Ford SD's are the way too go! no other pickup trucks compare in price, durability, options, power.
forget Deisel tho, unless you buy the older 7.3L turbo, the new 6.0L's are problem plagued. another thing is they are heavy as a mofo and on a new truck (Ford) it is a $5300 option. and deisel costs more (round here it is normally $0.30 higher per gallon then gas) and that adds up quick when filling a 36 gallon tank!
the V-10 in the SD's is only a ~$650 option and has ~345hp and ~460lb-ft of tq. you can get a 6 speed to help with mpg's they are very stout as well.