1984 Ford F-150 & Camper – Adventure on a Budget

Dreaming of heading out for your own adventure? Having your own Blue Oval Adventure doesn’t have to involve an expensive exploration vehicle. You’d be surprised at what you can find on Craigslist.

This 1984 Ford F-150 Explorer was recently (January 2018) listed and sold on Craigslist in Texas.

Explorer Edition F-150: A limited edition options and trim group with year-specific stripes unique to the Explorer. offered as Explorer Package A, B, C, or D. Explorer Package A was the most basic, similar to the Custom, while the Explorer Package D was the highest level, much like the Ranger Lariat.

The F-150 only had 69,063 original miles on the 4.9L (300 CID) straight 6-cylinder engine, and 4-speed manual transmission. The 4.9L was one of Ford’s better engines, and have been know to exceed 200-300,000 miles with routine oil changes.

It came with a 1985 Skamper 080S pop-up slide In truck camper that was still in like new condition. Pop-up campers are nice because they have less wind resistance, and a lower center of gravity compared to normal truck campers. The lower height also makes them easier to get in to remote areas.

The truck was listed as having been stored inside, which probably attributes to its great condition, and was only listed for $4,900.

So for $5,000, you could have had a solid truck and camper to adventure around the country with. And since it was built in 1984, it didn’t come with all the computer and sensor junk that will eventually give you fits. Today’s trucks will give you electrical and mechanical headaches when they get to be this trucks age. This truck still has a lot of life left in it. I hope it gets to be the ‘Explorer’ that it’s labelled to be.

Check out your local Craigslist. There may be an adventure vehicle out there waiting for you!

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