E350 with 6.0L, V10, or 7.3L - which powerplant?
Hey All,
First time poster, long time lurker...
I am looking for E350 Van for weekend adventures and to tow my wakeboarding boat behind. The boat and trailer weight about 4,000 #'s combined. I will eventually add a camper top and a Camburg lift.
I live in Tempe, AZ and it is generally really hot! The trip to the lake includes a tow of about 30 miles with a few long grades. I currently have a Chevy Tahoe that I tow with, it has a 4.8L and 3.73's in it. It gets the job done, but has a little trouble with the hills. When I go to other lakes I have to go up a very long uphill grade through desert. The last time I did it in the Tahoe I blew the transmission. I would like to be able to tow the long grade from Phoenix to Flagstaff and then to Lake Powell. I would never attempt this in the Tahoe.
I have looked at lots of vans and even a couple of ambulances and really like the E350 or even a Chevy Express with a Duramax. I am not looking for a fancy van, a cargo van will do fine.
Is the Ford 6.0L really as bad as its reputation? I have found some really great deals on E350's with about 100,000 miles on them, some less. I am looking for something relatively trouble free, is the 6.0L for me or should I just look for a V10? The 7.3L's that I have found all come with a very high asking price. I tow every weekend. I want to stay under the $10K price range.
Thanks!
Nels Erik
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