Barn Finds is one of the few classic and collectible vehicle websites that features everything from sub $1,000 junkyard rejects to the occasional six-figure rarity.  This diversity makes for a lot of interesting write-ups, but it also raises the obvious question: what makes an older vehicle desirable?  Is age the sole determining factor?  Take for example this 1986 Ford F-150 long bed for sale on eBay in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Does this running and driving pickup qualify as a collectible because it is 37 years old?  Or, is it just a well-marketed old pickup truck with a lot of life still in it as the current $3,950 bid suggests?

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then one could argue collectability is merely the desire of the person coveting the object.  For example, to most, a Yugo is a throwaway car.  A piece of junk.  However, the last story I wrote about a Yugo showed that supporters of the car are still very passionate about them.  With all the other options out there, that little cutting-edge representation of Serbo-Croatian technology still occupied a warm spot in their hearts.  That is OK, and it keeps the story of the Yugo alive for all to learn.

So, after establishing that collectibility is up to the collector and subject to their whims, at what point can a vehicle be marketed as a collectible?  Take, for example, this 1986 Ford F-150 long bed.  While the seller does not use the word collectible in the ad, it is marketed as a hot rod farm truck and not just a used hauler.  With a 5.0 liter V-8 and a four-speed “Toploader” transmission pushing the power to the rear wheels, hot rod may be a bit of an exaggeration.  Unless, of course, you count as a hot rod anything that can burn the rubber off a tire.  This truck can surely do that with aplomb.

Someone has also done what they could to make this truck look different from the average run-down farm truck.  While it is hard to know for sure, it looks like the sun-bleached paint has been treated to a stem-to-stern buffing with a rough grit of compound and topped off with a coat or ten of wax, it is hard to hide the fact that this truck has lived a rough life.  A set of Centerline wheels doesn’t hide the fact that there are bumps and bruises of every variety, missing trim, and the unmistakable air of being treated like a blunt object rather than a cherished collectible.

The good news about this truck is that it runs and drives and is ready for work.  In the dash is an odometer that reads roughly 32,000 miles.  Ford trucks of this era still came equipped with five-digit odometers, so this one has probably been around at least once.  It is hard to tell if that is once or twice around.  Farm use, which is what this truck supposedly endured, entails a lot of short trips punctuated by movement in and out of the cab by folks not dressed in their finest threads.  The other consideration is the durability of these trucks.  Seventh-generation Ford F-series trucks are incredibly durable and can take a whole lot of abuse without complaint.  The seller feels that 132,000 miles is correct, and you can probably accept that as gospel.

Under the hood is the previously mentioned 302 cubic inch V-8.  Beneath the Armor All sheen is a most noteworthy addition to these “Bullnose” trucks.  Fuel injection replaced carburation on the 302 in 1985.  Horsepower amazingly increased from 133 to 190 horsepower.  While there were certainly other improvements internally that helped, you could consider this addition as one of the big leaps Ford’s F-150 made into the modern world.  While primitive by today’s standards, the fuel injection units in these trucks just flat work.  This generation of F-150s is still well-represented on the highways today due to their durability and modern features.

Still, despite their understated good looks and mechanical ruggedness, this generation of Ford trucks hasn’t caught on with collectors yet.  They are still regarded as great used vehicles by people in the know.  Is the current bid for such an old truck in well-used condition a reflection of a budding collectibility, great marketing, or a still dysfunctional used car market?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments.