2008 F250 4x4 Diesel or V10?

[newt92]

I have been looking at used trucks, can't justify the $$$$$$$ for new. I just crunched some numbers based on a gas truck getting 12mpg, gas going for $2.99, and a diesel truck getting 16mpg, diesel going for $3.59, these are local prices. Based on a $6K difference in price, it would take 242,000 miles to break even with the diesel, I won't live that long. As much as I love my diesel car... based on these numbers, my truck will be a gasser.

Also take into account the fact deisels hold 14-15 quarts of oil and filters run from $10-$25. Your looking at around $60-$70 do-it-yourself or $100-$120 at the dealership.

 

[dgl24087]

Just read an article on the 6.2 Boss engine. Roush Engineering has been working with Ford on this engine, and has built some coded as "777". 7.0L, 700 HP, 700ft.-lbs. torque.

 

[beefeater]

That Boss engine sounds like a racing engine, but it might be tuned down a bit for a big truck. Anyway, unlikely the same engine as 7.0 does not equal 6.2.

I just did another vehicle search at ford.com for the Detroit metro area, including Ford's home town of Dearborn MI.

Only one F250 on dealers' lots with a V10 in all of greater Detroit! A black and gold 8ft King Ranch. None in my area, none in Chicago, and one in Detroit.

So, either they are selling the V10 like hotcakes, or Ford is not supplying its dealers with any, forcing interested buyers to special order it.

 

[Builder]

That Boss engine sounds like a racing engine, but it might be tuned down a bit for a big truck. Anyway, unlikely the same engine as 7.0 does not equal 6.2.

I just did another vehicle search at ford.com for the Detroit metro area, including Ford's home town of Dearborn MI.

Only one F250 on dealers' lots with a V10 in all of greater Detroit! A black and gold 8ft King Ranch. None in my area, none in Chicago, and one in Detroit.

So, either they are selling the V10 like hotcakes, or Ford is not supplying its dealers with any, forcing interested buyers to special order it.

V-10's aren't selling like hotcakes, they've always been offered in very limited quantities. I couldn't find one the 3 or 4 different times I looked for one in the last 6 years!

I'm telling you, it's because Ford doesn't want you to buy a V-10. They don't want you to special order one, either. They want you to buy a diesel off the lot so they can make lots more money.

 

[Builder]

That Boss engine sounds like a racing engine, but it might be tuned down a bit for a big truck. Anyway, unlikely the same engine as 7.0 does not equal 6.2.

I just did another vehicle search at ford.com for the Detroit metro area, including Ford's home town of Dearborn MI.

Only one F250 on dealers' lots with a V10 in all of greater Detroit! A black and gold 8ft King Ranch. None in my area, none in Chicago, and one in Detroit.

So, either they are selling the V10 like hotcakes, or Ford is not supplying its dealers with any, forcing interested buyers to special order it.

The other poster is right, it was called a "Hurricane", but they changed it to what I said- "Boss", because of hurricane Katrina.

The Boss will be the successor to the V-10 in the trucks, Expedition, navigator, Crown Vic, etc.

I was wrong about it being a pushrod, it'll be OHD cam. I could have sworn I read a pushrod version was going to be built for HD trucks.

Ford Boss engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Builder]

Also take into account the fact deisels hold 14-15 quarts of oil and filters run from $10-$25. Your looking at around $60-$70 do-it-yourself or $100-$120 at the dealership.

True, but I can save some of that back in my state because diesels don't have an annual emmissions test. That costs $60 for a gas engine for a pass/fail. If it fails, it could be lots more. Then there's the tuneup a gas engine will inevitably need. New plugs, wires, coils, etc. I'd say a minimum of $200.

Also, you can offset the cost of oil changes by using synthetic oil to extend your interval times.

GM DMAX only holds 10-11 quarts of oil.

 

[Dargo]

V-10's aren't selling like hotcakes, they've always been offered in very limited quantities. I couldn't find one the 3 or 4 different times I looked for one in the last 6 years!

This is very true. I was at a very large rural Ford dealer yesterday that sells around 100 pickups a month. Out of curiosity, I asked them how many V10 powered pickups they have sold in the last year. After doing a search on their computer, they told me that the answer was 8. Also, they told me that in no way was that related to Ford pushing the diesel pickups. They say that every V10 pickup they end up with in stock they have to "give it away" for no profit just to move it due to lack of interest. Their Ford zone rep said that it was a very real possibility that the V10 pickups may either be discontinued or only available on an ordered, pre-paid, basis.

As I said before, I've never driven one and would personally have zero interest in one. Apparently I'm not the only person with this thought. As I mentioned in a previous thread, the resale value hit later down the road exceeds the premium price it costs to get the diesel option. The dealers relate it to the old farmer who wants their pickup without A/C; saying they don't use it. However, whenever they go to sell a pickup now without A/C, it takes about 90% of potential customers out of the market for their unit. The same seems to hold true for the V10 pickups. This large dealership actually refers to them as "pink elephants". They simply no longer want to mess with them because they are hard to sell and there is no profit to be had when they finally do sell them.

I'm not saying that the V10 engine is a bad engine, I'm just saying that the pure indisputable facts say that they do not sell well for dealers and are even far harder to sell later down the road. If that is what you want, you should be able to buy one basically for dealer invoice but you'd better also be sure it's what you want because you won't be able to sell it very easy anytime down the road.

 

[Builder]

I can't fully agree there.

Think about it for a minute. Ford could easily build lots of V-10's. Everyone here, including me, has wanted one at one time and they are definately the best/most heavy duty big gasser of the big three brands of truck. If Ford stocks the lots wide & deep with V-10's, it will cut into the more profitable diesel truck sales and everyone up & down the chain makes less money-Ford, owner of dealership, Ford finance, Ford Leasing, parts (filters, etc) and even the service dept makes less money on oil changes!

I think the V-10 Ford gas is the only gas pickup I would own and it's a **** good engine.

 

[chh]

You got me curious so I did a quick check on my local dealer(who doesn't keep the website updated very well at all) and he has '08 F-250's and F-350's both in stock with the V-10. I makes the C/C 4x4 XL work series truck I would be interested in list for around 33 instead of around 40 for the diesel. Resale on the V-10 is the only thing vs the diesel that I see as a downside. Of course it made the used one I looked at last summer very attractive. 21.5 for a 20,000 mile extended cab flatbed vs the deisel regular cab flatbed for 28 with mileage in the 60's both were '05's if I remember correctly.
I drove my neighbors 3500 Dmax a couple of weeks ago. He hasn't owned a GM in a long time either. So far he is happy with it, I just wish we had been trailering instead of running empty so I could have really seen what it was like.

 

[beefeater]

Dargo,

Thanks for that info. Very interesting indeed. However, it would be interesting to know how many V8's they sold last year as well. The V10 option is a relatively cheap upgrade from the standard V8 gas. So, everything you said about the V10 should also apply to the V8 superduty's out there, unless there is something inherently evil about the V10 that we haven't discussed like awful mileage relative to the V8, or terrible reliability, or high maintenance costs, etc etc.

I don't get the pink elephant analogy. I would if the Superduty cost $15,000 or if the V10 got 10 mpg and the V8 got 15 mpg. At $30,000 plus, the $600 upcharge should be a non-isssue to anyone with half a brain. I doubt there is much difference in the MPG between the two gassers. I think the V10 is a money loser for Ford. I believe that engine must cost them more than the 600 premium over the V8 and that's why they don't supply them very readily to dealers. My two inventory searches revealed a bunch of V8's on the lots.

The up coming 6.2 boss does not appear to offer any major advantage to the V10 and won't be available for at least a year. The 7.0 is a racing version that will never be available in a factory Ford offering. Particularly when gas prices hit 4.50 per gallon in the next two years.