Welcome to HTW... I would keep the truck you have and wait a little longer for the 2011's with the new "scorpion" diesel engine....

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2009/03/spied-new-ford-scorpion-diesel-underhood-photos.html

 http://www.leftlanenews.com/ford-scorpion.html

I had one of the first 2003 6.0.  I put 90,000 miles on it with only minor probems. ( reflashes, VGT solinoid, ICP).

I am just hitting 100,000 on a 2006 6.0L. Just had my first problems with it and had to replace the FICM and internal high pressure oil leaks. Warranty covered the repair, but if I had paid for the repairs would have been $1300. If you are paying $500-$600 a month in monthly payments, That repair if I had paid for it was the same as a couple months payments. If you have a truck paid for, you can afford a some repair cost vs making payments.

If your 2003 has been trouble free. I suspect it will continue the same for the near future.  Yes there are some things that just wear out with age, regardless of mileage. You can expect to replace belts and tires that have just gotten old.

The new scorpian engine will not really be available to buy until about April. So give early adapters  a year to see if their are any problems. I'd probably hang onto your current truck another year. You are only averaging less 5,000 miles a year. It'll still be a low mileage truck a year from now and it's resale shouldn't change that much. Then you can decide if Ford did a good job on the engines. Besides I've never seen Ford offer any rebats or low interest on new models. A year from now, you find some buying incentatiives that you won't get on a new model this spring.

The 6.4 is a little better than the 6.0 trucks, in other words, it's still not that reliable. If you have to get a Ford I would wait and see how the new 6.7's do at least 6 months after they are released to the public. If you are not set on a Ford, Go get a new Dodge and be done with it.

Hound dog

They all have some problems, Nobody has built the perfect truck.  My neighbor just paid $9000 to get a new cummins put in his dodge because the block cracked. It's a apparently a common problem on the cummins engine blocks that were built in Brazil. My nephew who works for me, just sold a Dodge Megacab and bought a GM, because he got tired of the Dodge being in the shop almost every month. Mostly electronics and transmission issues. Another neighbor had to take his new toyota in and have the front differential rebuilt. Because he put chains on his front tires during hunting season. Apparently the Toyotas are not built tough enough to handle the extra stress of chains on the tires. Something we do regularly with the domestic trucks.

I've put a couple hundred thousand miles on the two 6.0L engines I've owned with very minor problems. Most of those miles with either a 4h GN or some sort of equipment trailer hauling skidloaders or Mini Excavators. A good friend of mine runs heavy equipment and his chase around trucks all have the powerstroke engines and have held up well.  And I know his workers are hard on equipment. Bottom line there are a lot of folks getting their money's worth out of the 6.0L Powerstrokes. And yes there are a few that have had problems just like any other brand of truck.

Let me put some numbers to this to put it in perspective.  It was reported that Ford produced an average of 29,000 Powerstroke engines per month during the production run of the 6.0L engine.  That equals more than 1.5 million 6.0L engines.  It has been reported that Ford bought back 500 trucks because of warranty issues. ( 2003 -2004 models)

"There were many running changes to the engine and in the 2006 year model the 6.0 had the lowest rate of warranty claims across the board for Ford Motor Company when compared to all of Ford's gas and diesel engines"

"The 6.0 liter Power Stroke was featured as one of Ward's 10 best engines for 2003 in their annual top 10 review."

From a leading Diesel Tech Magazine  "The 6.0L Ford Power Stroke engine suffers from one of the worst reputations in the diesel industry--a reputation that quite frankly we don't think it deserves, and one we're looking to improve."

From the Center for Auto Safety "Power Stroke has generated more complaints than rival diesels simply because more diesel Fords are on the road." and  "The company also has fielded more than 12,000 consumer complaints, according to Ford's internal warranty data.   12,000 complaints sounds like a lot but compared to 1.5 million engines. Thats less than 1% of all 6.0L engines sold. 

From Big 3 Diesel.  "Stock torque to yield (TTY) head bolts proved to be a weak link. The overall engine design is good, though the emissions equipment proved to cause issues in some applications. Ford Power Stroke continues to outsell Cummins & Duramax. Overall a strong performer with good fuel economy."

 So bottom line is,  YES Ford had some probems with the 6.0L  Did every owner have a problem? No  Most probems revolved around engines that had been chipped, that didn't use the right oil, that didn't keep the air filters cleaned and suffered chipped or damaged turbo fan blades.  I'm not going to suggest that the 6.0L was a perfect engine. But most people found it did the job as well as the competition. As I said in my personal experience with over 200,000 miles of 6.0L use. I can't complain.

The 6.0 worked pretty good when they were used for what they were disigned for....  

The economical International VT 365 diesel engine is engineered to maximize cost efficiency with features that optimize performance, reduce emissions and enhance driveability, fuel economy, reliability and serviceability. Available as the exclusive engine for the International 4200, the VT 365 brings real value to your operation. Ratings from 175 to 230 hp and 460-620 lb-ft of torque.
Horsepower was rated at 2600 RPM, not 3000+ at it was in the Super Duty's.. These Navistar trucks came from the factory with an engine coolant filter. I don't think Ford thought that was necessary.... They should have spent that extra 20 bucks, it would have saved them alot of hate and discontent.

Specifications

Engine Type	Diesel 4-Cycle
Configuration	V8
Displacement	365 cu in (6.0 liters)
Bore and Stroke	3.74 x 4.134 in (95 x 105 mm)
Compression Ratio	18:0:1
Aspiration	EVRT™ Turbocharged
Combustion System	Direct Injection
Cooling System Capacity (engine only)	10.8 qt (10.2 liters)
Lubricating System Capacity	19 qt (18 liters)
Total Engine Weight	1,062 lb (482 kg)

Rated/Peak hp	175	200	215	230
Rated rpm	2600	2600	2600	2600
Governed Speed rpm	2800	2800	2800	2800
Peak Torque (lb-ft)	460	520	540	620
Peak Torque rpm	1400	1400	1400	1400
Peak hp rpm	2600	2600	2600	2600
Clutch Engagement Torque@ 800 rpm	340	340	340	340

Change Engine Oil, Replace Oil Filter	10,000 mi (16,093 km)/350 hrs fuel/ 1,500 gallons of fuel
Replace Fuel Filter	20,000 mi (32,187 km)
Replace Coolant	300,000 mi (482,803 km)* / 5 yrs/ 12,000 hrs
Valve Lash Adjustment	Not Required
*Factory fill is with Texaco Extended Life Coolant using Organic Acid Technology (OAT).

HTB

I think a lot of the diagnosis difficulties with diesel problems is that many of us, unlike you, are not diesel mechanics. We are at the mercy of dealership mechanics, who may or may not be competent. They are instructed to effect repairs in ways that are most beneficial to their dealership, not the customer. Most of us are ill prepared to effect any major repairs or know diesel trouble shooting.  

No brand is perfect as PH has well documented. And as he has shown, no particular engine is an absolute boat anchor. This forum is about trucks and trailers and with guidance, we can probably get through some of the less major problems.

The newer the vehicles, the more complex the electricals and systems. Unless a mechanic has factory training and the appropriate diagnosis equipment, there is no way most problems can be fixed by word of mouth. Our ownership of these vehicles will be more difficult in the future; more maintenance, more complex systems that can fail, and more expensive driving costs. I think this will hold true for each of the major players.

If somebody was looking to buy a used truck, I would not tell them to go look specifically for a 2003 6.0L.

But the question that Rad asked was whether  she should keep the the 2003 truck she already OWNs  or run away from it and buy a new truck.

Hers is a low mileage 6.0L, I still believe if it's done the job, and she continues to take care of the maintenance, She is better off to keep it another year and see what shakes out in the new engines that are coming out. What probems that engine has are well known today. Most of the Ford service managers know right where to start looking when a problem is brought in. Both ford and the aftermarket have a wide variety of solutions to fix most of the problems. If they occur.