good choice, the main reason i agree is because you have one of the finest f150s on here!

 

I just bought an 08 F250 with the 5.4 with the manual transmission. I had a 98 F150 with the 4.6 auto before. I absolutely love the truck. It does feel slightly underpowered, you don't have any neck snapping power when you step on the peddle. But I get 15 mpg consistently with it unless I am hauling my 14 ft motorcycle trailer with a couple of Harley's in it. It hauls it just fine and a lot less strain than the 4.6 did. The whole feel of the truck is different. You feel like you have a real truck with the 250. And I am hoping with the extra heavy duty build of it, it will last longer than the 150 did.
It sounds like you have the same level of usage that I do with mine and I would say that the F250 with the 5.4 is perfect for what we use it for. If that helps you with your decision at all. To me it is a good compromise between a V-10 or a diesel and another 150. Good luck with your decision.
JB

 

Ditto!

The V10 is a $600 option over the 5.4L and worth every penny. If you are going to buy the F250, you really want the V10 or the PSD. If you insist on buying the 5.4L, then just stick with the F150.

 

I don't think the 5.4ls a bad engine at all. Mine has plenty of power and gets decent mileage. My Dad has a '00 F250 with the 5.4 and 5-speed and his is very capable as well. My truck is about 6000lbs and Supercrew F150s weight about the same..

With that said, if I were to get a crew cab and if I towed/hauled a lot of weight regularly then I would definitely get the V10 or diesel.

 

Curb weight on my truck is about 7600 lbs and I could not imagine having a 5.4L in it. Granted, the diesel engine adds about 500 lbs to the weight of the truck, but even at 7100 lbs, I would not want the 5.4L.

 

I worked at a Ford dealer as a mechanic's helper for a while. I am not ASE certified. But this is what I have seen personally. It is true the 6.8L V10s had issues with shooting spark plugs. So did some of the 5.4L V8s. A ton more V10s had that problem then the V8s for sure. I would guess the ratio was 10:1. But the problems were limited to the 2-valve gas engines prior to the 2nd generation Super Duty starting with the 2005 model year. I would not be concerned about this problem when buying a new truck.

 

Absolutely...yet in what I had it heard it was more of the V8 than the V10 'shooting plugs to the moon'. They are basically the same mechanics so go figure.

For what it's worth...I have not heard of ONE situation with the newer 3V models!.Also... Still the 2V models with those probs do not compare to the 2V models that are still out there working very reliable for thier owners. It seems that the old saying seems to be true that "one bad apple (or a few) can ruin a whole barrel"

 

I had an 05 F-350 with the 5.4. I averaged 12 city and 16 highway with 33's on it. All stock. I liked it but it could barely pull my fifth wheel. I have ALOT of friends with the V-10 and love it. Its a cheap option to get that kind over power if you dont need the diesel.

 

I highly recommend the WSG-1068 or for short Triton 6.8l V10 because it is a heavy duty commerical grade gasoline engine. It is used for various applications such as the ESG-642 (4.2l V6) is used for. Applications such as power generators, marine applications, etc.

As for a daily driver, it would be economical. Because:

- Costs way less to maintain.
- Gas on a trend in the past year or two, has been far cheaper than diesel.
- No worries on cold starts.
- Proven dependibility.
- Two more cylinders.
- Less parts than a diesel.
- Smoother and quieter ride than even the Triton 5.4l and 6.0l and 6.4l PS Diesels.
- Pulls large loads with just as much ease as with the diesel counterparts.

So I see getting the V10 is a win-win situation. Unless you have some other compelling reason to want the 5.4l or the turbodiesel.

 

Wow!! Another ABSOLUTELY - leave it to ManualF150 to put an exclaimation mark on the subject.

on !!

 

On the other hand there may be a reason gassers have died out in the farming/trucking world 40 years ago. If you use the truck like Ford intended the diesel will pay for itself over time. However if you are just going to run errends and pull the camper a couple times during the summer the diesel isn't what you are after. The V-10 even with the overblown plug issue is by no means a bad engine.

 

I agree and somewhat disagree with that statement. As I know of a lot of truckers and farmers in the local area that have preferred gas trucks over diesel trucks because of the maintainance and reliability.

My best opinion if you need a diesel is if you only use it for work... and I mean long hours on highways where the engine gets worked.

Believe it or not, the main reasons diesels don't last is from lots of cold ignition cycles and people not realizing that they have to wait the 3 to 5 minutes for the turbo to cool off. I know of a few people that drive diesels, and only 1 of them actually waits to turn off the truck. Most just turn it off like any other vehicle. That's why you always see people idling diesels. It's because by starting and stopping a diesel, it puts a lot of stress on the engine. Especially in the winter.

 

Likewise most in my area opt for milage over yardage. Up until recently the reliability differences were non existant between the two, until the diesels started being forced to be rediculously complicated for emisions. Most farmers also run diesel tractors so they are not exactly new to the idea of how to properly opperate a diesel. Gassers still reign for their personal run around trucks, but almost everything that really works is a diesel anymore. Gas tractors died a slow death in the 60's, gas heavy trucks followed a couple decades later. I don't think you can get either with a gas engine anymore. Mainly because they would drink you out of house and home. Of course most of the gas powered grain trucks and tractors that are still around are also carburated, and that comes with its own bag of thrills as well.

 

There are a number of farms here in West Michigan that use gassers for both work and 'errand' duty. So the V10 is more than up to the task as a heavy duty work truck as Ford intended this truck to be used! The cold start is another valid point from ManualF150 - especially when an emegency happens on the farm/ranch when the trucks been sitting for awhile in 10 degree weather and you're dealing with an immediate get-up-n-go situation... I get your point but the your above statement (in bold) is off the mark....

 

Turbo Timers!!! most uselful thing since the "woman"