I personally like the diesels. I know before ya'll start, the f150 will pull any weight anywhere, but the 7.3 just has effortless power and torque. The only problem I have with the idea is the age. Even though the engines are long life, the problem I had with mine was the little accessories that are sometimes mandatory to make the thing run, (diesel or gas). Just check it out thoroughly, maybe have an INDEDPENDENT shop check it for a couple of hundred dollars. A web site AGCO Automotive may have some good tips for you in the area of pre-purchase analysis.