I have a 2003 F-350, short cab, 8ft bed, 4x2 with the V10. Ive only had it for 2 weeks and I dont drive it much, but my goal was always to find a nice Expedition because it seats more and is more practical for me. I do like my 350 but this 11mpg thing is pretty hard on me since my last car averaged 30mpg. I know that 11-13mpg with the 6.8L is decent so Im not going to complain but I'd love to have an eddie baur Expy or something similar.

My question is this, right now Im getting 11-12mpg with the V10 in a 2wd 1-ton pickup. Is it worth going with a Expedition with a 5.4 for towing or will the gas milage be about the same? I dont NEED 4x4 but it would be nice since we get a fair amount of snow in NE Ohio. But will having a 4x4 with the smaller motor even out to about the same since what I have now is a 2wd? I never understood the whole "4wd = bad mpg" argument. The only thing I can figure is the vehicle uses more gas because the gears and transmission are always working with the extra 4wd parts, even when you are driving in 2wd on the freeway. My main concern is if the 97+ Expy can even tow a 5,000 lb trailor efficiently. Ive heard some people with the V10 get 7-9mpg when towing and that would eat my wallet, which is already empty enough as is. I bought this V10 because the deal was too good to pass up and they gave me more than what my other car was worth. So I was thinking this was an investment all along but Im wondering if its worth the hassel of finding an Expy or just living with the lower gas milage. Any recommendations for a lost man would be appreciated!