“In 2023, Ford sold over 700,000 F-Series pickups, making it the best-selling truck in the United States for the 47th consecutive year,” said Robert Kaffl, Director of Ford’s U.S. sales in a December 2023 press release. In his remarks, Kaffl highlighted the past, present, and future of America’s favorite pickups.
F-Series History
The F-Series truck has now been around for 75 years and 14 generations. Of all those eras, my favorite was the body style that debuted when I was in grade school in the early 1990s. Although the ninth-generation F-Series launched 1992, its truck’s underpinnings actually dated back to 1980. The enthusiast community has classified these trucks as “Old Body Style” (OBS) because they pre-dated the more rounded, modern look we see today. There are thousands of OBS enthusiasts interconnected through Facebook groups, forums, and Instagram pages that recognize and celebrate 1980s and 1990s pickups.
The 1994 F-Series brochure reads, “In the world of trucks, the name F-Series is synonymous with rugged and dependable performance. F-Series is, and always has been, Built Ford Tough.”
The end of the 1990s marked a significant change in Ford’s truck hierarchy: Model year 1996 would mark the last time that the same body style was used for such a wide range of F-Series trucks, from the light-duty F-150 to a heavy-duty F-350. Beginning in 1997, three-quarter-ton trucks were split off when a separate Super Duty line was created – and the parallel product lines remain in place today.
Family History
I grew up in Ford trucks. My dad was driving one the year I was born. Annually, our family would drive to Jackson Hole, Wyoming or other destinations in the Rockies. (See this photo tradition story)
Even decades later, I can close my eyes and hear the sound of the doors closing, the window switches clicking, or the engine turning over. The narrow bench seat in the back of the extended-cab model was adequate for me as a young child, and I spent plenty of time riding there. My dad is an avid outdoorsman, and we frequently hooked up our trucks to camp trailers, jet skis, and utility trailers. I even remember dad latching a chain to his F-Series and pulling out a tree stump in the yard. One of our family photos shows my dad’s two-tone extended-cab truck with three ATVs in the bed.
I had casually entertained the idea of getting a Ford truck for years now, not just for the sake of nostalgia, but also because it’s so handy to have a rig around the house for utilitarian duties like hardware store runs, car part transport, or even occasional towing. I did a spontaneous online search a few weeks ago for “1994 Ford F-250,” just to see what kind stuff it brought back. My eyes got a little wider when I saw an immaculate two-tone blue pickup, so I had to dig a little deeper. The next thing I knew, I was sending an inquiry to the selling dealer and putting the wheels in motion to put a deal together.
Acquisition and Logistics
Anyone who has ever purchased a vehicle sight-unseen is aware that it can be a little unsettling to send money to someone in another state (and for a vehicle you have never laid eyes on). Luckily for me, the seller had a couple hundred photos and a very detailed description. I did my diligence by reviewing the Carfax report, inquiring about service history, and digging into the selling dealership’s reputation via prior listings in various online marketplaces.
After the dealer satisfied my inquiries and the truck passed my tests, I arranged for payment and coordinated with a shipping broker to bring the vehicle about 1,300 miles to Phoenix, Arizona from Hayden, Idaho via an open carrier. It arrived about a week later – filthy from the weather along the way, but in as nice of condition as the selling dealer had described.
Truck Specifics
What are the deets on my new big-rig? It is a 1994 F-250 XLT 4×4 SuperCab longbed. Under the hood, power comes from a gas-guzzling 460-cubic-inch big-block V8 mated to a four-speed automatic overdrive transmission and a dual-range transfer case.
You may have heard of Marti Auto Works. Based in El Mirage, Arizona, the company was started in 1982 by Kevin Marti. Kevin has a special contract arrangement with Ford that gives him access to the production database for all Ford Motor Company vehicles (including Mercury and Lincoln) from 1967 to 2014.
Based on my truck’s VIN, Kevin and his team were able to dig up a gold mine of information about its specifications and relative rarity. Included with this story is a copy of Kevin’s report, and here are a few highlights that stood out to me.
- Manufacture date of June 13, 1994 (30 years ago this summer!) in Kansas City
- Paint combination of Brilliant Blue (M6563) and Royal Blue (M6504)
- Sold new from McCollum Ford Sales in Dishman, Washington on September 12, 1994
- One of 117 1994 F-250 4×4 SuperCab trucks with these paint/trim codes
- Optioned with bright grille, sliding rear window, camper package, and super engine cooling
Two-tone paint schemes were all the rage back in the 1990s, and this truck caught my eye with its unique configuration. I have a few upgrades and enhancements planned, but will keep the truck close to original because the factory look is what attracted me to the ninth-generation F-Series in the first place.
Now, how long do you think it will be until someone asks me to help them move or haul something?
Drive Your Own Dream
There are a few morals to my story. One of them is that your automotive “cravings” never go away. The trucks that I loved 30 years ago as a teenager are still some of my favorite vehicles on the road. And this experience taught me that if you want something bad enough, you will find a way to eventually own it – better late than never. Maybe there is a car or truck in your past that you’ve never quite forgotten.
At the conclusion of Robert Kaffl’s remarks in Ford’s December year-end press conference, he said, “The enduring legacy of the F-Series is not just a result of our relentless pursuit of improvement, but also a reflection of the trust between our company and customers.”
I’m glad to finally be part of that customer family, and happy that my pursuit paid off.
Source: www.classiccars.com