Gas or Diesel?

[Pop_Rivit]

I've been looking to buy a pickup for some landscaping projects over the next couple of years. I'm looking at pickups in the early 1990's to early 2000's age. The truck won't be a daily driver-just a weekend warrior.

There are a lot of gas Dodge, Chevy and Fords, but there are also a lot of Fords with diesel engines in the $4000-$6000 price range. I'm considering a 2000 F250 extended cab long box 4X4 that I can pick up for about $5400. It has 227K on it, it appears used but not abused.

I don't see many Dodge or Chevy diesels in this area, but there do seem to be quite a few Fords.

I like the longevity of diesels-many of the gas pickups in the price range have around 200K on them and are starting to feel worn out. The diesels that I've looked at seem to still be strong at that mileage.

I do have a concern about cold weather starting with a diesel, but I can keep it in my shop building plugged during the winter. It's not unusual to get sub zero around here in the winter.

Are there any common problem areas with the Ford diesels of that vintage?

 

[JHZR2]

I think the diesel is a smart choice, especially with a MT. Dont quote me on it, but I believe the 7.3L powerstroke was a proven, reliable and tough engine. Maybe not as good as a dodge cummins, which IMO is the gold standard, but it was good and reliable. You see them in a lot of ambulances, minibuses, etc.

The newer diesels have very little cold start issues, if the glow plug setup is up to par. Couple that with 5w-40 HDEO and starting is a non-issue. Ive never had starting issues with my 30 year old, sometimes 200k+ MB diesels in weather down to 0F. Plugging in does always help, of course...

Others far more knowing than I will surely chime in.

 

[DieselTech]

The 7.3 is one of if not the most reliabl;e mill on the market. Keep in mind fuel and maintance cost is much higher on diesels. If youe pulling a good amount of weight it will pay for itself though. If you buy a higher milage 7.3 make sure you have it scanned. Weak high pressure oil pumps and injectors with worn internals can cost you dearly. Parts and labor is much higher on diesels

 

[IndyIan]

Do you need a 3/4 ton 4x4 diesel? Towing a TLB 100 miles to a muddy worksite? Or 10 roundbales out to the herd every week?

I've always read that gas is for playing and diesel is for working, and I am probably more risk adverse and squeeze my pennies harder than you, but for weekend warrior work a V6 2wd manual trans reg cab truck seems like the cheapest and simplest choice to me. Probably less than half the initial cost and half the maintenance costs too...

We hobby farm and I can't financially justify any pickup truck as we need 4wd. The hit in gas mileage is too much for everyday usage and a trailer behind the tracker hauls about the same weight as you could put in a half ton bed.

 

[Zaedock]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
The truck won't be a daily driver-just a weekend warrior.


I'd get a gas truck for this reason alone. Less initial cost and lower maint. costs.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Do you need a 3/4 ton 4x4 diesel? Towing a TLB 100 miles to a muddy worksite? Or 10 roundbales out to the herd every week?

I've always read that gas is for playing and diesel is for working, and I am probably more risk adverse and squeeze my pennies harder than you, but for weekend warrior work a V6 2wd manual trans reg cab truck seems like the cheapest and simplest choice to me. Probably less than half the initial cost and half the maintenance costs too...

We hobby farm and I can't financially justify any pickup truck as we need 4wd. The hit in gas mileage is too much for everyday usage and a trailer behind the tracker hauls about the same weight as you could put in a half ton bed.




Around here the diesels don't cost much more than the V6 2WD pickups. I plan to use it occasionally in winter and 4WD is a must in our rural area. I also plan to haul a lot of landscaping materials over the next couple of years, such as several tons of rock and boulders for a rain garden. I may also purchase a trailer and start taking my Ford N's to shows around the area, so a half ton truck isn't an option.

 

[Thomas1190]

The Ford 7.3 is a reliable, strong beast. My Dad has an '02 Ford 4x4 with the 7.3 and he absolutely loves it. He has never had a single problem with it. We use it to tow our boat, tractor, and 22 ft enclosed trailer loaded with quads and a yamaha rhino. My dad even used it about a year ago to pull a bus out of a ditch. He slapped it 4x4 (Its a real 4x4, all locking diffs) and pulled it right out. I was totally amazed it actually pulled it out, i had my doubts when i was watching. I drive it any chance i get

.

 

[Michael_P]

6.0's are a troublesome motor. Don't be tempted by a later model for less money than a 7.3. There is a reason.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: Michael_P
6.0's are a troublesome motor. Don't be tempted by a later model for less money than a 7.3. There is a reason.


Thanks-I remember hearing about some issues with one of the Ford diesel engines, but I wasn't sure which one it was.

 

[bradepb]

If you could get your hands on an older 7.3 truck before they went to the electronics or an older dodge with a cummins you would have a simple reliable machine but as mentioned above the repairs and parts on newer ones is very high compared to gas power
We have actually started buying some gas engines in our smaller buses ( GMC 6.0L ) in our fleet because of cost/reliability and we seldom put more than 125,000 miles before retiring them