If I was to get a newer Ford Diesel what is the year of choice?

[wildman7798]

I am possibly selling one of my completed project cars and thinking about perhaps upgrading my IDI as it will soon need money spent on it, injectors, pump, probably Rad, water pump that kind of stuff. Nothing major - but it should have an OD if I kept it. Like a GV, I know many here would say go ZF - legging a clutch all day is not for me anymore. I will pull a 6000-9000 lb gvw trailer for recoveries and hulk hauling and such. Might pull a boat down the road - probably 5000-6000 gvw - so no real serious towing. What I would need is a 3/4 or 1 ton Ext. Cab 4x4 and AT w/ OD. I'd like to at least get up to the mid to late 90's..even into the early 2000's area. My budget would be around $8,000 to $12,000. I don't know much about PSD's but it seems there were a few years to stay away from IIRC. Even if I stay with what I have it is not a terrible option - I have a good rig, it just lacks in some major components.

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

Some here will say the newest ford diesel you should get would be a 1994 idi.

personally I would either do a 6.4 or a 6.0.....

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

Some here will say the newest ford diesel you should get would be a 1994 idi.

personally I would either do a 6.4 or a 6.0.....

the problem with those 6.4's is that they just don't get any sort of decent fuel economy.extremely thirsty trucks.pigs really.my dually 4wd box chip truck weighing in @ the same as my old mans '08 6.4 4wd in just srw and stock oem pickup bed form trumps his fuel economy avg by a good 4 mpg. that's not just unacceptable,it's horrendous.id hate to dually convert and box dump that truck.i honestly believe it would see just 6 or 7 avg mpg.

myself,i wouldn't go any newer than an '03.what is it,'03 or '04 where there was a split year with the last 7.3l and the 6.0.just don't go 6.0
the risk to reward to own a 6.0 just isn't there,no matter how many people you meet claiming to have found a good one so far.if you go 6.0,then you must know there are high odds of shelling out thousands in repairs.

 

[Wicked97]

8-12000 puts you in the 99-03 7.3 super duty range.

 

[Wicked97]

My dads 08 dually crew king ranch will get 16-18 mpg. The down side is that's at a slower than hell 55. Spend anytime above 60 and you will see 11-13. Its nuts how much fuel it will drink.

 

[franklin2]

The problem with the older powerstrokes as I see it, they are getting just as old and worn out as the idi"s. So you have to fix the same stuff you end up fixing on our trucks AND, repairing all the extra wiring/sensors that they have also. I would think you would want a truck new enough that you could trust all the wiring and the computers on it. But having said that, what would scare me also are the newer trucks where if you need to do any major work on them, you have to lift the cab off the frame. I don't know what year started that, and if they are all like that from then on, but it sounds like a real pain to work on.

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

The problem with the older powerstrokes as I see it, they are getting just as old and worn out as the idi"s. So you have to fix the same stuff you end up fixing on our trucks AND, repairing all the extra wiring/sensors that they have also. I would think you would want a truck new enough that you could trust all the wiring and the computers on it. But having said that, what would scare me also are the newer trucks where if you need to do any major work on them, you have to lift the cab off the frame. I don't know what year started that, and if they are all like that from then on, but it sounds like a real pain to work on.

oh its god awful.you pop the hood and you haven't got a clue what your looking at.so much crap the engine is buried in a vast array of sensors,wires and gobs of plastic lol.they sit up under the cowl so hard,you swear your looking into a van compartment.
it's so tight and such a mess i wouldn't even bother with it.id simply plan on taking it in for any repairs.iv no interest in working on one at all.the headache wouldn't be worth the time.id have a 5k minimum "truck fund" available at all times or i wouldn't own one.

 

[chris142]

Id keep with the 7.3. No way in hail would I even consider the 6.0 or 6.4. I would much more prefer to drive my stuff than work on them and the 6.0 and 6.4 are not the most dependable engines.you must remove the cab to do many repairs on these.even to replace the ac compressor on the 6.4!

 

[OLDBULL8]

Don't believe all the naysayers. A good 99.5 to 2003 are pretty damn good trucks, all still have the 7.3. Pics below will show you what's under the hood. Now if your a half assed mechanic you can work on them. The 4R100 is a better transmission than the E4OD in these trucks. My 99.5 gets 17 -18 unloaded, pulling a 11,500 lb 5er gets 11.5. at 65 MPH. The 2001 PSD trans. had a problem with what was called a diode for 3-4 months production, just make sure it was rebuilt, and did away with it. The 94.5 to 2000 had a problem with the UVCH connector under the valve cover coming unhooked, no big deal tho, 94.5 to 96 has double UVCH, but can be changed to a single. You can chip and upgrade the turbo in those years. I didn't. Go to the PSD forum and look what troubles and fixes that where encountered. Course you can buy a new one, a 2014 for around $60,000 to $80,000. Let me know and I'll get you a considerable Ford discount.

 

[jayro88]

Besides the stuff you listed, is there anything major wrong with your truck (rust, body damage etc). Does it do everything you need it to, or could you modify it to? My thought is that for less than the 8-12k you are thinking about spending you could make your old truck almost new. For me my IDI is about functionality. As long as it does what I need it to then there is no need to replace it. I would rather spend the 8-12k on stuff like track time/vacation/tools/new garage/trailer etc. Newer isn't always better, but its not always worse either. Kind of like a Ferrari is nice, but it is kind of a waste if you are never going to drive it outside of a 45mph speed limit.

 

[NO_SPRK]

why the hell are you asking IDI guys about what kind of newer diesel to get.. go hang out on a 7.3, 6.0, 6.4, 7.0 forums and ask them

everyone will sell you on each engine.

all i can say is i hope you like opening your wallet. insurance, registration, maintenance

 

[wildman7798]

why the hell are you asking IDI guys about what kind of newer diesel to get.. go hang out on a 7.3, 6.0, 6.4, 7.0 forums and ask them

everyone will sell you on each engine.

all i can say is i hope you like opening your wallet. insurance, registration, maintenance

I ask here because I have come to respect the mechanical opinions of some of the members here. Many here own more than one truck and have friends and family that have newer models as well. I am not looking to be sold on anything, just looking for some ideas and input.

 

[Kevin 007]

86 is the newest im going.

 

[Brad S.]

But if you get a new truck it won't look right when things go to heck and real life becomes a Mad Max movie.

 

[warhog]

i've checked out some 6.0s at some dealers. from what i have read from people who own them is with an egr delete and head studs you should be pretty set. imo you can ask people about any car truck engine transmission etc and theres always going to be a crowd that "heard nothing but bad". also take into account the type of driving people do with these trucks. a lot of people beat the snot out of them and expect them to handle anything. it all depends how it was taken care of before, how you'regoing to drive it, and if you'll take the measures to prepare it for your style. look at me, i've had nothing but problems with my crew cab 6.9. But there are people with 3x the amount of miles and never had an issue...past maintenence writes it's future.