Choose One of These Two Trucks

2500HD is available Saturday and sending pictures and a recent inspection report.  Ford TBD but honestly I like the level of responsiveness from this guy.

Don't be afraid to politely tell Chevy guy that you are going to look at a diesel too before you decide.  I'm sure you wont be the first person to tell him that the truck would be great...if it was diesel.  Get the guy talking.  With nearly 30 days of no sale he might move the price down.  Down enough to make the choice obvious.  

I own a96 Ford powerstroke. I really like it. I'd drive either. Any 1 ton is going to be better for real work than a half ton. Don't neglect maintenance on either.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:

On the 2500HD, I know I like how they drive and that I like the feel of the transmission- the big unknown for me is the engine.  Is the 8.1 as reliable as the 6.0?  Are parts more difficult to find?

The 8.1 is way more reliable. Think of it as an all iron, 5/4 scale LS.  Same sealing tech, same engine management.  PCV system is dead simple, too, with no hoses.  The only issues I have seen with them are the lifters failing on engines where oil changes are continually ignored.  And only on tow trucks, which spend a lot of time idling relative to the mileage on the odometer, which is a contributing factor.  (5000mi on a tow truck might be 10000mi worth of runtime)

Make sure to make a record of the Chevy owners phone number because his ad expires this Saturday. If he doesn't renew the ad (spend $5) then emails will not get to him once the ad expires (if you are contacting him through the CL email) 

In reply to Knurled. :

Does a HD2500 have an hour meter?

My F250 has a tripometer and an hour meter in the choices with the odometer.  On The Gov't Mule I calculated the following... 

It has a hour meter which says just shy of 5,100 hrs.  141k miles in 5,100 hrs is 27.6 miles of driving per hour.  This is good to see that it is not like 5 miles per hour of running which would be indicative of long stretches of idling.  27.6 miles per hour of lifetime average speed seems like a good number given traffic lights and every other reason you a sitting but not moving.  

The Ford pictures don't show the rear cab corners in the close-ups. The distant shots look like they are already gone, which means the outboard rear seat belt mountings are compromised. If it has lived its entire life in Cape May county that rust is only the tip of the iceberg. Look closely at the frame splices too, I have seen them rusty on 3 year old Fords from here. Bring your creeper when you go looking, at least you don't have to jack them up.

In reply to John Welsh :

I couldn't tell you.  Fuzzy memory says 3500s do, at least.  Not sure about the 2500s.

If either truck has pushed snow, stay away.  

The 8.1 Allison is such a lovely drivetrain. I don't even like this generation of truck and I want one.

I've got an 8.1 in my K2500 Suburban. While it won't win any drag races, it will pull any of my 3 10k# trailers (loaded) like a walk in the park. Be aware, the BBC motor likes oil, I burn approximately 1 quart/1.5K miles. Seems like this is pretty normal for BBC's.

I bought it with 100K miles off CoPart (clean title, $2800) and have put 72K trouble free (hard) miles on it in the last 3 years. I vote Chebby

My Suburban 2500 has an hour meter, not sure if it qualifies as a 2500HD or not, has 8 lug hubs and a much beefier everything than a Suburban 1500. 

I find the reliability of the 7.3 to be overstated. My limited experience with them involved lots of repairs compared to my big block chevy. 

Neither.  Both are rotted out turds.  Fly south and get something clean.  

93gsxturbo said:

Neither.  Both are rotted out turds.  Fly south and get something clean.

Emphasis added

RealMiniNoMore said:

93gsxturbo said:

Neither.  Both are rotted out turds.  Fly south and get something clean.

Emphasis added

Well.... solid it depends.  I have worked on a lot of Southern trucks that required a lot of work to be made legal, or otherwise had numerous questionable repairs on them.

I do find it a heroic act that I was able to find and make enough air-injection parts to make an old Wagoneer pass emissions, after some doofus cut all of that out and welded the bungs on the manifolds shut.  I didn't bother with the Raptor that had longtubes and side pipes, though.

dculberson said:

I find the reliability of the 7.3 to be overstated. My limited experience with them involved lots of repairs compared to my big block chevy. 

Gotta say, you must have had a lemon.  I've owned several.  One had over 200k when I bought it and it finally started having a rod knock at 551k, but that could have been accelerated by the bad injector I never fixed.  Another one I bought with 60k and sold it with 200k for more than I paid for it.

$60 glow plug relays every 100k, and one or two CPS at $150 in it's lifetime are about all you can expect.  In a few cases, the fuel filter housing would corrode.  After about 250k you can expect to need valve cover gaskets... not because they leak, but because the glow plug wiring is molded into them and they start losing continuity.

If you count the three that I've owned and the several hundred that I used to be in charge of maintaining in a utility fleet, the 7.3LPS is about as bulletproof as you can possibly find.

Knurled. said:

In reply to John Welsh :

I couldn't tell you.  Fuzzy memory says 3500s do, at least.  Not sure about the 2500s.

Dad's 04 Dmax 2500 has an hour meter.  Not sure if it had it because it was a Dmax or if it was because it was a 2500, but worth a look in the dash menu.

Not much to add except my BILs dad has a 7.3 work truck that needed an engine. Something grenaded internally and he’s not one to neglect his possessions. 

But the internet always has a horror story. At that mileage I would buy the condition/owner. 

The Chevy looks cleaner.

If I had to pick one, i would  go with the ford. I hate that gen of chevy, it's so ugly 

that said, I would take neither.
 

If I was to replace our truck, it would be with a 4 door, long bed, dually in fire engine red only. I need 4 rear wheels with hips. Otherwise Raptor and call it a day. 

93gsxturbo said:

Neither.  Both are rotted out turds.  Fly south and get something clean.  

This!!

200K on a 7.3L is barely broken in.

247K on a gas burner is usually really high (though i know nothing about the 8.1)

In reply to SVreX :

That is a big part of why I was expecting more responses leaning towards the Ford- although the plan for this truck will be to run it basically forever, and I'm at least slightly less afraid of rebuilding a gas engine than a diesel.

This particular F350 is out of the running, sounds too rusty from talking to the guy.  I may still go look at the 2500HD since the rocker panels haven't rusted through yet, which for this area is basically as clean as they can be.

Knurled. said:

RealMiniNoMore said:

93gsxturbo said:

Neither.  Both are rotted out turds.  Fly south and get something clean.

Emphasis added

Well.... solid it depends.  I have worked on a lot of Southern trucks that required a lot of work to be made legal, or otherwise had numerous questionable repairs on them.

 

I do find it a heroic act that I was able to find and make enough air-injection parts to make an old Wagoneer pass emissions, after some doofus cut all of that out and welded the bungs on the manifolds shut.  I didn't bother with the Raptor that had longtubes and side pipes, though.

I'm sure 93gsxturbo has had salty rusty vehicles, because he's from Wisconsin, like me. I also know what's its like to work on salty rusty vehicles, and its a pain in the ass. 

I have finally decided that I will never buy a used car (more than a couple years old, or a E36 M3box beater) up here, especially after my recent experience. I previously had a 2000 Bravada, that looked clean on the outside, with 120k miles. However, underneath, everything was rusty, crusty, nasty, seized, etc. Fuel lines, brake lines... Doing any work on it was a nightmare, because fasteners required heat, PB Blaster, or the grinder, and much cursing. Berk that. 

I replaced it with a 2006 Yukon, with almost twice the miles, from The South.  It had never been in salt, or snow, for that matter. Working on it is a dream. Any nut or bolt I put a wrench on comes loose, without profanity. 

So, yes, for us Northerners, it is worth it, to head south when spending $$$$ on a vehicle, providing it's not a beater.