Whats up Guys! Thanks for the comments... So basically it looks like Ill either use the keep it stock, maintain it well, drive like a grandma and hope... Or Spend a lot of coin and go all in! I am thinking of doing the X or V codes and I just ordered some Archoil, I figured id give it a shot. I mean if its good enough for Jay!
Started tearing the Ex down yesterday, removing some of the interior boxes and clean up.
Thanks guys keep the advice coming.
These motors for sure have their issues, and I'm more of a Cummins guy myself, but I've been tempted by the excursion a few times. I would think a fire department truck would be a pretty safe bet as the odds of it being tuned or pulling hard and heavy its whole life are pretty slim. My dad has an 03 F250, and he's got over 200k on it and it still runs fine. I think he's getting ready to do the EGR cooler on it now, but otherwise it's been fine for him. It's lived a pretty easy life for the time he's had it though. He's only towed a uhaul one time with it from NC to IN though, so YMMV, especially if you tow heavy often.
Point I'm trying to make is, they do have a bad rap, and they can cost you a ton to fix, but if they're not pushed past stock at all and you take care of it, many of them can be reliable enough. The 6.4 on the other hand, is a different story.