CtrlAltDelete wrote If you know nothing about diesels you should buy a 7.3. The 6.0 Powerstroke is a great truck after many stock parts are gone. They take time to learn and are very complex pieces of equipment.

Yes diesels cost more. Fuel, parts, additives you name it cost more. Every oil change is $100,injectors 3000-4000 dollars. Head gaskets and studs $6000.

Yes they cost more but they are alot of fun to work on and build up. If you don't haul or tow its not very practical but cant take the money with you lol

002 wrote Looks like I'm a little late to the party here BUT none the less I'll still reply lol.

2005-2007 6.0's hold better value than the 2003/4 because of the upgraded suspension (coil front instead of leaf spring), as well as some engine differences.

I loved my 2006 and I also love my 2005. The 2006 was my first diesel and I don't regret anything. That truck by far was the most reliable truck I've ever owned. Just simple maintenance, no big repairs and it lasted me a long time before I decided I wanted to upgrade. You'll hear you need to stud these trucks and do all these upgrades but that is not my experience. I drive like an absolute idiot. That engine was completely stock minus the blue spring in the fuel bowl and I ran the hottest tune I could get. Ran it up to just shy of 200k miles and it never skipped a beat. The truck got sold to a guy who is using it as his "work truck" up in Alaska moving boats and crab pots and to me knowledge it's still going strong.

My 2005 has a similar story, but the previous owner did the studding and the EGR delete and some other engine mods (about $10k worth of work) I've got a ton more money into this truck than I did the 06 simply because I'm almost rebuilding it. I've done all new suspension, rebuilt the front axle, etc. etc. not because it needed it (in most cases) but because I wanted a "new" 6.0.

For a first diesel in the Ford world you'll hear people say get a 7.3 but I disagree. These trucks are old, it doesn't matter if you get a 7.3, 6.0, 6.4 or one of the first 6.7's they are old and will need repairs. The difference on the 6.0 and arguably the 6.4 is that they had a very rocky start and thankfully it was when people started really getting into making videos on repairing things. Anything you need to repair on a 6.0 you can find a video on. The 7.3 is kind of in the dark but eventually you'll get it. I'm not a mechanic by any means, I'm just a carpenter but I do find the 6.0 very easy to work on.

As far as diesel vs a gas, gas will always be the cheaper option. They are cheaper to buy up front, they are cheaper to maintain, and cheaper to repair. For example, take a 2006 Superduty with the 5.4L and it takes 7 quarts of oil. The 6.8L V10 take 6 quarts, but the 6.0 takes 15 quarts. It costs me around $120 to do an oil change if I do it myself. My old V10 would be under $50, probably under $40. Diesel is often more expensive than gas and while you do get better MPG, if you are just daily driving you won't get enough MPG difference to offset the cost of diesel alone. Maybe if you're towing but even then it's a stretch. Unless you need the towing capacity, you are buying a diesel because you like the way it feels, sounds, smells, etc. You will not save money or even break even with a diesel compared to a gasser.

The short story is yes, I would absolutely recommend a 6.0 as a first diesel. The one you posted pics of I would stay away from. You can get new cab corners and rocker panels but that's fairly expensive. As it sits right now it's not that bad, however one thing is for sure and that is it won't get better. You'd have to cut it all out to good metal and paint the edges and be ok with the holes for it to stop. Rust absolutely kills resale value. Not only that, but if the body looks like that what did the under side of the truck look like? Rusted bolts are a HUGE paint to get off, and if they snap then that's a whole nother issue.

TheFakeMrSneaky wrote Can a mod delete this thread.