22 replies to this topic

[FairfaxFWC]

Help! All of you with Ford Heavy Duty trucks, I would appreciate your reviews. I have finally decided that a 3/4 Ton is the way to go and is really the only way to ensure that you have adequate payload for a camper, water, food, people, toys, etc...

So, I have also decided that a Ford Gasser is the best for my needs...don't need Diesel for towing and it will never pay for itself with the low miles I plan on putting on the truck every year.

How do you like your trucks and how reliable have they been over the years. I am pretty gunshy to try a Ford, as I have had Toyota's for over 20 years and they have been unbelievably reliable...but even the new Tundra just doesn't have adequate payload. Thus, the decision for a 3/4 ton and a Ford.

Thanks for your input.

[MarkBC]

How do you like your trucks and how reliable have they been over the years. I am pretty gunshy to try a Ford, as I have had Toyota's for over 20 years and they have been unbelievably reliable...but even the new Tundra just doesn't have adequate payload. Thus, the decision for a 3/4 ton and a Ford.

Thanks for you input.

I've been happy with my 2000 F250 SuperDuty V10 (gas) 4x4 for 10 years and 100,000+ miles. So far so good. No issues. Well...I wish I got better gas mileage than 12-ish with camper... but that's not an issue, just a fact.
This is my personal experience...and I'm not even that careful or diligent about maintenance. Maybe just lucky?

[stormscrambler]

i have a 1990 f350 crew cab gas monster, good truck holds a ton of people and junk, i have only have it about 1500 miles so far and it needed a couple of small things like a wiper motor and fan motor, runs great about 12 mpg on the free way, but that is pretty good for a 6000+ pound 4x4 truck that could haul 6 people a ton of gear and a 10k pound trailer, safely

[Mark W. Ingalls]

Mine is a 2006 5.4L FX4 CC. Go to MSN Autos and compare the reliability ratings of any vehicles you want. I do not fear 'Ford'...

P.S.: Any solid front axle vehicle is susceptible to "death wobble" if you don't pay attention to the steering damper. Just sayin'...

[TGK]

I have a '99 F250 SD 4x4 LB with the 5.4L gas and manual trans. Original owner with 73,000 miles. This was the 1st year of the redesigned body. I've hauled a FWC Grandby on it for 7+ years and have not had any issues whatsoever. My 1st Ford and I'm very pleased with it. It handles the FWC great. I also sometimes tow a '71 Airstream (3,900# dry) and, for that reason, it probably would have been smarter to have bought the V10. However, when I bought it with the FWC in mind and a trailer wasn't on the horizon.
With the 4:10 rear end and no camper, best I ever got was 14 mpg. It's a lot of truck. Adding the camper, it drops to 11 -13. Add the trailer and I'm looking at 10 -11 best. I figure the V10 likely wouldn't do much worse and would have more guts when climbing over the Cascades. A diesel wasn't even considered because of an additional cost at the time of purchase and, with only 73K after 12 years of ownership, I couldn't justify the added expense.

They engineered more HP and torque into the 5.4L and the V10's over the years compared to my '99, so a newer model will likely serve you even better.

Good luck.

[leadsled9]

I've owned my F250 for just over one year. It has not had one issue....and it handles my Hawk with ease. I sometimes tow a trailer in addition to the Hawk camper....and the truck is great. I too am a Toytoa man (for the last 20 years) and still own a 2000 Tundra with over 200k on the odometer.

[Barko1]

Add my Fords to the list. I have a 99 diesel that I got with 110k and now is close to 160k and a 97 4.6 that I got with 35k and now at 110k. Normal maintenance, both carry the Grandby but the diesel does it better. If you're getting a bigger truck might as well go F350, never know when the extra payload would be nice.

[generubin]

I had a 2003 manual trans F250 with V10. With no camper I was getting 12 to 14 mpg. Usually 12. I bought it brand new. Right from the factory it had a siezed up drive shaft carrier bearing, was missing much of the weather strips around the doors. So I had it 1 day and it was in the shop for a week. There was a very loud vibration at 65 mph. It took until the truck had 10,000 miles on it and many trips to the dealership for Ford to figure out they had put a front driveshaft on it that was too long. When I'd go through a dip (as the expanding/contracting spline was fully bottomed out) the front axle would compress, shoving the front drive shaft towards the transfer case, twisting the case all the fluid would spray out and the truck would steer left!

The wiring loom was so poorly attached, I went through a bag of 100 plastic ties to keep it from hanging down inches below the chassis.

I sold the Ford for cheap because all the buyers only wanted diesel. I bought a 2006 Dodge Cummins. Manual trans. I get 18 mpg. There has not been a single issue ever with this truck. The motor is rated to easily go 300,000. I'd recommend a diesel. Fuel is due to go up a lot. $6 a gallon and higher. Whatever premium you pay for a diesel engine, you get it all back when you sell it. Thing about a diesel, you'll never sell it.

If you are getting a Ford, I'd recommend a V8 not V10. And if you are buying 4x4, get a 2006 or newer so you have the coil springs up front. I had the leaf sprung version. The turning radius with the leafs was a source of embarrassment when making tight right turns, parking or god forbid, a U-turn!

Of course, my experience may not be yours. Jay (chnlisle) had a couple of relatives who's Ford F250s (diesels from around 2003) were so much in the shop that Ford was forced to buy them back at full price.

All that being said. If I was buying new, I would look at all 3 of the big boys. But I'd likely end up with Dodge because, well, I just don't like automatics for reasons of poor reliability.

[Desert Rancher]

Thing about a diesel, you'll never sell it.

Yup, must be:

-The rattle in the morning when it first fires up.
-Going up Cajon Pass fully loaded at half throttle.
-16-17 MPG.
-Little loss of power at higher altitudes.
-Significant power mods that can be done are all external to the engine.

I could go on...

[HERR42]

i bought my 2000 new, was mostly special order, it has been perfect.

130K miles at this time.

get the 350.