How much is too much for a truck you love?
 

I bought my 95 F150 3 years ago for 2500. I immediatelyfell in love with it, and now have about 7000 invested in it including original purchase price. I really have no intention of selling the truck, and want to continue restoring it.

How many of you have put way more $ than the truck is worth into it?

I bought my 97 F250HD about 5 years ago for 4,700. I have over 14,000 in major repairs into it (not including ALOT of little things here and there) and would do it again in a second. That truck is my baby and I plan to keep it forever.

if you have no intentions of selling,then the money you put into it is self worth,not resale.often self worth far exceeds resale value.iv far exceeded any resale value of both of my trucks but haven't gotten anywhere near self worth of them yet.:D

I've learned it's best not to add it up unless it's a business. I'd rather not know what I've spent on my truck. Having owned it for 12 years, since I was 16, it's generated many awesome memories: from wrenching with my dad to wheeling with friends or accessing deep backcountry camping in the mountains. My friend's dad saw my truck the other day, and blurted out "what the hell is that! Looks like something out of Mad Max!" Haha, yea it's not a city truck. With my latest engine trouble and nearly 250k miles I was considering a "new" truck, but figured for another $2k my old rig will become fun to drive and still be cheap. Key is doing most of the work yourself.

It's all about what it's worth to you, which really has nothing to do with price, value, or cost. If it's a hobby of sorts, and you enjoy working on it, then it's not really just a truck that you're paying for. If you simply enjoy driving it for the sake of driving it, then it's not about what makes the most sense from point a to b.

Gotta pay to play one way or another.

i havent a clue how much i have into mine. but i have no intention of selling, at this point i am fixing it for only time. buy lifetime warranty and when ever something goes bad, its just time to replace. makes the wife happy to hear the words free. lol

Nor do I ... Adding up the tab causes one to make bad decisions IMO.

I look at it like a racer with out sponsorship, their wallet is stuck between their foot and the go pedal!
They typically don't push as hard.

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

This question/topic reminds me of analyzing the expense of hunting and fishing. The time and money spent on hunting and fishing should not be compared to the cost of a pound of meat or pound of salmon in the grocery store...does that make sense? Hunting and fishing is about the overall experience...all the intangibles...not a pound of meat or fish.

For me, the time and money I spend on my truck has nothing to do with the value of the truck on the open market. All the time and money I spend is justified in my mind because of the enjoyment and knowledge I get in return. Having reliable transportation is only one small part of what I'm gaining.

I think we're all on the same page here. The enjoyment I get from the truck is priceless. Therefore I don't shy away from spending money to improve it.

For me, money has never been a huge motivator. I think I'm a happier man because of that.

Old Primer Red - I would really like to see your truck! Care to post some pics of before and after? I get a kick out of seeing what they were and what they are now.

I bought my 95 Supercab 18 months ago for $4500. Knowing what I do now I probably should not have given more than $3800 or so.

However - I have about $6000 in it now including purchase price with painting the roof and hood still to do. Would I do it again? Yep.

I had someone tell me that it was not worth putting money in old cars and trucks because after you put money in it, it is still an old car or truck. Maybe so.

But my friends have newer cars and trucks and monthly notes to match. Some months I have spent on my truck fixing it or whatever about what they do on their monthly note. But some months I spend nothing on my truck and they still have a $600 note and will have for a while.

I have the truck for fun and occasionally hauling stuff. It runs really well, the A/C works great, it does all the stuff a truck needs to do AND best of all - it's mine and I do get the occasional "hey, that is a nice truck!".

I can live with that!

Cadtdi - I haven't really done a lot of photos on this truck, but here are a couple of pics of two of my trucks. The first one was a 92 F150 I had a few years back, and the reason for my user name. The next one is of my current 95 F150 Eddie Bauer last fall when I got the camper shell for it.

Attachment 216130

Attachment 216131

I also have a YouTube page that has some videos on the 95. My YouTube channel is Silver Streak's Garage.

it's all relative

I've only got $400 into the purchase of my current '95 F-250. She runs pretty good, and honestly ain't that bad too look at right now.

I've since spent another $800 for a "new" 10.25 axle, new sheetmetal, and various bits/pieces. Overall not bad at all for a 4x4 truck that works....especially up here in the NorthEast (aka Rust Central).


some of the projects in my signature have had significantly more money spent on them. I'm sure this truck will get more money as well. we'll see. but it's worth it as long as my interest is maintained

While there are the plethora of "just help me fix it" folk here & that's fine,... there's a reason its called Ford Truck Enthusiasts...

Unfortunately that usually means money & making sense don't often agree when it comes to our trucks. :rolleyes:

Here's my opinion: my first car was a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 2 door. (No, my parents aren't anywhere near rich).

If I could go back and do it again, I would go buy a 1987 Ford F-250 CCLB with the 6.9L or a Power Ram with the 12V and pay to have the motor and tranny completely rebuilt, and then throw some money into the sound system.

Then I would have an awesome truck that is just as mechanically sound as a 6.7L PSD, gets better mileage and is just as cool if not cooler, and still have saved, what, 15,000 off the price of a newer truck?

Why do people need $70k trucks these days when they can buy a thousand dollar truck and make it just as reliable.

That's how I've always felt/been. Built not bought, I can build some gnarly stuff for a fraction of the cost of something new.