It's often said to go big or go home. With today's Nice Price or No Dice F350, you could do both, as long as you have room to park it when you get there. Let's see if this huge truck requires a requisite truckload of cash to buy.
Over the last two decades of the 19th century, Rodolfo and Carolina Maserati brought seven sons into the world. Apparently, Rodolfo and Carolina enjoyed each other's company. A lot.
All of these sons, save for Alfieri, who died at just one year of age, had a hand in founding the family's namesake automotive company, Maserati S.p.A., with brother Mario designing the iconic logo, based on Neptune's trident fork. Owing to financial problems, the brothers sold their company in 1937. It had changed hands several times more by the time the 1987 Maserati Biturbo Si we looked at on Thursday came around. The Biturbo was then owner Alejandro de Tomaso's idea to bring Maserati to the masses, but the car stumbled on a number of fronts in that effort. Its reputation preceding it, along with the car's poor interior, proved sufficiently off-putting to the majority of you that not even an arguably low $5,800 asking price could garner any enthusiasm for its purchase. When all was said and done, that resulted in a 70% 'No Dice' loss.
Super Duty
Ford's F-Series of pickup and cab-chassis trucks has topped U.S. automotive sales charts for nearly half a century straight. That's a hell of a run and mostly owed to sales of the lower-end light-duty F-150 editions, aimed predominantly at the consumer market. Above those sits the Super Duty line, starting at the F-250 and climbing numerically and in capability from there. Generally, these are too brutal and extreme for the general public, but as shown by today's 2006 F-350 King Ranch, they can be tamed for certain consumers' tastes.
Not only is this F-350 a heavy-duty truck, but it's also been modded to the hilt, most notably with the conversion to a six-door cab. That makes it something of a one-of-a-kind find and, for the right buyer, a turnkey compensator for whatever shortcomings they might imagine.
Power for this beast comes from what the seller describes as a "built" 6.0 Power Stroke diesel V8. That build is claimed to include ARP head studs, new heads, larger injectors, an AirDog fuel lift pump, a fatter turbo, and a five-inch exhaust. Behind that is a five-speed automatic with equally new internals.
Facelift
That all powers a truck with a bit of an identity crisis. While this is a 2006 chassis, the bodywork wrapping that six-portal cab has all been updated to 2015 parts. That makes it look more modern, and with a reasonably fresh coat of Nardo Gray paint, it all appears to be in good condition too.
The whole shlemiel rides on a six-inch lift from RIZE and American Force alloy wheels fitted with knobby Mud Claw tires. This is a 4X4, but befitting its machismo-enhancing aura, the front hubs require manual locking. According to the ad, the truck's mileage stands at 150,000, and it comes with a clean title. The seller describes it as a "beautiful truck," and says it "gets driven all the time." Building such an impressive F-Series cost $125K, according to the seller. Some of that is broken down in the ad, but to be honest, none of us care.
So many door options
What we do care about is what to do with so many doors. This is likely a King Series conversion and features the King Ranch interior with baseball mitt leather upholstery on its three rows. Two of those rows feature captain's chairs, which constrains the interior to just seven seating positions. Both the first and second row of seats offer a sizable console with cup holders. The rear bench doesn't have the room, though, so passengers there need to fold down the center section armrest to park their coffees.
The dashboard is original, although the seller claims to have a 2015 dash that is ready, willing, and able to pinch-hit for the older panel. Hopefully, that will come with a newer steering wheel as well, as the current one is frayed and nasty-looking. Everything else appears to be in solid condition, as long as you're okay with the natural patina the America's pastime leather maintains and the mismatched sets of floor mats. There are power windows in all six doors, cruise control and A/C, and, on the outside, Ford's best idea ever, the SecuriCode keypad on the driver's door.
Wanna trade?
The whole deal comes with a price tag of $55,000, although the seller says that they are "Looking for interesting trades." They would be willing to trade the truck for a "sick muscle car," or maybe a "big boat, land, or a New England camp." That last item is what people in the Northeast call their vacation homes.
A cursory glance around indicates that I, at least, have none of those readily at hand, so we'll stick to the seller's other option, which is that "CASH IS KING."
With that in mind, could you see someone paying $55,000 for this wild custom and warehouse-sized Ford? Or is that too much cash for even a truck this crazy?
You decide!
Vermont, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
Hat tip to Mike Dimitroff for the hookup!
Help me out with Nice Price or No Dice. Hit me up at [email protected] and send a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your commenter handle.
>> Home