I'm looking for a used Super Duty that will be used primarily for towing. But I've heard some not-so-great things about some of the diesel motors from a few years ago.

What should I look for?
What should I stay away from?

Here's what I'm looking for:
Less than 4 years old/50k miles
4WD
Ext or crew cab
Stock suspension and tires (best for towing)

I found an F350 that met this criteria last week for $35k but it sold the day before I called.

 

If you want a diesel, I'd look for a 6.4. There are a lot of happy 6.0 owners but it IS historically a high maintenance engine. The other option is a V-10 gasser.

 

The 6.0 is a good motor and its a beast when you are towing with it but as glc mentioned they are kind of like marrying a super model they require lots of attention and money. I would look at the 6.4 or the V-10

 

7.3 = good
6.0 = eeeeeh
6.4 = good
V-10 = good

 

The 6.0 must be the one I heard about. Thanks for the info.

 

The 6.0L can be a good engine. Like has been said many times, with a couple mods, they are fine. Stretched head bolts resulting in blown headgaskets are the number one problem. ARP head studs and an EGR-delete really help a lot. I have a buddy who owns a 2007 Harley Davidson F350. He has done the head studs, EGR-delete, turbo-back exhaust, and runs an Edge Juice with Attitude, and his truck screams!

 

However, doing those mods voids any kind of engine warranty you may have, and will cause emissions test failure in some states. Just so you know.

 

The EGR delete will but the head studs won't. Some mod friendly dealers will put the studs in if they are already doing the headgasket work.

ARP studs are about $500 and if you're doing the headgasket outside of the warranty it'll cost you about $2k not including the ARP's.

 

So much for me even thinking about buying a diesel. Thanks for the heads up folks. Friend of mine already warned me about head bolt issue and you guys just confirmed it. Sticking to gas thank you very much.

 

Wade, get a V-10 while you still can. It's gone for 2011 except in the cab/chassis work trucks.

 

Rumor has it that the 6.2 V-8 has a big brother in the 7.0 range...

 

They need to in order to equal the V10's torque. The 6.2 has more HP than the V10, but considerably less torque.

 

Yeah. I just read the pickuptruck.com article and they said that the 6.2L is no match for the V10, even with the new 6 speed tranny.

 

Just bought, last week, a 08 Lariat Crew Cab 6.4 with 25K miles on it in like new condition. They were asking 35k but got them down to 28K Out the Door, just took 1 day. It was a local truck with full service records. I suggest looking at places that normally don't sell these trucks, but might get them on a trade to a higher priced vehicle. I got mine at a Landrover/Jag dealer that got the truck in on a trade to a Range Rover. The dealer was not really savvy as to what they had or the market, they mostly deal in High End vehicles and probably just wanted this "commoner's" vehicle out of their midst,lol they also gave me 3k more than I owed on my trade. Just up the raod at a Ford dealer my father works at, they had 2 used Super Duties(both 08), one 350 and one 250. The 250 was and XLT 6.4 with 36k miles, the other was a King ranch with almost 60k. The dealer was asking 35k and 37K respectively. He also would not come off one red cent and tried to low ball my trade,. Haggle and look for the higher end dealers with local trades.

 

Congrats on the new truck! Now, let's see some pictures!