As the 'garage' says, '97 F-150 but I ain't trading that ever. Wife has a Chev Trailblazer SUV (LTZ 4WhlDrv, etc) and all I can say is "Don't ever..."

She wants to tow a trailer and has always loved the four door crew cab Fords. I know, weird wife (Likes to shoot too) and 'ohs and ahhs' every time we pass one or visa versa. She bought me the F-150 (long story) and that truck has been a gem and I love her. I also like the F series and always have but we're thinking of buying "used" for the first time (that hit in value when you drive it off, wow.. and insurance -but then again, I've got over 200K on the F-150 so we keep 'em forever) and I'm looking for advice on F-250 models, engines, tranny (4WhlDrv is a must) and so forth. I'll be looking at many of the threads and doing research. We don't know if we want a diesel (see that the 6.7 is getting rave reviews but not sure about the earlier engines - maybe gas is the way to go)... anyway. Our F-150 has helped move us, build our gardens and hauls a lot of things but we are moving from Kalifornia to AZ and into the snow up north. Want to be able to carry bigger loads and so forth. Many thanks for comments and thoughts.

 

Sounds like you've got a real keeper of a wife there! Anywho, as far as engines go, if you get a gas V8 F250, it will get lower gas mileage while towing and the power would kinda be lacking while towing...it'll tow it, just not the best. If you got a V10, then power would be there for sure, but mileage would still be hurting. As far as diesel goes, you'll have power, better mileage while towing and all around, but maintenance and upkeep and fuel are all more expensive. As far as diesel engines are concerned, the 7.3 is a very solid choice, and very reliable. The 6.0s are known to have problems, but if you fix them, and you can ask many people on here, then they become reliable and very good for adding power to. I don't know much about the 6.4 or 6.7, but I can assure you people here would. Personally, I would get a ZF5 or ZF6 for the trans, but others will have to chime in on how well the auto's are for the super duties.

 

Thanks for the input... guy only gets thru life once, having a wife that likes to fish, camp, shoot and drive a Ford makes it a lot nicer (but I cook!).
I am trying to determine if the 250 vs 150 is the way to go... we do not 'own' a trailer but she has wanted a used Airstream for a long time. Now she says 'maybe not' and so the towing issue is up in the air (not the crew cab or four wheel drive, just maybe the extra grunt) but I have to work on both approaches because, after all, she does change her mind (or she wouldn't be a woman ;^) Thanks again.

 

First, decide how big a trailer you want. This is going to dictate how big a truck you need.

 

Trying to pin her down to that... Airstream or not? Tent Trailer or...
gotta figure out weight.

IS a diesel the 'best' way to go with small to medium (know it is for large) trailers 'or' would a big V8 do it...
then again, mileage is important. Ahh, decisions. Thanks.

 

You don't really need a diesel until you get up into the really big trailers and/or tow in the mountains at high altitude.

If you are looking at a 2010 or earlier, the gas V-10 is the best compromise - gas mileage is pretty bad but maintenance costs are a lot less than a diesel. A 5.4 V-8 is too small for towing much over 5000# in a F250, and its gas mileage won't be much better than the V-10.

The better gas mileage in a diesel is offset by the higher cost of diesel fuel.

 

I can recall when diesel was 'less' than gas... in Kalifornia (from which we are leaving) the difference at the pump is striking (have seen over a dollar diff) but notice better parity in AZ (where we are going, northern in the mountains).

I like Ford's V-10 - and perhaps that will be the way to go to maintain some balance. Would not be a long 'trailer' ("Lucy, esssplain yoursellfff!") and I've tried to get some attention for a nice "camper" that can be removed when around town and so forth... Thanks!

 

diesel is the same as 87 octsane or less here in vegas. but traveling it varies.

a diesel engine will get better fuel mileage towing than a gasser though so i don't see how fuel cost factors in.

maint is more to a point. my oil change costs about 50$ if i do it myself. i don't know what other regular maint you would need that would cost soo much more.

when things break, that is where is gets costly but a stock or very lightly tuned truck seems to hold up fairly well. regular maint helps here too. clean oil and the right anti-freeze aids longevity immensely.

 

The first thing I would consider is what can you afford. For a newer 6.4L Diesel with low miles you're looking in the low to high 30's. For a used 6.7 with fairly low miles you will be in the low 40's. The 6.0's can be made reliable, but will run you $3-$5k to delete the problem causing items. The 6.4's are good engines, but only get 14-16 mpg not towing. Add some weight and you'll be down to around 10-12 mpg. DPF delete and a tuner for around $1500 (installing yourself) and you will gain 4-6 mpg. The maintanence cost comes into effect on oil, oil filter and fuel filter changes. If brought to Ford the 6.4L will run you $90 every 5k miles and around $200 every 10k miles.

As for the gas engines I can only speak from experience with my dads truck. He has a 2001 F-250 with the 5.4L. It has ok power for towing. It's geared lower than an F-150, but other than that the fuel millage is worse than a 150 and doesn't really tow better, just can handle more tongue weight due to the suspension.