I promise not to overuse the phrase time capsule when describing this incredible 1980 Ford F-150 Ranger XLT shortbed pickup. You can see for yourselves what a nice truck it is, and by looking at the many photos in the eBay listing here. This sweet and shiny shortbed is located in Lompoc, California and the current bid price is $10,400 but the reserve isn’t met.
I would have normally led things off with the photo above but that tree looks like it’s sticking out of the top of the truck and that’s more than a little distracting. This photo really shows off the incredibly beautiful and deep paint scheme on this Ranger XLT trim truck. This is a seventh-generation Ford F-series pickup and the first year of the squared-off design which was new for 1980. They made this generation of pickups until 1986.
The seventh-generation F-Series would be the last to have the mid-level Ranger or Ranger XLT trim which this truck has. The top trim level was the Ranger Lariat. This truck has so many extra fancy trim pieces, bodyside moldings, and other trim-related doo-dads compared to our old 1969 Ford F-250 Ranger that it almost doesn’t look like they were related at all. The seller lists the mileage as being 36,000 but there’s no mention of the miles in the listing. The only wear appears to be the paint on the bed. It also looks like some heavy surface rust back there but the seller says there is no rust.
This interior is so much nicer than our 1969 Ford Ranger trim pickup was. We had black vinyl seats and even with factory air-conditioning – which dripped water on our feet constantly – those black vinyl seats were horrible both summer and winter. Having a fabric bench seat like this one would have been so much nicer. This interior looks perfect to me, other than possibly some sagging of the headliner and a normal wear-tear on the side of the driver’s seat vinyl. We had an automatic but this truck has a 4-speed floor shifter, cool.
The engine is Ford’s 302 cubic-inch V8 with around 130 horsepower. This incredible truck has had just one owner since new and it has no rust, no leaks, and hasn’t had any accidents. Hagerty is at $11,900 for a #3 good condition truck and $24,500 for a #2 excellent truck. Wow. Any thoughts on this beauty?
We had this truck new in 84. I was 4 years old and only have a few memories of it. It was all dark brown with a cap on it. I remember thinking it looked old even when new. In comparison the 89 Ranger extended cab (the smaller Ranger line) that replaced it felt much nicer and looked a-lot more cool with a black and silver paint job and red interior.
Very nice. Well equipped. Unusual two-tone paint scheme. Cool upholstery. Manual transmission. Good shape. Lots to like here.
Thanks Scotty.
Looks like a very nice pickup indeed. I find the paint scheme a little odd; the dark brown color on the hood and a bit below the side windows but ending at the top of the A-pillars. I would think the same color on the roof, the back of the cab and along the top of the bed sides would look more balanced. The interior here is very attractive and A/C is a bonus. The bullet-proof 302 and the four speed along with the desirable short bed make for a nice package overall. I had an ’85 Ford F150 similarly equipped, a pickup I enjoyed but let it go when I spun a bearing acting the fool.
I don’t think I have seen this before. I found something as I tried to look it up.
It does not appear that I can paste it, but it describes 3 different Two-Tone schemes: Deluxe (Accent color covers center side body only); Combination Two Tone (Accent color covers roof as well as the Deluxe description above); and Victoria Two Tone (Accent color applied to Hood, Upper Fenders, around windows, and lower bodyside ). The line drawing on the picture looks like this one
Interesting info jwh. I don’t recall this scheme either. Another piece of two-tone trivia: I was looking at some Ford pickup brochures from the late 60’s or early 70’s. It showed that, using different colors and schemes, there were something like 160 different combinations available.
A buddy had a 78 with a similarity strange paint scheme in a different color combo. It does look odd but the truck looks really nice. I never like the front end on these but I love the 92-97 F Series, I think they are the best looking Ford truck since the 40-41 models. The newer ones are just ugly to me
I miss the days of the single cab era when trucks were simple. This was definitely someone’s leisure truck as most single cab trucks tended to be the work variety. It’s a lot harder today to differentiate trim levels because it was easy to spot the 2 tone paint scheme and know this was a special truck back in the day. Ford definitely had a winner with this body style in 1980. I still can’t get over how nice that paint still shines and I really like the colors. Very late 70’s early 80’s colors that stand out in a sea of dull colors we have today.
Not a fan of today’s trucks at all either, alphasud. Too many doors, too big and way too expensive. The only pickup I’ve ever had with extra doors was a 2004 Ranger extra cab with the half rear doors and the little jump seats. The extra cab space was useless to me, and the larger cab meant a shorter bed. My first pickup was a ’70 GMC 3/4 ton 4×4, a no-frills, basic, tough-as-nails truck that I took hunting in the North Maine woods and snowmobiling there in winter. Simple and dependable, it never let me down. I can’t afford a new truck today but that’s fine by me as I wouldn’t want one. I’ll stick with my regular cab ’95 Ford F150 XLT. It’s old but it’s awesome.
I traded up from a 92 single cab XLT long bed to a 04 F250 XLT long bed in 08. Still have that truck today but it’s now been converted to 4X4 and a Powerstoke. The Ford trucks I have owned have been the most reliable of any car I’ve ever owned.
I had a similar truck for a few years. Mine was a 1980 F100 with the 300 six and the four speed overdrive manual. It got great milage, 24 MPG, due to the 2.75 rear end. However, with that high rear end ratio, it wouldn’t pull a sick piss ant off of the mound.
Awesome paint job. Is that sparkle I see in there?
As a kid, I worked at a large church with acres of grounds to maintain and we had a 1986 F-250 to use for Grounds Crew back in the day. By the time we got it, it was already kind of beat but the thing always started for us and got us where we needed to go. The only “on the road” repair I ever had to do was figure out which vacuum line fell off and reattach it. It rode like an old truck.
Scotty I’d argue that, if you’re going by model year, they made this generation until 1987 (through 1986).
Nice truck. I bet it’d be fun to drive, esp. w/ the 4-speed, and fun to talk about when people ask questions and share stories. Nice find.
Judging by the condition, my guess is the owner placed the Reserve pretty high. I’m willing to bet the truck will sell for close to/over $18K given the current market conditions for used cars & trucks.
Very nice truck. My favorite generation. I bought an ‘81 new for $7,200 and still have it.
Not dissing but these have very small clutch disc if you pull boat or what ever,plan on replacing as scheduled maintenance.
bouught this CUSTOM in May of 1980 Still have it.It is original everything . Never seen snow and it never will
I only see 3 things wrong with this truck, THE COLOR, THE Color, The Color. Never Did Never Will Own Something That Looks Like Baby$hit Brown. That and I bet that first is a Granny Gear or 4th is Overdrive.
If your baby poops sparkles then ya might wanna take her to the doctor!
I like this truck, the color is a little odd, but you have to take the good with the bad with a truck this nice. The good is no matter what the final bid is, it will be much less than a C-10. Of course it will be less when you sell it. If final price is around 25 ,I think it would be well worth it.
Auction update: this one ended at $12,099 and no sale.