Buying a high mileage diesel

My boat policy with NBOA specifically includes my trailer. Enterprise guy and I also discussed that I was pulling my boat and how much it weighed so i'll be mightly unhappy if they say I can't tow anything else with it now! I can't imagine why I couldn't if I maintain separate coverage on it.
 
I have NBOA, as well. IIRC, my auto insurance kicks in first on the trailer, then the boat policy kicks in. I should really know for sure - for my own piece of mind. I'll have to call them again. Good thing you posted about this! But, none of that really pertains to your situation.

I would just double check with Enterprise that what you are being told is correct. Sounds like you're on top of things, though.

Another random thought... does your auto policy cover rentals? And if so, does it cover truck rentals that will be used for towing?

As you can tell, I'm not as familiar with insurance coverages as I should be, so forgive me if I'm asking an obvious question. They're just questions that are going through my mind and they may or may not be going through yours.:smt001
 
Dennis- All valid questions. I need to sit down and review my auto insurance policy and have a talk with my agent since I don't even own a tow vehicle any more. Just an Audi A6 so I wonder what's even contemplated in that policy. Damn lawyers! Wait . . . that's me. Oh well.

Another point I needed to mention that is probably answered here so I'll research it as well is brake controllers. I highly doubt the Enterprise trucks are outfitted with one. But I assume a good controller is plug and play on newer diesels?? What do I need to look for when buying one. I'm thinking I plug it in and just lay it somewhere. I hope I'm missing something else!
 
The Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller gets great reviews. Check it out. Plug and play.

Doug
 
New Super Duties have them built in as part of the towing package. Its call the tow command system, so you shouldn't need to worry about the electronic brake control. Does your trailer have electric over hydrolic or regular surge brakes? My F250 pulls our 280 just fine. Pulled it this summer from GA to CA...drank a lot of fuel especially through NM and AZ but handled the job with plenty of power both pulling and stopping.
 
That will be great if it has one. I'm going to stop by and reserve one and check that out today. My trailer will have straight electric. Fresh water only. Loadmaster recommended them. Gary Sr has been great to work with.
 
Not much to add, but I've had Ford, Chevy, and recently Dodge. Short beds, long beds, one tons, 3/4 tons and duallies. Don't buy a dually unless you have to. First, it's a PITA to park or drive in tight spots. Second, rotating tires is expensive and a pain- Also, buying them gets expensive. As far as motors go, the Cummins has always been the best (I've had two). The problem is all these types of trucks (no matter what brand) hold their value quite well, thus, it's hard to find a nice "cheap" one.
 
My buddy has a '94 Dodge w/ the Cummins diesel and the 5sp with a very HD clutch.

He has this thing tuned up with injectors, blueprinted fuel pump, exhaust, etc. I have to tell you, this truck is FAST! I mean I can't believe how fast this thing is. I've driven it on several occasions, and once you get into 3rd gear, lay into the throttle and the truck just screams. Not only is it fast, it just has a ton of torque. Gobs and gobs. Keep the pedal at the same distance on the floor while going up a hill with a heavy load, and the truck just doesn't stop.

I have an F250 V10 and the the thing is a monster as well. It'll tow just about anything you can throw at it. I've had no complaints with it thus far. As others have mentioned, watch for certain year power strokes. They have been known to have many issues.

Doug
 
Some good advice above - I'd recommend the 4x4 as well. The extra traction as well as low range can definitely be your friend on a slippery ramp pulling out a heavy load. The trans cooler is a good suggestion - a late model 6.0 cooler is a popular replacement as it's factory and almost twice the size.

A good forum to investigate is this: http://www.ford-trucks.com/ Lots of knowledge there along with good technical articles, etc.

I own an 01 F250 7.3. The forum listed is excellent. I am a member. Maintenance, econ mods and all out power mods are covered very well by a huge friendly knowledgeable user group. Go to the forum and ask for the pre-purchase check list. Trans Diode was July 2000 through March 2001 trans build dates (tag on trans will be more specific than the truck build date). This is actually a thread in the forum today. I pull a fifth wheel camper at nearly 12k lbs, the 220 DA, car hauler. Very happy with the performance with minimal economy mods.
As noted earlier, any manufacturer has good choices. It's all a matter of personal preference and availability.
 
This has been an informative thread. I actually started thinking about the V10 just because I'll only occasionally use it to tow and they seem to be much cheaper. But for now, I think I'll rent. If that becomes a pita I'll start shopping again.
 
This has been an informative thread. I actually started thinking about the V10 just because I'll only occasionally use it to tow and they seem to be much cheaper. But for now, I think I'll rent. If that becomes a pita I'll start shopping again.

Yeah, the only disadvantage to the V10 is it can be thirsty for fuel as compared to a diesel. The problem for me was I literally was contemplating the diesel several years ago and I did a search for diesel fuel in the area. I found maybe 1 gas station that sold diesel in a 5 mile radius. I wasn't too happy with that, so I opted for the gas instead.


Doug
 
If cross country towing is any part of the equation, the diesel is much more convinient. I don't tow much faster than 60 ever with my trailer and I don't like pulling a big triple axle into small gas stations. All the interstate truck stops were very convinient for me and made pulling through very easy.
 
I actually love my V10 - tows the 270 very well and the mileage, well - yes it sucks... I get 10-11 around town and 13.5-14.5 on the highway. It is a 7500lb truck afterall - but I prefer the gas to the diesel for my situation. Short drives are bad for diesels since they don't warm up. The longest drive I do unless on a trip is 3-5 miles. You'll quickly find that diesels have a price premium which makes it very difficult to make up for with just mileage gains and a slight increase of power.

I did the math for me at 10k miles a year and it was going to take 7-8 years to even out the 3-5k price difference in the diesel vs. gas. The V10 puts out 310hp and 425ft/lbs of torque and is rated to tow the same as the diesel depending on gear ratio.

Current gas prices = 2.68 and diesel is 2.79 in my area:
Assuming 10k miles per year and an avg of 12mpg for gas and 15mpg for diesel
Gas = 10000/12 = 833 gallons * 2.68 = $2232 a year
Diesel = 10000/15 = 667 gallons + 2.79 = $1861 a year
Difference = 2232 - 1861 = $371 a year more to drive gas.
Factor in the purchase price (at least on Excursions) of 3-5k more for a diesel. I'll use the low end of $3k
3000/371 = 8 years....

Factor in higher priced oil changes, fuel filter replacements, etc and it may or may not be necessary for your application. You may find people who will claim higher mpg on a diesel but that's a good average for both from the other boards I'm on. The newer diesels get even worse due to the DPF and in those states with emissions checks you will not be able to modify them like in years past. It comes down to a personal choice so just offering a different point of view.
 
I also have the full banks power package on my V10 - headers, 3" exhaust all the way back, banks muffler, banks trans command, banks intake/filter setup, and a throttle body spacer. Banks claims 56 hp and 67 lb-ft of torque. Who knows exactly without a dyno.

Keep in mind there is a 2 valve and a 3 valve V10.

Doug
 
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The V10 in the Excursion was only the 2 valve and the 310/425 is the actual specs for it. The 3 valve introduced in 2005 was only offered in the Super Duty trucks and was rated at 355hp and 455lb/ft of torque - it was also offered with the Torque Shift transmission.
 
The V10 in the Excursion was only the 2 valve and the 310/425 is the actual specs for it. The 3 valve introduced in 2005 was only offered in the Super Duty trucks and was rated at 355hp and 455lb/ft of torque - it was also offered with the Torque Shift transmission.

You are correct. I misquoted and I'll fix... Here's some more info for the Super Duty.

1999 V10 - 275hp with around 400 ft lbs torque (2-valve)

2000-2004 V-10 - 310 hp, 425 ft/lbtorque (2-valve).

2005 up V-10 - 362 hp, 457 ft/lbtorque (3-valve).

In 2000-2004 the 2V V10 got "PI" performance improved head which bumped the power up above 3k rpm. Late production 02'-04' V10 got extra threads in the spark plug hole.

2005 Up V10's got an extra valve per cylinder (3 valves instead of 2) and a varible volume intake manifold.

Doug
 
Late production 02'-04' V10 got extra threads in the spark plug hole.

Good point to bring up - the earlier engines did have a nasty habit of ejecting spark plugs if they weren't torqued correctly or they were left in too long. This is precisely why I had my search down to 03-05 Ex's when I was looking last year. How do you like the Banks system? What truck do you have?
 
My buddy has a '94 Dodge w/ the Cummins diesel and the 5sp with a very HD clutch.

He has this thing tuned up with injectors, blueprinted fuel pump, exhaust, etc. I have to tell you, this truck is FAST! I mean I can't believe how fast this thing is. I've driven it on several occasions, and once you get into 3rd gear, lay into the throttle and the truck just screams. Not only is it fast, it just has a ton of torque. Gobs and gobs. Keep the pedal at the same distance on the floor while going up a hill with a heavy load, and the truck just doesn't stop.

I have an F250 V10 and the the thing is a monster as well. It'll tow just about anything you can throw at it. I've had no complaints with it thus far. As others have mentioned, watch for certain year power strokes. They have been known to have many issues.

Doug

You should drive one of the new 6.7 Cummins (I have one now) with 350 HP. Compared to the last 12 valve Cummins I had - with a full Banks diesel kit on it (about $2500.00) there is no comparison. That 6.7 will push you back in the seat; and, will cruise at about 18 -20 MPG all day on the highway.
 

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