Are older trucks really worth this kind of money?

[AlanCasida]

I took my '67 F250( 390, t18 4spd w/Gear Vendor o/d) on a 400 mile road trip today down to the Chickasha, Ok swap meet and back. Just a real nice drive.   I had been looking for something to replace it since it has some rust holes in the cab drip rail on the vertical part of the door frame and the clear coat is coming off, buuuuuuttt I think I'll just keep it and repair it. I've owned this truck almost 20 years and it has pretty much become part of the family. Plus I have put more miles on it than all my other old vehicles combined.

[turbohunter]

You can’t beat that 67 Alan.
It’s perfect.

[AlanCasida]

You can’t beat that 67 Alan.
It’s perfect.

Thanks! You know, in 2015 I bought a new F250 XL standard cab, about the most basic truck you can get. At the time I had ideals about getting an enclosed trailer but now I don't think that will ever happen. It pulls my open trailer like a dream but as has been mentioned, everything on it is computer controlled and I dread the day I have something go wrong with it so I'd like to just sell it. I really only use a truck maybe dozen times a year and my old '67 will do just fine. Unlike my '15 SD which is just transportation, my '67 always puts a smile on my face when I drive it.   

[cleandan]

"Worth" is such an arbitrary value.
I have been driving older F-series trucks since 1995....This does not make me special, it is just what I seem to gravitate towards.

I have specifically sought nice, but not perfect, used versions that fit my needs, and often they are a bit of a red headed stepchild because they do not carry the recent popular trend in options.

For instance, my daily driver for the past 7 years has been a 1990 F250, XLT, Lariat, standard cab, 8 foot box, 2wd, 7.3L IDI diesel, E4OD automatic.
I purchased this truck from OR, and had it shipped to my house for less that $8,000 total.
The truck has 62,000 miles and was still wearing the factory stickers on the rust free chassis.

MN winter has ruined all of that but this truck was an unloved, lesser truck.
After all these years of owning and maintaining I still don't have $11,000 invested in the truck.

Because it is rusting I have been searching for the last two years and have come to realize that older 1975-1996 F250's are no longer cheap to buy.

I used to get a very nice older truck between $6,000 - $10,000 (usually shipped to my house from out of state as part of that price)...with $10,000 being VERY nice...almost perfect.

Just last week I was searching for a replacement car for my wife, and while looking at a local Ford dealer, I took a gander at the trucks in stock.
They had a 2003 F250, with 218,xxx miles...yes that is right, 218,xxx miles, and the asking price is $13,000.

Go to Bring a Trailer and look at the huge number of 70's, 80's, and early 90's truck being sold for high prices.

It would seem todays' bargin truck price is in the $10,000 to $15,000 range.
A running and driving truck, in terrible condition, will fetch between $2,000 - $4,000 depending on desirability and options.
Lots of nice trucks are selling in the $18,000 - $25,000 range.

The days of me finding my next, cheap, useful old truck are gone it would seem...and I don't like it.

As far as "worth"?
No Alan, I do not think the older trucks are worth this kind of money....but there are enough buyers at these prices that the "value" is up there making them "worth" that much to enough people to change the prices....Dammit!

[allrightmike]

Hope this is not too far of the subject; has anyone created a shortbox standard cab Super Duty, '99 up? Ford never made one as far as I know, always thought it would be cool. Maybe with a new 7.3?

[HarleyJack17]

You may look at it this way;

"Are NEWER trucks really worth this kind of money?"

[chilly460]

No doubt, new trucks are $$.  But really, considering their content, I don't think they're any more expensive in respect to other options.  I get free oil changes so I usually kick around the lot at the local Ford dealer. 

New Mustang GTs are stickering at $53k loaded, cheapest I saw with leather was $48k.  $53k...for a 'normal' Mustang!!!!

Midrange Explorers are high $40s-low 50s.  Lincoln Aviators are $80k, Navigators are $88k. 

Makes $75k for a diesel F250 with really nice optioning seem more logical, or $55k for a nicely appointed F150. 

[HarleyJack17]

Yeah I guess I am stuck in 2005. Yes it has been 16 years but I remember a GT Mustang selling for $24,000.  Fully loaded, top of the line CC 4x4 Diesel Lariat stickered for $45,000.
You could buy a fully loaded FX4 F150 for $33,000 all day.  I bought my V10 4x4 Super Duty in 2003. Hit it right with D Plan money and took some hold back.....actually told the boss I would go buy from the competition if they would not give up half the money HAHA. Stickered for 33 and walked out the door at 22K. One of few I knew who could sell a new truck at that time and make a profit.
Anyway, in 15 years it is safe to say cars doubled in price.......has pay? Has taxes went down? Things are out of proportion.

It is folks money and they are free to do as they wish, but for me it has to make sense.....at the prices today, it does not.  Normally, it is one of the worst financial decisions you can make next to a boat or and RV.   The only saving grace is right now you can get out from under it....used truck prices are INSANE! My neighbor just sold his 3 year old SLT for within 2 grand of what he paid for it.  For now, they are not depreciating.    Houses used to be a good investment.....I feel different today. Guess my point of view is I don't need the show and go. I want reliability and no payment. On top of that, for less I can get a redone classic car, that will be even more show, and limit the risk financially if I ever sell it.  Once I get this Highboy done, I am looking for a Mustang or a 63 1/2 Galaxie!

[cleandan]

A very nice, stock, 27,000 mile 1974 Bronco sold for $110,000 today on Bring a Trailer.

[chilly460]

I attended the F100 Nationals in Pigeon Forge, TN this weekend.  There weren't many trucks for sale, but I think most guys would choke at the prices of those that were for sale.  There was a 67-72 shortbed, typical "farm truck" type exterior, basic axle flip rear drop with a Crown Vic frontend.  Cleaned up interior, can't recall the engine but nothing out of the ordinary or I'd have recalled....asking was $28,500.   It's insane, that's more than I paid for the 460/toploader/nice paint '66 Fairlane I just picked up, and I'm sure it's more than I could get for my Merc which has decent paint and FE/Tremec drivetrain.  There were a few more examples with similar ridiculous pricing.  As with anything, it's not so much the actual content you're getting, it's the desirability, which is a very subjective term. 

Silver lining, if this trend continues I won't feel bad about money spent on my '64 F100.  I can do it fairly cheap since I won't be painting it and have the engine/trans already, I figured I can put it together for $12k all said and done and if this trend continues it'd be a $30k truck. 

I sold a '66 Bronco back in 2004 and knew they were taking off in price but figured it'd be temporary, should have been smart enough to start buying them up back then as the trend had just started and you could still find them cheap.  I'm a bit late to the upward trend, but think the same thing is happening with old F series for sure.

[gdaddy01]

I spoke with a gentleman about a 1949 ford panel at the pg forge show , i wanted to buy it , but 55,000 was out of my price range . I was thinking I would rather have it than a newer truck in 2010 -2015 range . I will have to make do with what I have and be glad of it .

[Keith Stevens]

I bought a 2020 Aviator new on 16 October. It has been at the dealer since 29 October. I have picked it up twice only to drive it back less than an hour later for the same delayed slam into reverse. It's now May. Six months and 84K. Sitting at a dealership.  I'm going to lemon-law the car.  Sad we have come to a point that even the dealership has an issue with not only parts but qualified technicians. The amount of computer-controlled gadgetry is ridiculous and they are never going to be user-serviceable. My everyday car is the Corsair. I had to have the trans worked on with 13k. 3-4 hard shifts. They are air-shifted like an Allison transmission. In all honesty I don't know what to think anymore.