My Ford dealer GM is a truck guy and was the first to talk me out of the 6.0L Navistar diesel that had so many problems. He also spoke of the problems with early '08 F350s and has been looking for six weeks for one he trusted. This one was in Orlando. Seems to be tough to find a crew cab long bed (98") in the eastern U.S. This truck was owned by a mechanic at the dealership who just traded to a 2013 and also owns a 5ver. It's had meticulous maintenance so we've done all the homework possible and now just hope for the best.
The 5ver we like most is the Columbus 325RL. We'll see if it's a affordable when the time comes. Hopefully there will be a few slightly used models by then.