48K Mile New Truck Alternative: 1993 Ford F150 XLT 4×4
As we have mentioned previously on Barn Finds, the crazy new car market of today is forcing folks to come up with out-of-the-box solutions to transportation problems. While the situation is slowly improving, most new trucks are selling for sticker price or more depending on the options and the customer’s need. Just as water always finds its level, so will new truck prices. In the meantime, if you need a reliable ride, check out this 1993 Ford F150 XLT long bed 4×4 for sale on eBay in Severn, Maryland. With just three days left, the current bid for this well-kept 48,000-mile truck is just $4,500. With a lot of life left in it, can this truck be both transportation and a Cars and Coffee favorite?
The ninth generation of Ford’s venerable F series trucks, produced from 1992-1997, has always been well respected for a number of reasons. The refresh in 1992 was the second on the original 1980 chassis. This continuous production went a long way towards working out any issues and contributed greatly to their reliable reputation. The lines were softened and smoothed outside, but they were still a rugged truck. Inside, a new dash was fitted and the interior was updated. Another plus was that this generation was powered by what we could easily call Ford’s engine all-stars. The base engine was the incredibly long-lasting 300 cubic-inch inline-six, but customers could opt for 302, 351, and 460 cubic inch gas engines. Even the 7.3-liter diesel was on the option list if you moved up to an F250.
The truck you see here is a good example of an early ninth-generation F series. It is equipped with a 5.0-liter (302 ci) V-8, with an automatic transmission with an overdrive. The truck is also equipped with four-wheel drive. This meant that the front axle is a Dana 44, and the rear end is a Ford 8.8, making this a fairly formidable off-road tool. Amazingly, the odometer reads just 48,021 miles. Now that we have decades of examples to look upon, we know that a truck like this, with proper care, can easily run relatively trouble-free for over 200,000 miles.
The exterior looks to be in very good shape from the aftermarket topper to the factory aluminum wheels. In the ad, the seller has cataloged an exhaustive set of photographs of the truck to make sure there are no surprises when the winning bidder picks up his ride. This appears to be the habit of the seller, as we have written up trucks being sold by this dealer before. Finding good trucks, cleaning them up car lot style, and selling them on eBay seems to be the business model here. With 100% positive feedback, it appears this is a reputable dealer.
A look inside reveals an interior that has obviously been used, as evidenced by little, fairly faint stains on the floor and seat. As an owner of a few Ford products of this era, I can attest that Ford had no idea what Scotchgard was at the time, and apparently had no interest whatsoever in installing stain-resistant fabrics. At any rate, a glance at the dash shows that this truck was equipped with air conditioning, an AM-FM cassette radio, cruise control, power windows, power door locks, and a locking glove box. The only obvious flaw would be a missing air conditioner control knob.
Under the hood is the legendary 5.0-liter V-8 with a displacement of 302 cubic inches. This engine was Ford’s workhorse at the time and saw service in nearly every rear-wheel-drive product the company made at the time. These engines have a reputation for being reliable and fairly thrifty for their size at that time in history. Make no mistake, this is probably a 16-18 MPG truck if you are light on the pedal, but it will take you where you need to go with nary a complaint. The twin fuel tanks that F-150s of this era came equipped with made sure you could cruise well past your bladder’s breaking point.
In all, this is a nice truck for someone, and it looks like it will sell for a reasonable price. If I were in need of a reliable vehicle that could haul some stuff from Home Depot after a Saturday morning Cars and Coffee, this would be an attractive choice. Trucks of this vintage are just starting to become collectible, and a lot of folks have fond memories of them. Who says you can’t make more memories with a truck like this one? What do you think of someone purchasing this truck for daily driving and cruise-in duty? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Comments
If I needed a pickup, I certainly wouldn’t spend $40 or $50K on a new truck when I could buy a low mileage example like this for a LOT less. A bullet-proof drive line, good looks and in great condition with enough options to keep me happy. Of course, like most Barnfinders, I would prefer a manual trans, but I could get past that considering how nice this one is. The ’92-’97 F150s are definitely coming up in desirability and collectability with nice examples fetching good prices. I’m sure it’s a trend bound to continue, especially with older examples of pickups continuing to climb in value.
But how could you live without 28 cup holders,a screen in the
dash,& all of the other electrical nannies,& being able to look
down (literally) at smaller pickups,plus house-sized payments
every month for 10 years?
You’ve got quite the sense of humor, angliagt! I actually can live without all of that guff because like a lot of guys here on Barnfinds; I’m old school. I can remember quite a few vehicles that I’ve had back in the day without any options at all so anything above nothing is a plus! Besides, I can’t afford a new truck anyway! My F150 has 1 cupholder (the wife can hold her own cup of joe!) but it has A/C, PS, PDB and power windows. They are my only requirements these days. Anything above that I can do without.
A 1993 F150 XLT was my first ever new truck. 2WD and the 302. Silver/gray two tone. One of the best vehicles I have ever owned. This truck looks really, really good….
best
bt
I’ve got one like this with 111k miles on it, I’m the second owner within a few months of buying it I sold the canopy on Craig’s list for $200 bucks because I didn’t want a station wagon I then purchased the OBD-1 reader in case anything happened but going on 4 years ownership and only 3000 added miles I have only had to replace the battery and starter system
The frustrating thing with these trucks is KBB only gives this one a value of about $4,000 and if you watch the bidding its going above that so God forbid your in a accident you will be left fighting with the insurance company for actual value against what KBB and others who aren’t paying attention to market trends say its worth
You can boost insured value with most insurance companies. I did it with Travellers and have my ’95 F150 insured for $12,000 with no deductible. The ins company requested detailed pics of my truck to review the condition, in and out, to justify the value I requested. The premium for the year is reasonable as they also took into account my clean driving record.
I did the same with my two collector cars through Condon &Skelley. I sent them detailed pics and requested a certain value on each one. Collector cars are relatively low risk as we are careful with them and don’t drive them a lot. Insurance companies are happy to insure anything you want for a value you request (within a reason) because they will get more money from you. I’m actually in the process of raising the value of one of my collector cars by $2,000 and it will only cost me an extra $15 for the year.
I grew up with my dad owning two Ford pickups with the 302, and I’ve owned one myself. Damn engine is bulletproof. Most under rated Ford motor in my mind.
I agree this is a great alternative to a new, similarly-equipped rig. I’m waaaaay to frugal to spend $70K on a dang truck.
Kudos to the seller for providing a lot of good photos. Strange he didn’t source a replacement knob for the HVAC but that’s minor.
The same seller has another low-mileage Ford for sale as well:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185774622293?hash=item2b4107c655:g:iy4AAOSwvDxjjR9Y
With almost five hours left to bid it’s $9,100 now. Severn Md. is just up the road from me. But it’ll be sold before I can go see it. This looks like a pretty nice truck as best I can tell from the pictures. The only negative that I see is that the seat looks kind of frumpy for a truck with such low mileage. Still, if I needed to replace my current truck I’d be interested in this. The underside looks pretty good too so I’ll bet it’s not been a local truck for any length of time. I’m in agreement with the other readers who are not interested in spending a fortune to drive one of the new trucks. Pricing is crazy in my opinion. I’m thinking that more and more folks needing trucks will be interested in trucks like this one and if the new owner takes care of it then it’ll probably appreciate.
Apple juice can is rusty.
My first new vehicle was a 93 F150. 2wheel drive, 5 speed with the 300 Cid 4.9 6 cylinder. Shadow metallic blue. Chrome wheels and bumpers. It was an XLT tape deck, power windows locks and cruise. Also power lumbar seats. Best thing I ever drove. Tuff truck!.14000 dollars out the door brand new.
I had a 90 F-150 4×4 which is the same truck, it just didn’t have the rounded front sheet metal. Mine had a 351W/AOD and 3.73 gears. It was definitely a tough truck and never let me down. Even though I’m a GM square body guy, I never should’ve let that one go! I also had an 89 F-250 2wd with a 351W/ZF 5 speed and wish I’d kept that one too!