Last year I bought a blue 87' W-100 318 Auto Dodge Ram. I paid $1,200 for the truck after negotiating for it(no one else had asked about the truck or looked at it after it being posted for sale for 2 months). The truck had been sitting for 8 months, but after getting it home it started and ran with a new battery and only needed a new water pump and tires to get it back on the road. I chose to put a 4" lift and new wheels and tires on it, but these weren't necessary to get it back driving, I just wanted to lift the truck. If I wanted to be cheap I could have had this truck running and driving on the road for less than $1,500.

I guess my question is why does it seem that these trucks are not very valuable? I know the 89-93 Cummins trucks are desirable and valuable, but it seems that there isn't much demand or value in the 1st gen gas trucks. I'm just not really understanding this because these trucks aren't very common any more, I don't see them out on the road or anywhere really. Is it just that nobody really wants them?

 

probably because there was never really much aftermarket support for them. it was only more recently that lmc even put together a catalog of all the parts available for them and most of the stuff in the catalog is nothing special. even the cummins truck prices seem like they are starting to cool down. my buddy picked up a 92 d250 with the 5.9 diesel that needed almost no work to get it plated and on the road for $2000. it even came with a extra set of tires that he sold for $500 and a fuel pump system that he plans on taking off and selling which i think he will get another $500 for so the truck will have only cost him about $1000 and it is actually in really good shape. i would have paid $2k any day of the week for it but then again my buddy and i have done enough wrenching on these things that we know what to look for when truck shopping

 

Well, the newest one is 25 years old..... so a lot of parts are becoming hard to find. Not like its a mustang, or camaro, and has numerous companies making repro parts for it. And as said, it didn't have a lot of aftermarket support even when they were still in production.... We also have the 'lack of amenities' on the older trucks. Folks are getting accustomed to things like power windows/locks/mirrors, A/C, etc. The newer trucks ride better, get better fuel economy, (to a point.....) are are just more comfortable.

On the plus side though, the older trucks are a LOT easier to work on...... Don't need a computer engineering degree to figure out why it doesn't wanna run right. (although, me personally, find troubleshooting fuel injection easier than working on carbs...... )

 

I know this has been brought up before but in my book the first gens should be anything up to 1980 not 81 to 93. At one point i had 78 power wagon(witch i still own) and a 90 ram. I got more questions about the 78 than the 90 ever did. I think Chrysler dropped the ball in the 80's trucks. They could have done a lot more to attract customers. It took them till 1989 to come out with their first automatic overdrive transmission! Cheby had it in the early 80's. But considering the situation Chrysler was in at the time most if not all resources went into the mini vans and pulling them out of bankruptcy.

 

Yeah, I was curious about the year range as well. I am not really sure just how much changed from 80-81 though. And the Chevy O/D transmissions of the era were nothing to write home about. (at least, up until 86... in 87 the fixed one of it's biggest issues. 7 vane pump....)

 

All that matters is what its worth to YOU. My ratty old W250 makes me smile bigger that the powerstroke I used to have... at half the street price.

If you're trying to turn a buck at fixing up old trucks, stick with the popular ones that all the repro parts are made for.