealer under warranty.

I purchased a low mile 2002 Ford 7.3, F350 crew a couple years ago with 77K on it and it was not even broke in..

Change the fluids regularly, and get a fuel injection service about every 15-20K and you will be fine.

Note that the Turbo on these is inferior, and you will most likely replace it after 100K...aftermarket designs have been corrected, but if you replace it with an OE one, it will still have the factory defect and go out again in another 100K...
But it is the best diesel that Ford ever made...
Mighty Man

 

[liltank]

Thanks guys. Looks like I'm going to stick with a Chevy and a gas motor for a beater.

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Of the guys I work and hunt with, two are ford guys, they trade them in at 100k gas and diesel, or when ever they have issues, what's that say? The rest of us drive Chevy or GM and we get them repainted etc.! Only issue I have with mine is the MPG, but its one of those cases where I should have done more reading first, I'm just glad I did not buy it as my daily driver. Just fyi, I am looking forward to my new Dodge Ram 1/2 ton/diesel.

 

[liltank]

Of the guys I work and hunt with, two are ford guys, they trade them in at 100k gas and diesel, or when ever they have issues, what's that say? The rest of us drive Chevy or GM and we get them repainted etc.! Only issue I have with mine is the MPG, but its one of those cases where I should have done more reading first, I'm just glad I did not buy it as my daily driver. Just fyi, I am looking forward to my new Dodge Ram 1/2 ton/diesel.

1/2 ton diesel?

 

[MR.SWIFT]

reduce yourself to a chevy that was even hard to type, buy the ford 20 to 23 miles per gallon change the oil every 5000 you will put 500,000 miles on it. what more could you ask for. will the gasser do that not a chance. will the dodge do it not a chance. senior master diesel tech for with ford motor company for 26yrs. personal truck 97 f350 231.000 4x4 auto.

 

[rick523]

Trucks are a personal choice, my choice 2004 Chevy W/ duramax. pull a trailer all summer and push snow all winter. Take a couple of trips to Wy. every year. Purchased new, Installed a hyper-tech re-programer in it. Last trip to Wy. averaged over 30 mpg. Change fluids and filters when you should and your good to go.

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

1/2 ton diesel?

Yep that's right and they are even going to offer it in there base truck the "tradesman". I did the build and price thing for mine the other day, I'm cheep, the wife looked it over and said ***, I want loaded and leather, who am I to argue! Its the same motor that they put in the 2014 grand Cherokee and are putting in the 2015 wrangler unlimited. I also heard that Nissan is putting it in the Titian. Its great news more and more manufactures are offering diesel motors in a ever widening array of vehicles to suit all walks of life.

 

[Wile E Coyote]

Around here, the blue oval is a bad word that starts with "F." Had a '88 F250 that actually broke AS I drove it off the lot. The dealer's (now out of business)and the manufacturer's attitude and response to fixing the problem were less than poor. (could have said that a bit stronger but won't) After that episode it was down hill from there. That vehicle wound up wrapped around a tree when the rear antilock did lock up on the highway one rainy afternoon. Since then I won't even get in a "F" word vehicle.

Otherwise I have had several Chevy/GMC cars and trucks since then along with one Dodge. Drove American made Mopar before that. All but one of those reached 250k or more miles with typical wear and tear. All were maintained; fluids changed on schedule, tires and brakes etc. replaced before they made noise and fell off but they all were driven or worked hard. I am not easy on most vehicles. My wife won't let me drive her car.

Last October I was forced to get rid of a gas Chevy pick up I bought new in 1991. Used as my 'beater' for the last 10 years or so until the frame cracked and buckled. Owners fault. Asked a 3/4 ton pickup truck to do a job better suited to a 5 ton dump trailer.

My point is; aside from my one prejudice, whatever you get, maintain it reasonably and don't ask it to do more than it is capable of doing. And keep in mind one thing - If you use it as a work truck it will break once in a while. Just fix it and move on because there are better thing to worry about ... like shootin' things far away!

Pete

 

[Outlaw6.0]

It's truly amazing how many stories you see/read/hear from folks over the years. If they were all to be heeded, we would all surely be afoot. In my career in the oil patch as well as personal life, i've had the opportunity (or dare I say misfortune) to own/operate all of the big 3.

Professionally:

My observations about the Dodge Cummins I ran (6.7L): 300k mile motor in a 100k mile truck (i'm trying to be polite), dern good mileage though, re-gen was a PITA, cost our company several thousand $$$ in replacements. The Dodge 1500 I ran (Hemi version)... ran fine, no trouble. Rode like a 2500, paint was falling off in 4yrs, crap for fuel mileage. Our local fleet has 20 or 30 of these, they all had issues with the "death wobble" in the front end... shock upgrade seemed to fix that. Dodge basically told us to pound sand everytime we took a Cummins in for warranty, no help what so ever.

Chevrolet... yeah. Ran a 3500 regular cab dually 454 & 5-speed for several years from very low mileage... it was dead & I mean D.E.A.D. at 80k. Most gutless truck i've ever drove... ever. Thank god for cell phones, I was nearly on a first name basis with the tow truck driver. The roustabouts used to bet on whether or not it would start when we left location.... As a welder, i've repaired more broken Chevrolet frames & cracked beds than I can even count. & what the hell is with that supid dip in the frame under the cab?! Due to the moral/ethical issues with Chevrolet business practice, I promise you that I will walk/hitch-hike before I ever own one.

FORD. My first work truck with my current employer was a '00 or '01 F-250 with the V-10. 265,000 miles, only repair was a fuel pump, I still wish I had that truck. Note, the auto shifter was noticeably loose after 12yr & 1/4 million miles. Pretty poor mileage here.

Personal Use:

I've owned/driven FORD my whold life, sometimes I believe truck ownership is a Karma deal. If you hate the brand, the truck will give you trouble... at least that's my experience. I will own nothing else. My first diesel was a '07 6.0, drove it for nearly 5 years chipped/tuned/piped. Never one ounce of trouble, I guess i'm lucky like that. Consequently, the guy that bought it after I did blew the head gaskets out of it. FORD payed for repairs.

One thing i've noticed is that FORD usually doesn't get the fuel mileage it's competitors does then again, there is a reason they sell more Super Duties than Chevy/Dodge combined.

I traded the 6.0 for a new 6.7L PowerStroke 3 yrs ago, too much electronic BS but, it runs just fine. No hiccups, no issues, always starts & get's 20mph on 35" tires, i'm going to keep this one for a while. I've owned 8 FORD truck over the last 16yrs... I bought newer as I could afford to upgrade, never left afoot, ever with a FORD. One positive the new model FORD has over it's competitors, you can COMPLETELY disable the traction control system.... thank GOD.

My beater is a '00 Excursion with the V-10. 166,000 miles, never touched, runs like a champ. As the other V-10/auto noted above, the shifter is noticeably wobbly as well & it's about time for a new set of hubs.


As to your question directly, the 7.3 is next to the 12-v Cummins as one of the 2 greatest diesels ever created. It will last a LONG time if treated correctly. You didn't mention which tranny it came with. The Auto's were notoriously weak, the 4R100 & E4OD were just anemic & IMHO can't take much of a pounding. The manual would be my preference in the truck but not an absolute.


Each to their own here, if you like it, drive it.


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