Today’s Nice Price or No Dice F-150 Shorty has a 50-state Whipple supercharger and some factory warranty remaining. Let’s see if we can conceive of this ‘immaculate’ truck’s asking price.
According to Russian and Slavic folklore, a Firebird is a mythical creature with feathers that shimmer and glow as if they have been set aflame. Such a creature is featured in a Russian fairy tale about Prince Ivan, a clever hunter, who captures one in his orchard where it was eating golden apples. The Firebird pleads (yes, apparently it speaks) for its release, and offers the Prince a magic feather in return for doing so. Prince Ivan then uses the magic feather to ward off the spells of an evil sorcerer, in an effort to free the thirteen princesses he is holding captive.
The 1999 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am we looked at last Friday didn’t appear quite as exciting or perilous as Prince Ivan’s adventures, but with an LS1 under the hood and a six-speed stick behind that, it certainly should offer some thrills. Experiencing those would take more than a magic feather, however, as the seller has set a $26,250 asking price for the car’s sale. Most of you noted that such an amount would buy any number of newer, better-performing Camaros or Mustangs, a factor reflected in the 83% No Dice loss our Firebird suffered.
It’s good to be the king
There doesn’t seem to be any sorcery involved in Ford’s amazing achievement of owning the single model sales crown for the past forty or so years. A significant feather (perhaps, magical?) in the company’s cap, the F-150’s feat is supported by substantial investment on the company’s part in ensuring that the truck’s capabilities and feature set remain competitive.
Ford has also ensured that the F-150 fits every full-sized truck buyer’s needs, offering standard cab and crew cab bodies, paired with various short and long bed options. That means the wheelbase can stretch from the Standard Cab’s 122 inches all the way to a massive 157 inches for the available Super Crew.
A Standard Cab with a short (6.5-foot) bed, this 2021 F-150 XLT is the smallest body style one could buy. That means it only seats three—although some states allow more to ride in the bed—and there’s limited lockable storage in the cab. That might not matter, as this does not seem to be a work or utility truck. It instead looks to have been built for both show and for go.
Mister Whipple
The show part is comprised of a custom sky blue wrap over the truck’s factory metallic gray paint. That’s been paired with a slightly stanced suspension, and a handsome set of aftermarket Weld wheels wrapped in appreciably low-profile rubber.
As far as the go is concerned, the truck’s 5.0-liter Coyote V8 has been topped with a 50-state compliant Whipple supercharger for more oomph. The seller claims that the blower was dealer-installed and that the truck maintains the remainder of its warranty despite the blower. Stock, the Coyote makes around 400 horsepower. With the Whipple, that can be boosted to anywhere between 570 and 700 ponies at the crank, depending on the stage and ECU tune. Exclusive of the labor to install it, the Whipple runs about $10K. That’s with the added capacity intake and airbox shown in the pictures, as well as the onboard ECU tuner.
The ad notes this to be a one-owner truck with just 15,400 miles on the clock, and says it is in “perfect condition!”
Call me a cab
As noted, this is the smallest F-150 one could buy in 2021, and as such, it’s likely the lightest. That means it’ll make the most of its enhanced corral of ponies, but with so light a back end, it also might just be one of the squirreliest.
It also has a fairly tight cab, especially if that middle seat gets occupied. For two, however, it should prove roomy enough. The cloth upholstery looks to be in as-new condition, as does the carpet and all the plastics. This being a fairly recent build, the dashboard is equipped with multiple screens along with its traditional dials and knobs. Being an XLT, it has a ton of comfort and convenience features, including power windows and locks, auto climate control and headlights, and lots of buttons on the steering wheel. The bed has been covered in crackly matte bed liner and is capped with Ford’s handy-dandy tailgate that offers such niceties as built-in rulers, pen slots, and a pull-out step. Just like the rest of the truck, the bed looks like it just left the Lobo, Mexico factory.
Needs nothing but money
The seller touts this truck to have been “meticulously maintained,” and claims it has been garage-kept when not in action mode. It has a clean title and no accidents in its rearview. The seller asks $49,000 for the sale.
Now, before you get all huffy and indignant over that price tag, let’s break it down, because a lot is going on here. A base XLT Shorty like this would have cost around $35K back in the day. Add to that the cost of the wheels and wrap—say $4K—and the Whipple supercharger—maybe $12K, installed—and that adds up to about $51,000. See? This truck is saving a whole $2K!
Okay, maybe that’s too simple a position. What do you think about this custom truck and that $49,000 price tag? Does that feel like a deal for such a clean machine? Or does that price ensure this F-150 will be the worst seller?
You decide!
Nice Price or No Dice:
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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