I Think I Am Going to Sell My Truck

I think I am going to sell my truck.  

My wife is now pregnant with our second child, and we simply are going to need another vehicle with more room.  The problem is, I have two inefficient vehicles:  my 1985 Ford F150 and my 1998 Jeep Wrangler.  And the wife doesn't like to drive either one of them.  She has a 2013 Jeep Patriot, and it has been in the shop twice now for some stupid electrical problems.  My Jeep is my "new" vehicle, and it is extremely reliable, but it is now 20 years old.  (How did that happen?) It is going to need some attention soon, and I have found I simply don't like driving a full-size pickup truck around very long.  It's great for a second or "spare" vehicle, but so is the Jeep.  I purchased my Jeep in 1999, and I have way too many memories in it to sell it.  I went to college in it, my wife and I dated in it, and we went on many trips in it - including our honeymoon.  I even brought my first child home in it!  While I was working on the Ford, I was driving the Jeep and making great memories in it.  My wife and my son loves it, and I want to keep it.

The Ford was my Dad's truck.  I always liked it, and wanted to keep it in the family.  He purchased it in 1993, drove it around for a few years, and then he parked it under a barn when the transmission stopped working correctly.  I decided I wanted to restore it and keep it as a second vehicle.  It was much more work than I ever thought, but it came out better than I thought it would.  I don't have any regrets about the restoration, other than the occasional arguments my wife and I got into over it when it was taking up so much of my time and money.  I still think it is the best looking pickup truck I have ever seen.  It is completely reliable and drives just as good an any fuel-injected vehicle.  This may sound funny to some of you, but I think I am going to miss having a carburetor more than anything else. I have grown to appreciate the "personalty" an all-mechanical vehicle with a carburetor has.  I have taken great pride in this restoration, and it has won a trophy in every car show it's been in.  It even took home three trophies in one car show; one being Best Of Show!  

But for the last year or so, I have somehow completely lost interest.  I know every single nut and bolt on this truck, but the thought of repairing something in the future or spending one more dime in it somehow makes me feel sick.  I think it's because I know it will never look as good as it does right now.  It's like I had more fun fixing it up and dreaming about it being finished one day than when I actually completed the restoration.  I can count on one hand how many times I have actually needed a pickup truck.  And again, I have found I just don't like driving a full-size pickup truck around for very long.  The Jeep is much more my thing, and I am now thinking about how I am going to restore it.

Do you think I am crazy?

Yes!  I THINK YOU ARE COMPLETELY BONKERS!

Rick!  You've put so much work into your father's truck that I cannot even comprehend you THINKING of selling it, much less doing so.  Ask Shaun about his experience selling his truck.

Seriously, while I understand the need for the money and the lack of "need" for the truck, I think you'd be making a serious mistake to sell it.

This sounds like one of those things where you kick your self 6 months down the road for selling it.

Being an SC local myself I know these trucks sell for high dollar here in the roughest shape, and I know you do too. It's tough when the decision to sell is a quick cash issue, you start really weighing out do I need this. I don't need a bricknose, i need a pick up, but I want a bricknose lol. Maybe one day I will find a 4 door version, but those seem to be unicorns. I'm sure you could get a pretty penny for Lucille, probably nearly enough to buy a newer vehicle outright with cash, the caveat being with enough time sitting around for sale to get the right person to buy it.

I don't think you're crazy. You're going thru a lifestyle change driven by more kids. Your lives will be richer with more kids (if you keep them off screens and home school).

Instead of selling the truck, project yourself  into the future a bit and imagine how much better your kids will be growing up in the country. I'm guessing that you live in a suburb?  Driving a FS pickup in burbs or cities is not much fun.  Howzabout moving further out onto a few acres, where you can enjoy driving a pickup on country roads.  Imagine having your own well, no HOA, space to park a couple parts trucks, and hunting wild turkeys right off the back porch.  The burbs will spread out to meet you in a decade or so, your property value will go way up, and you can sell out and do it again.

LARIAT 85 wrote

But for the last year or so, I have somehow completely lost interest.  I know every single nut and bolt on this truck, but the thought of repairing something in the future or spending one more dime in it somehow makes me feel sick.  I think it's because I know it will never look as good as it does right now.  It's like I had more fun fixing it up and dreaming about it being finished one day than when I actually completed the restoration.  

I get it, and I've been through it a few times. Doesn't matter if it's a vehicle or a hobby, or whatever...you can lose interest and no matter what you do you just can't love it like you used to.

It would be nice if you could sell the truck to somebody know you that will take care of it, and maybe give you first crack at it if it should ever end up for sale again? Maybe just make a personal vow to not sell it to just anybody. You'd probably have a heart attack if you saw it in a couple months being used by a couple guys sealing asphalt driveways or something...lol.

I dunno Rick, I understand the conundrum here...it's a tough choice to make. I think some of us are just wired to move on, and some of us are not.

Discuss selling your beloved truck with your wife, pray about it and then follow your heart.

I sold my 2000 X (forged rods!) to a buddy because I could not easily import it to France. I regret that now, had no idea Furd was going to discontinue the X a few years later. X interior panels are now hard to find, even door panels.

At least he has gotten great use out of it; been up the Alcan Highway to rescue some hippies, added onboard air & water, and storage. I get to see pictures, but he won't sell it back to me, and I wouldn't ask. You may find yourself in a similar situation a few years down the road.  The horror, as pointed out above, would be to see some guys using it later for roofing tar or scrap metal.

So if you do sell it, at least consider us on this list first, as well as your friends and family.

Rick, I know what you mean.  I've watched the work done on my black truck degrade slightly over time and it's disappointing.  It's still not "done" but the paintwork I had done three years ago now is starting to show signs of age.  It's frustrating because I'm still chasing a few things, and it feels like by the time I get it truly finished.... I'll just need to start all over again :).  Lately it's been frustrating me, and I've thought about selling it but haven't put it up yet.  

I know how you feel but I'd recommend you just wait a bit and think it over.  Sometimes there are ups and downs and you don't want to make a decision like this quickly

If you do go to sell it, take a look at the Hagerty values and you'll notice our trucks are starting to go up.  I'd recommend you not price it too low, it would be better to advertise it well or even consign it to a higher end place and really get what you can from it.  Being patient will also give you time to think.

As I get older, I'm also thinking about what I want to hand down to my kids.  How long till yours are 16? :)

Where are you in SC?  I'm in the upstate, south of Charlotte -

Ken

Wish I had the money if you actually decide to ultimately sell it, I know in SC they retail a bit higher than in surrounding states (I'm in Charleston). Like it was said, if it went to someone here at least you know its going to someone who cares about these trucks. With that said, all you SC guys give Gary your intel so he can get you on the map lol.

>If you do go to sell it, take a look at the Hagerty values and you'll notice our trucks are starting to go up.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2493211047591469/
Seen a spate like this one recently. This one's a dentside for $35k. OBS also bring prime dollar in good shape. Not too many Bullnoses for sale though.

Gary Lewis wrote

Ask Shaun about his experience selling his truck.

I went through a phase where I wanted to try new things. I wanted to spend every weekend on the coast for an entire summer. I wanted to spend more time exploring nature. I wanted to spend more time with friends. So I sold my F150 that I had for ten years, and set out to do everything I wanted to do. I miss that truck. I realized after completing my list of new things to try, trucks were my thing. I like working on them. I missed working on them. And that's why I bought another. The fact that it's another Bullnose is purely nostalgia from my old truck.

But if I were to do it all over again, would I have kept the F150? Nope. Maybe I would have kept a few of the parts, but I still would not have the truck. I needed that time away from trucks to grow. Much like you need the time to grow your family. I think you are making the right decision for your family. But make sure it's also the right decision for you.

This is a tough call (but of course it's your call).  I've sold two project vehicles that I had expected to keep forever.  My dad and I got a 1929 Model A Tudor Sedan when I was 10 that he and I (mostly I) restored.  Then when I was 22 I bought a 1975 Jeep CJ5 (the Model A wasn't done yet).  After I finished the Model A I started a frame-up rebuild of the Jeep.  When it was done I found I couldn't justify keeping two toys and the Jeep was more fun, so I sold the A.

Then my kids outgrew the back seat of the CJ5 so I bought my Bronco.  I had intended to keep the Jeep, but I found that I needed to work on the Jeep too often and I wasn't making enough progress on the Bronco.  So I sold the Jeep.

Do I regret selling those vehicles?  Yes and no.  It would be nice to have them, but it was nicer to buy a slide-in camper (with the money from selling the A) and get the Bronco finished (selling the Jeep).  So selling them was the right thing to do.

In your case you aren't necessarily selling one toy vehicle to make room for another toy vehicle, but the situation is still pretty similar, a toy from an earlier phase is getting in the way of a newer phase of life.

But you also have an added factor in that it was your dad's truck.  How much does that matter?  Only you can answer that, but you might not be able to answer it completely for quite a while yet.  I have a very few things form my grandfather: a couple of cheap, useless guns and the best pair of needle-nose pliers I've ever seen.  I will never get rid of any of them, even though the guns just take up space in a locked cabinet in my basement (they aren't even wall-hangers).  But that's one more generation removed, none of it takes up much room, and I couldn't get $100 if I sold both guns (the pliers stay in my tool box where I use them all the time!).  I really don't have much stuff from my dad.  He's still around and still has his own stuff.  So I (obviously) don't know how much the nostalgia should factor in.

My advice, bottom line, is take your time making your decision, but then do what you need to do.  If you sell it you'll probably regret it at times.  But if selling it is the right thing for you to do you won't regret it too much.

I remember a conversation I had with an older gentleman with a Bump side F-150 in beautiful condition.
I ask if he would sell, his reply,... " well if I sell, six months from now I'll have spent the money and have no truck, Sorry No"

Rick. Best option if you REALLY want to sell....sell to someone on this forum. Good chance you can get it back one day. I haven't read through the entire thread yet, but I will. I might be interested in the truck. But I am not familiar with it. I'll dig around on the site and through your posts. PM me if you want to give me more details.

SCFlareside wrote

As I get older, I'm also thinking about what I want to hand down to my kids.  How long till yours are 16? :)

My boys are 7 and 9. I would love to collect a pair of Flaresides for them. They'd be the coolest kids in school!!!

If you want to sell your black Flareside. Please PM me.

Rick,
Life goes on and things change.
It's really tough when you have/want to dispose of something that has sentimental value.
My personal opinion is that family comes first, and anything else second.
But in a way, this truck IS family.
It's a legacy and you have coddled and nurtured it into what it is.

I'm contemplating the same thing.
The one constant in my life for the last 32 years has been Lil' Red, but I went yesterday to look at a meticulously maintained '97 Powerstroke 350 XL 4x4.
It is NICE!

(and it is red too!)

If I had the $$$ this instant I would bring it home, and figure out how to break it to Lil' Red.

Im actively seeking to trade a 69 Chevy Impala for another bullnose. Just so yall know.....

https://post.craigslist.org/manage/6994341996

Thank you, gentlemen.  I will consider all of your thoughts and opinions.  Should I decide to sell, I like the idea of Lucille going to someone here on the board.

Does anyone here have FOUR vehicles?  

LARIAT 85 wrote

Does anyone here have FOUR vehicles?

Yes.  

Depending on how you count, newest to oldest:

2015 F150 for towing
2014 Merc GLK (my wife's) for touring as it gets 35 MPG
2001 Subaru Forester (our daughter's, but she lives in Nicaragua, so...)
Big Blue, the '85 F250
Dad's truck, the '81 F150
1969 Dodge SuperBee  (not running)
1950 Chevy pickup  (not running)

At one point I had the truck, a Sprinter van, a car and 5-6 motorcycles.

Different horses for different courses.

And once I paid down the Sprinter I didn't have a note on any of them.

But lives change, and I'd understand if you felt you wanted to kick Lucille to the curb.  🤢