These five affordable Ford trucks really put today's prices in perspective.
Humble Beginnings
These days, new trucks are more expensive than ever, a surge fueled by inflation and various other macroeconomic events - not to mention the growing presence of technology and luxurious features in those models. However, that hasn't always been the case, and looking back, it's pretty fascinating to see just how much the prices of Ford trucks have come after some rather humble beginnings.
Photos: Ford
Model TT
As one might imagine, pretty much everything was cheaper back closer to the start of the 1900s, and that's true of Ford trucks as well. In 1917, the Model TT launched, offering commercial customers a truly capable hauler with a one-ton payload, and impressively, it cost a mere $600 to purchase, in fact - which equates to a mere $18k in today's money, accounting for inflation.
Photos: Ford
Model 50/73
The Model 50 and 73 pickups came along later on - in the 1930s - as more conventional vehicles with styling borrowed from Ford's passenger vehicle lineup. However, these vehicles were still truly affordable haulers, with pricing starting out at around $470, or just a bit over $10k in today's money.
Photos: Ford
Pre F-Series Years
Even after much of its production was shut down as it assisted in efforts to win World War II, Ford continued to offer increasingly modern pickups at affordable prices. In 1941, that meant one could head on down to the dealership and spend a mere $613 to purchase a new Ford pickup, which is only around $13k today when accounting for inflation.
Photos: Ford
Second-Generation F-Series
Years later, the F-Series officially debuted, and by the time the second-generation model rolled around, the pickup as we know it had evolved considerably. To this day, the second-generation F-Series remains one of the most popular Blue Oval haulers ever conceived, but when new, it was also quite affordable. Pricing started out at around $1,300, which equates to $15k in today's money, in fact.
Photos: Ford
Third-Generation F-Series
The same held true for the third-generation F-Series model, which was really the very first to feature a modernized, more conventional design that incorporated its fenders into the body lines. In spite of those changes, these trucks still started out at just around $1,600 - or roughly $18k today - which is far less than any new truck costs in the current market.
Photos: Ford
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