are our trucks really collectible classics?

[CG]

do you believe our trucks will ever be a mainstream collectible? all restored and going across the auction block bringing in those big numbers like the muscle cars of the 60's and 70's, or will they always be more of collectible truck for a limited part of the population? i see the posts of, dont cut the radio hole larger, dont cut the doors for speakers, like you are cutting up a rare classic. are there any old trucks of any make that really bring the big bucks all restored to perfection?

i have a 72 cheyenne super c20 long box. big block. air. tool box. tilt. tach dash. dual gm spots. dual batt...etc etc etc. im torn on building it custom, not radical, but you wouldnt be able to tell it was ever a cheyenne super. or keep it stock, but lowered a little with aftermarket wheels. i like either way alot. non stock would be cheaper to build...but if i keep it stock will i be able to retire by selling it someday? yes, i realize the short fleet half ton version would be worth more...but but...what to do, what to do.

[N2TRUX]

Build it like you want it. You will have more fun if you do. Sure certain trucks will grow in value if left close to stock but when will that be? Enjoy now, restore later...

[extd56]

Build it and drive it, a good truck always will go up in value. I own a 56 and 57 Chevy truck and they are both collectible but stock they are hard to drive and not safe with the speeds on the road now if they are original. I see the modified trucks are going up as fast if not faster than a stock truck. I also own a 72 Corvette that is pretty much stock and I plan to leave it that way because it is worth more and it handles and brakes good. It is hard to improve brakes on a 4 wheel disc car. Just my .02 but I use my 72 Cheyenne super to haul trash, go to Home depot, haul the boat and anything else a truck is supposed to do. I still see a lot of the 67-72 Chevy and GMC trucks being used by contractors and using them a lot. I don't see a lot of old F**d trucks doing the same job. I have a total of 10 cars and my 72 gets used the most.

[purple gas]

Good god man, Give your head a shake.... These trucks are timeless classics. Though they are after all trucks. I don't recall Yenko doin any up but that doesn't mean they don't have their place in automotive history. They ran the gambit from stricktly utilitarian work horses to " Sunday go to meetin'" rides for the well heeled farmer. We had one , a 68 standard steering & breaks and a radio. I remember the buzz on coffee row when a farmer in our community bought a '72 Loaded as you could get. "Cost 9 thousand dollars" people would say. "who in there right mind would pay Nine thousand dollars for a truck?" These trucks are a part of the North American expeirience for untold thousands of people.. will you ever see one roll across Barret Jacksons stage commanding six figure bids? Well I doubt it, but who knows. Who'd a thunk a Hemi Cuda would ever fetch the price they do.

[72 CustomCamper]

I saw a numbers matching 72 short bed that had a frame off resto on Barrett Jackson one time. I think it went for $75,000 or somewhere close...


Chuck

[corn]

When I was younger it was no problem to find an old chevelle or cuda down the street & it could be bought cheap. Not anymore, you just dont see them. As soon as you dont see the old trucks around the price will shoot up faster than you will believe. There are just too many of them around yet to be too spendy. I hope they stay reasonable for a while, Id like to buy a few before they do. I agree with N2TRUX, fix it up how you want it. You can always change it later...corn

[cheyenne10]

With these trucks they produced a ton of them for 4-5 years. Many of us grew up in these trucks in our families or knew someone who did. Not as many families had 2 door muscle cars. Supply will always be more with these trucks but the more of us can relate to them and afford them. Not many of us will be in the market for good mucsle car. Might make clean examples of our trucks very marketable. Retirement on them might mean a small fleet of them. Don't sell them all!! We also know what it takes to build one up. If I ever run across the one built like I would like I bet it will be cheaper than the build cost. On the other hand many of us also like the pride of being involved with the build (priceless). I'm getting old waiting for the time and funds though. Raising family is #1

My 4 cents!!

[barn9]

I like to think the 67 - 72's are at the top of the list of what trucks could become collectable. The body style that caught everyone's attention at the same time the "muscle" cars were hot. Of course it could just be me, but I think this is the best body style EVER in a truck! Biased? Me?

[Americanrider]

I don't see this kind of interest and following generated by any 67-72 furd trucks. I picked up this weeks Truck Trader mag, the PNW edition, not much in there for po'folk like me The value of a good condition or restored GM truck get higher every year.

[RPOZ11]

My add...
I have done my mods on several cars and trucks thru my life and have found that in the long run, veering to far off from the stock setup wont get you much in return!
I prefer to do stroker motors and simple mods that keep the original lines and setups.
It is YOUR truck! Do as you like!
Modify it too far past stock bolt on stuff and you get what you get.
I prefer the original looks and performance that cant be seen immediately and have the opportunity to put'er back to stock without issues if need be!
Good Luck!

[al's71gmc]

I don't know if I see these trucks skyrocketing in price, partly because so many people like them and keep them running. There seem to be way too many around to really escalate the price. But if they weren't so plentiful I probably wouldn't have been able to buy one. My own is a pretty base model, so I just plan to drive it and enjoy it.
A friend at work had a 440 6-pack plymouth years ago that he abandoned on the side of the highway when the clutch went out. He only paid $600 for it. When the clutch went out he was broke and on leave from the army, so he pulled the plates off and hitchhiked home. He still cries about it. Now he's looking for a muscle car to restore and having a hard time finding one he can afford that isn't a POS rustbucket.
Al

[HeavyD]

I think they will climb in value, but never to what the Cudas, Stangs and Camaros get. As been mentioned there were just too many of them made, but that is not a bad thing. When I was 16 I had a really nice 1970 Mustang Mach 1 428CJ that I bought for $6000 CAD in 1988. Whats that car worth now? 20-40K? I have no desire to spend that kind of cash on buying another one, but am very happy to see that 5-10K will get me a pretty nice 67-72 pickup, even one that has some nice options. These trucks are not climbing like the musclecars, and I for one am happy about that because I can enjoy the hobby without having to give my left leg to purchase one.

[beautimus]

here is my take on this subject and yes it's just an opinion.
right now the highest dollar selling price on trucks seem to be the 55 i think to 58 or 59 cameo's. i think they will likely hold the top notch spot. next up i see the 55 to 57 ferds, and then the 67-72 chevy followed closely by the 66 and earlier body style. yes i think sale prices will go up a lot as these things get older and scarcer. i also think that prices will always lag behind the muscle cars.
of course i also see a drop in the over inflated muscle car prices before to long. i base this on the fact that they are being snapped up by the more affluent crowd. the limited supply of these cars will i think start to detract from their value. (supply and demand, but when there is no supply, demand begins to wane.) for example, i really love the 1968 gto's. i used to own one.
i would love to have another, but i gave up looking for one, when poor quality cars started to command $30,000 price tags. instead i turned to another vehicle that i have always loved, and is much more affordable. yep the 67-72 trucks. thats my gut feelings on it.

[4x4Poet]

I always have an opinion on this:

From what I've seen on the many ebay ads linked here, complete 67-72 GM trucks with no mechanical flaws go for more than 10k whenever they have clean paint jobs, good chrome/emblems/grill, redone rubber and interior, a clean & detailed engine compartment, near stock looks (as mentioned), and NO rust in sight.

A clean, well-maintained truck with obviously verifiable low miles can also pull in over 10k, but they seem few and far between on ebay.

Fancy mods like BBCs, lifts with big tires, lockers, etc., can also bring some bucks on a near perfect, still aesthetic truck.

Bottom line: A thorough, good looking restoration with no mods that ruin the looks/clean lines always sells. Great paint/body work is a must. My guess is, potential buyers can often handle mechanical work, but body work is an expensive hassle that most don't do themselves and none like to pay the $$$$$$$$ to have it professionally done. People willing to pay good money want easy, never difficult.

We all know that pics rule on ebay. Especially revealing pics that show all the "trouble spots" and detail work. Pet peeves: Rusty master cylinder (for crying out loud, a reman master costs <$20), incomplete or inoperative A/C system (few options bring bigger bucks, IMO), clean truck with eng compartment that needs detailing, rusty frame/axles.

Of course, I'm still basing my opinions on before the rise in gas prices. I haven't seen enough ebay trucks lately to know what the effect of high gas prices will be for our trucks.

[special-K]

I`d customize a lower optioned one in a million truck and restore a high optioned rarer one.I like them both ways,that`s just how I`d go about it.But,as the years go by,a nice bare bones stocker would be hard to muff up.They are classics and collectible.They are abundant still and yet cost more than a Ford.

[68haywagon]

I think it's all in the condition when you start. I bought mine a mess so I don't feel as bad making it the way I want it. Everyone I know says I should restore it to original. If I wanted to do that I would have started with something in much better condition. My dash was hacked by a previous owner and the motor isn't the correct year. I have hardly any options too.

Either way, build the truck the way you want it. Don't build it to sell. From what I have seen you will never make your money back that way.

Mike

[1969 C/K CST]

From the prices I've seen, custom or stock does'nt matter that much. I don't see a decline in demand or price. Gotta love these trucks. Most people I talk to prefer this body, had one, or their parents had one. Keep'em rollin".

[86swb]

I just love to drive mine and do not see any other Suburban around here in these years. I do see some '67-'72 Trucks but no '67-'72 Suburbans. None of these will (in my openion) ever be anywhere close to the "55-'57 Chevy Cars or the trucks. Well, maby the trucks. Yes, they are classics. I loved this body style when they first came out. In my openion, this is the best body styles ever. I do like my '86 swb body style but they do not compare to the '67-'72. I have changed mine in a few ways but nothing that can not be changed back to OE. These are just beautiful classics.(yes, classics) MO

[cdowns]

for each one of these trucks that are in the ultra-thousands of dollars price range theres many thousands of trucks in the hundreds of dollars price range

my theory is build it like you want aand use it//reality is you get your profit in the use not the resale of old vehicles

[junkyardjohn]

Originally Posted by beautimus

here is my take on this subject and yes it's just an opinion.
right now the highest dollar selling price on trucks seem to be the 55 i think to 58 or 59 cameo's. i think they will likely hold the top notch spot. next up i see the 55 to 57 ferds, and then the 67-72 chevy followed closely by the 66 and earlier body style. yes i think sale prices will go up a lot as these things get older and scarcer. i also think that prices will always lag behind the muscle cars.
of course i also see a drop in the over inflated muscle car prices before to long. i base this on the fact that they are being snapped up by the more affluent crowd. the limited supply of these cars will i think start to detract from their value. (supply and demand, but when there is no supply, demand begins to wane.) for example, i really love the 1968 gto's. i used to own one.
i would love to have another, but i gave up looking for one, when poor quality cars started to command $30,000 price tags. instead i turned to another vehicle that i have always loved, and is much more affordable. yep the 67-72 trucks. thats my gut feelings on it.

YOU NEGLECTED TO MENTION "40" FORD PICKUPS OR "40" WILLYS PICKUPS. PRICE ONE OF THOSE THAT HAS BEEN RESTORED OR RODDED. JOHN

[farside847]

I dont know... In my neck of the woods (bay area california) I hardly ever see a 67-72 chevy or gmc. They just are not on the road anymore. I see tons of 73-87 trucks still on the road, but Id say in the last 6 months Ive seen 3 67-72's. These trucks are getting a little on the rare side. A month ago I was at home depo with my truck and was offered $8k cash for it. I thanked him and said no thanks. Its cool to see that other guys want my truck (and cant have it). Now, my truck is a daily driver. 40 miles a day. It is not perfect and shows it in a few spots (rusty axles, dirt under the hood, and I just found a new rust spot ) but even a truck in the "nice driver" category is getting a pretty decent price! Maybe in another 10 years we will see that these trucks are worth a lot more, as more get taken off the road.

[86swb]

[guyryan100]

My $.02 - if you want an investment, put your $ in an investment. If you want a cool truck, put your money in the truck. If you get lucky and your truck's worth something some day, you're just lucky. Over all, vehicles are not good investments. They're good toys and hobbies, but you'd make more investing your money elsewhere.

If cars/trucks were good investments, banks would be offering you money for a stake in your restoration. When's the last time that happened?

[90\87Formula]

I don't see any new interest in them. No resale value. So to help you out, just ship everything to me; here in Texas. I'll take it off your hands so you don't have to worry about it.

[4tiresngas]

I think different people want them for different reasons. For sure, they are good trucks. I personally got attached to them because my Dad drove one (which I flipped end over end when I was 15 after I borrowed it without permission)...lol About a year later, it was my truck after my Dad and I took it down to frame and started over. It was also the first vehicle for all four of my younger brothers. We plan to put that one back original...the way Dad had it...it's kind of our connection to him.