How much would you be willing to pay for the perfect stance? That may seem like an odd question, but I’m not sure it gets much better than this 1984 Ford F-250 in terms of simply looking the part, let alone actually being a reliable and well-maintained machine. The beefy stance, painted steel wheels, poverty-spec hubcaps, and brutish looks of the bullnose design make for a truck that looks pretty great just sitting there. Of course, it has other virtues, like long-term family ownership and a manual transmission. Find it listed here on eBay with bids to $9,355 and no reserve.

I also suspect the appearance of a vehicle can impact bidding in surprising ways. I don’t mean that it’s a huge surprise to see cars and trucks in survivor condition command a fair price, but rather that a truck with these wheels and four-wheel drive will likely fare better at auction than a 2WD model with basic steel wheels. Having the 4×4 box checked delivers so much value both when you’re actively using the truck and when it’s time to sell, as you’ll get your money out of it in both scenarios. A few years ago, a 1984 F-150 with 4WD and 19,000 original miles sold for over $50,000 on Bring A Trailer, which was an insane number, but the truck looked incredible.

This F-250 has plenty of signs of age, so it will never be mistaken for a rig with under 20,000 miles – and, hence, it won’t sell for $50,000. Plus, we’re out of the pandemic era of surge pricing when it came to vintage cars and trucks, so a sale price somewhere under $20,000 seems far more realistic. The combination of the 351 V8 engine with a manual gearbox is a rare find and one that should make this rig a treat to drive around town and on the interstate (but not for long stretches). I dig the period-correct CB radio but other photos show what looks like a leak on the driver’s side floorboard; hopefully, it’s been remedied since the photos were taken.

With 210 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque, this 351 made good power for the malaise era, and offered more stirring performance compared to the 5.0L V8. Paired with the manual, it should still keep up with traffic without issue. The seller notes that lots of recent maintenance has been performed over the last few years and that records are available, but we don’t get much insights into what they capture for recent work in the listing. Still, these are simple workhorses that don’t need much in the way upkeep beyond regular fluid and belt changes, so I’d say between the clean condition and no reserve auction, this bullnose is worth a roll of the dice.