What Would You Do?

I think that the key here is that the OP has said he has lost confidence in his truck. Will he ever trust it again, hard to say but not real likely. We faced the same general dilemma last spring with our 2002 Dodge Cummins with 144,000 miles on it. Not any real problems but overall it needed about $10,000 to be spent on it to keep. i.e. new paint, new interior, tranny rebuild, add an exhaust brake, etc. or trade it. So we traded it for the current Chevy. Wanted to find another Dodge but couldn't find a one ton DRW diesel crew cab that was pimped out like I wanted one. So the Chevy dealer got the sale.

I have a rule of thumb that when a vehicle needs repairs in the amount that it is worth for a trade in, it is time to sell or trade. My Dodge needed $10K in work and was worth about $10K.

The people with the 6.0 Ford that go through a full bullet proofing job, at about $4,500 seem to be very satisfied with the results. There is nothing basically wrong with the 6.0, other than Ford messed up on the EGR cooler, the sand in the block casting, needing a coolant filter, and replacing the head bolts. If I owned a 6.0 that I liked, except for the original built in problems, I would probably go for the $4,500 engine improvement. Getting those items replaced with after market would more than likely give the OP several hundred thousand miles of service with his truck. None of us have any guarantees that our truck won't break down today or tomorrow.

My first Chevy Duramax worked great until I took it in for a manufacturer recall regarding reprogramming something in the computer. After the dealer had it, my "check engine" light would go off and she'd go into limp mode. First time was in NYC pulling a car trailer. Try maneuvering around Harlem in limp mode to get back to the nearest dealer in NJ. They said it was fixed (some sensor thing). Several months later the same thing happened (this time closer to home). My local dealer had it for a week. They said it was fixed, but I never trusted the truck after that. I got rid of it. Could not take the chance of having the thing break down with the TC on thousands of miles from home. My next Chevy Duramax has been great.
Reliability is the most important issue with any vehicle. If you can swing it Id dump the thing. I wouldnt turn my back on Ford, but Id look at all of them and buy what I like the most.

I wouldn't buy anything newer now a days. I would find a low miles original, nice, 7.3 Ford diesel and do some mild mods for the camper. Or go for the older 12 valve Cummins. Better to go for a standard trans in most cases.

I think the 9-10 year old Duramax Chevy/ GMC are good too. I like that Allison Trans.

Basically try finding something EPA has not got their hands on.

You could have a very nice truck this way gong to the right body shop, pic the right color theme you could have a very nice truck that not only looks good, but, built better they can be easily be diagnosed and easily repaired with wrenches.

We also have an 1161 and a 2003 Ford F350 Dually with the 6 liter engine. We have 26,000 on it so you can see that it isn't used much. So far the only problem is one fuel injector went belly up. Have heard that this engine had a lot of problems and that makes me very nervous. We love the truck and the way it handles and the power of the engine. We sometimes pull a 18 foot bass boat and there is no lack of power. It sure would be nice to have the Cummins engine in it and that would be great but.......

It might be had to sell on account of the reputation of that engine.
Ford should be ashamed of itself for putting out such an engine.

Bottom line...a daily driver vehicle (F350 dually or Subaru Forrester) has to be a RELIABLE vehicle. One that you can trust every time you turn the key to get you there...work, the store, the hospital, where ever.

No compromises or lack of trust in my opinion - no matter what it costs to have that happen.

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2012-chevrolet-silverado-2500-ltz-4wd-crew-cab-vs-2012-ford-f-250-super-duty-king-ranch-4x4-crew-cab-2012-ram-2500-laramie-longhorn-4x4-mega-cab-comparison-tests

It will be tough to keep brand loyalty out of this discussion, but after researching for months, we bought a Chevy Duramax. There are many tests like the one above by Car and Driver with similar results in the Chevy coming out on top. Good luck with your decision.

As BuckBarker posted, reliability is the weak link here. But, you are not liable if you sell a used vehicle since the purchaser would have to prove the engine was a "known defect", like it had been in a major accident and repaired. It may break down and require frequent repair/maintenance, but that is not a legal defect. The buyer is required to use "due diligence" and assumes the risk of future repair costs when he/she buys a used vehicle. You would be liable if you misrepresented the truck, like total miles. Even if you had been told the truck needed a certain repair, you are selling the truck "as is" and are not required to disclose the recommended repair to the purchaser.

Consumer's Union rated both the Chevrolet and the Fords pretty much equally in reliability, with Dodge third on the list. Personally, I'd consider all three if you found one with the options you want at a reasonable price.

Ram is currently the only truck maker offering a stick so Ford is out. There are some terrific deals on left over Rams right now. Dump unreliable and go for reliability. You won't regret it

Well, most important to me is the reliability of any vehicle. I would rather drive a dependable Yugo than an always breaking down Cadillac.
I would be inclined to cut bait and try to dump it on a dealer. No way would I privately sell it because you can open a can of worms about selling a vehicle with known defects.
As to buying another, it is all about preference. Personally, I would look at another Ford.