F 150 vs F 250 question

Guys,

I’m in the very early stages of looking around for a used pickup. Have a 2005 extended cab F150 now. Was sort of looking at a 2011 or newer F150 with the 5 liter. But holy cow I’ve been surprised how expensive they are. I was aiming for around 15K to spend and there’s basically nothing (nothing fancy, just looking for another extended cab, 4WD, even XL is fine). A buddy of mine suggested looking at F 250s with the 6.2 liter. I looked and was surprised how much cheaper they were compared to the F150. I came across several F250s in the 16K range. I don’t need the extra towing capacity etc., but was curious why there was such a difference in price between a used F250 with the 6.2 and F150 with the 5 liter.

Sorry for my ignorance, but figured I’d ask.

I think it’s because heavy duty gassers can be rough on the wallet at the pump and aren’t as desirable as the diesels.

Will you be using this truck as a daily driver? I’ve had trucks of all three common sizes and still miss my 1/2 ton for driving enjoyment. It couldn’t haul worth a nickel but drove great. Now I’m at the other end of the spectrum and have a truck that could tow a house but is not fun to drive when it is unloaded. I think you would find the difference in ride between what you have and a 250 very noticeable.

Like Andy said – Most likely due to Fuel cost difference. If you drive a few thousand miles a year most likely not a big deal. If you drive a 100 thousand miles a year – BIG difference. My guess is the highway millage difference between the 150 and 250 is 5-6 miles per gallon different. Probably more city usage.

Interesting. Good advice, fellas. My truck’s not a daily driver. A few thousand miles a year – mostly to run errands and tow 16-foot boat etc. I hadn’t considered the difference in ride, though. I do take a few long long trips etc.

Appreciate the info.

I would not buy a 3/4 or 1 ton truck unless you need the tow or payload capacity. If not for my 5th wheel RV towing 7 months of the year I’d be back in a 1/2 ton getting 15-18 mpg. For the entire ice fishing season I’ll be getting 10-12 mph in my F-250 when the F-150 would serve my needs entirely.

You need to compare 150 apples with 250 apples. If you do, you will find the 250 is always more money.
As for gas mileage – 250 is 10 to 12 and 150 15 to 17, assuming 4×4.

Everyone and their soccer mom aunt wants to have a ‘truck’, thus driving up the retail on half tons. Ride in a 250 from a half ton is a huge difference, especially in ford’s I have noticed. I don’t know as much on the Ford end of things for mpg, my dad just got a new chevy 2500 and he’s getting about 16 mpg avg (2wd) empty, and I average about 18mpg in my 2009 1500 (4wd). Towing our boats (his is heavier than mine by a few hundred pounds) and he actually gets about 1 mpg better than me.