My
first vehicle was a 1968 F250 with a 360 cu. in. engine and a four-speed
transmission. I was 16 and my truck was 11 years old. I
can't remember exactly how many miles it had on it, maybe 115K. I
paid $1050 for the truck. The bottom line on it: It was a
workhorse.
I
put an ad in the local weekly newspaper for light hauling, and I had a
business. I also used it to haul around my dad's lawn tractor and
mow lawns. And I had another business. Looking back, it was
kind of interesting that I was making about three times what my friends
made in their part time jobs, in about half the time. The joys of
working for yourself -- but that's another story.
Eventually
I traded the truck for a 1963 Dodge Dart convertible with a pushbutton
automatic. Go figure.
Through
my adult life I have always perked up when I spotted a sharp (or even
not so sharp) older Ford truck. About 10 years ago I finally
bought a 1973 F250 4x4 highboy. It had a 390 with an
automatic. It didn't quite have the spunk that my '68 had, but it
was still a cool truck. To me, it's biggest problem was a leaking
exhaust donut coming off of the manifold. I never quite overcame
the problem.
My
wife, at the time, never really liked the truck. She certainly
tolerated it, but it was a bit uncomfortable. I think the 35"
tires and 2.5' step-up into the cab was a contributing
factor. Anyway, I ended up selling it for the same price
that I paid for it and bought a 2000 F250 Super Duty 4x4 as a
replacement. Not a bad deal. I still have that truck, and
love it.
I've
never quite been able to shake my love of the older trucks. They
all turn my head -- beautiful or beaten. About six months ago I
started thinking about buying another old Ford. About three months
ago I started looking.
At
that time, I actually called about a 1969 Ford step-side. I ended
up not going to look at the truck because the owner and I miss-communicated on the meeting logistics. It was really my fault,
but I didn't make the 65 mile trip to look at the truck.
In
the next couple of months I looked at one truck. A 1979 F100 that
a guy was asking $10K for. Sounded a bit high, but it was close to
my house. Turned out it had a Maaco paint job and an engine
re-build with an indeterminate pedigree. I actually had to laugh
at the price. Needless to say, I didn't buy that truck, even
though the 1979 grille style is probably my favorite.
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