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4-Speed Survivor: 1986 Ford F-250 Super Cab

This handsome 1986 Ford F-250 Super Cab is a survivor in the truest sense of the word, a one-owner truck with just under 100,000 miles wearing excellent colors and equipped with a bevy of desirable equipment. The Ford sports a two-tone paint job consisting of Dark Canyon Red over Medium Metallic Silver, and is equipped with 460 V8 paired to a four-speed manual transmission, along with a Dana 60 Traction Lok rear axle featuring 3.55 gears. The F-250 is offered up here on eBay with no reserve, where bidding has reached $8,900.

It’s amazing to think about how a truck that you likely saw all over the place in 1992 is now a desirable item if it’s found in spotless condition like this. So many F-Series trucks were driven into the ground just like their counterparts at GM because they would take untold abuses and just keep running. Of course, their beds and fenders were also quite vulnerable to rust when found in the snow belt states, so this truck is checking numerous boxes, all of which point to an owner that clearly prioritized keeping it in spotless condition. The extended cab and bed should give the next owner plenty of hauling capacity.

The interior is in excellent shape for having close to 100,000 miles, with the carpets and door panels appearing to be darn near spotless, and the same for the dash with its fake wood trim, a standard feature with the top shelf XLT Lariat trim. The cloth bench seat definitely shows signs of wear and tear, but the good news is that there are no obvious splits or rips in the fabric. The manual gearbox is a treat, and I can’t imagine very many of these workhorses were equipped this way. The truck was originally sold new just down the road from me in Foxboro, Massachusetts before that owner wisely packed his gear and took off for Southern California – a wise man, that.

The listing reports that this one original owner ordered this truck with the options specified, making it a bit of a custom build, well at least as far as the unique mixture of options and colors. The drivetrain, paint, and equipment all shape up to make this F-250 one of just 147 examples ordered with similar features. Now, those sorts of details matter far less when we’re talking about an old Ford pickup versus a vintage muscle or sports car, but this is still a $10,000 vehicle all day long, if not more. Finding one of these in this sort of condition is exceedingly hard; finding a truck in this shape with only one owner even more so. Would you bid $10K for it?

Comments

  1. Avatar angliagt Member

    It’s located in Oakland,California.

    Like 0
  2. Avatar Bob_in_TN Member

    Nice truck. Tons of good pics. Not too common to see a F-250 looking this nice. It was handsomely equipped when new (XLT, cruise, two-tone, a/c). Which makes the manual transmission sort of an oddity.

    I don’t think this generation of Ford pickups has caught on quite as much as the two (or more) before it, but its day is likely coming. I’m not one to center one’s collector car purchases on investment potential, but I think if you keep this F-250 for a few years you will make money.

    Like 7
  3. Avatar Bamapoppy

    Make mine a diesel, please.

    Like 2
  4. HoA Howard A Member

    I had a old trucker friend, gone now, who won a truck like this from Sapp Brothers truck stop in Nebraska in 1986. He was a cross country driver, stopped in one day, they were raffling tickets, he bought one and forgot about it. Few weeks later, they called, said, “come and get your truck”. They had a celebration of sorts, it was a big deal( to them) Apparently, Sapp Brothers also had a Ford dealership and that truck was the top of the line with a diesel. Like this truck, it had every option you could get, including, that trouble light under the hood on a long retractable cord( a la vintage Pontiac), it was a cool truck. The motor was the “pre Powerstroke” motor, and I didn’t care for it. I think these trucks were the absolute zenith ( for their time) in pickups. We turned a corner with trucks like this, and never went back.Very nice truck.

    Like 5
  5. Avatar Ralph

    Does anyone else find it odd that the core support is blue?

    Like 3
  6. Avatar tirefriar

    My daily driver is an ’89 F150 and just like the truck featured here it is a XLT Lariat Supercab with 3.55 LSD rear and around 93k original miles on the clock. This is where the similarities end, the biggest plus here is the manual trans although the 4 speed is good for work and not all that great for highway. I run a 351 Windsor coupled to a C6, another great workhorse trans that is not all that great for open road or DD. Either way these trucks are prized for their simplicity, ruggedness and looks. I even have full working a/c for those hot California days. I would most likely stay away from the IDI 6.9L and go for the 7.3L That is the plan in the next 8-9 months…

    Like 0
  7. Avatar t-bone BOB

    Item location:
    Oakland, California

    Like 0
  8. Avatar Glenn C. Schwass Member

    That’s nice. Someone will save it…

    Like 0
  9. Avatar t-bone BOB

    Ended: May 23, 2021 , 7:01PM
    Winning bid:US $13,100.00
    [ 70 bids ]

    Like 0
  10. Avatar pacekid

    I have had one like this for 25 years. I used it as a pop-up camper truck. Mine rusted out in all the usual places, dashboard and door panels gone with cracks and degraded plastic. Last week I got it back from my body man and it looks gorgeous!
    460 super cab with AC, AT, and 4×4. It took a lot of suspension work to get it to drive tight, it was only possible with the ‘Red Head’ steering box. My friends if your steering is sloppy and your steering wheel oscillates 2-3 inches back and forth to go down the road straight, gift yourself with a ‘red head’. No, I don’t work for the company, and all my mechanics said that the truck will never drive like new after 35 years of use. They said that part store rebuilds rarely are any better than the one you are replacing. I didn’t listen and bought a ‘red head steering box from the Northwest. WOW! I can’t believe the improvement! THe box is definitely worth the extra $100. If you have the sloppy issues, try it. BEst money you ever spent on an old 4×4.

    Like 0

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