There is no doubt that this 1974 F-250 Ranger XLT would turn heads wherever it went. Let’s face it, its big, and the color is not one designed to blend in with the background. Having said that, it does appear to be in above-average condition for its age and should be capable of dragging around some pretty respectable loads. Whether those loads find their way into the bed, or whether they are hooked to the towing hitch is a matter for the next owner to decide. Located in Ogden, Utah, you will find the Ford listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has been set to open at $8,500 in a No Reserve auction. I’m quite surprised to find that there have been no bids up to this point.

The F-250 is finished in Orange, and generally speaking, the vehicle does appear to be in better than average condition. The panels look nice and straight, while the trim and chrome seem really clean. The owner states that the Ranger has no issues with rust, and on first impressions, that seems to be a fair call. However, if you look at the photo of the bed that I have included at the bottom of this article, you will see a couple of spots that look a bit questionable. They could be nothing but some leaves, but they would bear investigation. The first of these is at the front edge of the bed just to the left of the center. To me, it looks like there could possibly be a couple of holes. It also appears that the bottom of the tailgate on the inside might also have some rust developing. If these are actually rust issues, and that is all that is present, then addressing those spots shouldn’t be difficult. One thing that I notice with the bed is that in spite of the fact that the paint is scratched, it doesn’t look like there are any of the sorts of dents that you might find if heavy objects have been thrown in carelessly. The F-250 is fitted with a towing hitch, which means that it also has the potential to be a very satisfactory tow vehicle. One addition that I really quite like is the dealer-fitted spotlights. I’m not sure how much use they’d get, but they are just a cool little extra.

Lifting the hood of the Ranger reveals a 390ci FE V8, a 3-speed automatic transmission, along with power steering and power brakes. This was the final year that the FE 360 and 390 engines were available in the F-250, and in this case, it produced 201hp. However, its forte lay in its abundant torque, with 376 ft/lbs available at 2,600rpm. Those are the numbers that made the F-250 such a formidable tow vehicle, and it seems that this one is in sound mechanical health. The engine has just been fitted with a new Holley carburetor, while a new fuel tank should make sure that it doesn’t get the chance to ingest any nasty debris. The tires that are fitted to the vehicle haven’t managed to accumulate 100 miles under their treads, and a full service has just been performed. The owner claims that the odometer shows a genuine 71,000 miles, but doesn’t clarify whether he holds any evidence to verify this. The owner does say that the 390 starts easily and that the F-250 drives very well.

The interior of the Ranger presents fairly well, and it really has no immediate needs. The cover on the seat isn’t original, but I actually quite like it. The headliner and door trims look really nice, while the dash pad seems to be free of cracks. The steering wheel does have a number of cracks, while the woodgrain has peeled away and broken in a number of spots on the dash. That really seems to be about it for obvious faults. The Ranger comes equipped with an AM/FM stereo radio, and this is said to work perfectly. It is also equipped with cruise, but this doesn’t operate. One of the most common issues with this system tends to be switch failure, so if the next owner decides to tackle this, that might be a good starting point. One thing that does work is the air conditioning. This has received a recent service, and it blows ice-cold. The Ranger also comes equipped with a dealer-fitted CB radio.

If someone is looking for a really competent tow vehicle, then this ’74 F-250 Ranger would have to be a vehicle worth considering. Apart from that small question mark over the potential rust in the bed, it appears to be in excellent condition for its age. One factor to consider is that virtually all of these classic pickups have been experiencing some pretty substantial increases in values in recent times, and the F-250 is no exception. In fact, it is something of a trendsetter in this regard, with a 40% increase in values over the past 3-years alone. You would think that with those sorts of increases, they would be reaching a point where they would potentially price themselves out of the market. In reality, they haven’t done so, and nice examples tend to get snapped up pretty quickly. It is for that reason that I’m surprised that there have been no bids on this one at this time.