1984 Ford F-150 Bullnose Sells for $51K, and We’re Off the Map Now
A lot of old trucks are selling for as much as new ones, but this is something else.
I spend as much time looking at old trucks for sale as any Midwesterner with internet access. I'll admit that it kind of feels like doom scrolling, mostly because I'm in disbelief that everything just keeps getting more expensive. I can usually guess how much a classic Ford or Chevy will fetch at auction, simply by thinking how much I'd pay and then adding five or ten grand. Even then, I would've been way off on this 302-powered 1984 F-150.
The 4x4 Bullnose Ford sold on Bring a Trailer—surprise, surprise—for $50,999. I don't mean to imply that it's a bad truck, but that's early Bronco money for a relatively common rig with a little more than 19,000 miles shown. The condition is far from common, I'll admit, as it looks to have been meticulously maintained, but that hammer price made me raise an eyebrow straight away.
I wrote a deep dive in late 2020 that explained the classic truck market's ballooning amid the online auction era. As people who grew up in the '80s and '90s become more established financially, it's clear that they're spending more to reclaim everything with manual-locking hubs for nostalgia's sake. It's a trend we see with all sorts of vehicles, not just classic pickups, but it's more surprising as these were never that expensive when new, and most were used for actual work.
The thing is, Ford's Bullnose F-Series never got as much love as the other generations. Sure, it gets more affection than the Bricknose that succeeded it, but people tend to opt for the '67-'72 Bumpsides or the '73-'79 Dentsides. Then, if they choose to go newer, they'll get a '92-'97 Old Body Style. A lot of this can be attributed to the Bullnose's somewhat plain styling; it's also hard to compete with the Square Body Chevrolets from that period. And to make matters worse, the choked-out 302 V8 made just 133 horsepower when new.
This truck has a lot going for it—the stance is just right on those 15-inch Cragars—and another '84 F-150 with 4,000 miles more sold on BaT for $33,000 back in May. It's just hard to wrestle with the fact that what used to be a $15,000 pickup when I started driving is now worth the same as a used F-150 Raptor. It also goes to show that if you include enough detailed photos (229 in this case), people will confidently lay down a huge chunk of money without seeing it in person.
The last thing I want anyone thinking is that I'm some self-proclaimed expert that scoffs at sellers and buyers alike. If the winning bidder is stoked on this thing, then I'm happy for them. There's no sense in saying "if" the buyer is stoked because let's get real: This has never been a $50,000 truck before. Honestly, I'm not sure it's ever been a $40,000 truck before.
Either way, I guess I'll hold onto my '96 F-350 a while longer.
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