Posted by Tom in Indiana [172.69.90.49] on Monday, July 29, 2019 at 17:03:58 :
In Reply to: Collectability of later Dodge 4x4s posted by Pat_H [172.68.189.82] on Monday, July 29, 2019 at 11:05:56 :
My daily driver is an '84 short bed D100 (360, A833OD). When the trucks went to all fuel-injected in '87, it began the era of "one year only" parts, and the near-universal interchangeability of the good old days was over. Nowadays, getting this part to work with that computer and "I need a DRW Dana 80 with 3.54 gears and a Power-Lok, but it can't be from a cab & chassis truck and it has to be out of a 2001.5 year 3500 with a V10 with a 5-speed Getrag, not the NV4500." headaches have taken the fun and affordability away for many of us. The Cummins trucks have taken hauling and towing to an entirely new level, which has been nothing but a plus. The downside is that every kid on the planet between 16 and 30 with a driver's license wants one, gets one, cuts a giant hole in the bed for a stupid 6" exhaust stack, cranks the pump up so it smokes like a 700,000-mile Ford Escort with three busted pistons, runs the absolute crap out of it, destroys an otherwise potentially lifetime-lasting truck, then ends up scrapping it, or it's not worth owning afterwards. The pre-Cummins, pre-FI trucks, I can and do see selling for ever-increasing prices... not just the W250s and W350s, but the short bed trucks in decent shape are bringing often double what they were going for even just three or four years ago. The "2nd Gen", "3rd Gen", "17st Gen"/whatever trucks, I wouldn't have one of. Period. Even if it was immaculate and given to me, I'd take it immediately to someone some place who would trade me out of it or buy it. I appreciate Cummins trucks for what they are, but I dislike the sound, the vibration, the engine weight, and the expense of diesel trucks- they aren't my cup of tea, even though there are numerous ones in my town that would eat my 360 for lunch. It never fails when I drive my '53 to town that there will be some kid who comes over and says "You need to put a Cummins in it". No, I don't. But to make a long story bearable, unless a post-80's truck's history has been painstakingly documented and it has been well-cared for its entire life, those won't be around in 20 years due to being either made extinct by kids with no regard or appreciation for anything, will have completely rusted away into nothing, or will be impossible to find decent parts for. There are better diesel engines being made today than the 6BT, and in another ten years, there will be better ones yet. Just like the 440 was the hotshot of its day, it isn't half as desirable now as it once was because any new stock HEMI can run circles around any stock 440, weighs less, is easier to find, looks cooler, and the performance parts for them are getting cheaper all of the time. I may end up eating lots of crow someday, but if I were to sink money into any 4x4 for future collectability, it would be an '86 or older truck. Back then, they still had character... something newer trucks lack, and most likely will never have. Just my three cents.
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