1997 F250 7.5l 460 Purchase possibly

[Natebub]

Ok guys new here got a question. Looking to purchase a truck to pull a rv trailer with I know the 460 is not know for fuel mileage. My question is with the price of Diesel being what it is. Would you really be saving money buying fuel by driving a 7.4 diesel pulling an rv vs. the 460? Or would I spend about the same? Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Nate

 

[Skandocious]

Depends on the motors and truck configurations in question. A large truck (ie crew cab long bed 4x4) would probably get NO MORE than 10mpg with the 460 and probably top out around 18-20 with a healthy 7.3L diesel (the motor that was offered in that generation of truck. You're talking at least 50-75% more fuel economy with the diesel and in CA diesel is more expensive but not 50+% more expensive. So from that standpoint, diesel would be more cost effective and it's also a better tow vehicle.

The other thing to keep in mind, if cost is your concern, is that a diesel is truck generally going to cost a fair amount more than a gas truck. In this case with gen 9 trucks you can probably expect to pay at least 3-4k more for a healthy diesel, again depending on the configuration.

Oh and welcome to FTF!