A Vote for the 5.0

[amschind]

I randomly met a guy at a bar who was looking for a farm truck and he was stuck between a '17 3.5 and a '13 5.0 that was about $10k less with same miles. I suggested that for his purpose (hauling lighter stuff to and from farm), the 5.0 would be better because he 1) had no control of the maintenance history and 2) long term not having turbos would result in fewer maintenance headaches. I bring this up mostly to point out that there absolutely are circumstances where I believe that the 5.0 NA is the better choice.

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[dmac]

Yup.

All preference. My brother has a 17 3.5 with 100k Miles, he's had to replace spark plugs, water pump, starter, cracked driver side valve cover, and the rattling cam phasers in the the last 2 years.

Most people see the 2nd generation 3.5 as pretty bullet proof past the valve cover and cam phaser issues (which are almost guaranteed in 17-19ish model years). However our ownership experience has been been awful. The 18-20 5.0 also seemed to be its own royal PITA.

You did hit the nail on the head with maintenance being more of an issue with turbo motors.

Back to towing -> the 5.0 definitely needs way more revs to tow, but stays a lot cooler (especially at altitude), uses less fuel and engine brakes better than the 3.5.

The 3.5 has an amazing torque curve and provides a better "towing experience" that really is unmatched across all oems.

With the 6 speed in 2016, C&D once said "the f150 ecoboost gets things done at partial throttle that the 5.0 cannot," which I think sums a lot of it up. The 10 speed has made this slightly less true.

Mpg unloaded with the 10 speed is pretty much a wash now.

Ask yourself what are your needs and for how long.

 

[Tinman1227]

The reason I bought my 2023 F-150 ( new) after driving-testing GM & Ram had a lot to do with the 5.0L ( also preferred the interior) I have always had GM or Ford Trucks over decades. My last was a 2018 GMC. I prefer small blocks Currently the 5.0 is the best, by a large margin small block available. Just my 2cents

 

[Bossharp]

I wanted a new Regular cab short bed and the only motor is the 5.0..Im really good with that!

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