We have a 2000 7.3L Ford diesel and it is great. A lot of towing power,
good gas mileage when pulling and no problems.
We looked at buying a 2004 with the new 6L diesel but I've heard about a lot
of problems. The dealer noted that Ford had supplied many programming
upgrades for the 6L over the past year that were aimed at 'fixing the
problems.' He noted some customers that had a lot of problems and others
that had none. I have a friend with a one year old model with the 6L diesel
and Ford has just agreed to buy it back because of the number of times it
has been in the shop and still does not run right.
On the positive side, the new 6L seems as fast as my 7.3L, it is quieter and
the transmission is very smooth. The problems with the new engine were
enough to put me off till the 2005 model which is also supposed to be the
new body style for the F250/350.
Based on our experience, look for a late model Ford with the 7.3L engine.
You might also consider a Hypertech programmer (www.hypertech.com) and
upgrade the computer with it. The Hypertech adds about 50HP and improves
the shift points on the automatic transmission. It sells for about $350.
Gil Fuqua
Nashville
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