The tow company we use would sell them at 150k. Like clockwork, the place they'd sell it to would bitch that they sold them a POS that needed a new (very expensive thing) less than 20k later.
"Johnny gets $3000 a month. He spends $2000 a month on his truck. What does Johnny have?
Johnny has a 6.0"
Datsun1500 wrote: I need a pickup to have around the house. It's going to be used for Home Depot trips, dump runs, and hauling the quad to a trail in WV once a year. I assume I'll use it in the winter when it snows as well. Here's the dilemma, even though it's a limited use truck, I want it to be nice for those times I do use it. I don't want a $4500 beat up truck, and I don't want to spend $40,000 or more on a new one. I am finding 2004-2005 Ford F-250 crew cab diesels for @$13k. The latest one I found is an 04 king ranch with the 6.0 diesel with 170,000 miles in Jacksonville Florida. I'm almost ready to pull the trigger and fly down. What do I need to know? What will fall apart? Etc. thanks.
Sounds like a diesel would be overkill for what you need anyhow. Why take the chance on a known problem engine like the 6.0? Just get a V8 or V10 truck, they'll be cheaper anyhow.
Tom_Spangler wrote:Datsun1500 wrote: I need a pickup to have around the house. It's going to be used for Home Depot trips, dump runs, and hauling the quad to a trail in WV once a year. I assume I'll use it in the winter when it snows as well. Here's the dilemma, even though it's a limited use truck, I want it to be nice for those times I do use it. I don't want a $4500 beat up truck, and I don't want to spend $40,000 or more on a new one. I am finding 2004-2005 Ford F-250 crew cab diesels for @$13k. The latest one I found is an 04 king ranch with the 6.0 diesel with 170,000 miles in Jacksonville Florida. I'm almost ready to pull the trigger and fly down. What do I need to know? What will fall apart? Etc. thanks.Sounds like a diesel would be overkill for what you need anyhow. Why take the chance on a known problem engine like the 6.0? Just get a V8 or V10 truck, they'll be cheaper anyhow.
This is what I did. The $10K difference between a diesel engine and a gas will buy a lot of fuel.
Go gas unless you are hauling travel trailers across the country. And unless you have a full service shop at home with a lift to remove the cab and the smarts to fix a modern diesel, the 6.0 is NOT what you want. They are "cheap" for a reason.
In reply to Datsun1500:
Which trailhead?
Ranger50 wrote: Go gas unless you are hauling travel trailers across the country. And unless you have a full service shop at home with a lift to remove the cab and the smarts to fix a modern diesel, the 6.0 is NOT what you want. They are "cheap" for a reason.
Ding ding ding.
The 6.0 is a rolling piece of garbage. The 6.4 is even worse.
In reply to Datsun1500:
Crap that's only a hour away from me.
Texas A&M Formula SAE added a new rule after the 2013 FSAE Lincoln competition.
"The trailer shall NOT be pulled by a Ford truck with the six liter Navistar engine".
One truck blew a head gasket and turbocharger in Denton, Texas. The second truck blew a head gasket in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and limped to Wichita, Kansas. It was really funny to have Travis, Nick, Alex, Doc, Brandt, Jason and me all know exactly what the problem with the second truck was in Stillwater and try to think of something else that could be wrong all the way to Wichita!
A teammate who was headed to Lincoln by way of Kansas City diverted to meet us in Wichita and towed us from Wichita to Lincoln with his Excursion/7.3 Navistar, and we went home with a rented Chevy 2500/Isuzu Duramax.
Find a 7.3 if you can. Run as fast as you can from the 6.BLOW ! I work for Navistar .trust me.
If diesel is required, pretty much anything but a 6.0/6.4. Prefer the cummins, but havent had the major issues with the duramax either. 7.3 is a good choice to.
I can pull a 32' camper with an 05 Dodge 1500 with the 5.7 just fine. A half ton is more than the vast majority of people need.
My recommendation would be a half ton, pretty much anything but a 5.4 ford.
I pulled a 93 suburban on a flat bed with an 03 dodge with the weak ass 230hp 4.7 and no problems.
Keep in mind if you buy a diesel even if its a good one if something does break it will be expensive, plus many shops dont want to do major stuff on diesels. Also general maintenance will be more expensive, oil changes (10-15 qts), tires ( E load range) air filters (Ford specifically, the barrel filters are like 100 bucks) etc etc etc. Ive never owned diesels just worked on them, but a buddy had a 7.3 (one of the ones Id own) and he had a fuel problem, said the injector pump used was like 450.
The good news is that almost anything still on the road with high miles has likely had the problem areas addressed.....or so they say.
http://www.internationalpowerstroke.com/6.0L-powerstroke-problems.html
If the 6.0 is verified to have already been studded and egr deleted.......its a decent engine. Shame it takes $4k+ to get it that way.
My sister and BIL use their truck hard every day and require a diesel. They just traded out of their 6.4 for a shiney new Cummins. Apparently "ticking time bomb" was the phrase their mechanic used. YMMV
I'd get a nice gas truck for 8-10K and stay gas.
Do you really need a 3/4 ton? I'd be looking for an F-150 Harley Davidson or King Ranch, or else a Sierra Denali--and only a half ton.
yamaha wrote: If the 6.0 is verified to have already been studded and egr deleted.......its a decent engine. Shame it takes $4k+ to get it that way.
Agreed. I have a 7.3 Excursion, a lot of my cohorts on the various boards have the 6.0 engine. Apparently once you address the issues above it is a reliable motor and more powerful than the 7.3. The trick is finding one that has already had those things fixed.
In reply to SEADave:
And if those fixes cannot be verified, the cost of them need to be factored into the price. We have an old 7.3 and a new 6.7, both are doing great.
I heard the spark plugs blow out of the 6.0. But only on the 3 valves.
I have had a few diesel Ford F250s with the 7.3. Use them to tow my race car and trailer. Great engines but I wouldn't own a diesel truck unless it was being used for towing. Don't think I'd own a 3/4 ton truck either unless towing.
The F150s or equivalent Chevy/GMC would be the better choice if you can find one with a long bed. I don't think Ford made a 1/2 ton with a crew cab and 8' bed. Those are typically specs for the HD 3/4 ton trucks.
The 6.0 has it's issues but the aftermarket has fixes for them. Good engine and transmission combination once you get the i$$ues sorted but you'd have to get it at the right price point for it to make sense.
logdog wrote: I heard the spark plugs blow out of the 6.0. But only on the 3 valves.
Early 5.4s blow them out. Late 5.4s they get stuck in them and break off. The plugs breaking is just one of the many common issues with late model f150 with 5.4s.
Opti wrote:logdog wrote: I heard the spark plugs blow out of the 6.0. But only on the 3 valves.Early 5.4s blow them out. Late 5.4s they get stuck in them and break off. The plugs breaking is just one of the many common issues with late model f150 with 5.4s.
But the 6.0 blows them out too. It also had those cracked distributor rotor problems. I think it had weak apex seals as well.
I have a 6.0. It has been fine. Does everything I ask of it and returns good fuel economy. Short runs to the lumber yard and long hauls with the big trailer full of hay burners. Never skips a beat. I'm apparently an outlier according to the internet. I do think good maintenance makes for a good experience. As does staying the hell away from tuners.
DaveEstey wrote: I have a 6.0. It has been fine. Does everything I ask of it and returns good fuel economy. Short runs to the lumber yard and long hauls with the big trailer full of hay burners. Never skips a beat. I'm apparently an outlier according to the internet. I do think good maintenance makes for a good experience. As does staying the hell away from tuners.
In all honesty I think you were lucky. A friend of ours bought a F450 dump, had it one week before the first problems arose. That truck was finally lemon-lawed, he got a replacement with almost identical issues. Second one they "fixed". He used it for his landscaping business and was absolutely meticulous with maintenance etc and still had the head gaskets pop in the first year. While it was in for warranty, he traded it for a 6.4 which he sold 3 months later and picked up an older 7.3.
Anecdotal evidence:
My neighbor has one which he tows boats with several times per week. He had some fancy tuner thing for a while, but it's off now. He had a turbo issue a while back, but otherwise it has been very good to him.
Datsun1500 wrote:mtn wrote: Do you really need a 3/4 ton? I'd be looking for an F-150 Harley Davidson or King Ranch, or else a Sierra Denali--and only a half ton.I am having a hard time finding those in a long bed. I want the quad to fit in the bed with the tailgate up, and it's 7 feet 11 inches long.
Ah. Yeah, they do exist, but are few and far between. Now the 3/4 ton makes sense.
logdog wrote: I heard the spark plugs blow out of the 6.0. But only on the 3 valves.
lol, good one.
You'll need to log in to post.
