Going to work one day I saw about a 1970 pickup for sale. Ordinary but solid body ( unusual here in the rust belt ) sign said $7800 obviously not restored, a survivor?
What? $7800?!? that's at least twice what it originally listed for Probably 3 times. There was a middle age couple all over it, 3 hours later when I came by again it was gone. Presumably sold.
I've noticed really silly prices paid.
They're the new muscle car bubble, near as i can tell.
The 70 c10s have been crazy for a long time. Square bodys started going up around here 5-7 years ago, and about a year or two ago I started seeing GMT400s goign up pretty quickly. When I was hunting mine I saw a 1997 ECSB Z71 with 140K miles on it sell rather quickly on a lot for 12,999.
At 7800 if it was relatively clean it was probably a pretty good buy.
Im also assuming based on GM prices around me, I dont follow the dodge or Ford prices as much, except for the OBS fords which Ive noticed also going up.
In reply to frenchyd :
How are the prices silly?
My dad bought a 1970 Chevy 3/4 ton Camper Special brand new in late 1969. He paid a bit over $3K
$3,000 in 1970, adjusted for inflation, is $21,152.09 today.
Cooter said:$3,000 in 1970, adjusted for inflation, is $21,152.09 today.
And today's $21,152 would have another $4,000 dealer profit added to the price due to market shortages so lets just call it $25k.
A new Silverado stripper model starts at $28k and I wouldn't expect to get away with a price less than $33k and that is zero options (but still far more advanced than a 1970 Chevy truck.)
What rock have you been under?
For a late 70's Ford $7800 would be considered a steal if it's in running condition and it's been like that for about a decade.
Around me, it's rare to see even crusty project trucks from the 70's (any brand) for sale for under $5000. And those I've seen sell fast.
The story of anything older than mid/late 80's
In 04 I bought my first cutlass for $1600, 2nd in 2010 for $1200, 3rd in 2016 for $2200 and 4th in 2018 for $4000. Now anything in remotely the same shape is $6k+. Exception being #3, that one was near perfect...going rate (or asking price at least) today is 15k+
Trucks are no different now that they're getting very popular in the Pro Touring market. Used to be able to find 70's trucks for a few hundred bucks that didn't need a lot to be drivers. In the last few years the prices have shot up to a few thousand. Just recently there was a 70's Ford truck I was interested in. Looked decent (excellent patina), ran, drove, did need some things fixed, iffy title. They wanted 7K.....I'd have been all over it at 3 or 4K.....which even I think is a bit ridiculous for a truck that would have been $800 ten years ago.
The simple answer is the old vehicles people want gets to be a smaller number every year and the people who what them goes up. The market has sucked up all the (average person affordable) camaros, chevelles, mustangs. Then the moved on to the Mopars, Buick, Pontiac, Cadillac, and Oldsmobile. Then had to shift the the late 70's and 80's and now to Trucks. I was just over on Pro-Touring.com yesterday and in the builds section the were TWO Beretta builds!!
When I was a teenager I bought a Chevy c10 for a few hundred dollars. Drove it for a few months and traded it for a nice running g body. I don't think I could but the same truck in the same condition for under 8k today.
You used to be able to get a cup of coffee for a dime, too.
stuart in mn said:You used to be able to get a cup of coffee for a dime, too.
That same cup of coffee would be worth two bucks now.
Wouldn't taste very good, though.
People seem to have forgotten that so many of the old vehicles that they covet aren't just poor vehicles, they were poor by the standards of the time they were built. A clean Pinto is worth something now. They should all have been burnt.
As for trucks, I've still got an old Ford in my company fleet. I have to admit that the 300 CI 6 is practically unbreakable, but when faced with a selection of vehicles to grab from it's always the last to go. But then, we see them as tools and not objects of sentimentality.
I got "lucky" picking up my 78 of $4k in '17. That truck, as it sits, is about $10k.
In reply to bobzilla :
The one I miss is my old Toyota 4wd standard cab SR5 with the V6. That sucker'd be very popular now. I gave it to my sister when I needed a 4-door. She drove it for two years and sold it without telling me. That was 15 years ago. I've almost forgiven her.
I got my 91 C1500 ten years ago for $1,100. The guy wanted 1,300 but the power steering pump was bad so I talked him down. I was actually looking for an S10 or Nissan pickup but I couldn't pass that deal up. Other than needing paint (still does) it's been solid and only needed wear items and a flexplate. No way I could replace it for what i've got in it. Maybe 2k all in? Excluding tires, replacing the door card armrests were the most expensive parts i've bought so far, 160 bucks for the pair. I'm about to replace the headlight assemblies, i can get them both for 30 bucks if i get the cheap generic ones from RA. Parts for old chevy trucks are generally cheap, EXCEPT interior items.
EDIT: As far as what it's worth, i've had a couple of not-serious offers to buy, a quick Autotrader search turns up comparable trucks in the $2500 - $6000 price range. Including one that looks like it's got some frame issues for 3K.
Id pay that for a mostly complete and not rusty truck without a problem. Conversely, if its rusty it better be free (and only if I need parts off of it).
I think the consensus here is that there is someone on your lawn that probably shouldn't be there. I was in the camp that said-eh, not a bad deal.
67-72 Chev and GMC trucks have been really popular since 1967-1972. In 1985 around here, you would pay more for a nice 1972 Chev than you would for a 1982.
Well, that might be a bit of a stretch, but not a very big one. You'd certainly pay about seven times more for a 72 than for a 73 at that time. I still would, to be honest. Didn't like the square trucks in 1973, still don't, really.
Cooter said:In reply to frenchyd :
How are the prices silly?
My dad bought a 1970 Chevy 3/4 ton Camper Special brand new in late 1969. He paid a bit over $3K
$3,000 in 1970, adjusted for inflation, is $21,152.09 today.
But a 1970's truck would have a worn out engine by 100,000 if not before. Today's trucks go 3-400,000 miles. Plus longer life tires etc etc etc. Then there is the fuel mileage, safety things, and air quality.
I could understand a collector wanting a limited production, rare model but these are just trucks.
In reply to Kreb (Forum Supporter) :
I loved my Pinto. Mine was a 75 fastback with the 2.3L and the 4 speed. It was a hoot to drive and one of the cars I truly regret selling. Unfortunately, they don't work well with kids and mine wiped a cam lobe. IIRC, I bought it in the mid-80s for $200 and sold it for $400. I would buy another one today if I could find one that wasn't a basket case or already a chopped-up race car.
Then I'd build something like this.
1970 was 50 years ago. Need to keep that in mind. Also keep in mind how much better and how much longer lasting cars and trucks are today - because of that, and because of just plain age, there isn't a ton of supply of them any more.
If you want a cheap truck, you need to get a late 90s or early 00s, and it will be rusty.
frenchyd said:Cooter said:In reply to frenchyd :
How are the prices silly?
My dad bought a 1970 Chevy 3/4 ton Camper Special brand new in late 1969. He paid a bit over $3K
$3,000 in 1970, adjusted for inflation, is $21,152.09 today.But a 1970's truck would have a worn out engine by 100,000 if not before. Today's trucks go 3-400,000 miles. Plus longer life tires etc etc etc. Then there is the fuel mileage, safety things, and air quality.
I could understand a collector wanting a limited production, rare model but these are just rare because they're 50 years old trucks that a lot of people remember as their first truck and are now retired and want to get another so they're driving the price up, compounded by everything else that is going on with any used car prices but especially truck prices.
FTFY
70's and 80's trucks from the Big Three have been all the rage for the past few years; this is nothing new. The 1973-87 GM trucks have been hot for a while along with the 70's Fords, and now the 80's Fords and 1972-93 Dodges are taking off as well. There are still deals to be had with Fords and Dodges if you shop right, but the Chevy/GMC stuff is in the stratosphere these days.
I was extremely fortunate to snag my 1979 Power Wagon as cheap as I did a few years ago. As it sits, even with some repairs needed, I could get at least 7-8x what I paid for it if I decided to sell right now. And the value keeps going up every month. It's a crazy market for old trucks (and trucks in general) right now.
frenchyd said:Cooter said:In reply to frenchyd :
How are the prices silly?
My dad bought a 1970 Chevy 3/4 ton Camper Special brand new in late 1969. He paid a bit over $3K
$3,000 in 1970, adjusted for inflation, is $21,152.09 today.But a 1970's truck would have a worn out engine by 100,000 if not before. Today's trucks go 3-400,000 miles. Plus longer life tires etc etc etc. Then there is the fuel mileage, safety things, and air quality.
I could understand a collector wanting a limited production, rare model but these are just trucks.
That's just patently no true. SBC V8's woud easily last 200k+ miles, even back then.
I'm stuck on this bad boy.
I blame Ken Block
frenchyd said:But a 1970's truck would have a worn out engine by 100,000 if not before.
:laughs in 300ci:
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