Should I buy this?

[Goocher]

I'm looking for a 3/4 or 1 ton truck(SRW if 1ton) and found a 2003 F250 Lariat Crew, with 85k miles with the 6.0l and 6speed auto. truck looks to be in pretty good condition. I have not drove it yet. What are the issues i should be aware of and how reliable is this setup? I don't drive my current truck often, but it's often enough to be needed. I don't want to be working on it frequently(other than maintence) or have it in the shop all the time. I've heard horror stories on the 6.0l so i'm a bit leary, should i be looking for one with a 7.3L?

[CowboyCody]

6.0 stock will have more power, 7.3's stock are probly more reliable, but with some supporting mods(egr delete, headbolts, oil cooler, ect.) the 6.0 can be reliable too. i think the auto behind the 6.0 is pretty good. the truck you are looking at has pretty low miles for a diesel so you should be fine either way, just do some research on here for the common problems on the 6.0 so you know what to watch for. one more thing on the 6.0 is a lot of guys recomend you run a full synthetic but still change it pretty often so if you go that way regular maintenance can get a little expensive. just my 2c. im sure some experienced 6.0 guys will chime in.

[nylyon]

There's a lot of good information on the 6.0 and there's a lot of bad information. What I will tell you is that the 6.0 does have potential issues many of which can be addressed and somewhat prevented. I have a 2003 and do the work myself on the truck. As far as the engine, I have had to replace a sensor, the oil cooler twice and most recently the Y-Pipe. I am now looking into removing the passenger side manifold to remove a broken exhaust bolt.

Bottom line, if you're not afraid to repair the problems that may arise, the 6.0 is a good value. If you need to bring the truck to the dealer or other specialist, it may be costly in the long run. What I can tell you is I absolutely love pulling my 34' camper with my 2003 6.0. It is almost effortless!

[Goocher]

I have no problem doing work myself, but i don't have the means to pull the cab or motor to do head gaskets. or are the HG's not as big of a problem as I've heard them to be.

Also i've found a local 03 F250 with the 7.3 and auto(dunno how many speeds) crew, XLT for about the same price but with 125k miles.

[nylyon]

The 2003 has one advantage in that arena. *One* of the possible causes for failed headgaskets is EGR cooler failure. the 2003's EGR cooler is far more solid and lot less likely to fail than other years. If the truck hasn't been running a tuner, and you're not planning on, I wouldn't worry too much about the head gaskets. Do they fail on 2003 trucks without tuners, that's a better question for a tech or someone who has had that fail. Mine are solid, no tuner and I have 114,000 on the clock. The oil cooler if far more likely to be a problem. There is TONS of information about that, how to check and so forth. If it were me, I would go with the nicer truck regardless of engine.

[cyclonestroker]

Sounds like a good truck. If your positive you're going to buy a new truck, I would pick up a edge insight to take with you and check your EOT and ECT difference. More than 15* difference usually means your oil cooler is headed out the door, which leads to other problems down the road.

[Goocher]

Went and looked at the 6.0 today, wasn't near as nice as the dealership made it out to be. Windshield was cracked, pass. rear window didn't function, had a half assed airbag system installed, then asked if they had the service records, was in the shop 8 times on the list for losing coolant. I think i'm gonna stay away from it. the search goes on.

you were saying to check the temps, i have HP Tuners and i know they do some diesels, but dunno if it would do these.