Minty Flareside: 1994 Ford F150 Flareside – Sold?

January 15, 2023, Update – We confirmed the listing for this “Classifind” expired, so with no replacement found, we’re assuming this ride is “Sold?” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call us directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

Over the years, a few things about trucks have become clear: short beds rule; flareside beds are even better; and if you have a short bed truck with a V8 and some Flowmasters, you’ve got it made in the shade. It’s one of the best combinations ever conceived among passenger vehicles and a sure-fire bet for owning a truck you never want to sell or a pickup everyone wants to buy. This listing is for a 1994 Ford F150 Flareside pickup with very high miles but in surprisingly tidy cosmetic condition. We found this F150 in December 2022 on Craigslist near Talladega, Alabama, for $8,800, with claims of lots of new parts installed by the seller. Comparing that price against the Classic.com model guide shows that the seller is well below the going rate of just over $15,000 for a decent used truck. Anyone selling vehicles at this point knows a good truck is a hot commodity, so why not own one with some collectability?

What is it about a short bed pickup that works so well? Some enthusiasts would likely attribute the proportions as the most obvious answer, as the dimensions of a pickup truck with a compact bed look right. The long bed models may be more useful, but it’s hard to sometimes not glance at them and scratch your chin, silently judging their appearance for not being as perfect as a short bed model. I suppose there’s also the potential to hot-rod a short-bed pickup more readily than a long-bed, again for reasons based solely on appearance – a truck like this F150 lowered on some wide wheels is just a killer look, and one that the long-bed models have a very hard time pulling off. The additional wrinkle or “want” factor with a short-wheelbase truck is obviously the bed itself, as a flareside bed is inherently useful for loading and unloading cargo thanks to its novel integrated step. These days, trucks come with powered stairs for the bed and automatically lowering running boards, effectively making the F150 shown here one of the last analog pickups with the right combination of a V8 and plenty of manual controls.

The Library of Old Car Ads YouTube Channel features this 1994 Ford F150 commercial:

The F150, of course, is one of the greats. A classic American pickup that is loved for its workhorse attitude and ability to tolerate extreme conditions with minimal upkeep. I don’t know if you could make the same claim with today’s pickups that are certainly overbuilt but also so complex that they seem fairly vulnerable – especially when compared to a truck like this rad 1994 F150. Despite having 203,000 miles on the clock, the truck appears in excellent condition, with the paint presenting so well that I have to believe it was resprayed at one point in time. The colors are great, with a rarely-seen navy exterior and a matching cabin with dark blue carpeting. Of course, the show’s star is the widened bed that gives the truck its “Flareside” designation. I wonder how many enthusiasts in the early 90s even understood what they saw was a defining moment in pickup truck styling and an era that future collectors would invest in as real-deal collectibles. The F150 shown here looks far better than it should, with over 200K miles, which says a lot about how much the current or most recent caretaker looked after this rig.

Here’s the seller’s description:

“This is a super clean truck. Lots of new parts. Super clean Interior.

Long tube headers with dual exhaust.

Hot heat and cold ac. Clean Alabama title in hand.

The asking price is $8,800.00, but negotiable. If you have any questions, please message me.”

Big hips: some folks love the flareside bed, while others prefer fleetside. What about you?