Help me decide on F 350 please!!!

   / Help me decide on F 350 please!!! #1  

HCJ

Silver Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2004
Messages
208
Location
upstate South Carolina
Tractor
Kubota M6800 4WD
I was not really shopping for a truck but ran across a 06 F 350 (SRW) Lariat 4 WD diesel with 175,000 miles. I will trade my '96 F 250 4 WD (195,000 mi). I use it primarily for hunting, so not an everyday driver. I do tow a gooseneck pulling a 8,000 lb Kubota M 6800 and implements, which probably is close to the limit for my old truck. I tow this 3 or 4 times a year, never more then 75 miles. I can do this deal for $12,500 after trade. Advantages are getting a 10 year newer truck, much nicer interior, etc. My questions are: is this F350 superior to my old 250 for towing this gooseneck (total trailer weight is probably 13,000 loader). What is your opinion of this 06 F 350? It apears to be in excellent condition, is a one owner, drives much better than my old one. My justification would that a 10 year newer truck would be less likely to have issues. I just spent $1800 on a tranny rebuild, but never had any engine work done. My interior is beginning to look pretty rough, as it was not great when I bought it 3 years ago. I fear that with a '96, those minor repairs that cost $500 to $1000 are beginning to happen. This seems like a pretty good deal. On, the new one has 4 doors whereas my old one is the 2 door version with a back seat.
 
   / Help me decide on F 350 please!!! #2  
I have a 06 and had only one issue, a bad dash cluster that showed up in the first 1,000 miles. Mine is a F-350 4x4 SRW with a short bed and extended cab and its a Lariat. It pulls like a dream. Loaded to the gills.

If you need the 4 doors go for it. Especially if it has the electric brakes from the factory. You will never go back to a after market unit after using it. My truck has held up very well but only has 1/3 the miles the one you are looking at does. The tranny and 6.0 diesel was all new in late 03 and much more stout than the previous offerings. I have a chip on mine since 5,000 miles. It will do 17 mpg towing and around town and high 23's on the highway.

Chris
 
   / Help me decide on F 350 please!!! #3  
I have an '06 f250 reg cab with the 6.0 psd. It is a great truck for towing. No problems, as a lanscaper I trailer everyday. My trailer range from 5000 lbs to 12000 lbs. you will never go back to a gas engine if you get a diesel.
 
   / Help me decide on F 350 please!!! #4  
I have a 06 and had only one issue, a bad dash cluster that showed up in the first 1,000 miles. Mine is a F-350 4x4 SRW with a short bed and extended cab and its a Lariat. It pulls like a dream. Loaded to the gills.

If you need the 4 doors go for it. Especially if it has the electric brakes from the factory. You will never go back to a after market unit after using it. My truck has held up very well but only has 1/3 the miles the one you are looking at does. The tranny and 6.0 diesel was all new in late 03 and much more stout than the previous offerings. I have a chip on mine since 5,000 miles. It will do 17 mpg towing and around town and high 23's on the highway.

Chris

What size tires do you run on your F350 SRW? I'm considering the F350 (1999-03 vintage) for towing a 10Klb GN flatbed trailer carrying my parade tractors.
 
   / Help me decide on F 350 please!!! #5  
Take a look on Ford truck enthusist forum. Alot of good info over there. The truck will be a huge improvement for towing for sure but the 6.0 need to be run it won't do well sitting for long periods. When ever I let mine sit even a few day the turbo sounds terrible for a few minutes. 6.0 are also hard on oil. I run full synthetic and like the results. Get the vin and have a dealer run an oasis report on the truck. Common failures incluse turbo's, EGR components and head gaskets. They're also notorious for oil leaks from major to minor.
Hope this helps.

Matt;)
 
   / Help me decide on F 350 please!!! #6  
I run the factory size on my F-350. They are 275-70-18. The factory tires were Continetal and stunk. I got stuck 3 times the first winter I had it twice on the paved road and once in the drive. Never been stuck before in any truck I have owned that was 4x4. 2 times my neighbor pulled me out with a F-150 and the other time a gas 3/4 ton Chevy came to the rescue. Pretty embarrassing. To top it all off the tires only lasted 28,000 miles. As you can see they have bad reviews on the link below.

These are the factory tires

Tire Details - Discount Tire

These are what I run now

1- 275/70-18 Nitto Terra Grappler AT Tire 70R18 R18 70R:eBay Motors (item 190340235920 end time Dec-06-09 07:23:51 PST)

Chris
 
   / Help me decide on F 350 please!!!
  • Thread Starter
#7  
How does this $18000 price seem? THe truck does have factory brake control and a turnover hitch which looks unused (it missing the ball assembly, but I assume that's easy to replace, or my old B&W ball may fit it) They are offering me $6000 trade, for my F250, which is in average condition. In other words, $12,000 plus tax out of pocket. This seems pretty good to me.
 
   / Help me decide on F 350 please!!! #8  
How does this $18000 price seem? THe truck does have factory brake control and a turnover hitch which looks unused (it missing the ball assembly, but I assume that's easy to replace, or my old B&W ball may fit it) They are offering me $6000 trade, for my F250, which is in average condition. In other words, $12,000 plus tax out of pocket. This seems pretty good to me.

Sounds high to me for a 3 year old truck with 175K miles (about 60K miles per year, 5K miles per month). That owner is really burning up the life expectancy of that diesel in a hurry. My comfort zone is 20-25K miles per year on a used 1 ton diesel PU.
 
   / Help me decide on F 350 please!!! #9  
How does this $18000 price seem? THe truck does have factory brake control and a turnover hitch which looks unused (it missing the ball assembly, but I assume that's easy to replace, or my old B&W ball may fit it) They are offering me $6000 trade, for my F250, which is in average condition. In other words, $12,000 plus tax out of pocket. This seems pretty good to me.

I think the truck is too expensive,i see them for 14-16K with those miles,and your rolling the dice on a 6.0PSD with 175K miles on it.Unless they were recently done,the headgaskets are a ticking time bomb,and the injectors are very expensive and due for replacement at 175K.The 6.0 PSD is difficult to work on,and expensive to have repaired.Head gaskets require lifting the cab,and costs 2500-4000 dollars depending on what needs to be done.You also sated the truck wont be a daily driver,6.0 PSD's have a VGT turbo that sticks if you let the truck sit much.When they stick,it overspeeds the turbo and blows it apart,sometimes right thru the hood.Not cheap,and can take the engine with it.I'd look for a 6.0 truck with lower miles,or find a clean 02-03 7.3PSD truck,and not worry as much about the miles.
 
   / Help me decide on F 350 please!!!
  • Thread Starter
#10  
I think the truck is too expensive,i see them for 14-16K with those miles,and your rolling the dice on a 6.0PSD with 175K miles on it.Unless they were recently done,the headgaskets are a ticking time bomb,and the injectors are very expensive and due for replacement at 175K.The 6.0 PSD is difficult to work on,and expensive to have repaired.Head gaskets require lifting the cab,and costs 2500-4000 dollars depending on what needs to be done.You also sated the truck wont be a daily driver,6.0 PSD's have a VGT turbo that sticks if you let the truck sit much.When they stick,it overspeeds the turbo and blows it apart,sometimes right thru the hood.Not cheap,and can take the engine with it.I'd look for a 6.0 truck with lower miles,or find a clean 02-03 7.3PSD truck,and not worry as much about the miles.

I have looked at a hundreds of listings on auto trader, and prices are all in the $24,000 up range, but granted, most have fewer miles. This truck I am looking at looks new, inside and out. It obviously was well taken care of, and with this high mileage, I must assume it was mostly highway miles. Yes, I worry about the possiblty of a major engine issue (head gasket, injectors, etc.) but with my current '96 with over 190,000 miles, I guess I have that same worry. It seems to me that a 10 year newer truck would have the odds in it's favor. So I could keep my old '96 and still risk the same issues, but it would be harder to justify spending thousands on repairing an old '96 whereas, repairing a '06 in great shape would be an easier pill to swallow. Or at least that is one way to look at it.

Thanks for your comments everyone. Did the '06 Powerstroke have fewer issues than the previous 6.0 L in earlier versions? How were the transmissions in this model? What should I look for as signs of trouble when I test drive it and check it out?? I am going to pick it up tomorrow and let my mechanic check it out. I drove it briefly and it seemed smooth, and looking underneath, I see no signs of any leaks.
 
 
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