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2002 Ford Super Duty F-250 - READ ONLY

99 messages,  Last post on Jul 17, 2002 at 8:50 PM

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What is this discussion about? Ford F-250 Super Duty, Truck

Messages Page 7 of 10

#60 of 99 F150 vs F250 towing by dbossman

Mar 11, 2002 (6:42 pm)

I am shopping for a tow vehicle to drag my 1970 Boss Mustang around the country to car shows, speed events, etc. I noticed something interesting when comparing the F150 and F250 towing specs (on the Ford site).
 
Ford says the F150 SuperCab 4x2 with the 5.4 and 3.73 is rated to tow an 8600 lb trailer. With the 4.10 the rating stays at 8600.
 
The F250 SuperCab 4x2 with the 5.4 and 3.73 is rated to tow only 7500 lbs. With the 4.10, the rating jumps to 9000.
 
What gives? Any thoughts on which is the better option?

#61 of 99 dbossman by bess

Mar 11, 2002 (8:23 pm)

Go with the SuperDuty with the 4.10.
 
Bigger payload, better brakes, heavier suspension, bigger interior, and a better looking truck in my opinion.
 
By the time you load a F150 with payload and cooling packages the cost will be similar to that of the SuperDuty..

#62 of 99 dbossman by vwracer

Mar 12, 2002 (10:18 am)

I am in the exact same situation as you(race/show car)the difference between a F150 super cab 4X2 with the big payload package and a F250 is less than $800. I chose the F250 because they are much heavier all the way around. And the F250 will have a much higher resale value in a few more years.

#63 of 99 dbossman by jcave1

Mar 12, 2002 (12:31 pm)

My last truck as an F-150. Came time for replacement and I found the price for 150 vs 250 were very close, i.e. $800 or so that VWRACER mentioned. The 250 is more of a commercial duty rig and is a much better value, at least in my opinion. Did spring for the diesel which was the bigger difference in purchase price.
 
Time will tell how it all works out.

#64 of 99 Buying decision by tj_610

Mar 12, 2002 (6:55 pm)

I tested an F250 Lariat with bench seat, and an F150 SuperCrew at Carmax. Bench seat in 250 had adjustable headrests, SuperCrew did not. Is this a function of 150 vs. 250, or bench seat vs. captain's chairs? I'm tall enough that the captain's chairs aren't high enough for neck support, but head rest in 250 was fine.

#65 of 99 What should I Do by dirtface250

Mar 18, 2002 (2:31 pm)

I have an opportunity to get a clean 2000 F250 PSD Crew cab for a very fair price. The problem is I don't know squat about diesels and I don't have anything to tow around except for dirt bikes which just about any truck could handle. I do like the Looks of the F250. But I'm a little concerned about the PSD. Any opinions for or against would be greatly appreciated.

#66 of 99 RE: What should I Do by jcave1

Mar 18, 2002 (3:07 pm)

All depends on the "VERY FAIR" price. If auto tranny, make certain it's been maintained correctly. A critical coolant additive is FW-15 or FW-16. This additive acts as sacraficical particles, anti-cavitation. Without which the block gets pin holes.
 
Some PSD have this cackle thing going on. Lots of discussion about this on the F-D site.
 
If you've not already, drive it. Diesels are slow getting going so allow adequate time pulling out. My personal take is, you'll either like it right away or hate it. Diesels are not for everybody, just the lucky few. All of the new
diesel rigs are great, if you like oil burners that is.

#67 of 99 Dirtface... by jdtopper

Mar 18, 2002 (5:15 pm)

...I don't think you can go wrong with the diesel. The darn things pull like a locomotive. Mine seldom kicks out of overdrive, even on a 7% on a grade.
 
You'll get about 20-25% better mileage with the PSD and, in some places, diesel is cheaper to boot. The coolant additive that jcave referred to is a standard additive that nearly all diesels use. Having to add it once every 15-20k miles is certainly not a deal-breaker.
 
My only concern is that I've had to turn the rotors twice in 40k miles. I think that's excessive, but haven't found a cure yet. Some other guys have seen the same thing, while others have gone more than 100k.
 
Try it out. I think you'll like it, especially try it on a steep grade at highway speeds...

#68 of 99 dbossman by hubrex2

Mar 18, 2002 (9:02 pm)

One more voice to add. It's been quite awhile since I've posted anything on the site, but I "tuned in" just in time for your post, and it reminded me of my own situation two years ago at this time. I too was in need of a vehicle for towing a racecar--openwheel dirt vintage car in my case. My first choice was an F-150, didn't think the larger F-250 was called for. The more I looked, the more the bigger truck appealed to me. First, I definitely wanted a 5-speed. To me, automatics are for the inept or infirm (just kidding). The F-150 with the stick has absolutely no towing capacity, so score one for the Superduty. When considering interior room and suitability for most truck-type needs, again it was the F-250. I bought the 2WD with the 5.4 V8, 5 speed and 4:10 axle. It tows the car on a War Eagle open trailer very nicely while returning good fuel mileage--15.5 empty in mostly in-town driving, 10-12 towing 4500-5000 lbs. For my situation, it was exactly the right choice--I would not want to be towing this set-up with a half ton truck. The extra amount of truck translates to much more stability on the road. I also wouldn't want to tow much more than this--an enclosed trailer, for example--unless I upgraded to the V-10 or PSD, but for what I have, the V-8 works exceptionally well. Hope this helps--

#69 of 99 by jcave1

Mar 19, 2002 (9:28 am)

FW-16 is about nine bucks at the local Ford dealership. Certainly not a enough money to break a deal. My point is simply, depending on mileage, if it's not been added, that could be a deal breaker. A 2000 PSD probably doens't have tons of miles.
 
Those brake problems still seem odd. A buddies Z-71 does the same thing but your's is the first Ford I've heard of. Keep us posted on how it works out.

Messages Page 7 of 10

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