Looking at Buying an F350 (2008+)… Good Idea or Huge Mistake?

Hey everyone! I’m looking at getting an F350 (crew cab), model year 2008 and up. My budget is around 11,000 Canadian dollars, and I’ve come across some decent deals. Before I go all in, I wanted to see what the truck community thinks about the 2008+ F350s.

I’ve heard both great things and absolute horror stories about the 6.4 Powerstroke. Some say it’s one of the worst diesels ever made, others say it’s fine if maintained properly. I keep seeing people mention adding a “dump” to improve reliability, but I have no idea what that means.

With my budget, I’m looking at trucks with anywhere from 250,000 to 500,000 km. High mileage? Absolutely. But I plan to make sure whatever I buy is well-maintained and has no major mechanical issues (or at least nothing too difficult to fix).

Rust seems to be hit or miss on these, so I’ll just have to judge case by case.

Mechanical skill-wise, I’d rate myself a solid 6/10. But with my level of stubbornness, I’d say 20/10. I will curse, swear, and spend an entire week fixing something if I have to, and somehow, it always works in the end.

As for usage? I’m just gonna drive it from A to B. No towing, no hauling, no worksite use. I just love diesels and think the truck looks badass.

I’m open to all opinions and recommendations—just don’t try to convince me not to buy one, because I’m too stubborn. :laughing:

Whatever you do, do NOT buy a 6.4.

It’s widely considered one of the worst diesel engines ever made. My company had a fleet of them, and they were absolute garbage. If you want a diesel just for fun, consider an older GM 6.5—it’s cheap, reliable, easy to work on, and gets decent mileage.

@Tobin
Or an old Ford 6.9/7.3 IDI. Not the most powerful, but reliable as hell. The GM 6.5 isn’t bad either, just depends on what you like.

Griffin said:
@Tobin
Or an old Ford 6.9/7.3 IDI. Not the most powerful, but reliable as hell. The GM 6.5 isn’t bad either, just depends on what you like.

I’d take a 7.3 over a 6.5 any day for a work truck. But they also cost about 4x as much as an old GM diesel.

@Tobin
True. The 7.3s are great engines though, and the trucks look good too.

If you like the 2008 body style, get a gas engine.

The 6.4s come in two versions—ones that are already broken and ones that will break. Fixing one will cost you at least $15K CAD.

No offense, but you’re 16 and have no idea what you’re getting into. Hope you enjoy paying $2/liter for diesel while getting 4 mpg.

@Teagan
‘Canuckistani kopecks’ got me crying :joy:

@Teagan
So the gas version is that much better? How much of a difference are we talking?

Cleo said:
@Teagan
So the gas version is that much better? How much of a difference are we talking?

Big enough that you’ll actually drive the truck instead of watching it sit in your driveway.

@Dru
I still don’t get why the 6.4 is so hated. If I get one that’s been well cared for and I baby it, how bad could it really be?

Cleo said:
@Dru
I still don’t get why the 6.4 is so hated. If I get one that’s been well cared for and I baby it, how bad could it really be?

Dude, you’re not getting a ‘well cared for’ 6.4 for $11K.

Maybe if you had $25K, but anything in your price range is gonna be beat to hell.

@Zen
You’d be surprised. I’ve talked to a few owners who took great care of theirs. Saw one for $12K, had new tires, oil change done, little rust, no engine issues. Only catch? 400K km on it.

Cleo said:
@Zen
You’d be surprised. I’ve talked to a few owners who took great care of theirs. Saw one for $12K, had new tires, oil change done, little rust, no engine issues. Only catch? 400K km on it.

Even well-maintained 6.4s are piles of junk. It’s literally the worst modern diesel Ford made. It’s a ‘throwaway engine.’

@Fox
What exactly makes it so bad? If the issues are known, shouldn’t they be fixable?

Cleo said:
@Fox
What exactly makes it so bad? If the issues are known, shouldn’t they be fixable?

Here’s the short list: cracked pistons, emissions problems, blown head gaskets, turbo failures, injection issues, oil dilution, fuel in oil, clogged fuel filters, radiator failures, and more. Some of these issues can be fixed, but many are design flaws that you can’t just ‘fix.’

@Fox
That sounds… expensive. :grimacing:

Cleo said:
@Dru
I still don’t get why the 6.4 is so hated. If I get one that’s been well cared for and I baby it, how bad could it really be?

People aren’t hating for no reason. A lot of us have decades of experience with diesels. We’ve seen these trucks break down over and over, even when babied.

Failures happen because of bad engineering, not just poor maintenance. Lots of old guys bought these new and took great care of them—and they still had issues.

At 16, you should be looking for something reliable. A diesel makes no sense unless you’re actually using it for work. And trust me, it’s not fun when your ‘badass truck’ leaves you stranded.

@Dru
Fair points. I appreciate the experienced perspective. I’ll definitely take all this into account before I buy anything.

If you want a truck that’s parked in your driveway more than on the road, buy a cheap 6.4. It’ll impress your friends for a week, then you’ll be taking the bus.

Rio said:
If you want a truck that’s parked in your driveway more than on the road, buy a cheap 6.4. It’ll impress your friends for a week, then you’ll be taking the bus.

A Ford Ranger is too small for me. If I wanted a tiny truck, I’d just buy a car, and that’s not happening.