keep original or customize it?
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Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
keep original or customize it?
ok,so i have an 84 f150 xlt, my question is, is the truck worth more original or should i do some light customization work on it. just interior and body work,sound system, things of that nature. not gonna do anything under the hood. i am definitely NOT selling truck anytime soon,but maybe in 10 years i will, so i'm wonderin if i should keep everything as it is right now or would it hurt the value to customize it. if i do customize it, i plan on keeping all the oem parts anyway,but is it worth time and trouble,plus the costs, to customize it
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,429
Likes: 4
From: patricia ab canada
everybody's truck is custom to some level.i say do what you want to to your truck to make it more comfortable for you.ad options that ford offered but are not on your truck.it's your truck do what you want,i can't see these trucks being worth big money in the future,unless they become extremely rare,i doubt that.i say do what you want,it's not like your cutting up a Shelby mustang ,or and AC cobra.there were millions of these trucks made.
Elder User
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 625
Likes: 1
From: Colorado
I honestly don't see these trucks rising in value any time in the near future. Not old enough to be 'classic', and not 'new' either. They're not even worth much now depending on where you're located (and the general condition of trucks of this age in your area).
86bigred beat me to it.
But you can go to any junkyard, throw a rock and hit six of these trucks. They're everywhere.
86bigred beat me to it.
But you can go to any junkyard, throw a rock and hit six of these trucks. They're everywhere.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 4,990
Likes: 6
From: Florida
Eventually they will be sought after,especially when alot of them get crushed and rot out.But that won't be for at least 10 or so years.Certain trucks like the XLS trucks are rare,and others like the Explorer trucks are rare in their own right since they changed every year.However,alot of people don't know this,so these trucks still get abused.It'll come eventually.
You could always do what i'm doing with my F100 Custom,which is making it a Ranger Lariat.These trucks are easy to customize with factory options since Ford prewired all the trucks for alot of options whether they were to have them or not.My truck was a base truck and didn't even have a Radio.So far,I've added the Radio,factory under dash lights,glove box light,dash clock,chrome trim on the door panels,intermittent wipers,Woodgrain trim on the door panels,woodgrain dash and radio bezels,dome/map light,headliner,XL trim(everything for the back of the cab that my Custom didn't have originally),and the list goes on.Most of this stuff was very easy to do and was a matter of plug and play.Good luck.
You could always do what i'm doing with my F100 Custom,which is making it a Ranger Lariat.These trucks are easy to customize with factory options since Ford prewired all the trucks for alot of options whether they were to have them or not.My truck was a base truck and didn't even have a Radio.So far,I've added the Radio,factory under dash lights,glove box light,dash clock,chrome trim on the door panels,intermittent wipers,Woodgrain trim on the door panels,woodgrain dash and radio bezels,dome/map light,headliner,XL trim(everything for the back of the cab that my Custom didn't have originally),and the list goes on.Most of this stuff was very easy to do and was a matter of plug and play.Good luck.
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 6,949
Likes: 1
From: utica il
these trucks are never going to be worth anything other than what they are worth to you, yourself. i miss my 85 4x4 but it wouldn't even fetch scrap price nowadays. by the time these trucks are of collectible age, there won't be people interested in them. they will be considered old clumsy clunky trucks, built before trucks were civilized. i don't agree with it but that's what i see happening. new trucks get more and more car like every year in ride and handling. and every few years drivers get more needy and sissyfied when it comes to what they will drive. go to a dealer lot and try to find a stick shift fullsize pick up, i triple dog dare you
Cargo Master
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,558
Likes: 69
From: New Zealand
Might just be me, but I think the 80-86 styling is the best-looking by far from 1956 through until the 1999 F250. (The 99 F150 grill was just boring IMO)
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 6,949
Likes: 1
From: utica il
i completely agree about looks, boxy and manly.but front axle tech alone has changed considerably. and i mean both 2 and 4 wheel drive.ttb has been hated by most since it's been around, and while the twin i beam 2x4 was great, it's outdated and gone. i love these trucks, but i just don't see a collectible future. i guess i'm challenging people to try and tell me what the most rare option configuration was, and then weigh that against other vehicles rarity to try and find some value
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The village idiot.
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,126
Likes: 1
From: Southern WV
Whether or not they ever become "valuable" as collector pieces is an argument that won't be won either way for another 10-15 years.
That being said, I agree 100% with Fordzilla80. Clone it, make it comfortable for you. Add a few little touches or completely customize it into something you like. As long as it's not a rotting pile of rust falling apart sitting completely still it's going to have a value of some sort to somebody.
That being said, I agree 100% with Fordzilla80. Clone it, make it comfortable for you. Add a few little touches or completely customize it into something you like. As long as it's not a rotting pile of rust falling apart sitting completely still it's going to have a value of some sort to somebody.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 8,521
Likes: 16
From: Lost
I have doubts about whether these model trucks will ever be sought after, but the 80-86 is the most modern bodystyle, that was still not filled with electronic controls for everything. Carbs are old and outdated, but they worked rather well for many years at a time, with just a little routine maintaince and an occasional rebuild. Best of all, most anyone with a little mechanical skill could keep them going.
My opinion, it's your truck, and you plan to keep it for a while, so do what YOU want to do to it.
I've already owned my 80 for more 12 years, and don't intend to replace it with anything newer. I do intend to swap in 4wd drivetrain, simply because there's been 4-5 times every year that having a 4wd would have been handy, and I don't want to get a different truck. I already know how reliable the current one is, and swapping the suspension isn't gonna change that.
Could modifying a truck hurt it's *potential* future value? Sure. But only time will tell. It could also work the other way around.
My opinion, it's your truck, and you plan to keep it for a while, so do what YOU want to do to it.
I've already owned my 80 for more 12 years, and don't intend to replace it with anything newer. I do intend to swap in 4wd drivetrain, simply because there's been 4-5 times every year that having a 4wd would have been handy, and I don't want to get a different truck. I already know how reliable the current one is, and swapping the suspension isn't gonna change that.
Could modifying a truck hurt it's *potential* future value? Sure. But only time will tell. It could also work the other way around.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 8,786
Likes: 28
From: Northern California
I Wouldn't Customise a XLS, or an Explorer, as both are getting quite rare, especially in their unmolested conditions, as Fordzilla80 mentions. I'd never Customise a limited edition vehicle.
Otherwise it's your truck and do what makes you happy.
Otherwise it's your truck and do what makes you happy.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 274
Likes: 0
I'd customize anything with four wheels. In my option I say see what you can do with it, do things that you dont see everyday. Its not like you see custom trucks of these years alot anyway. that is what drove me into doing custom stuff to my truck as soon as I got it.
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 647
Likes: 3
From: Brumley, MO
I think it will be more valuable if you do stuff to make it nicer, such as better sound system, and nicer interior, better paint job, power adders for the motor, and stuff like that. It is a truck and it might be worth more 20 years from now if you keep it nice, and original, but it will be hard to find a collector to buy it, and average joes might give you decent money if it is made nice, and kept with the times.
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 362
Likes: 1
In most instances you will never get out of the vehicle what you put in unless it is a rare vehicle. And as it stands, our trucks just aren't that rare. I would do whatever makes you happy and what you need for yourself.
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 872
Likes: 0
From: South Carolina
I'd customize anything with four wheels. In my option I say see what you can do with it, do things that you dont see everyday. Its not like you see custom trucks of these years alot anyway. that is what drove me into doing custom stuff to my truck as soon as I got it.
