“The old one was so much better.” I’m guilty of saying that sometimes, especially as it relates to cars and honestly, it’s never entirely true. Still, this type of thinking tends to become commonly accepted “truth” and creates myths that drive prices into the stratosphere.
We’ve seen that in recent years with cars like the “Neue Klasse” BMW 2002 and air-cooled Porsche 911s. These will commonly sell for prices close to that of new cars despite being archaic in most ways and, in many cases, just not that much fun to drive as some far less expensive newer rides. It seems a bit absurd to me. However, it’s not as absurd as watching the same thing happen with some pickup trucks. Talk about a product that has improved in leaps and bounds over the last few decades. Why are people asking nearly-new-truck money for thirty-year-old diesel Ford trucks with a design that goes back nearly half a century? Are they idiots, or smarter than the rest of us?
We Don’t Want No Jellybean Trucks
Messing with an icon is one of the most dangerous things anyone can do. Ford did just that in 1997 with their Tenth-Generation F-Series pickups, and the results were certainly polarizing. Personally, I have to agree with Tenth-Gen fan Matt Hardigree: they’re great designs.
These trucks were a bold move to bring Taurus-like aerodynamics to the great American mainstay of the full-sized pickup, honest and forward-thinking designs that suddenly made the GM products seem brick-like. They also made RAM’s mini-semi-trucks appear to be a bit cartoonish; I can hear David Tracy and a million Twister-truck fans with pitchforks right now, but seriously, the fake-big-rig thing was styling, not functionality.
Not everyone shared (or still shares) Matt’s opinion and mine. There are plenty of fans of the previous 1992-96 Ninth-Generation truck that became known as the “OBS”, or old body style. “Old” is the right word; this thing was fundamentally a seventeen-year-old truck when it was finally discontinued in 1996.
Other than the slightly softened front clip and detailing, the Ninth-Gen truck was just a refresh of the 1987-91 Eighth Generation, like our man Jason drives with a FARM USE plate.
That truck was itself a rehash of the Seventh-Gen “Bullnose” trucks that came out for 1980.
These “OBS” aficionados see these last boxy trucks not as anachronisms but instead as a perfected, final edition of an old favorite. As such, they often seek to get one with what they consider to be one of the most durable diesel motors ever put into a Blue Oval: the 7.3-liter Power Stroke.
There was nothing fundamentally wrong with the International Harvester V8 “IDI” (indirect injection) turbo diesels used in Ford pickups up to the early nineties. The problem was a pesky 5.9-liter six-cylinder turbo diesel motor that Cummins made for RAM trucks that appeared in 1989. Sure, the Mopar truck was a liter-and-a-half smaller in displacement and had two fewer cylinders than the 7.3-liter IDI, and at 400 lb-ft of torque (with an automatic, 425 with the manual) it was more than the Ford’s 388 figure, but the numbers alone don’t tell the full story. The RAM produced that power much lower in the rev range and held it steadier, making it the clear choice for hard-core towing.
Midway through the 1994 model year, Ford atoned for this deficit with an all-new computer-controlled, Navistar-made 7.3-liter direct-injection diesel they named Power Stroke. Despite having the same displacement as the earlier IDI, the engines were entirely different, with the Power Stroke pumping out 425 lb-ft of grunt and making it a much better match for the vaunted Cummins. You can read a far better and deeper dive on the Power Stroke by clicking here for Mercedes Streeter’s always excellent posts.
All of this means that the mid-1994 to 1996 editions of the boxy F-Series with the legendary Navistar turbo diesel are desirable trucks to many old-school Ford fans. The question, though, is it really almost as desirable as a new truck? I ask that because that’s where some of the price tags are trending.
Is That Decimal Point In The Right Place?
Sometimes you see an anomaly online and just dismiss it. That’s what I thought when I saw one seemingly astronomical price for a late OBS Power Stroke online. A deeper dive said that ain’t so.
The one that caught me right away was this low-mileage one that sold for damn near six figures:
Good Lord. That’s a nice-looking old truck, but for that kind of money? Take a look inside:
Very clean, but those seats! That upholstery! This was a work truck; it wasn’t even nice when it was new. Actually, it’s a nice change from can’t-get-it-dirty embroidered King Ranch logo leather, but a hundred grand? That has to be a fluke, right? Apparently not. Here’s a similar rig with over 66,000 miles on the clock. Less money, to be sure, but still a huge chunk of change:
Look! Here’s a bargain for barely much more than new Maverick money! Oh, wait, the odometer reads 166,000. Make no mistake, I bet this thing has a lot of life left in it, but at that price?
Another one with under 100,000 miles and yet it went for top dollar.
What’s funny is that for the same money, this dealer has a nearly new and much more amusing truck available with lots of new-car warranty left in terms of mileage and time. I want this one!
Sure, I’m not denying that these OBS Power Strokes are appealing old-school things, like a country music song embodied in a vehicle. What I am saying is that these are old pickup trucks, people! Are you insane? The most tragic part of these inflated values is that these aren’t like, say, an old Hispano-Suiza or fifties Ferraris that look great but are pretty useless and unsatisfying to drive anyway; go ahead and drive up the value on those and turn them into inanimate objects. A Power Stroke OBS, on the other hand, is a very usable machine; putting near-six-figure price tags on them seems to kill that utility. What a shame.
You Can Get Better, But You Can’t Get More Expensive
Will this trend continue? If so, what can be learned from this? I’m not entirely sure, but if anything, it says that a certain segment of the population really does miss a simple, boxy, and no-frills pickup.
I don’t blame them. Sure, we need all of the safety equipment that’s required today, along with emissions and fuel economy standards that result in small and complex turbocharged motors. That doesn’t mean we can’t get more of the spirit of the old OBS in the design of our brand-new pickups.
Give us A/C, CarPlay, and power windows, but forget your massaging seats, full-width screens, and insane skyscraper-tall grilles. Give us honesty, functionality, and durability. People seem to put a high value on those qualities – literally.
Top graphic images: Bring A Trailer; iOS
This reminds me of why the auto auctions on TV aren’t as enjoyable as they used to be. Instead of cool old cars I have to suffer through 10 year old pickups with lift kits on them. Save it for the farm auctions, please. Thank goodness for fast forward.
I am guilty of it, but I think people REALLY romanticize those old trucks. I loved my GMT400 Suburban, and I shouldn’t have sold it, but it was extremely charming as an extra vehicle that cost nearly nothing to buy. To pay anywhere near new truck money for these relics is an emotional decision, not a strictly rational one.
I wonder, what is the most overhyped classic vehicle. Air-Cooled Porsche? Land Cruisers? Supra?
I’m firmly in the camp that these were Peak Truck (styling, at least), but I still think this is ridiculous money.
Yeah I think this and 1st Gen Cummins are some of the best looking trucks built.
Also in Peak Truck camp, because this era of truck (1990-2000, roughly) have enough of the ‘modern’ items (fuel injection instead of carb, newer AC Freon, airbags etc) without computer control of every minute element on CAN bus.
(My ’92 K1500 does not even have an ECU)
In short, the rationale is:
Easy to maintain, mostly reliable but when it isn’t, they are easy to fix yourself, parts affordable.
Anyone wish to provide a different perspective?
My 89 Sierra 1500 has an ECU. But I’m not actually sure what it does. I can jump the pins and get the odbi code. Seems angry about things but doesn’t display a check engine light. PO cut most of the wires to sensors and it just sort of works. Bit of a head scratcher must be running on default values.
I am a fan of TBI but I like the later Chrysler version in the 2nd gen ram with the 360 better. The only problem I’ve ever had out of one is intake not clocked right.
I like having odbii. Its easy to scan and see what might be complaining or to get an idea of what could be an issue. Troubleshooting an odbi car can be a headache. But GM running fine without sensors is impressive.
For me peak is 96 to maybe 07 for trucks. Modern enough but still able to be fixed and diagnosed easy. Still trucks not car like ride.
My ’85 Caprice had an ECU for its E4ME Q-jet. I could get live tach readings!
About 10 years ago I was traveling for work to perform a system startup in an industrial facility. Our company had hired an external installation company to do the work. I went out to dinner with the crew, and the foreman drove us in his power stroke super duty. I didn’t know anything about them at the time, but happened to notice his odometer, which read something like 350,000 miles. I commented on it to him, and he told me that the truck actually had 450,000 miles: when the odometer rolled over at 399,999, it went back to 300,000. He said that the only mechanical repair (non-maintenance) he had had to do in all those miles was replace the starter. I started looking around for them after hearing that, but they’ve commanded a premium for a long time.
The emission systems on modern diesel trucks is oppressive. That contributes to older diesels appeal.
There’s a YouTuber from Alaska and his girlfriend who have three of these, the OSB PS’s weekly breakdowns supply much of their storylines!
But they’ve been heavily massaged and tuned…that’s part of the issues that he has with them, that and aftermarket parts that have limited availability.
That and a leaky exhaust manifold that damn near killed them…after one of them rolled in the no-man’s land between the Canadian and Alaskan border.
If they are being offered with a full tank of diesel, the valuations make some sense.
80s GM G-bodies have been through the same insanity (and may still be there, I haven’t looked recently). Prices for those are absurd . . . And I can tell you from ownership experience that the only way they stood out was how absurdly low effort the badge engineering job was.
I’m all about loving old cars, but people seem to be pretty loose about what they’ll dump big money for.
While often cited as holy grail territory, the 7.3 still had some niggling issues with oil leaks and so on, but compared tot he 6.0 and up, they were negligible issues. the real achilles heal was the late 90’s transmissions behind these things.
I agree and will add that people often think all 7.3s were created equal but the best ones got put in Super Duty’s.
These OBS trucks are considered by many to be peak Ford pickup, enough tech to run well but not much more, and their looks are clean but still rugged. Not as tall as new trucks, and bigger beds at the same time. I would definitely not pay $98,000 or even $58,000 for one though, even a mint longbed crew cab diesel 4×4.
People offer to buy my 1995 F-150 fairly often, and people I lend it to report the same thing. They are just simple honest trucks without a lot of extra stuff a working vehicle doesn’t need.
I get it, it’s the same reason that people are spending stupid money on Acura Integra’s or whatever, just a different kind of enthusiast.
They ARE good looking trucks, and a lot of people consider trucks of this era to be the last “good” trucks, and maybe their dad/grandad/uncle had one when they were kids. It’s not very different from the people that were spending 6 figures on 68 Chevelle’s and whatnot.
Except a lot of those Chevelle’s aren’t used as they were originally intended, to get groceries or burn up the drag-strip.
I’ll bet a good share of the people that are buying 7.3 Fords are actually going to use them for what they were intended.
Maybe.
If you work at a dealership, you know that people with “7.3s” are just like people with Corvettes: they want you to appraise their car that they’re never going to trade in. They won’t tell you what they want for it, but it’s more than it’s worth and more than you’ll pay. “I know what I got.”
They just want you to stroke the ego… is this the origin of PowerStroke?!
I kind of hated the jelly bean trucks when they came out in the ’90s and while they actually look better with some age, if nothing else a pleasant simplicity compared to the overwraught butched up design of modern trucks, but still don’t love them.
But agreed there’s something crazy about spending that much on what is quintessentially a utility vehicle and one that at least theoretically is getting used for rough stuff. Though I have to guess this is going to some gentleman rancher who wants to look like the Marlboro man and has no intention of ever putting even a bale of hay in that bed.
The difference being that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen in the OSB. That supercharged 2025 thing is depressing, whereas the 94-96s look good and send a message that I would be ok with.
As a small-car lover the chances of me buying any of them is zero, but I 100% understand why someone would want this over anything new.
I bought a low mileage gasoline 1991 8th gen f250 two years ago. It gets 17 mpg. It just works when I need it and goes down the road straight and comfortably.
Admittedly, my old 10th gen 2005 f-150 did the same for 18 years.
A bad experience with a 2020 ford and a 2018 ford work truck convinced me that buying the bricknose was the best option.
I look at these prices described in the article as a protest against the state of the currently available US trucks.
They’re not buying them to use, they’re Redneck/Blue Collar collector cars.
The 10th gen F150, in crew cab config, with the two tone paint package, has aged really well. Saw one yesterday walking my pup and its a handsome truck.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again: BaT is not an indication of the greater automotive market, it exists in a pocket dimension where the rules of economics have no meaning.
so true
Yeah this is a crazy and not normal price but clean 7.3s and old Cummins people are asking 20-30k for them which sucks for something that used to be dime a dozen to find under 10k. Glad I got my cummins for 7k (think 6 or 7 years ago at this point) just wished I hadn’t had the few accidents with it.
“Is A First-Generation Ford Power Stroke Diesel Pickup Truck Worth As Much As A New Truck?”
No.
And the people who pay new-truck prices for these old trucks have more money than common sense.
One thing to consider as well… these old diesels didn’t get fuel economy that was THAT great. The fuel economy they get is just ‘less terrible’ than their gas counterparts OF THAT TIME.
Put that diesel against a modern Powerboost hybrid F-series and I bet in most day to day driving, the Powerboost will get better fuel economy in the real world.
And with current diesel fuel prices, it makes even less sense.
And then you still have an old truck that doesn’t have modern safety and features. Mind you some modern features suck… like the stupid automatic high beam feature many vehicles have. But it’s not all bad.
And for anyone who is worried about being tracked, you can always disconnect the antennas. But if you have a cell phone in your pocket, it defeats the purpose of not being trackable.
So if people want to overpay for these old diesels, it’s their money to waste.
But I won’t be one of those people.
One of my favorite things about my new truck is that it has a dedicated button for auto high beams on the light stalk. I had to shut the feature off completely in my old truck because it misbehaved so often, but on the new one I can flip it on and off without going through the touchscreen, so I do actually get some use out of it.
That’s also a pretty serious indictment of the feature though. It’s so half-baked that you need an easy way to shut it off on a regular basis.
So many clueless drivers these days are driving with their ultra-intense high beams on all the time. So unlike you, these idiots are causing excessive glare for oncoming traffic as well as people they drive behind.
In my opinion, the default settings for high beams should be OFF. The only thing that should come on automatically are the regular low beams.
For high beams, they should only come on manually… and be reset to being off every time the car is shut off.
I will comment 1st Gen RWD Cummins do get around 19-21mpg when not towing (that is what mine is normally getting) and old 6.2 square bodies can get around 22-25mpg (but those were dogs). Unsure what real world people are getting in stock 7.3s.
The correct answer is that neither the old ones or the new ones are worth this kind of money. $100K for any pickup truck is just plain stupid.
Who is paying that money for old diesels when the price of diesel is north of $7 in some places? Genuine question here.
Morons. That’s who’s paying. Morons with more money than brains.
Either that or people who budget carefully and consider the cost of fuel before making an expensive vehicle purchase.
I guess I am a moron, though, even though I carefully considered how much my truck would cost to drive (even with $6/gallon diesel), how much money I am willing and able to spend per year on my vehicle, and what other alternatives were available.
I don’t see how you would save money on the cost of fuel compared to a modern V6 truck which gets the same or better fuel economy.
Unless you were comparing it to a truck with the older OHV V8 engines or if you were comparing it to a truck with the 6.8L V10 engine.
At best, those old diesels get 20mpg unloaded on the highway. And when I look at fuelly, it seems most people typically get 13-16mpg.
By comparison, with a modern F250 Superduty with the 7.3L gas engine, people on fuelly report getting in the 11-12mpg… So worse than the old diesel, but not much worse. Certainly not enough to make up for the additional cost of fuel.
And the comparison only gets worse when you compare it to various F150 configs… getting around 15-17mpg with the 5L V8, 17-19 with the 2.7L V6 to 18-20 with the 3.5L hybrid.
I’d like to see your calculations on your fuel savings and what exactly you were comparing it to.
I don’t think he said he was saving money on fuel – he said he considered the fuel costs and the diesel was still his best option in the end.
And don’t think I am advocating for diesel trucks for all, my car has 656cc and runs on 87 octane gas.
Yes. Although, I would say the diesel was my preferred option as opposed to my best option. I love my truck, even if the math doesn’t math.
There is more than fuel economy to consider when looking at these older trucks. There is a woman near us that uses an OBS just like the one in the lead photo. It is in really nice shape (not $100k nice). She doesn’t drive it every day, but she runs a guided horse tour business so when the truck is in use, it is hauling bales of hay on a gooseneck from down south, or hauling her horses to events or to haul them to a warmer climate for the off-season. Or hauling her tractor if it needs service.
She has had this truck as long as I can remember. It likely has lost no value (and maybe has appreciated). Insurance is likely far less than a new truck. It probably gets slightly better fuel economy than a 7.3L gas truck. We can talk about fuel prices right now, but over the past 20 years in my community, diesel has been on par or cheaper than gasoline. 20 years down the road, when the 2026 F-350 is getting scrapped out because the HVAC control module is NLA, and the infotainment screen went blank, the OBS will still be on the road. My point is that if she wanted to spend $100k on a truck, an OBS that gets the job done would likely be a better investment than a new $100k truck, even if this is a bubble and the OBS loses 30% of its value over the next 15 years.
All that being said, I would not personally spend new-truck money on an old truck, but I can see the argument for someone who does.
I’m not sure why you think I was arguing that a diesel truck is cheaper. I don’t recall anyone making that argument, much less myself. I’m not trying to be an ass, but if you are going to insult people, you should be damn sure you understand their argument!
You are correct – the financially optimal decision for me would have been to buy a different truck. The optimal decision for me would have been an 8 year old base model gas F250 and a used Corolla to drive when I don’t need the truck.
If you are wondering, though, here are some numbers (I have never calculated this before – you piqued my curiosity):
I bought the truck new for $67,920.08, including all taxes and fees (I paid cash so interest doesn’t apply). The diesel engine was a ~$10,000 option, so an identically equipped truck with the base model gas engine would have been around $58k.
In 91,000 miles I have spent $18,267.66 in fuel cost and averaged 20.2 mpg (I have a different vehicle for a daily driver). I have spent an average of $4.06 per gallon for fuel over the years. I have spent $6,282.61 in maintenance and one set of tires. That includes five $300 fuel filter changes and twelve oil changes that cost roughly $100 more than an oil change for a gas truck.
If I had bought a base model gas truck instead, my fuel economy would be slightly lower (let’s assume 17 mpg, though that may be high). If a gallon of regular unleaded gas averaged $2.50 in this time (gas is generally cheaper in my region), I would have spent $13,382 during this time.
Based on that, the diesel truck has cost me ~$4900 in fuel, $2700 in maintenance, and $10,000 in base price over a gas truck. Total is $17,600.
KBB says my truck is worth $35,643.
KBB says an identical truck with the base gas engine is worth $34,582 private sale.
(I honestly thought the diesel would have made up more ground in resale value)
So if I sold my truck today, I would have spent an extra $16,539. Yikes. I knew I was paying a premium, but I didn’t think it was quite that much of a premium.
So as it turns out, I probably am a moron. But then again, I have no problem affording my truck and I like my truck as much today as I did the day I bought it. I might not like the gas truck as much as the diesel, though, so maybe I would be more tempted to trade it in and negate that savings with a new truck purchase?
TLDR: Buy the gas truck. Misanthropic Stig actually is a moron.
Thanks for the more extensive explanation.
“I’m not sure why you think I was arguing that a diesel truck is cheaper.”
Well it’s because when you said:
“Either that or people who budget carefully and consider the cost of fuel before making an expensive vehicle purchase.”
It led me to assume that YOU were one of the people who budgeted carefully and considered the cost of fuel before buying… leading me to assume incorrectly that you went with diesel to save on fuel.
“TLDR: Buy the gas truck. Misanthropic Stig actually is a moron”
Well you might be a moron, but I still like you.
Sorry – I meant I budgeted carefully and realized I could afford the truck, even if it wasn’t the cheapest option. I actually ran the numbers with diesel being $6/gallon before I bought the truck, even it was closer to $3.50 at the time.
To me, the purchase of my truck was like someone buying an M5 when a Malibu would accomplish the same task. I admittedly haven’t driven an M5, but having rented a Malibu, I can see where people would choose the BMW (no shade towards the Malibu, though – those seem like a solid transportation value).
I think a lot of people don’t understand enthusiasm for trucks. For me, a nice truck is desirable in the same way an M5 or 911 is desirable. It is a luxury object/fun vehicle/toy, even if it is also very useful at times.
I am sure this is why modern trucks are so luxurious – people want a cool toy, but can’t justify buying something that is 100% a toy. This is admittedly twisted logic, but I can justify spending $68,000 on my truck because it can do 100% of things a $35,000 truck can do. However, I would have a very hard time spending $33,000 on a vehicle I want but have no real use for.
I actually hadn’t looked at how much more my truck had cost over a comparable gas truck until today. I am surprised at how much of a difference it is. I don’t feel bad about that, though. Spending an extra $16k hasn’t harmed me and I have enjoyed the truck quite a lot.
Also, I make a conscious effort not to complain about the high cost of fuel. I know I have made a choice to buy something I don’t need.
Thank you, Sheldon.
Pre-emissions diesels will always have value. I’ve had the thought of taking advantage of this crisis to pick up something that another owner is unloading to buy an electric mobility blob.
Came here to say this. Pre-smog Diesel engines may be less powerful than modern versions, but they’re as uncomplicated as a stone.
Realistically, $7 isn’t that different from the $5 it used to cost. If you get 18 mpg and drive 15k miles per year, that is a difference of $1,700. $5,800 is a lot of money to spend on fuel, but then again, so is $4,100. A comparable gas truck would probably get 14 mpg, so even if gas was $3/gallon like it was last year, you would still be paying $3,200 for the cheapest comparable vehicle.
Trucks are very expensive to run, but few people are cross shopping an F250 with a Prius. No one buying a diesel truck is used to or expecting to pay $100/month for fuel.
Someone who’s paying $100,000 for an old truck, probably isn’t going to be driving much.
Now is the perfect time to buy a giant diesel truck. The bigger the better.
My neighbor is selling his 6.0L PowerChoke Ford (not sure what year, pre-aluminum body) after it has eaten over $10K in repairs in the last few months (and a similar amount last year AFTER he spent big money on the “bulletproofing” stuff) plus $250+/tank fillups. RWD F-Two-Fiddy 4dr longbed. Good luck with that…
At least he used to use it for what it was intended for, he had a lawncare and tractor business, so it towed a tractor around. But he sold the business and is just a regular working stiff with a commute now.
Be interesting to see what he gets for it – my guess is not all that much. It IS actually nice inside and out though.
And don’t forget MPG, the lower the MPG the closer you are to finally destroying the pesky Earth.
This is why I am never getting rid of my 2nd gen Tacoma. Because modern cars are just more and more unreliable fluff and the gen pop is starting to catch on.
Second gen is peak Taco. I recently saw one with a Toyota “500,000 Mile” decal on it.
First gens are arguably the coolest, but IMO a little too small for practical use.
My only problem is the rust is starting to do its thing on the frame, its not bad enough to be worried about but enough where there’s nothing I can really do about it. I’d love to get it sprayed with fluid film or so but I need to find the right people who would hit it with a wire wheel or so before application.
I bought a ’13 4Runner in 2019, when the weather got nice I put it up on ramps and spent a few days under it with a wire wheel on a drill before having it professionally fluid filmed. It helped, but really the damage had already been done at that point.
I was constantly reapplying fluid film, blaster shield, and various other products to keep the rust at bay, it was an ongoing process. Anytime I had to work on it for whatever reason, a can of FF or Blaster shield was also purchased.
When I traded it in late last year, the frame itself still looked good, but the body had a lot of surface rust underneath, and there was a rust bubble quickly growing from underneath the pass front fender flare. I had also noticed the metal around the hitch was flaking off, and I could stick a finger into the rear frame section and feel loose pieces flake off. It ran great with just over 200K on it, but I figured the rust was just going to get worse.
The first thing I did on my new Ram was to have it undercoated with NHOU “Bosswax”, which they only do on new vehicles, and 10 months later it still looks new underneath. It was 1,200 bucks and I had to leave the truck for two days, but it was worth it.
I don’t know if I’ll keep this long enough for it to matter, but I wanted to protect it just in case.
I’m running an ’01 Tundra Access cab right now, five-speed four-by-four. It has juuuust enough tech to do what I need to do, but not enough to get in the way.
These values shouldn’t be surprising. Realistically, it is supply and demand. These were bought for work and, in most cases, used up. No matter how well your truck is engineered and cared for, it is unlikely to be rust free and in good cosmetic condition after 30+ years and 300,000+ miles. These trucks weren’t special editions set aside from special occasions, thus few nice/preserved examples still exist.
The demand is high because they are both collectible and legitimately good trucks. They are reasonably comfortable, dead reliable, and can handle 98% of jobs a modern diesel pick up can. And they are not going to be out of place displayed at a car show or cruising with ’65 Mustangs and ’57 Chevys.
Trucks in general are popular with collectors because even old trucks are still useful to have around (I would probably still use my ’77 Highboy to haul stuff if I didn’t have my ‘2021 F250). OBS 7.3 Fords might end up being the ultimate collector trucks because they are some of the last trucks that have “old” styling, probably represent peak reliability given their simplicity and lack of emissions equipment, and have modern features (AC, radios, cruise control, etc.) slightly older trucks lack. I expect nice examples of these will continue to go up in value.
It sucks these are worth ridiculous money because that means I am unlikely to ever own a nice one, but it makes sense.
Yeah, we needed a beater truck after buying a house with a bit of land in the country. I would have loved one of the older body styles, I’ve put some miles on a ’95 F150 and it just felt like a good, honest work truck. But prices on those are getting high, even for ones that are more than a little rough. I ended up with a ’97 F150. I’m not a fan of the styling but it’s four wheel drive, not too rusty, has less than 100k miles, and has working AC. That’s better than any of the pre-’97 Ford trucks I saw in the same price range.