General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The Tesla Truck Is Coming Today. Here's What That Means for Ford and GM Stock [View all]MineralMan
(146,288 posts)up the cost of older trucks. By the time they are mechanically in good shape and restored in the looks department, quite a bit gets spent. I wanted to do that, too, but prices for decent trucks in the pre-computer years were starting at around $10k and up. the older, the more they cost. 60s pickups are going for nearly $20k for a decent example. Restoration costs are why.
Mid 90s trucks are just old trucks. But, if a particular one is running well now, it's likely to keep doing so for quite some time, so if you're not going to put a lot of miles on it, you can count on it working about the way it does when you bought it. On mine, the only thing I'm not sure about is the battery. I figure there's about a 50% chance I'll have to drop a new $100 battery in it this winter. Minnesota is hard on batteries. I may just put a new battery in it, just on principle.
Otherwise, it's running fine, driving fine, and generally in good order. Some owner in the last 5000 miles or so put new brakes on it, and a new exhaust system. I bought four new tires for it right after I got it. It doesn't seem to be burning oil, and starts almost instantly, since it has fuel injection. Carbureted trucks are not so easy to start in the winter, unfortunately.
If it was a daily driver, I'd have spent more and gotten a later model. But it's a beater truck for me, so...