I originally bought a 1993 F150 Flareside with the 5.8 351 for $1.6k, restored it inside-out to near showroom condition, and then fell on hard times and was forced to sell it before I could even register and drive the thing. So then I purchased a 1995 F150 Flareside Centurion with the 5.0 302 for $1.5k with 80,000 original miles, drove it for a few months, and started developing problems that I wont get into, so I sold it for 3 times what I paid ( LOL ).
On the side I was doing odd jobs, and one of my neighbors up the road wanted me to haul off some scrap, so I went over to get it, and saw the 1997 Mountaineer sitting under some trees in their backyard, I asked about it and they said they don't drive it because they just got an Escape, and the battery terminals on the Mountaineer keep corroding ( Cheap-O OEM tin can sized terminals ). So I asked if they would sell it, and they said they weren't interested right now. There was a lot of scrap, so over the course of about two hours, I asked like 5 more times, and they finally said "Ok, but if we're going to sell it, we won't take any less than $700." so I pulled out $700.00 cash, handed it to them, signed the title, cleaned the terminals, and drove it home. Come to find out it has the 5.0 High Output, and ZERO mechanical issues, even has AC. Just needed a really good cleaning, body is straight as a board with good paint, and it even had 4 brand new tires.
This is my first SUV, and to be honest I had zero intentions on even keeping it from the start, but it's growing on me, and I don't think I'm going to let it go anytime soon.