What is the correlation between the recent increase in Bullnose pricing and Bullnose Forum and Bullnose bible?

[rcarlisle]

I think there are a few factors going on here.

1) New trucks are ridiculously expensive to buy and maintenance and repairs are a whole other story. My old daily driver/tow rig is a 2016 Ram Laramie dually 4x4 with the 900ftlb Cummins and Aisin trans. That truck was just over 75k new. I just put $2200 worth of new Toyo muds on it recently. I got my 83 from a family member for free and put some money into it to make it reliable and fit my style. In the last 6 months, my 83 has gotten 14k miles put on it as my daily and my 2016 is just now used for our heavy towing and has had maybe 3k miles put on in the same 6 months. My dually will be paid off and have many years of life left on it.

2) Covid has caused many things to skyrocket. Local RV and ATV dealers are sold out and stuff is hard to get. People are sitting around at home and feel that camping and other outdoor activities can give them back their freedom. Pickups, RVs and ATV's are a hot commodity and for many folks, stimulus checks made nice down payments. We spend much of our time in the dunes and the amount of SXS's and new folks have exploded this last year.

3) Kinda going back to point 1 with cost. Many trucks of these years can be had for fairly reasonable price (even with the recent inflated "I know what I have" prices). In my case, I will put the money into my truck at 3k with wheels, bumper upgrades etc. I spend $150 a week in fuel and get around 15mpg. My insurance actually went down when I made this may daily instead of my 2016 Ram!

So it costs me roughly $7200 yearly in fuel and has no monthly payment. A decent new car is around 30k. That comes out to 500 or so a month and gets around 30mpg. So 6K in payments a year and 3600 in fuel a year for 9600. Makes sense to use an older vehicle instead of buying a new one.

4) Finally... and this just floors my wife by the way. I enjoy driving the old truck and get compliments on it all the time. Its enjoyable, reliable and like stepping back to cars that were new when I was a teen. Its fairly inexpensive to repair and maintain and can be done by most hobby or backyard mechanic types. You have the 80's cool without the really expensive and time consuming classic car type issues. I wont get started on my 55 Dodge pickup....

Here's a thought as well. I just came across the 81 F150 I'm completing purchase this week. Was buried on CL among $30K trucks. We just need a beater truck. This one has new 302, 5 spd conversion (looks good underneath - more ?? later on that). Dude showed my $6000 in paid reciepts from a local garage for work done to truck. But Covid has run him out of money and he sold me the truck for less than half the reciepts.

There will be less expensive trucks possibly as well as well-intentioned owners need money to survive. Or there may be trucks with inflated prices. I don't feel like I got a supr deal yet. It does seem to be a solid truck with well-done work. I would trust the garage that did the work. May go visit him after I get the truck.

I feel like I could probably flip it if I wanted, but wife has lots of home projects that involve a truck RIGHT NOW instead of arranging to borrow a truck from friends/family. Mine should be a working truck by the weekend.

[Angelo Voltura]

As for the social media thing, over the last 10 years forums have given way to places like Reddit and Facebook groups that are more structured for showing you what’s trending right now rather than providing useful information. Users will keep asking the same questions over and over rather than have the ability to search for the answers. You can sticky posts but not that many. The “like” button and its many forms is a cancer that either awards the general consensus or the loudest opinion in a discussion. It’s all flash, and it has definitely contributed to the skyrocketing prices of older trucks. A company like ICON sells a $150,000 restomod truck, it gets social media attention, the attention generates interest in older trucks. Truck pages then post what everything is going for at auction or sale, more interest is generated. This type of information is abundant and instantaneous, everyone now has some degree of photography skills that make the trucks look more appealing. This is great if you already have the truck you want, but man do I feel sorry for the ones who have yet to get their foot in the door.

Touching back on the reliant on tech thing, people like the old stuff because you can take it out and abuse it and it won't break easily. You can drive that truck through a creek and get it covered in mud, and where you're done you can open the door and hose it out, and go on your way. You can't do that with stuff now. People want trucks, not Cadillacs with beds. I'm sorry, but I can't bring myself to purchase a $80k truck with plastic sway bar links (looking at you, GM) and 3 leaf springs.

I would much more trust a brand-new decked out truck than something from yesteryear on a trail, but there is so much money at stake. $70,000 for a Power Wagon or Raptor, or even $50,000 for a Tacoma TRD or Colorado ZR2 is too much to risk doing what they were built for. Having front AND rear factory lockers is nice, so is having hill start assist, crawl control, and surround cameras. But every one of these features is another few thousand dollars you must spend, and you can’t get them unless you have the upgraded interior as well... I think Ford is on the right track offering every available off-road option on even the base model 2021 Bronco, but even then you’re looking at $40,000+. I recently gave up this expensive fantasy and bought a $6500 dual sport bike for the off roading.

Something I dont think anyone has touched on yet is the use of these trucks as status symbols. I find that annoying.

As for the social media thing, over the last 10 years forums have given way to places like Reddit and Facebook groups that are more structured for showing you what’s trending right now rather than providing useful information. Users will keep asking the same questions over and over rather than have the ability to search for the answers. You can sticky posts but not that many. The “like” button and its many forms is a cancer that either awards the general consensus or the loudest opinion in a discussion. It’s all flash, and it has definitely contributed to the skyrocketing prices of older trucks. A company like ICON sells a $150,000 restomod truck, it gets social media attention, the attention generates interest in older trucks. Truck pages then post what everything is going for at auction or sale, more interest is generated. This type of information is abundant and instantaneous, everyone now has some degree of photography skills that make the trucks look more appealing. This is great if you already have the truck you want, but man do I feel sorry for the ones who have yet to get their foot in the door.

Touching back on the reliant on tech thing, people like the old stuff because you can take it out and abuse it and it won't break easily. You can drive that truck through a creek and get it covered in mud, and where you're done you can open the door and hose it out, and go on your way. You can't do that with stuff now. People want trucks, not Cadillacs with beds. I'm sorry, but I can't bring myself to purchase a $80k truck with plastic sway bar links (looking at you, GM) and 3 leaf springs.

I would much more trust a brand-new decked out truck than something from yesteryear on a trail, but there is so much money at stake. $70,000 for a Power Wagon or Raptor, or even $50,000 for a Tacoma TRD or Colorado ZR2 is too much to risk doing what they were built for. Having front AND rear factory lockers is nice, so is having hill start assist, crawl control, and surround cameras. But every one of these features is another few thousand dollars you must spend, and you can’t get them unless you have the upgraded interior as well... I think Ford is on the right track offering every available off-road option on even the base model 2021 Bronco, but even then you’re looking at $40,000+. I recently gave up this expensive fantasy and bought a $6500 dual sport bike for the off roading.

Those features are great until you drown a sensor and everything electrical in the truck goes haywire because you shorted out the BCM, an air bag deploys because you banged it off a tree, or your fuel pump stops running because a 5v low reference data communication wire running from the PCM to the fuel pump control module rubbed through the conduit its wrapped in on the frame somewhere.

I fix the stuff every day for a living. As far as I am concerned a good majority of the stuff coming off the line today is absolute trash. Technology is great until it isn't. I am a firm believer of KISS when it comes to pickup trucks. Unfortunately our government can't keep their nose out of places they don't belong and keep making it more and more difficult for manufacturers to keep things manageable.

[Gsmblue]

Something I dont think anyone has touched on yet is the use of these trucks as status symbols. I find that annoying.

As for the social media thing, over the last 10 years forums have given way to places like Reddit and Facebook groups that are more structured for showing you what’s trending right now rather than providing useful information. Users will keep asking the same questions over and over rather than have the ability to search for the answers. You can sticky posts but not that many. The “like” button and its many forms is a cancer that either awards the general consensus or the loudest opinion in a discussion. It’s all flash, and it has definitely contributed to the skyrocketing prices of older trucks. A company like ICON sells a $150,000 restomod truck, it gets social media attention, the attention generates interest in older trucks. Truck pages then post what everything is going for at auction or sale, more interest is generated. This type of information is abundant and instantaneous, everyone now has some degree of photography skills that make the trucks look more appealing. This is great if you already have the truck you want, but man do I feel sorry for the ones who have yet to get their foot in the door.

Touching back on the reliant on tech thing, people like the old stuff because you can take it out and abuse it and it won't break easily. You can drive that truck through a creek and get it covered in mud, and where you're done you can open the door and hose it out, and go on your way. You can't do that with stuff now. People want trucks, not Cadillacs with beds. I'm sorry, but I can't bring myself to purchase a $80k truck with plastic sway bar links (looking at you, GM) and 3 leaf springs.

I would much more trust a brand-new decked out truck than something from yesteryear on a trail, but there is so much money at stake. $70,000 for a Power Wagon or Raptor, or even $50,000 for a Tacoma TRD or Colorado ZR2 is too much to risk doing what they were built for. Having front AND rear factory lockers is nice, so is having hill start assist, crawl control, and surround cameras. But every one of these features is another few thousand dollars you must spend, and you can’t get them unless you have the upgraded interior as well... I think Ford is on the right track offering every available off-road option on even the base model 2021 Bronco, but even then you’re looking at $40,000+. I recently gave up this expensive fantasy and bought a $6500 dual sport bike for the off roading.

Those features are great until you drown a sensor and everything electrical in the truck goes haywire because you shorted out the BCM, an air bag deploys because you banged it off a tree, or your fuel pump stops running because a 5v low reference data communication wire running from the PCM to the fuel pump control module rubbed through the conduit its wrapped in on the frame somewhere.

I fix the stuff every day for a living. As far as I am concerned a good majority of the stuff coming off the line today is absolute trash. Technology is great until it isn't. I am a firm believer of KISS when it comes to pickup trucks. Unfortunately our government can't keep their nose out of places they don't belong and keep making it more and more difficult for manufacturers to keep things manageable.

Great discussion.

For me it is a hobby. I love working on these old trucks, I get a real sense of fulfillment from slowing breathing new life into them so they can run for 40 more years.

New trucks are so expensive people are paying $600+ a month for 6 or more years...

[ArdWrknTrk]

Great discussion.

For me it is a hobby. I love working on these old trucks, I get a real sense of fulfillment from slowing breathing new life into them so they can run for 40 more years.

New trucks are so expensive people are paying $600+ a month for 6 or more years...

That's only 50k

There are trucks stickering at way more than twice that.

Then figure in the interest....

An F450 Platinum is 100K.

Add delivery, prep, and buyers premium just to get into this class of vehicle.

Even the 2012 F-150 Platinum is 80,000.

[ratdude747]

Something I dont think anyone has touched on yet is the use of these trucks as status symbols. I find that annoying.

Assuming you're referring to bullnoses, that'd be a first for me... at least in a way that increases value. Sure, I do get compliments on it ("nice truck", "nice 300", etc.), but the only status-like comments I get (going back to my eairler post) is "Why do you drive an old ****ing truck? You're a rich engineer, get a new one!". Rich, I ain't... and even so, I don't have any interest in hocking money for a vehicle.

As for new trucks as a status symbol... I do see that. A lot of the people I know do tow or the like... but some have big lifted newish trucks just for the sake of such. Honestly, that's another reason why I don't want a new one so much... I don't want to be that way. It's not me, and it would show.

[Bisquik1959]

Something I dont think anyone has touched on yet is the use of these trucks as status symbols. I find that annoying.

Assuming you're referring to bullnoses, that'd be a first for me... at least in a way that increases value. Sure, I do get compliments on it ("nice truck", "nice 300", etc.), but the only status-like comments I get (going back to my eairler post) is "Why do you drive an old ****ing truck? You're a rich engineer, get a new one!". Rich, I ain't... and even so, I don't have any interest in hocking money for a vehicle.

As for new trucks as a status symbol... I do see that. A lot of the people I know do tow or the like... but some have big lifted newish trucks just for the sake of such. Honestly, that's another reason why I don't want a new one so much... I don't want to be that way. It's not me, and it would show.

I tow locally out to the dunes a couple times a month and even up to Idaho once a year. The new trucks may be very expensive, but for heavy towing are a bit of a necessity. The torque, bigger brakes and many times air ride really make for a nice tow.

If I had to stick to bone stock 80's truck and was stuck in the slow lane like when growing up, I just wouldn't do it. Especially when you consider places like California that are super strict on upgrading trucks to be more powerful and still need to meet smog. I can do absolutely zero to my F100 and still pass smog.

 

We have even toyed with the idea of upgrading to a Freightliner Sport Chassis. Those make the Platinums look like chump change.

[Gary Lewis]

I tow locally out to the dunes a couple times a month and even up to Idaho once a year. The new trucks may be very expensive, but for heavy towing are a bit of a necessity. The torque, bigger brakes and many times air ride really make for a nice tow.

If I had to stick to bone stock 80's truck and was stuck in the slow lane like when growing up, I just wouldn't do it. Especially when you consider places like California that are super strict on upgrading trucks to be more powerful and still need to meet smog. I can do absolutely zero to my F100 and still pass smog.

 

We have even toyed with the idea of upgrading to a Freightliner Sport Chassis. Those make the Platinums look like chump change.

Good point. You can say what you want about tech, but when it works it is nice. I'd much rather tow with Blue that Big Blue. Why?

The 3.5L will out pull the 7.5L and get better MPG doing it. It got 9.0 MPG running 75 MPH towing Big Blue on a heavy trailer. And it got about 14 pulling the trailer down to Florida to get BB, but BB gets about 9 towing the same trailer unloaded.

The sway control manages the trailer brakes to keep the two vehicles in line. Plus compression braking. Plus the auto tranny. Plus, plus, plus.

And yes, Blue is rated to tow 11,500 lbs - almost exactly what Big Blue is rated to tow. A whole lot has changed in 30 years.

But, I like working on Big Blue.

[ArdWrknTrk]

I tow locally out to the dunes a couple times a month and even up to Idaho once a year. The new trucks may be very expensive, but for heavy towing are a bit of a necessity. The torque, bigger brakes and many times air ride really make for a nice tow.

If I had to stick to bone stock 80's truck and was stuck in the slow lane like when growing up, I just wouldn't do it. Especially when you consider places like California that are super strict on upgrading trucks to be more powerful and still need to meet smog. I can do absolutely zero to my F100 and still pass smog.

 

We have even toyed with the idea of upgrading to a Freightliner Sport Chassis. Those make the Platinums look like chump change.

I just saw an f650 dually Crew cab on route 7 this morning on my way into work.

That thing looks like a beast!

I can only imagine it's well over 100k as well

[rcarlisle]

I just saw an f650 dually Crew cab on route 7 this morning on my way into work.That thing looks like a beast!I can only imagine it's well over 100k as well

When I was at Autozone yesterday, I looked out and a newish full size F something crew cab 4x4 parked behind me.   Made my F150 look like my Hyundai Kona in comparison.   Truck looked HUGE.   Payments probably are as well.  

 

On Thu, Mar 18, 2021 at 8:08 AM ArdWrknTrk [via Bullnose Enthusiasts Forum] <redacted_email_address> wrote:

 

 

 

[Gary Lewis]

When I bought my 2015 F150 I parked him next to Rusty, the 1981 F150 that Clay now has, and dubbed him "Big Blue". But then I acquired my 1985 F250 and quickly realized that it was bigger than the 2015, so it became Big Blue and the 2015 was demoted to Blue. It is all in the perspective.

But a 6-door 2005 F650 dually? Man, that is PERSPECTIVE!