Looking for a new truck? You could snag a 2023 Ford F-150 Limited starting at $84,910. But wouldn’t a 1997 F-350 dump truck with only 1,500 miles on the ticker be a better choice? A dump truck in pristine, like-new condition, for the same price as that run-of-the-mill F-150 Limited. See the images for yourself, this is a brand-new 1997 F-350, and it is for sale.

Why didn’t the Ford F-350 dump truck owner ever drive it?

We’ve all seen super clean low-mileage trucks for sale. They’re usually a few years old, with maybe 40,000 or 65,000 miles on them. They look new, but they’re not. This is not one of those.

This truck isn’t a white fleet dump truck with rubber floor mats and molded plastic door panels, either. Instead, the candy red hauler features some big options, like four-wheel drive and the 7.3-liter pre-emissions PowerStroke V8. And as you would expect from a truck with 1,500 miles, even the undercarriage and engine compartment look like they’ve never seen rust, a dirt road, or a rainy day.

So what’s the story on this incredible find? According to the seller, Gateway Car Connection in Missouri, to The Drive, the dumper owner was a Ford dealer. “The owner owned a large Ford store,” Anthony Clavenna of Gateway said. “He ordered it and hauled one load of gravel in 1999, so that’s the only thing that’s ever been in the bed.”

Should the 1997 F-350 be used or preserved as is?

It was driven to the tire shop he also owned for a set of aftermarket wheels to spice up the appearance. “He did that one load of gravel, but he would drive it into his Ford store periodically and have it serviced,” Clavenna said. “It wasn’t a truck that sat around, even though it didn’t get a ton of miles put on it. It did drive periodically.” However, the truck didn’t have a license plate until 2020. 

If there’s anything wrong with purchasing this truck, it isn’t the cost or condition. Because it is so pristine, with the great options and that Mason dump unit, it needs to remain as it is. After all, it has made it over 25 years new. Yeah, it is a shame that it would no longer ply the highways and construction sites. But all of the ingredients point to preserving the incredible condition and circumstances as they are. 

It’s only original once

If it was a restoration, that would be a different story. But as they say, “They’re only original once.” So to that end, let’s hope this F-Series dump truck can be preserved, but also shown to bring enjoyment to truck enthusiasts forever, as well as a time capsule of how these trucks came from the factory before decades of use and abuse.