F250 1st Gen verse 2nd Gen - any thoughts V10 verse the 5.4 V8

So in looking at the 3rd Gen F250's with the 6.2, I have taken a look again at some of the older models. Specifically found  two that I am considering.

2010 F250 XL Standard Cab 4x4 with the 5.4 gas V8 - 126K miles, good condition, rear bed fenders rusted out, chassis is good as is the cab. Frame looks good and has had a full exhaust (manifolds, cats, exhaust and o2 sensors and new brakes. Stock and not fancy , but a solid truck for a fair price. Clean carfax no accidents or issues. 

2003 F250 XLT Super Cab 4x4 with the 6.2 V10 - 117K miles, good condition, rust in the cab corners, but solid, has a 6 inch lift, big wheels and tires, nicer truck but older. Clean carfax, no accidents or issues. Good looking

The 2003 is $2,000 less than the 2010. I drove the 2010 today, drives as I would expect, nothing exciting as the 5.4 is improved in the 2010 version but nothing special and not particularly well thought of, but seems to last 200K if maintained. I am driving the 2003 laster today, the V10 has just been tuned up and has new coilpacks and runs great. My understanding is that if you can deal with the gas mileage, it is a better choice than the 5.4 and a much better choice than the unreliable 6.0 Powerstroke Diesel. 

I suspect, I'll see the 2003 and drive it and fall in love with the V10, but will I regret it, what do you all think? Purpose of the truck is to tow a trailer when I need to, and pickup parts and be my back up ride when necessary. Won't be a daily driver and I'll probably put less than 8K on it a year.

Loved the V10 in my Excursion.  My understanding is that in 2003 the V10 is a very simple engine with the only real "trick" being the balance shaft in the right head.  The 5.4 in the F150 should have the cam phasers which I think can be problematic.  That might be Internet amplification, of course.  The 5.4 is a good strong motor, for sure, but I think that the V10 still out does it in the torque department.  The v10 is a pretty thirsty engine, but the 2-valve motors are pretty reliable.

That concurs with my research. Many commentators called the V10 the gas equivalent of the problematic diesel as an good option for towing. Higher or similar HP and splits the difference in torque between the 5. 2 V8 and the 6.0 diesel. My goal here is easily towing, as I had a 1500 Suburban and it really struggled when towing a flatbed trailer on the hills, even towing my little sports cars. So looking for a reasonably priced used HD truck, that is designed to tow and that is nice enough to use as a 2nd vehicle in a pinch. Great to hear that your experience with the V10 as that is my first choice, assuming it drives as described and is overall in decent shape as has been described.

Reread the first post 

The coil front suspension will ride much better in the 2010. In my experience 

Looked at the 2003 last night, truck needs major bodywork, so will pass on that one. But as I was leaving his buddy said he also had an F350 XLT V10 with a manual transmission that he would sell. 111k miles, 2000 with a 5 speed. New brakes all around, headers and custom exhaust, 33" tires, old enough to not have to pass emissions and run historic tags. Any thoughts before I pull the trigger, might have found my work truck!

In reply to dherr (Forum Supporter) :

I hate those wheels with an all-consuming passion and those tires will really make sure you know they're there on the highway.   But otherwise, that seems like a great truck.

Yeah, I feel the same on the wheels, but can probably find some kid that will want them and then get something more in line with my intended plans for the truck.

In reply to dherr (Forum Supporter) :

Yeah, the wheels and tires are easy enough to fix.  I just had to hold my hand up to my monitor to block them out so I could be objective.

One thing to check on Fords of that vintage is the ESOF mechanism in the hubs.  They're vacuum-operated and prone to leaks.  It's not the end of the world if the system stops working, you can just flip the switch manually on each hub.  I would usually just drive around with the hubs locked from about November through March and it didn't seem to affect anything.  But if they still work on a truck of that vintage it's a good sign that the truck was well cared-for.  And if they don't, it could be helpful in the pricing negotiations.

Also, that vintage of Superduty has known leaky windshields.  You'll never notice until the middle of a cold rainy night when it's been raining several hours or days and the horn starts blowing.  You dash out there, see what's going on, realize you have to disconnect the battery before your neighbors come with tar and feathers and then realize, berkeley!, there's two of them!

A F350 SRW, with V10 and manual trans, why yes please.  At first the headers made me think but then the V10s are hard on exhaust manifolds so probably a good solution.

wae said:

In reply to dherr (Forum Supporter) :

Yeah, the wheels and tires are easy enough to fix.  I just had to hold my hand up to my monitor to block them out so I could be objective.

One thing to check on Fords of that vintage is the ESOF mechanism in the hubs.  They're vacuum-operated and prone to leaks.  It's not the end of the world if the system stops working, you can just flip the switch manually on each hub.  I would usually just drive around with the hubs locked from about November through March and it didn't seem to affect anything.  But if they still work on a truck of that vintage it's a good sign that the truck was well cared-for.  And if they don't, it could be helpful in the pricing negotiations.

Manual trans likely doesn't have that. I had a 7.3 6spd F350 SRW and then a 6.0 6spd DRW and with the third pedal you also got manual shift transfer case and manually locking hubs from the factory. 

So the guy selling the F350 V10 manual backed out of the deal. So kept looking and found this one locally. This one is an automatic, but lower miles (94K), 2001 FORD F-250 SUPER DUTY LARIAT V10 in really solid condition. New coil packs, runs smooth and feels like the low mileage big truck that it is. Has in the cab corners like they all do, but overall is pretty solid and the frame looks great. Was priced right so looking forward to getting this home on Friday and getting started to go through it and make it mine. Only know issue so far is a PO720 code, which is an output shaft speed sensor. I'll swap the sensor as they are cheap and hopefully that clears the code.

Congrats.

My 02 rusted in the door bottoms, cab corner on one side and the damned oil pan. My 05 rusted in the rockers and door bottoms. My 06, knock on wood, has stayed pretty well free of the rust, so far. 

Overall this 2001 is pretty solid. Bed supports have some rust, frame is very solid. Passenger side needs a cab corner, but rockers are pretty solid. Drivers side needs a cab corner as well but rockers need some work. Doors are clean as is the rest of the truck. Since it is white, pretty easy to fix and paint without having to paint the whole truck. According to the Carfax, it was a government vehicle for some of it's life and obviously was not driven since it has averaged 4,300 miles per year over the last 22 years. I'll probably drive it 5,000 miles a year, so not much will change but it should give me everything that I need in a tow pig and parts hauler. V10 is clean, looks well maintained and runs smooth.

Looking to have these made up for both doors to advertise my hobby business.