Ford 7.3 IDI vs 90s Powerstroke?

Buddy had a late 80s 6.9 IDI.  It refused to die.  He towed a monster 5th wheel with it and it finally rusted away to nothing with about 550k on it.  He only ever did basic maintenance and maybe a glow plug relay.  It got pretty good mpg for a dually (over 20), but it was pathetically slow.  Embarassingly slow.  It actually had the torque available to keep the 5th wheel moving, but just awful

The 7.3 IDI was the same critter, just more displacement.  Still slow

7.3L Powerstroke started in late 1994, often referred to as a 94.5.  It continued through the OBS without an intercooler (but the aftermarket has you covered.... although it doesn't really help unless you're turning up the power.  Starting with the 01 they all came with an intercooler (except vans).

Unless you find a really flawless example of an IDI, they are all 30 years old now and will likely be rotted, wasted, or otherwise crushed.  Even if you find that unicorn, be prepared for (see: embarrasingly slow comment above).  The 7.3L Powerstroke is way better, but they come with the tax.  It seems like anyone buying a PS is instantly willing to pay a base rate of $10,000 just for the pleasure of owning it.  If you find one, you'll find that they tend to be wonderful.  For the most part any gremlins they have are all super easy fixes.  Glow plug relays like to die every 60-100k.  Cam position sensors can take a hike around 150-250k but they're a 10 minute swap.  The wiring for the glow plugs is molded into the valve cover gasket and they can fail causing some glow plugs to not work.

I've owned a few 7.3L strokes and I absolutely adored them.  Great mileage, awesome torque, super reliable, but I stopped giving up hope of ever having one again.  Old wasted PS trucks selling for crack money these days.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

pathetically  and Embarrassingly are veery subjective. My first being around was a 6.9 f250 club cab 4wd, when it was brand new in mid '80s. Was definitely not quick, but my friend rolled out of mid FL at night, with a bird dog and a cb - set the speed-o on 90 mph, and came on up the road. Fast enough; granted empty, but still. 
Just about everyone here can name a couple of cars of that era that were slower. 
Brings to mind a early '90s magazine shootout article I read... BBF Dually crew cab vs BBC Dually crew cab. They found very minor differences in them, including 1/4 mile runs (yep faster than the current diesels) I don't remember the exact times running empty, but with 2000lbs of gravel in each, it only slowed 'em down about a second! Pretty impressive. 
They leaned towards the chebby (from a mag.? Couldn't be!) but it was (admittedly)only for minor stuff. Great read, if anyone could find it. 

In reply to accordionfolder :

No idea about the rear end, but it was automatic so I presume 4spd. It easily towed 75+ all the way back from Gainesville, which admittedly doesn't have any truly steep hills. I certainly passed plenty of traffic with the rig.

I drove a '94 F350 2wd crew cab dually with a utility bed and a 7.3 IDI, e4od, and a 4.10. It usually grossed about 9900#, and towed 7000. It had 2 uphill speeds: 45 and 25. 45 was the top of second, and 25 was the top of first. I never had it slow down below 25 on a climb. Although there was 1 climb leaving the shop that started with a right turn (5mph) that the truck alone wouldn't even get to 25 on. Mileage was always 12.