Choose One of These Two Trucks

In the left corner, a big red 2002 Powerstroke F350 from NJ:  craigslist linky.

In the right corner, an equally hugemangus green 2001 8.1L 2500HD from Baltimore: another linky

In this battle of crew cab, long bed, 4wd monsters to replace my Yukon for all forseeable rally car/horse/offroad/recovery/snow/motorcycle/desert/highway/hauling/whatever travels, which would you choose and why?  Assume I can only go test drive one of the two this weekend, because that's probably true.

Chevy.

And I am a Ford guy.

as to why... the 8.1 is an anvil.  The cab will not have issues with leaking at the windshield causing electronics nightmares.  Chevys in general are easier to work on anyway, Ford liked to overcomplicate the hell out of things.  Front end is actually more robust than the Ford.  Drives a lot better.

Knurled. said:

Chevy.

 

And I am a Ford guy.

 

 

Cheaper to buy, probably cheaper to own. I'd be all over it.

those both seem like great trucks for the price.  

Hmm, even though I have a soft spot for the later 7.3L PS, I would pick the Chevy over the Ford.

8.1L? Check.  

Allison trans? Check.

I would look carefully for any rust issues though. The Chevy *should* be cheaper to run in the long term, excluding fuel cost.

Bowtie.....don't know much about 8.1's probably a better choice than the LB7 (which is what I'd prefer....just cuz)

Based on looks alone, I'd go Ford. Not a good deciding factor for a work truck however...

Rust would be the deciding factor for me.

Next would be overall condition. 

Then engine and that would depend on what I was doing with the truck. Lots of towing on a regular basis with lots of distance, would be the Ford. Mostly sitting in the yard with occasional towing on the weekends, I would probably go with the Chevy. 

Does that ford have smaller rear doors?

I am not a Chevy fan as far as the truck go... I understand they have their strengths, they just aren't for me. 

I in the past couple months picked up a 2000 F250 7.3l, and I love it, also crew cab. (Which is so much nicer than extended cab.) It's got 430k miles, and runs great. Mine is a manual though, at 200k on the one you're looking at, I'd be slightly worried about the automatic. I also only paid $3500 for mine. 

Personally, if you're looking for something to be a hauler, I'd hold out for a diesel. They have their issues, but they are also pretty well documented so you know what to look for and how to fix it. 

Whichever has less rust. 

I lean towards the Powerstroke because I prefer diesels in trucks, although I'd really want to see both and pick the one with less rust and maintenance needs.

$6600 for a 4WD diesel in the fall seems cheap to me, so I'd look over it with extra care.  And maybe try to bring along someone who knows that engine and its potential problem areas.

Seem pretty well matched. 

I'm not super familiar with the 8.1, but a 7.3 with 200k on it might last for another 300k. The 4r100 might not, but they're pretty stout as far as older Ford automatics go. I think rust and overall condition would be more of a deciding factor for me with either truck from around here. The mid Atlantic is not the most rust friendly area, and these generation trucks liked to rust! 
 

edit: I bet that F250 has no rockers left, and the flares are covering up big holes in the rear quarters!

assuming equal rust and equal chassis condition, I'd probably go with the Chevy. I had a PSD and it just wasn't great for what I did, AKA mostly running unloaded. But it was the first diesel I'd owned, so my comfort level is with the gas motor.

Chebby. It'll tow anything you throw at it and in the unlikely even it does break down it's much easier and cheaper to fix. Also cubic inches. A lot of them. 

Chevy. My grandpa and uncle both had trucks with that 7.3 and they really liked to fall on their face when it got hot outside.

Chevy if you want 11 mpg and a body/interior that will fall apart.  Electrical gremlins, cheap upholstery, generally poor assembly quality, and resale value that will continue to drop.

Ford if you want 20mpg, bulletproof electronics, more torque, and an engine that will pretty easily last for 500k with three more glow plug relays in its lifetime, and a resale value that may actually increase

Love them both, and I'll admit to being swayed by my love of diesel, but to me this is like asking if I should get the corvette or the chevette for autocrossing.  No brainer.  Ford for me.

Definitely the Silverado for me, please.

Interesting guys, I was expecting more votes for the Powerstroke!  I have two real concerns with diesel- first is parts costs, and a somewhat distant second is that this truck may need to tow in Mexico on occasion and I've heard that diesel fuel can be hard to come by in some areas.  Obviously lots of the Baja teams have a solution for that figured out so I'm not sure how valid a concern it is.

On the 2500HD, I know I like how they drive and that I like the feel of the transmission- the big unknown for me is the engine.  Is the 8.1 as reliable as the 6.0?  Are parts more difficult to find?

I would go with the Chevy but I wouldn't mind the Ford either. 

I have a 7.3 for a work dump truck. Its a god damn tractor. Stinks, loud and rattely.  But should run for a long ass time, with exhaust and fuel leaks being constant.

No real experience with the 8.1 other than my distant family had almost that exact truck, it towed an enclosed snowmobile trailer (big one) just fine. Sucked down gas.

I think the 8.1 is more reliable than the 6.0! One thing that sucks about them is extracting a broken crank sensor in the event that you ever need to. But hell, even valve cover gaskets are no fun on a 7.3. 

7.3s do tend to hold up really well as far as the basic longblock. These engines (and the newer 6.0 powerstroke) get some of their reputation for reliability from the fact that they use engine oil pressure to create fuel injection pressure, so if they don't have oil pressure they literally won't start. Hard to blow up your bottom end from oiling problems if the engine wont start when you have oiling problems! A lot of people even got in the habit of changing their oil whenever they had long/hard starts because of that correlation. 

7.3 for me and I'm not even a big diesel fan I just prefer the ford trucks of that era. Living in the rust belt the fords seem to survive intact other then the bed for much longer 

The Chevy has been on CL for 27 days (ad will expire soon.)  

The Ford has been on Cl just a few days.

How about let the sellers decide?  This is a big travel weekend.  Which seller is actually going to be available to show the truck this weekend?  

Which one can complete the sale this weekend?  This means does the seller have the title and can you get the paperwork completed with his state (NJ or MD) this weekend?  

The diesel is going to sell quickly.  More appeal to those who really don't NEED a truck.  If you want to see the Ford, I would call him first and set a time.  

The looong and thirsty Chevy will sell slower.  This is much more built only for those (like you) that NEED a truck. Call him and set a time to see it which could realistically be before the Ford.  

John Welsh said:

The Chevy has been on CL for 27 days (ad will expire soon.)  

The Ford has been on Cl just a few days.

How about let the sellers decide?  This is a big travel weekend.  Which seller is actually going to be available to show the truck this weekend?  

Which one can complete the sale this weekend?  This means does the seller have the title and can you get the paperwork completed with his state (NJ or MD) this weekend?  

I'd lean chevy, but I also really like this idea John has.