Ford’s F-Series may outsell every other vehicle on the planet, but how many members of that mechanical multitude would you consider classics? Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe F-150 XLT 4X4 may very well be a contender. We’ll just have to see if its price is as equally a class act.
The phrase “a lotta bang for your buck” is commonplace when touting cheap but power-rich cars, even though “banging” and “bucking” aren’t necessarily attributes you want to discover in a new automotive acquisition.
That being said, yesterday’s 2002 Mercedes Benz CLK 55 AMG really did offer a lot of bang for your buck. That was by way of the twofer afforded by a 342 horsepower hand-built mill and an appreciably low $5,700 asking price. How appreciably low? Well, low enough to garner a massive 90 percent Nice Price win.
I get a lot of requests from readers and others to feature their own car or truck on NPOCP and typically I am loathe to fulfill those appeals for greater exposure as the vehicles in question are often just a bit too mundane or contrastingly, too specific in appeal.
That wasn’t the case when my new friend, 95F150stillrocks hit me up in an email letting me know that he and his son were putting their “beloved” 1995 Ford F-150 XLT 4X4 up for sale and that both would enjoy seeing how it fared on our esteemed forum. With the knowledge that a new F-series just hit the street, I thought it might be surreptitious timing and clicked through the provided link to the Craigslist ad. Let’s just say that I was duly impressed.
This is a pretty dang clean pick-em-up truck. It’s also kitted in what would be considered extremely fine fashion. Just consider the drivetrain. Under the big hood you get Ford’s 4.9-litre inline-six and behind that a five-speed stick. It’s also All-Wheel-Drive with a Twin Traction Beam independent front end and a solid axle in back making the magic happen.
That engine, by the way, can trace its roots back to the Falcon Six of the early 1960s. Here, with fuel injection, it makes 145 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque. Long revered for its durability it’s a shame this fabulous engine was phased out just a few years after this truck was built.
Hence to its demerit, the new 2021 F-series can’t be had with that wonderful straight-six. It can, however, be had with such innovative features as a tablet holder in the tailgate and a fold-down shifter so the center console can be folded into an impromptu writing desk.
This XLT has a bench seat and a floor covering and that’s about as fancy and innovative as it gets. And after all, isn’t that enough?
The two-tone silver and white paint is admittedly pretty posh here, and features arty 4X4 logos on each flank of the bed. Rust doesn’t seem to have taken up residence here, and aside from some chips, decal de-lamination, and a tailgate trim piece that’s gone missing, there’s not a lot wrong here. A soft tonneau covers the bed and you get a hitch and wiring for a trailer towing too. The long-bed body also features two gas tanks, and a set of aftermarket side steps to make egress all the easier.
Things are similarly sorted in the interior with the cloth on the bench and vinyl floor covering showing some staining, but nothing that would gross you out or anything. There’s also some wear obvious on the dash inlay just below the light switch that shows years of hands rested there as the knob above is pulled into action. It’s not a big deal and is actually kind of nice to see, sort of like the wallet outline in your favorite pair of jeans.
The truck is claimed to have been well maintained over the years. Within the last 20K, it’s said to have benefited from a new clutch and flywheel, shocks, and rear brakes as well as new winders for the windows. Still on the honey-do list is a recalcitrant windscreen washer nozzle, a wonky fuel gauge for the forward tank, and non-working cruise control. Ooh fancy, cruise control. It also has working A/C
Other than those minor issues, the 3-owner truck is said to run very well and with just 139,000 on the clock you can easily expect it to do so for years to come. Honestly, there’s not a lot to go wrong here and things like the 4.9 and gearbox are pretty stout and simple as a pimple to maintain. A clean title and current state safety inspection round out this F-150's bonafides.
The asking price is $6,000 and before you dig in on the comments and votes, let’s remember that 95F150stillrocks and his son are Jalops. Let’s be kind while we critique.
What do you think, did they set a decent price for what looks to be a decent truck? Or, will our hearty Jalop cohorts rue the decision to face our gauntlet?
You decide!
Charlottesville, VA Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to 95F150stillrocks (the truck’s owner) for the hookup!
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