i am looking at a 04 with the 6 speed in it,dually crewcab.
is it quite rare with the 6 speed?i really want this truck,but i was wanting to wait till next year this time to get one,because i'm not really in the finacial situation to afford it comfortablt right now.but i'm affraid of not being able to find an equivilent used truck next year.
did the 04 have the turbo problems fixed that the earlier one's had?
thanks for any info

If you can't comfortably afford it, don't buy it.
Scott

Sticks are in the minority, but they still will be around for at least a few years in the superdutys. All but gone in the F150s (only 4x2 V6s there). Very sad to me indeed.

I would make sure you have your stuff in order before goin for another truck.

Adrianspeeder

A guy at a ford dealer told me that since the introduction of the torque shift 5 speed auto, less than 3% of superdutys are sticks.

ya,i think i will wait till next year.
what do you think of the torque shift?i drove one yesterday,and it seemed nice,but do you think they just threw down some more bandaid fixes and re-named it?
what about a dodge dually with a nice interior package,were they offered with the 6 speed alot?
i read alot about the 6.0 yesterday,and most don't paint a pretty picture of it,so i might shy away and see if i can find a 7.3 truck.

Don't sell the auto short. I've put 50,000 HARD miles on my 03 F350 tow truck with the 6.0 and the 5 speed auto, and I love the tranny. I especially love the tow/haul feature. This truck runs ten hours a day six days a week, pulling loads of up to 15,000 pounds. With the wrecker unit attached the weight of the truck is over 9,000 pounds by itself.

You get alot of torque mulitplication with the auto, and I kid you not, this truck $hits and gets. I have no idea why anyone would want the 6 speed.

Cuz sticks are awsome!

Handshakers forever.

Adrianspeeder

i will always trust a stick more.plus i just like rowin'!

I got a 6 speed in my new Rubicon, but for a tow rig, especially with the powerstroke, the auto is the way to go.

My last rig was an F450 with the six speed, I toasted the clutch on a hard climb and damaged the mainshaft as well. After $2600 in repairs it still wouldn't go into 4th without double clutching.

My 03 F350 is far and away the nicest truck I've had from Ford yet, and I've had a '94, '97, 99, and an '01 as well. My only complaints with it so far is a water pump pulley that failed at 30k miles, and 3 bad fuel injectors that have been replaced under warranty.

The auto is nice, and there are some times I wish I had that instead of a 6 spd, but I can only think of one time I REALLY wished Id gotten the auto... other than that, I ove the 6 spd.. its a blast to drive.. and the look of shock on peoples faces, when they go for the first ride in the truck, only to realize its a stick... Cracks me up.. most people think auto when they think full size truck.
Scott

if you like that 03,you should go drive the 05!i drove the used truck i want to buy,then went and drove a brand new one,just for comparison/shits and giggles!the steering on the 05 seems so much better with the coils than the leafs,plus it just rides nicer.but i still love that 04!

I drove by the local ford lot, and I gotta say, the 05 F350 crew cab dually with a billet grill in the new body style looks killer!
Scott

IF I was going new I would go auto. The 6.0 motor is a screaming deamon and its hard to shift and keepup.

If your going 7.3 Get a stick. The autos are poop. Three friends, Three different trucks, All replaced there trannys before or after 60k. All had ford regular maintance up to the time it blew.

Steve,

Were these guys towing all the time, or just driving around town and towing occasionally?

I am looking at an 02 with a 6 speed, but I am so sick of shifting I was thinking of getting an auto since our 01 Suburban pulls so nice with the 8.1L and auto.

My 02 powerstroker with the 4R100 works good, but not as well as a stick would. A real tranny temp gauge is a must have. Under 200 it will pull good, but heat is a killer. I do wish I had a stick.

Adrianspeeder

IF I was going new I would go auto. The 6.0 motor is a screaming deamon and its hard to shift and keepup.

If your going 7.3 Get a stick. The autos are poop. Three friends, Three different trucks, All replaced there trannys before or after 60k. All had ford regular maintance up to the time it blew.i got an 01 7.3 with auto that has 123k on it and never a problem.bought the truck new,no upgrades,but i do run the snot out of it.it has towed my rig to moab 3 times,colorado 4 times and all the more local wheeling spots,i would say at least 25 to 30k on long tows and some during hot weather season.i have had goodluck so far,but it may crap out tommorow...

There's no comparing the 7.3 and the 6.0. The 6.0 is smoother, quieter, and far more powerful. The 5 speed auto is a little noisy, but works smoothly, and always seems to be in the right gear.

When using the tow/haul mode it upshifts later, and downshifts when braking and decellerating. When crawling along at low speeds it feels like a stick, step on the gas and it goes, let off the gas and compression braking slows you down. It also has a PTO attachment point that comes in handy.

One place that the 7.3 wins though is in fuel economy. My 6.0 uses about 20% more fuel than my last 7.3 did.

Diesels don't have compression braking. Not without an exhaust brake.

What you're feeling is the coast clutches in the transmission.