I was wondering how many MPG these trucks get, I currently have an 88 F350 SC 460 Dually 5spd, I get about 10-12 MPG on the highway unloaded, I only have 152,000km, is it worth upgrading to a newer truck, Im looking at a 2000 F350 reg cab 4x2 Dually 5.4l gas, which would cost me money (12-14k)and possibly the same gas mileage? But im also considering let hassle of 20 yr old parts wearing out or deteriorating.... which if i buy a newer truck i can at least know it will still be around for another 5-10 years without worrying down the highway...

 

This doesn't answer your question directly, but as a point of reference, my 1997 F250HD 5.8L gets 14 mpg around town, maybe 17 highway.

Good Luck.

 

I just recently got rid of my 95 F250 HD 5.8 4x4 only got 10mpg on the highway in the city didnt matter, towing i got 7 or 8..

 

I drive a 2006 E350 van with the 5.4 and I'm averaging 15mpg with mostly highway driving.

 

Ive got a 2002 v10 f250 superduty 4x4 with 3.73 gears. I get around 13 miles per gallon on the highway. I never haul anything heavy though.

 

If you plan on towing anything on the larger side, I'd go for a V10 or diesel. The 5.4's are ok, but are a bit undersized to move a 7000lb truck towing a bigger trailer.

 

I get about 13-14mpg average on my 2000 F250SD regular cab 5.4L 4x2, it does have over 200k miles and I never drive without the A/C on.

 

'06 F-250 5.4L (3-valve), 5-speed auto, supercab, longbed, 4x4, 33" all-terrain tires, 3.73:1 gears, K&N air filter. Small load (people + gear in bed = 800 lbs) with cruise control at 70 mph = exactly 12.5 mpg. This is when i had only 10k miles on it. Plenty of pulling power for me.

 

The 5.4l SD should get better mpg than your 88'. However it will not pay to spend the $$$$ on the newer truck. You can buy a lot of parts, fuel and etc for the ole 88' and the 88' will be cheaper to repair to boot than the SD. I can get all the parts I need for my 74' F-100 so I highly doubt there will be problems getting parts for your 88'. I wouldn't buy a SD with the 5.4l unless it was a Reg cab SRW, shurely wouldn't get a 5.4l dually SD. The truck your looking at should at least have 4:30s with the 5.4l, if not forget about it or regear it. My $.02

 

The max i want to pull is 9500 lbs, 7000lb gooseneck, and 1-2 horses, reason I like duallys is because everything is more stable when hauling, I have 3.55s on my 88, it came with 4.10 stock but they were swapped by the previous owner to get better gas mileage, the only problem is I dont know whether to put money into my current truck or buy a newer one that isnt gonna rust out for 10 years, as mine is just starting to show minimal rust,

 

I just bought a 2008 F-350 long bed, extended cab, 4x4, 5.4, automatic, 4:10 limited slip, single rear wheel. It's getting 12 to 13 around town and 14+ on the highway with cruise set at 75mph. Mileage was hand calculated and the computer is giving similar results. Engine is still fairly new and hopefully mileage will continue to improve after a few thousand miles.

 

Duallys are more stable and I can understand why you prefer them. Your current 88' would pull much better with 4:10s. Rust can be repaired and prevented. New body panels can be gotten I wouldn't worry about rust. If your not pulling often or long distances the 5.4l w/4:30s will do the job. A 6.8l would do it better but still should have 4:30s or at least 4:10s. The 460 is a different animal when compared to to the 5.4l and 6.8l. Either prefers steeper gears for best performance. When towing the 5.4l and 6.8l will get identical mileage.

 

I forgot to mention that I also own a 1993 F-250 SRW with the 460/auto/4:10 combo. DFK brought a up a good point about the difference between the 460 and 5.4 liter. My 460 makes most of its power in the lower RPM range while the 5.4 seems to start pulling harder as the RPM's increase.

I've had the opportunity to drive both trucks the same day for a direct comparison. I am very glad I got the 4:10's with my 2008 5.4. I don't think I would have liked this engine with the 3.73's.

 

I have an 02 F350 5.4 crew cab, 4x4 single rear wheel and get unloaded on the highway around 14mpg, in town pulling a 10 foot trailer its more like 10, oh by the way its got 4.10 gears.