2010 F-350 6.4. Good truck?

Buffettfan · 07-21-2022, 09:59 AM

I came across a very clean, one owner 2010 F350 with the 6.4 Power Stroke.
97000 miles, the truck is clean.
Under $30K

I'm torn buying this old of a vehicle, but until we move south, away from the rust belt, I am hesitant to spend a metric crap ton on a new truck.

Thoughts?

TIA!

wiredgeorge · 07-21-2022, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buffettfan

I came across a very clean, one owner 2010 F350 with the 6.4 Power Stroke.
97000 miles, the truck is clean.
Under $30K

I'm torn buying this old of a vehicle, but until we move south, away from the rust belt, I am hesitant to spend a metric crap ton on a new truck.

Thoughts?

TIA!

The Ford haters will be onto with this one! I have a 2006 with the 6.0L and I paid $7K a couple years ago. I have spent several thousand dollars correcting issues with the truck and glad I bought the one I have since it meets my needs.

The 6.4L also had a mixed reputation. You might want to go to powerstroke.com and find out what issues are common with that engine because here you will hear all the detractors and will be told to buy a 6.7L or Chevy or Ram. My opinion is that if you have a mechanic put some gauges on the prospective truck (if you don't have any) and take a careful look, you can probably figure with the mechanics's help if your purchase will end up costing you more or you have a bargain.

The best thing about the 6.0L and 6.4L Fords is that their used values are still pretty reasonable due the reputation issues. The earlier 7.3L has crazy used values as it is considered iconic but really isn't that strong an engine for a turbo diesel but does have a good reliability reputation. Good luck.

bsmith0404 · 07-21-2022, 10:19 AM

Wife’s uncle just bought a similar truck, yes I told him to get a Duramax, but a quick google search on common problems with the 6.4 gave a pretty good list of things that are typical. I remember coolant leak as one of the main concerns. I actually didn’t realize the 6.4 had as many problems that it did. I knew the 6.0 did, everyone knows about the 6.0. Like anything else, you could buy it and never have a problem, or you could have one or multiple problems listed. On forums, you’ll either get “I have one, best truck I ever had” or “I had one and it was the biggest pos I’ve ever owned”. Look up the info like I suggested, decide if you’re comfortable with the risk of common problems.

fjr vfr · 07-21-2022, 11:22 AM

Bad, Bad, Hate, Hate! LOL, just kidding.
First find what the previous owner has done so you have some knowledge as to what to expect. Educate yourself about the truck and trucks like it.
Second, how is your ability dealing with potential problems? And lastly do you have access to a mechanic who knows something about diesels?
Tough decision. Good luck

jsb5717 · 07-21-2022, 11:41 AM

Personally, no way. But there are some of them still on the road after thousands of miles. I think it's really a game of odds. The odds are higher than others for having problems...but that's no guarantee that there will be problems. If the previous owner "bulletproofed" the truck then the odds of problems go way down.

I had the Ford 7.3 diesel. It ran like a top even when I sold it with 220K miles on it. If I were looking to buy a truck today under $30k I'd feel better with a higher mile RAM or GM over a Ford 6.0 or 6.4, even though they will often need a tranny before 200K. Still cheaper than a new engine.

Anyway, it's got to be about your comfort level with the possibility of having to spend a lot of money down the road. It's also possible that it could run great for another 100K.

I think it's a dice roll kind of purchase.

rhagfo · 07-21-2022, 12:07 PM

So I was a Ford MOCO Zealot for 42 years until time for a diesel came about. Late 2010 was looking to replace our 89 F250 460 auto as we were getting back into RVing and it wasn’t doing the job of towing our 9,000# 5er.
Well long story short, bought a used 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 CTD with 5 sped manual. It only had 234,000 miles on it. Did the job Gerry well, only non maintenance cost was a new clutch when I added a small chip and slipped the clutch.

Camp CA · 07-21-2022, 12:13 PM

I have owned many Ford trucks and now have a 2016 F350 6.7 diesel that works very well for me. Check out this review of a 2010 6.4: https://www.cars.com/research/ford-f...sumer-reviews/

bsmith0404 · 07-21-2022, 12:40 PM

Here you go. This is what I spoke about before. You can look it up for Ram and GM as well

https://dieselresource.com/diesel-resources/6-4l-powerstroke-problems/

**JRTJH** · 07-21-2022, 01:58 PM

My BIL bought a 2010 F350 in 2015, it was 5 years old with 235000 miles on it. In the past 7 years, he's put another 150000 on it for a total of 385000 miles. The only thing he'd done to it is replace a sensor in the transmission and the brake light switch (some wonkey looking gadget) that controls the shifter, keeping it in park unless your foot is on the brake...

The engine runs great, transmission and transfer case have never been an issue, but the typical "rusted out fender wells" are now "covered with plastic fender liners" and he plans to keep driving it until it quits.

He did comment a few weeks ago when he was looking for those plastic fender liners that there are lots of spare parts in the junk yards, but no body panels that are even close to rebuildable.

That said, for every truck like his, there's another one in the junk yard, so buying used is more a "research the prior maintenance and repairs" as it is "luck in finding one that looks good and still runs".....

HouseMouse · 07-21-2022, 03:01 PM

it's a roll of the dice either way but, 'If" you buy it, you own it. No Guarantee's, warranty's Implied, expressed, or otherwise.

**flybouy** · 07-21-2022, 04:47 PM

I guess I'm one of the "lucky" owners. I've had no issues. When I bought mine (it was used, 18 months old) I bought it from a Ford dealer about 80 miles away. They sold it and maintained it and presented all the records. After buying it I took it to a local Ford dealer that has a huge diesel shop. Therealways emergency vehichles, contractor trucks, etc. there.

The service manager who, I got to know well after we bought our F150 KR there and I had a conversation about the 2010 6.4L. What he told me was that the majority of the issues they had seen were mis-use and neglect. He said the important things to do were change the oil and use Ford oil only. He said to only use Ford filters or Wic equivalent. Change the antifreeze (flush and refill) and use the specific antifreeze (Ford or Zerex). When the engine goes into regen drive until it finishes the regen and don't drag race with it during regen.

I will say that a lot of folks replaced the dpf and catalytic converter with a straight pipe and installed a tuner. They reported that it eliminated the regen issue and made a remarkable difference in performance. Of course tuners are illegal and rarer then hens teeth these days. I will also attest to the lousy design of the bottom radiator hose. It's a 2 piece hose and after about 3 years will leak where the 2 prices are joined. That era of Ford Superduty trucks are hard on steering components, mainly the tie rods. Hope that helps.

Buffettfan · 07-21-2022, 05:12 PM

Thanks for all the great input, folks!
Especially Marhsall, with pretty close to the same truck I'm looking at.

BSmith and Camp Ca, Thanks, I'd actually looked at those 2 exact sites before posting here. Great Minds!

House Mouse, you are 100% correct. I was going to check on an aftermarket warranty.

I'm thinking I'm about 99% in the pass mode for this one.
For the cost of a couple of new truck payments, I can keep the old '08 Ram in tow mode for a few years.
I know I need to upgrade, and when I do, it'll be to a 1 ton capable of pulling a 5W comfortably.

Back to Plan A, wait till we move out of the rust belt, then look at something new.

Thanks for letting me sound off!

Badbart56 · 07-22-2022, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buffettfan

Thanks for all the great input, folks!
Especially Marhsall, with pretty close to the same truck I'm looking at.

BSmith and Camp Ca, Thanks, I'd actually looked at those 2 exact sites before posting here. Great Minds!

House Mouse, you are 100% correct. I was going to check on an aftermarket warranty.

I'm thinking I'm about 99% in the pass mode for this one.
For the cost of a couple of new truck payments, I can keep the old '08 Ram in tow mode for a few years.
I know I need to upgrade, and when I do, it'll be to a 1 ton capable of pulling a 5W comfortably.

Back to Plan A, wait till we move out of the rust belt, then look at something new.

Thanks for letting me sound off!

I got a quote on an aftermarket warranty for my F-350 several years ago. After I gave the lady all the information she exclaimed, "Oh my god, you can't afford this! It's $9,000 dollars!"

Pull Toy · 07-22-2022, 04:53 AM

Aftermarket warranty? Just sit by your phone for a minute or two! I’m sure “dealer services” will call about your warranty…

Kidding aside, I’ve been pulling with Ford diesels for 20 years. As with any purchase, have a knowledgeable DIESEL mechanic go over it first, then stay on top of maintenance.

Good luck,

Hblick48 · 07-22-2022, 04:32 PM

I just went from a 2005 F250 XLT 6.0 to a 2017 F350 Lariet 6.7. The difference between these two trucks is like night and day.

I spent big bucks bulletproofing, so engine wasn't an issue. Biggest problem I had was hot side CAC boots blowing off when towing up hills. Happened to me 3 times on different trips after replacing with new boots. All of a sudden "bang" and no power. Luckily I was always able to pull off safely. Take off the boot, clean with acetone, re install and prey it doesn't happen again. Fun working on a hot engine on the side of the interstate in 100 degree weather.

New trucks pulls rig no problem. F250 was at least 800 pounds over payload capacity. Now I have reserve payload. F250 sounded, drove, and rode like a TRUCK!. F350 rides and drives so much better loaded or unloaded plus it's quiet. You can actually have a conversation through the window without shutting down the engine.

Wish I would have upgraded before I spent $$$ to bulletproof.

Badbart56 · 07-22-2022, 06:00 PM

Go with a 6.7 if you can. You'll be happier in the long run. They're proving to be as reliable as the old 7.3 was, and the 6.7's have loads of power. The Ford diesel techs that I know (I worked at a Ford dealer after I retired from law enforcement) used to own 7.3's but they skipped over the 6.0's and 6.4's and went with the 6.7's after they had been out a couple of years and showed they were up to the task.

You'll hear many comments from people who own any of these three diesels but when you see what the guys who work on them drive, to me, that speaks volumes.

jsb5717 · 07-22-2022, 06:12 PM

At the $30k price point I'd be more tempted by something like this:

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/c...511932406.html

Or this:

https://farmington.craigslist.org/ct...508460220.html

travelin texans · 07-22-2022, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsb5717

At the $30k price point I'd be more tempted by something like this:

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/c...511932406.html

Or this:

https://farmington.craigslist.org/ct...508460220.html

I'd chose either of these 2 trucks over a 6.0 or 6.4 Ford any day!
But it's no secret I'm NOT a Ford fan!

rhagfo · 07-22-2022, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelin texans

I'd chose either of these 2 trucks over a 6.0 or 6.4 Ford any day!
But it's no secret I'm NOT a Ford fan!

That is an awesome Ram!

Vet4jdc · 07-23-2022, 12:55 AM

I owned a 2010 6.4 and would never recommend it to anyone. If you are looking at a 2008 to 2010 6.4 then you will eventually come to dislike it. I had to replace the radiator at 110,000 miles. I had multiple issues with the emissions crap until I finally deleted the DPF. I spent a lot of money on it just to keep it running. If I were in the market and was able to afford a Ford 6.4, I would move up at least to a 2011 or 2012 and get the 6.7. You will not regret it.

You may also like: