In the classic car world, there are a lot of “trailer queens.” Some vehicles, whether due to rarity, exceptionally low mileage, or inclement weather, simply do not see street use on a regular basis. So how do those cars get from place to place? Presenting the perfect tow vehicle:
The Pick of the Day is a 1997 Ford F-350 XLT 4×4 pickup listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Sheffield Lake, Ohio. (Click the link to view the listing)
This truck itself is now officially a classic, at 26 years old. And it’s no mystery that the “OBS” (or “old body style”) community has made Ford trucks of this era popular in the marketplace.
To be fair, all Ford pickups are best-sellers. The F-Series has been the top-selling vehicle in North America for over 40 years, and the truck still soldiers on in modern day in its 14th generation. This example comes from the ninth generation which ranged from 1992 through 1997. In some ways, these trucks continued a body style that dated back to 1980 without going through a ground-up redesign.
When 1992 rolled around, the front fascia and the tailgate were reworked, and the interior received modernization updates to the seats and the dashboard. Trim levels at the time ranged from a very basic “Custom” in the early years of the generation all the way up through a fully-loaded XLT, and some of these trucks (the F-150 only) also came in Eddie Bauer trim. Special packages like the SVT Lightning and the Nite were short-lived but provided added styling and performance to the lineup.
Getting back to the feature truck: this crew cab four-wheel drive comes with a 7.3-liter Power Stroke turbodiesel V8 mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The seller classifies the 167,000-mileage reading as low, which I suppose is true since that comes out to about 6,400 miles per year. Upgrades include the off-road package, step bars, aluminum wheels on 35-inch tires. The seller notes that the fluids have been changed recently with Ford Motorcraft products, the Bilstein shock absorbers are new all the way around, and both batteries have been replaced.
The important thing about this truck is its payload, because someone will probably want to lug a classic car behind it. Luckily, there is a gooseneck trailer hitch within the eight-foot bed. Online resources say this truck can capably tow between 7,500 and 10,000 pounds. With that kind of capability, this truck could even haul two classic cars if someone really needed to.
The seller is asking $41,999 or best offer for this heavy-duty pickup.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
I’m interested, do you have more photos and where is the truck located?
You need to click on the links in the story to reach the seller.