Was There a Time When…

[MDJAK]

Was there a time when this fine forum, one of my home away from homes, had only a Gen 1 section, before the Gen 2 was even announced? And now with the reordering, or rejiggering of the sub forums, we find the once and still great Gen 1 at the bottom of the page, with a vaporware Raptor R sitting at the top, as if it’s king, when no one even knows if it will ever see the light of day.

As a 3x Gen 2 owner (17, 19, 20) and now proud owner of a Gen3, I still look up with reverence and smile when a Gen 1 goes by.

Has the number of Gen 1 owner/members shrunk on the forum? Or have more who purchased them used joined over the years?

The Gen 1 is what turned me on to the Raptor but back then I didn’t consider owning a truck. Now a truck is my primary vehicle and I wouldn’t be without one.

Long live the Gen 1.

 

[Irregular F150]

Just like everything else it comes and goes. I joined Oct 10 2021 so idk all of the happenings before. This gen1 is my first raptor and i love it. No its not a boosted power house or have high tech features like the g2-3. i dont care how fast it goes, its not a drag truck. I like the style and the NA v8 that still performs great on and off road. My wifey also like it and she always wants to run stuff over or push slow people out of the way lol.

This pic is within a couple hours after buying it.

 

[The Car Stereo Company]

yeah. back in 2012 when i joined, there were no generational sections. everyone on here cared about one thing. raptors and derailing threads. (ok 2 things). it was a more close knit group too. we would raise thousands of dollars for a members charity/tough times. i remember when we started putting events together. just a bunch of us trying to organize a time when the most people could make it to wherever we were planning. all the questions being asked now, have already been addressed 54 times in detail. i think there are less gen 1 owners now then there were back then. most of the og crew has moved on. the generational bickering that arose turned a lot of us away. for sure the gen 1 will be the most iconic raptor. its what has changed the offroad world forever. being able to buy a decently offroad capable truck off a dealer showroom with no other mods needed for the weekend warrior, is now a thing.

in all honesty, the forum was a much better place back then, than it is now. all of us og members know why, but we wont go into detail about that. lets just remember if for not for the gen 1, none of this exists

 

[mprice1234]

Yes, this forum was great when it first came out. I joined in Oct. 2010 right after I purchased my 2010 6.2 Raptor. The number of Gen 1 owners has dwindled over the years and the majority of members drive the other Gen's with most never have even been in a Gen 1. The thing I hate most about this forum is the negativity from some members to Gen 1 owners who are happy with their Gen 1's and don't want to give them up for anything else.

 

[MFNG]

Yes, this forum was great when it first came out. I joined in Oct. 2010 right after I purchased my 2010 6.2 Raptor. The number of Gen 1 owners has dwindled over the years and the majority of members drive the other Gen's with most never have even been in a Gen 1. The thing I hate most about this forum is the negativity from some members to Gen 1 owners who are happy with their Gen 1's and don't want to give them up for anything else.

I love my Gen 1. I’ve also never even been inside any other Gen, but I’m ok with that. They all look great and are quite capable.

The thing about the Gen 1 is It’s an instant classic. It doesn’t have to be faster, or more high tech. In 20 years people won’t say I’m so glad I bought a 2019, they’ll say I wish I would have kept that first Gen.

It’s all about the smiles, and for me, the Gen 1 still doles out plenty. Plus, the kids love it when it goes vroom.

 

[Hilbilly Jack]

Long ago I had a 2011 Gen I but life got in the way and I had a 40 mile commute to work one way so I switched to a 13 King Ranch, then a 2015 KR with the TT V6. I loved it but always missed the Raptor. Then swapped for a 17 Platinum with all the goodies and a V8. I was happy, but still missed the Gen I until the dealer where my Son is the finance manager took a loaded 13 Roush on trade with only 24K on the clock. Previous owner had done some major upgrades with stereo, lighting etc. The price was right (family) and the deal was done and I haven't missed the technology while still making it mine with more upgrades and tweaks such as Bed Rug, JDM tune, Sony head unit, new steering wheel etc. I'm old school (because I'm OLD) and I guess I'd compare the difference is like a Honda vs. a Harley. Nothing is going to sound like a Harley or a Roush SC 6.2. This is not a debate about Gen I or Gen 3 as I could have new if I wanted it's about the one that makes me smile when I get in!

 

[CoronaRaptor]

At the beginning of production, this was just a wet dream by Ford, nobody new there would be Raptors even after 2010. Back in 2009 when it was revealed, even the R model (the true R model) was supposed to be built, the prototype was built but never went into production and back then it was going to be sold to the public for $100,000.00, you can't even buy a Raptor for that price now, lol. (in canada). The 2010 Raptor with over 400 horsepower was King of the road and the offroad, no truck had that power from the factory. Sure the new trucks are more luxurious , whatever. so are Prius now. The forum was great at first, but half dozen years ago there were a bunch of egg heads on here who just wanted to troll and stir the pot for no reason, bunch of real A-HOLES, I'm glad they are 99% all gone, they offered no value to raptors or the forum. Over-all the forum is a better and "safer" place, but I do miss the get togethers as now most members want to meet for lattes, not offroading nearby.

 

[Sportyworty]

Some think the 65 GT350 Shelby was improved as years went on. 66-70 Shelby owners in particular. Same goes for 1968.5 Cobra Jets. The 69-70 see “refinements”
All built off the back of the original design concepts.
History likes to repeat itself.
If you can’t sell yourself you can’t sell anybody ha.
Forums evolve and are only as good as the people posting at that particular time. This is why regular long standing members are important to set the tone for the new people. I’m new here and will count on these long standing members combined with the archives to get solid answers and direction. I have several thousand posts on the 428 Cobra Jet Registry, Boss 302 Forum and Shelby forums. It drives me mad to see trolls and incorrect and incomplete info posted. Sometimes it feels like we lose years of progress on a topic in a matter of a weeks worth of ******** contributions. Again it’s the long timers who keep swinging that are building an archive of Gold for us new members. I see Gen 1 on the rise with my peers that have other rides to mix in.
just one man’s opinion ha

 

[MDJAK]

All really good posts above. So continue to educate me and others.

When I bought, not leased, a 2020 M5, I joined a BMW forum. (Btw, I’m MDJAK on every forum I participate in) I soon learned that BMW is a lease machine and I perhaps made a mistake buying. Why? Seems, at least in the past, their engines were also maintenance machines and just didn’t last without huge problems. I dumped it after 10 months, 5k miles for a 2021 Cayenne GTS For my wife. Looking to get rid of that to get her a Bronco as she never met a curb she didn’t like to get up close with and rub.

So while I know there may be doubters, whether legit or not I don’t yet know, as to the longevity of the ecoboost in the Gen2-3, how has the V8 been, in general, in the Gen1? I mean, the “youngest” ones have to be about 8 years old now, no?

 

[stevenstommyboy1]

I joined this forum in 2010 after I bought my first 5.4 L Ford Raptor Blue Flame in Illinois. Drove it for a couple years and then out of necessity sold it. Then we moved to Virginia being military in the Navy I bought a silver 2012 Raptor and drove that for a few years out there. Now I have a 2014 Race Red Raptor and my wife has a 2010 5.4 Molten Orange Raptor. For some reason we can’t get away from the GEN1 raptors we love them. I do miss the early days of the forum it was fun to banter with everyone. People move on do different things but the love of these trucks stays the same. I still enjoy being on this forum and getting some folks riled up every now and then but also trying to contribute so I hope this forum keeps going and the quality of people and trucks gets better.