A few years ago, if you were a farmer in the midwest and someone told you that your daily driver pickup would be a collector’s item, they’d likely laugh at you. These trucks were simple workhorses, and not seen as anything other than the most durable truck you could buy off a Ford lot in the middle 90s. This particular rig is a loaded up example, featuring four full doors, a matching bed cap, brush guard, and of course, the reliable 7.3-liter IDI turbodiesel V8. With just 26,000 miles on the clock, it’s no surprise that the truck listed here on eBay is attracting bids of over $32,000 with no reserve.
If this F-Series was just a gas-powered example with this low mileage, it would still be attracting strong bids – but the turbodiesel puts it over the top. Still, you can’t dispute that this truck is clean, and if a farmer did use it, he used it quite sparingly and as his in-town rig. The “Opal Gray” cloth upholstery is spotless and the dash is uncracked; rubber floor mats have clearly protected the carpets, too. With full power, air conditioning, and a deep center console, this interior looks about as comfortable as your living room. Aside from a Kenwood head unit and a Uniden CB radio, it remains stock inside.
The IDI turbodiesel makes 190 horsepower and 388 lb-ft of torque in turbocharged form, and is known for its extreme reliability. In addition, Ford made sure the engine could perform in all environments, likely taking into consideration the markets it would be used in – western states, mountain ranges, the like – and it supposedly maintains its performance metrics all the way up to 10,000 feet of elevation. Given its reputation for going deep into the odometer ranges, this low-mileage 7.3L turbodiesel engine will be on the road for decades to come, making the investment in such a truck a wise one indeed.
The seller has prepared this truck nicely in photos and notes it will come with a Marti report. In addition, it features a few other nice-to-haves, including 16″ alloy wheels, front disc brakes, and Bilstein shocks. Looking at the tread on the tires in this photo, I’m guessing the rubber is fairly new as well. The paint scheme Reef Blue and Oxford White is the icing on the cake, as it’s a very sharp color combination. I highly doubt the bidding is done here, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it reach $40,000 or more.
Good write-up Jeff, especially the first sentence. Who would have thought….
Great truck. Well-equipped, low mileage, eye-catching, in great condition. I understand the solid bidding.
Out in the Chinook Belt these were like flies on a dead horse. Almost as common as belly buttons. The Ford dealers couldn’t keep them on the lots.
They began with the venerable 6.9 and that soon begat the 7.3. Some of the early 6.9/7.3 Naturally Aspirated versions had turbo kits installed which didn’t seem detrimental to the engine life at all but made them go like Jack, the Bear. Good ol’ Binder, it must have realized that someone was sure to mount a turbocharger so it installed piston spray-cooling from the get-go.
We put a lot of these (and a lot of “Cowboy Continentals” 1-Ton Duallies) through the shop. Some cold starting problems with the late 6.9s and early 7.3s. The starters wouldn’t spin them over fast enough so we dropped out the new, improved reduction starters and installed the old-unimproved direct-drive starters which were more than capable of spinning those engines over at the (ideal) 200+ rpm (the reduction startes sounded like they were spinning those engines to the moon but in reality, they were lucky to reach 160 rpm).
Yes, contrary to popular belief, we cured dozens of cold-starting woes with that cure.
Anyways, lots of good examples out west, and likely to remain out west in spite of the politics intended to get them off the road…
We had a truck that was identical to this one, and I have kicked myself time over time for trading it in. The diesel is bulletproof.
Its in Elma Washington, really close to the coast and salt air this is definitely one to inspect in person for frame rot, funny thing having lived there for 10 plus years your brake lines rust out first. Nice truck overall
That 1-ton is of the incredible quality as the 87 GMC C-3500 currently on Hemmings with 15k. These trucks are a value even at $40k! Less than half the price of these new pavement princesses of today!
Not familiar with Diesels buy and large, however if i wanted a truck to do truck things. Id rather have that than ANY newer truck on the market. Any modern conveniences id want could easily be added to it, most likely just a back up camera and a bt head unit.
As far as I know the turbo wasn’t added until 95. I could be wrong, but that’s what I remember. My boss at the time got a new one every year from 92 until I moved on in 2000
It’s a good write-up; but I’d take mild exception.
By 1994 these things weren’t considered workhorses. Yes, some farmers, ranchers and contractors would still buy F-150s with rubber floor mats, refrigerator white; but the two-tone-paint, lifted rigs, and the four-door cabs, were the trending items. Not like today, but the trend was becoming clear.
All kinds of utility rigs were being reinvented as luxo-barges. The Jeep Wagoneer, which Willys designers intended for utility companies and parks departments, was given a new name (GRAND Wagoneer) and leather upholstry. The Suburban, which started as a panel-truck with windows cut into the sides, similarly morphed into a rugged wagon, and then into a luxury big wagon, and then into opulence.
This was the turning point…the point at which minivans, immensely practical things, became known as Mommymobiles – and America’s mommies rejected them, preferring SUVs (for reasons I won’t go into).
I’m not happy with the situation as it is; but it is wryly fun to look back and see what we saw then…and know now how it would unfold.
Sold for $59,600.
Wow! I was thinking wrongly around $40k.