2008 Ford F-250 diesel

bgrafsr

bgrafsr

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Looking at a 2008 F-250 diesel, 4 door, with towing package and 20 inch wheels/tires. Lots of accessories including electric brake controller for towing. It is a Texas vehicle, clean, no rust, but has 193,000 miles on it.

Is that a lot of miles for a diesel engine that has been well maintained? Asking $23,000 or best offer. It needs tires, so I was thinking of offering $21,000, besides which I can pay cash.

We have a camper and I think this would be ideal for towing it. Fiancee has a Ford Explorer, which is used to tow the camper, but I don't think it's ideal for the job.
 
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No question a 250 or 350 with a diesel will pull more/easier than a 150 with a gas engine. How big is the camper? It might not pay to go big if a 150 is up to the task, as maintenance is significantly more. I have 4 diesel F350s for work and operating costs are definitely higher.

Just something to think about.
 
Mexican Kerry said:
No question a 250 or 350 with a diesel will pull more/easier than a 150 with a gas engine. How big is the camper? It might not pay to go big if a 150 is up to the task, as maintenance is significantly more. I have 4 diesel F350s for work and operating costs are definitely higher.

Just something to think about.
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I want to say the camper is around 20 feet. As I've said, it is pulled by a Ford Explorer, which has a V6, and appears to strain a bit at times. The 2013 F-150 with the V8 should be more than enough to tow the camper.
 
Be aware of the engine issues with the 6.0 Powerstroke. I spent over $9000 to get a similar truck back running for a fire dept not long ago (less then 60k miles on the odometer).

The mileage is not an issue, diesel engines can run over 500,000 miles before needing a rebuild if they are properly taken care of.

Good luck in your search.
 
SAFireman said:
Be aware of the engine issues with the 6.0 Powerstroke. I spent over $9000 to get a similar truck back running for a fire dept not long ago (less then 60k miles on the odometer).

The mileage is not an issue, diesel engines can run over 500,000 miles before needing a rebuild if they are properly taken care of.

Good luck in your search.
Click to expand...

The vehicle in question has the 6.4 liter power stroke, but as I've decided not to pursue this truck, it is a moot issue. Going to check out the '13 F-150 this morning. If I decide to pull the plug, my buddy wants my '06 Ranger, so that will help in purchasing the '13.:)

By the way, the F-150 has the 5.0L V8 FFV engine.
 
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The 6.0 can be a good engine if you're willing to install some decent head studs and delete the EGR.

Also, keep in mind that buying a diesel truck with a couple hundred thousand miles still gets you a chassis with high mileage. In other words, even though the engine and maybe the transmission will go a lot longer you can likely expect to deal with things like worn out suspension components, wheel bearings, AC compressors, etc.

I don't tow anything with a high profile and when I do tow it's usually under four thousand pounds so a gas engine fits my needs just fine.
 
bgrafsr said:
The vehicle in question has the 6.4 liter power stroke, but as I've decided not to pursue this truck, it is a moot issue. Going to check out the '13 F-150 this morning. If I decide to pull the plug, my buddy wants my '06 Ranger, so that will help in purchasing the '13.:)

By the way, the F-150 has the 5.0L V8 FFV engine.
Click to expand...

The 6.4 was even more problematic than the 6.0.

And yes, the 6.0 can be made almost bullet proof if you are willing to spend the $$$ or have the ability to do it yourself.

The 5.0 has a good track record with Ford.

Good luck in your search.
 
Well, the 1st F150 I was looking at was sold, but another Ford dealer also had a 2013 F150, V8 FFV engine, 4WD, 4 doors, towing package, and loaded with options, that had just been traded in the day before. 44,971 miles on it. I went to see it this morning, liked it, and pulled the trigger. Pick it up Thursday after it's detailed. :D

Called my Fiancee and said we didn't need her Explorer to tow the camper anymore.:p

8469_cc0640_001_UH.jpg
 
Sounds like your timing was perfect on the first 2 to lead you the the 3rd truck, sounds like a gem with pretty low mileage. Good luck with it and you and the fiancee- enjoy!
 
One other thing. When I started it up to test drive it, there was a nice throaty roar. Come to find out the previous owner had installed a Flowmaster exhaust system on it. I had trouble keeping my foot from "pushing the pedal to the metal".:D
There goes any gas mileage it might have.:eek: 73 years old and I finally get a "muscle car, err truck":)
 
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Glad you found a truck you like. A couple things you may want if not already on the truck. The first is good towing mirrors with convex blind spot mirrors on the bottom. The second is a back up camera to aid in hooking up the camper. I bought both of these items online for my new to me truck. Less than $200 to have both delivered to my door.
I installed the mirrors myself with a little help from a youtube video. I had the camera installed by my local independent auto shop. Good luck with the new ride and happy camping.
 
targetchief said:
Glad you found a truck you like. A couple things you may want if not already on the truck. The first is good towing mirrors with convex blind spot mirrors on the bottom. The second is a back up camera to aid in hooking up the camper. I bought both of these items online for my new to me truck. Less than $200 to have both delivered to my door.
I installed the mirrors myself with a little help from a youtube video. I had the camera installed by my local independent auto shop. Good luck with the new ride and happy camping.
Click to expand...

It does have a back-up camera installed, and yes, I need to check into getting some decent towing mirrors. Thanks.
 
Both 6.0 and 6.4 have issues. I would be neverous about owning a used diesel without waranty, unless you have tools and know how to use them. Definitely be on the watchout for diesel trucks that have been "tuned" in their past. Pyrometer and boost guages are a good indicator. Some of the late model trucks have a boost guage in the dash cluster. That's not what Im talking about. The repairs on diesel drive lines can get quite pricey!
 
SLT, I think you are correct about engines that are/were performance altered, chips and issues. Our '06 6.0 has been one of the best diesels we have had; 140k miles with the only repairs being a starter-does not use any oil between changes and gets roughly double the mpg that a v10 would be getting in the same application-rv. Used oil analysis continue to show no glycol in the oil and extremely low wear levels, surprisingly very little to no indication of shearing - Amsoil is my oil of choice.

To anyone considering buying a used diesel, do yourself a favor and take a oil sample and send it out for analysis- you will find out exactly what shape the engine is in.

Some years ago I put a deposit on a diesel Jeep Renegade a very low mileage corporate program vehicle. After the test drive I took an oil sample and it came back with very high levels of silicone and the notation that it was highly likely an air filter was not in and most probably never in the vehicle. There was no filter in the housing.

Some unfortunate person bought the car a few days later.
 
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