F250 6.4L dependabilty?

[Skinnyman]

I am looking at trading my 08 Silverado 1/2 Ton for an 08 F250. How has the 6.4 Power Stroke proven out so far. Would I be better served with the 07, 6.0 Power Stroke? My heaviest towing would never be greater than 7K lbs. The 08 F250 only has 11,000 miles and seems to be fairly priced.

 

[Dmace]

I am looking at trading my 08 Silverado 1/2 Ton for an 08 F250. How has the 6.4 Power Stroke proven out so far. Would I be better served with the 07, 6.0 Power Stroke? My heaviest towing would never be greater than 7K lbs. The 08 F250 only has 11,000 miles and seems to be fairly priced.

If your only towing 7k lbs, what's the point of buying a 3/4 ton diesel...
Any 1/2 ton truck made in the past 7-8 years would pull that all day without a problem. It's certainly not worth the risk of buying a non-7.3l Powerstroke and gambling with the chance of having a very expensive repair bill.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I have to agree with Dmace for the most part. A 1/2 ton will do everything you need currently. I tow 7K with a Nissan Titan and prior to that a F-150 and do better than 6-7 thousand miles a year with that load behind the truck. Just make sure the Silverado is up to par. Many of the GM trucks come with 3.42 gears that yield good mpg but have a tow limit of around 6,500# even with the 5.3L engine. GM does this so they can brag about mpg on the commercials.

I have a book that list all trucks towing capacity. Just tell me the year, engine, bed, cab, gear combos for anything made in the last 10 years or so. If you need the info for your current truck give me all that info and I will look it up.

As for the Ford diesels I own two, both 6.0, and neither engine has given me 1 second of trouble. From what I hear the 6.4 is a good motor but does not get the mpg gain that people had come to enjoy with a diesel engine.

Chris

 

[Skinnyman]

Yea, your probably right. Just thought more power would be better. My current truck is the 5.3L. Maybe should have gotten the 6.0L when I bought, but didn't know I would be getting a tractor at the time.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Hey if you like the F-250 and want to convert to Ford we welcome you. You will never look back at the Silverado but its really not necessary. It all comes down to if you can make the $$$$ work.

Chris

 

[some zilch]

If your only towing 7k lbs, what's the point of buying a 3/4 ton diesel...
Any 1/2 ton truck made in the past 7-8 years would pull that all day without a problem. It's certainly not worth the risk of buying a non-7.3l Powerstroke and gambling with the chance of having a very expensive repair bill.

could not agree more....no need for a diesel truck for that relativly small load. i wouldnt touch a newer ford diesel...too many horror stories, unproven technologies, short engine production runs, etc.....no thanks

f250 w/a gas engine.....probably be more than adequate for you; you get a better suspension, brakes, tires, etc, (than a 1/2 ton) without the added expense or questionable quality of the newer ford diesels

1/2 tons kinda scare me for anything other than "happy-homeowner" stuff. a 3/4 ton is much more heavy duty truck, and would bet better suited for towing 7k. i just think the diesel is more than he needs.

 

[radman1]

I researched the 6.4L extensively before I bought my job 3 2008. Initially had injector problems, radiator leak problems and few other minor issues. The 6.4L came out early in 2007 and has ended production. Ford should start delivering the new Scorpion engine in the next couple of months. Graphite block, all new design for Ford. I would avoid that new engine at all costs until it is proven. Ford also coming out with 6 speed tranny - again I would wait and see. Although the 6.4L had a short run, the engine has been otherwise very reliable. It may end up being one of the most reliable diesel motors, much better than the 6.0L in its initial start.
I like my 6.4L and had a 1999 v10 gasser before that. Still have the gasser and sold it to my brother as a farm truck. When I bought my 6.4L F250 Lariat crew cab new, the price was about $1500 more than what I paid for my 1999 F250Lariat gasser new. The rebates and decounts were huge at that time.

However, like the others have said, for the loads you are pulling you don't really need the F250. I think the new F150s are really nice and can do everything you need - and more.

 

[elginfarm]

About a year and a half ago I replaced my 2000 F-150 with an '08 F-250 with the 6.4 motor. I had been looking to upgrade and did some research on the 6.4 motor. I was ready to buy a new one and then came across a repo with 18K miles that was about half the price of a new one. I have put almost 20K miles on it since I bought it. It's my daily driver and I regularly tow a large two horse trailer and my flatbed with tractor and attachments with no problems. I have been changing oil and filters regularly. The mileage could be better a little better, but I blame the DPF and the regeneration process for that. I am looking at adding a controller to tweak the ignition settings (any recommendations out there?) to solve that problem. The mileage is still better than it ws on my F-150. Although the new half tons do have a higher tow capacity, I wanted a crew cab for the grandsons and a decent sized rear bed, which I would have had to sacrifice with an F-150. I did look at the Dodge and GM diesels and they were very comparable, but I went with the Ford because Ithink they make a better pick up. I ahd a Chevy before the F-150 and I had nothing but problems with it. I don't want to get a fight started about being brand specific, but for the price, I couldn't go wrong. Plus my wife drives a GMC Yukon which handles the horse trailer pretty good too. I doubt that we will ever buy new again. As long as you are a little flexible on things like color and options there are a lot of good deals out there. If you can get a good deal on the truck and you are comfortable with it, go for it. There is alot of warrant left on that motor too. You can always get your money back when you go to sell it.
I hope this helps and Good Luck with whatever choice you make.