I'm not saying don't get a diesel, I'm saying don't get a 2004-2010 Ford diesel (anything with a 6.0 or 6.4). A 2003 or earlier with a 7.3 would be good, but they are getting almost impossible to find in good shape. The 2011 and newer 6.7 appears to be a decent engine.

If you find a clean 2010 or earlier Ford 6.8 V10 gas truck, that would not be a bad bet. I'm also saying that a 2011 or newer F150 with an Ecoboost would not be a bad bet.

Bluejay and Wookie - please note that he lives at 7400 feet (where a turbocharger helps a LOT) and wants to buy used, not new.

 

I'm very appreciative for all the comments. I'm definitely leaning to a 2011+ gasser. (Besides, as I told my son, if there's anything I need to do which my gas truck cannot handle ... I'll borrow HIS beast!)

I had no idea there was such a new "language" around trucks...! Still learning!

 

If you find a 2011+ F250 with a gas 6.2, that's an excellent engine. At your altitude, a F150 with Ecoboost will perform considerably better than one with a 5.0.

 

I saw his altitude, force fed is a must so a 3.5 or 2.7. I pulled campers several times through the Rockies with my EcoBoost and it performed great. Around 12,000' on the stock tune it was just starting to lose some power or so it felt. Under that altitude it would smoke ANYTHING except a turbo diesel.

 

I've been "shopping" on CarGurus. What is this Flex Fuel feature? I cannot find a description of it on any of the truck listings.

 

That simply means that the vehicle is capable of running E85 (85% ethanol) fuel. The Ecoboosts are not capable.

 

Thank you! That'll narrow the list a bit.

 

The flex fuel is a joke the car makers use to please the EPA. The base V6 and 5.0 are rated to use E85 (corn juice), the EB and 6.2 aren't. You will take a pretty big hit on mileage if you use it too.

I wouldn't walk away from a 2005+ 6.0 IF it has been updated and deleted. Those motors can run great if the factory issues have been addressed. The 6.4s on the other hand really can't be fixed.

 

I'm not interested in Ethanol at all. I think it is one of the biggest scams foisted on Americans. Besides, I like what I'm learning about EcoBoost.

I *think* I understood that, Wookie. "Deleted" means a lot of the Emissions Control garbage has been removed. Right?

in truck jargon does "updated" mean something specific?

 

Yes, deleted means emissions controls being removed. Like doing a straight pipe on a 6.4/6.7 with a tuner to turn off the emissions control off.

Too bad that no one has made "glider trucks" of F250-550's yet... lol Yah know, to get around the EPA. LOL

You know, stuffing say a reliable 7.3l Powerstroke in them, and making them work with the newer transmissions. lol

 

Right, deleted gets rid of the EGR and other emissions junk that hurt the motors. The updates are for the oil cooler and a few other things that improve reliability.

If you want to really turn the wick up add head studs to the list. But at stock power levels these really aren't necessary.

Most of the problems come from the EGR system and it screwing up the coolant. Fix these and the motor is really stout. Early on, people went wild tuning them and broke stuff. That helped to create the bad reputation.

 

Ah! That's what my neighbor (a GMC-convert-to-Ford) told me about. He called it "kids hot-rodding their trucks and doing it wrong." He said they were nuts to do all that upgrading and not change to tougher head bolts.

 

Right, so with a 6.0 be prepared to drop a few grand into mods and deletes.

I'd recommend you stay away from the 2.7 Ecoboost in your particular situation, stick with the 3.5.

 

Gotcha. Thanks.

This one -- and others like it -- are really catching my eye....

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...8674/overview/

 

Took my wife out for a malt ... then kidnapped her to actually SIT in some F-150s. (I wanted to be sure my 6' 2" frame would be comfortable in the thing ... and that my wife would be able to get out of the thing without needing to make the Leap of Death.)

I'm on the right track! We "test sat" the Lariat, XLT (and the PowerStroke 250, for kicks). I think I frustrated the salesman....

I'm not as keen on the King Ranch and Platinum trim packages, but I'm quite interested in the Lariat, XLT or FX4.

This is getting to be fun...!