F250 vs S10 - Opinions please

[widman]

I need another pickup. Has to be extended cab and 4x4, will spend 80% of its life in mud and sand with at least 1000 lbs in the bed.
Today I saw a 99 F250 V10 with 155000 miles. Obviously can handle much more load (which would be nice) but will consume more (although it has been converted to run either gasoline or natural gas).
Also saw a 2001 Chevrolet S10 V6 that theoretically has only 38,000 miles on it. Would hold bare minimum of what I need to haul, but that is a lot less miles. Also $3000 cheaper.

Both have an extra leaf spring that only touches when it is heavily loaded. Is that standard?

I'd like comments on both -

 

[ryansride2017]

It will spend 80% of its life with at least 1000 pounds in the bed? Go with the Ford or it will be a short life. Although I would be hesitant to purchase a truck that was converted to use natural gas or gasoline. Maybe its just me.

 

[duaneb9729]

sounds like apples and oranges to me, perhaps there is a middle ground, some half ton full sized pickups have no problem with that weight or more, and you would be much happier with the mpg than that v-10 ford,

is it hard to fill up with natural gas in bolivia? it would be a lot of work to find a spot here in minneapolis, mn usa to do that although there are spots

how much is the natural gas per gallon ?
heck how much is regular gas there? here it went up to $3.65 localy from $3.46 yesterday when i filled up.

 

[Compman1988]

If you're going to be doing a lot of idling and plan on keeping the truck for awhile, I recommend a diesel, specifically the 7.3 Powerstroke or a newer (5 years or less) Duramax. It will be more expensive, but if you're going to keep the truck a long time, I think it'll be cheapest and best in the long run, not to mention all that low-end torque. If I had to choose, I'd pick the S10, but there are much better choices out there. Just my 2 cents (why won't the pic work!?)

Good luck finding what you need!

 

[Brett Miller]

The S-10 will need intake gaskets so factor that into the equation. Mine went at 33,000.

 

[Cheesehead]

S-10 is really a repair bill waiting to happen. I wouldn't touch one, especially with above 50K on them. They have too much that needs to replaced on them. Give me a used Ranger with the 2.3 or 3.0, an older Toyota, or one of the mid 90's Nissan pickups with the KA24DE or VG30E in them. You are not going to get any kind of good mileage with the S-10's gas hog 4.3.

I have no dog in the hunt...

 

[HM12460]

i have a 4.3 in my truck and it's a gas hog. the V-10, i cant even imagine buying gas for that. have you considered an older F-150 with a 300 engine?

 

[widman]

I'm considering everything I can find in the used market. A new Nissan or Toyota would run about $30,000 (we pay 54% taxes on cars). Not an option to give to drivers who will beat it up.
I also have an F550 with the 6.0, and it was great for about 800 miles and now has been 6 months with four different shops trying to figure out what is wrong.

Prices of Gasoline and Diesel were frozen by the government about 8 years ago at the then current exchange rate, and they are paying hundreds of millions a year in subsidies to keep it going. Every time they mention studying the end of that program the transport, bus, and taxi drivers announce they will strike, so we continue to pay $1.80 a gallon (8 years ago it was $3.00+, but the exchange rate has dropped it), and taxes to cover the subsidy. Natural gas is cheap. I have an E350 that runs only on it, but I can't send it to parts of the country where there is no gas. Also have other pickups, a Mazda 4x2 that stays in the city or paved roads and a 4x4 Mitsubishi Triton. Both of these are gasoline/natural gas optional, so my fuel cost is about 1/2 of what it would be on straight gasoline.
I know it is apples and oranges. The Chevrolet, or some Tacomas and a Ranger I've looked at would limit what we could do in weight, but I don't want to buy anything that has been in this country more than a year, since no one will have taken decent care of it. Saw a 2000 Tundra this week that had been run on straight 40 weight SF oil. Engine already rebuilt at 60,000 miles.
Keep the comments coming. I'll look more closely before settling on the S-10.

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: widman
will spend 80% of its life in mud and sand with at least 1000 lbs in the bed.
....
Also saw a 2001 Chevrolet S10 V6 that theoretically has only 38,000 miles on it. Would hold bare minimum of what I need to haul, but that is a lot less miles. Also $3000 cheaper.

I'd like comments on both -


I have a 1999 S-10 with about 35,000 miles on it. Mine only has the 2.2 litre four/5 speed manual.

I have loaded it up to 1000 pounds on firm ground and pavement, and while it will haul it, the brakes, suspension, chassis, everything seems overwhelmed by that type of weight. Unless the V-6 has an upgraded everything over the four, I think you would have a lot better service life from the Ford.

In daily commercial service that you describe, I think the smaller truck would break you.

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: Cheesehead
S-10 is really a repair bill waiting to happen. I wouldn't touch one,


My S-10 has never needed a repair on anything - it's been totally troublefree. Maybe I got lucky, but it's also got less than 50K on it. It's a basic work truck - a/c, radio, that's it.

One thing about the S-10, while I hate underpowered vehicles, and the S-10 is underpowered, it has a lot of capacity in the bed. Compared to a Ranger, unless they have changed the design, the S-10 holds a lot more in the bed.

I have owned both.

 

[JHZR2]

The FIL carries palets of oil in a superduty f250 with the 5.4 and a beefed up rear suspension.

Has worked great on the severe terrain of St. Thomas.

I dont think that 1000# is all that terrible. A good app to have a transmission cooler installed? Probably, but all the same, based upon that experience, id say that any run of the mill V8 F250 would work fine.

I love my S10, and it has been a great 4wd vehicle, but even if it had an extended cab,it would be small inside, if it was a crew cab, its still tight (may be OK, might not be...) The 4.3L and 4-sp auto is a tough combination, but it just isnt as adept at hauling really high loads, unless you really beef up the rear springs, which is an option.

JMH

 

[Mr_Incredible]

I have a F250SD V10. 1000 pounds is nothing. I keep 750 lbs. in sand bags in the back during the winter and you'd hardly know it was there.

If you're looking for longevity I'd go for the F250 since it's so much stronger. If operating costs are key, I'd still go for the F250 since it will likely require fewer repairs. I have no idea which would be cheaper/easier to get parts for in your area.

 

[TooManyWheels]

A very good friend has a 2000 model of the 250 with V10. Bought it with 200k miles - it carries about 2000 lbs daily, plus often pulls about 9000 lbs of trailer. He loves it except for one problem - it will not run on regular without experiencing pre-detonation. We have tried everything - all the various gas tank treatments to remove carbon (MMO and ATF, FP, Neutra), it has been to the dealer for a check and computer reflash, it still doesn't run correctly on anything but premium. Engine apparently is in excellent shape except for the clattering.

A call to Ford revealed that the 2000 model was some kind of rush compromise for US emissions, therefore it was not tested and developed completely. I don't know if the '99 model would be caught up in this or not, but if premium is scarce it would be something to check.

Another problem with the early V10s was the heads had very few spark plug threads, so plug blow outs were common, and plug replacement was tricky.

Generally though, SuperDuty V10 owners on the forums are very happy with them, say they are a heck of a truck. I think the friend gets 13-ish in the city, 15-17 highway.

If safety is a consideration, the S10s are regarded as very unsafe vehicles from front and side impact perspectives.

 

[mcrn]

I still think a 1/2 ton should be considered? I am not sure why you go for the 2 extremes such as the 1 ton and a compact truck? I f150 or a 1500 would probably serve you well. I do think the thing that would lean me towards the 1 ton in your application would be if your road conditions are really bad then I would lean towards the solid front axle of the Ford or Dodge 1 ton.

 

[addyguy]

If your gas is that cheap, go with the F250. Just gives you that extra capacity and strength if you need it. Just my opinion, S10's are nice looking trucks, but I don't think they are that overall reliable, especially if they are being operated at near capacity.

 

[1sttruck]

A coworker with an older big block F250 says that she gets 2 mpg when towing their large boat. But, an F250 shouldn't really know that 1000 lbs is in the bed.

 

[swalve]

I believe that V10 gets 11 mpg no matter what you're doing with it.

I've driven both, and the F250 is by far a better truck on all counts. Except gas mileage. That V10 is the smoothest engine I've ever seen.

You can probably add better tires and higher capacity springs to the S10 to make it deal with the load better.

 

[widman]

My closest (or at least most responsive and reasonably priced) parts dealer for Fords is in Kent Washington, connected by UPS. I'm worried about repairing that V10 some day down the road.
I put the S10 on the ramp this morning and the drive shaft has been replaced. Has a U-Joint with mounting holes, but it is welded on. And a leaky transmission out of the driveshaft seal. I may keep looking.

 

[Black Bart]

The FORD is a truck the S10 is a poser

 

[eljefino]

The Ford sounds Bolivia-ready with the local propane conversion.

However, you should ask has it been used up? Very hard miles.

I would still go for it though.