Looking for Help Buying Used

Hello and thanks for taking the time to read.

With the virus going on right now and being lucky enough to still be making my normal income, I figured now was a solid time to look for a 17/18/19 raptor that a dealership is looking to move on.

Right now I'm finding in my area (Raleigh to Charlotte, NC) that these models are going for 50-60k with 30k or less miles on them, all 502A's.

The local dealership has a '17 with 28k miles and clean carfax for $53k and they are willing to give me $31k for my current truck (ram 1500) making the difference $22k of new loan.

The second truck I'm looking at is an '18 with 18k and clean carfax for $55k out the door and they are willing to give me $32.5k for my truck making the difference $22.5k of new loan. They will even take my 2.5 King's off my ram and bring them back to the house for me which is over an hour drive. This definitely seems like the better deal as they are both equipped the same but what's throwing me for a loop is how eager the dealership seems to be to move it. The place turned out to be a corner lot used car joint that apparently is the satellite drop spot for used cars taken in by the local Ford dealer that owns them. Also there was a 1" rip in the driver's seat that they said they would "replace the panel under warranty" which I would think they would just replace the whole seat cover? Lastly my wife said she thought it sound as if there was window cracked on it while we were driving but I checked and all the windows were up. Tires on this one were half way gone it appeared so wondering if it was increased noise from those or if the "fake engine noise" I have heard rumors about was turned on.

Here is the link for that truck.

So with all that being said:

1. What are the specifics to a raptor I'm looking for that are mostly daily drivers as there aren't dunes to go jump around here? I've bought plenty of used vehicles in the past so basics of checking seals and fluids combined with other basics I have covered.

2. Any major difference in buying an 17/18 over the 19's besides live valve? I also know the interiors changed a little but wasn't sure if there was any difference in seat construction besides material.

3. Given the circumstances on the second raptor I listed, would this draw suspicion or are they are just eager to make some sales? Frustratingly they didn't take the time to clean it out well either as there were still bits of whatever in almost all the seats. I am wondering if the exact same truck were at their parent Ford dealership if I'd be as suspicious of it.

4. My wife and I also stated that both trucks we tested seemed a bit "jerky" at times with the 10 speed. Is that normal for the 10 speed / 3.5 eco combo?

Thanks for reading I look forward to suggestions and comments. Just trying to be careful and make a smart buy as my current 2018 ecodiesel does ride very well with the King's (my wife actually said she thought it rode better than either raptor we test drove) and is almost paid off with $9.6k to go.

For the record we have looked at new 2020's and 19's but the lowest 802A in my area I could find that was a 2020 was $66,547 after TTL and fees putting me at new loan balance of $34k if they matched the trade offer by the used car place. I know it's "only" 12k, but as I just found out my wife is pregnant last week with our first kid, I figure I should be conservative in getting new loans as I have no idea what a child will cost me!

The Raptor went through a model year upgrade from the plastic oil pan to a metal one in 2018. I don’t know the cut off date at the time, but I’m not aware of any of the metal pans cracking, leaking or needing replaced. Several users on FRF have had the plastic pans replaced, some multiple times because the dealers aren’t performing the replacement correctly.

You need to do a cold start on each truck to see if it has the cam phaser park failure, noted by a really loud marbles in a can rattle at start that goes away after 1-5 seconds. If it has that rattle, it’s a tear down to repair. This is easily missed if the truck hasn’t sat unstated for at least 12 hours.

17 802a has the sony system, which is easier to modify. ’18 and up use b&o labeled components and is a more expensive upgrade path, generally. Both sound like @$$ stock. If you’re going to upgrade the audio, the sony system will let you do upgrades in stages, like sub and amp with speaker level inputs, then speakers, then pull the amp and swap in a signal processor last. The ’18 b&o is more intricate to modify and needs to pretty much be done at once. it’s a few hundred more to get to good sound on the ’18 as opposed to the ’17.

i’m not sure what to make of the 2nd dealer situation, not one I’ve dealt with.

Congrats! I think one thing I’d consider strongly is a Ford ESP. You said the trucks were equally equipped, meaning a twin panel moonroof. These things are notorious for breaking the track and it’s an expensive repair. It needs to be lubed regularly to prevent from sticking. if you pop it open after not having opened it in several weeks, you need to assist it opening upward first, lube it, close it, open it again to be sure it’s free, then open it rearward. The penalty for not lubing is a broken moon roof track, several hundred in parts alone, and i believe the stealerships charge about $1600 to fix a broken one. google f150 twin panel moon roof broken track.

You can finance the plan or buy it direct from flood ford in Rhode Island, they sell the Ford ESP at cost. A good safety net with a kid on the way.

as to the ride / shifts.
The 3.5TT and 10 speed is a good combo, but normal mode (eco) is a pain in the butt. it’s either way too lazy or you’re going wide open. sport mode is definitely more aggressive and bangs gears a bit. All model years are infamous for cold harsh shifting, so let it warm up a little before caning it.

hope this helps

Smurfslayer,

Thanks for all the good points to look for. For both dealerships, both have pulled the vehicles up to the front office for me so I haven't had the chance to hear the cold start. Upgrading the audio system isn't too big of a deal for me as I mostly listen to NPR for the news or to various podcasts but I appreciate the points about both and upgrading.

I'm not exactly a fan of a plastic oil pan, but in my case of being a daily driver and the only off-roading it will see being dirt roads to access hunting spots or mountain bike trails.

As for the sunroof, great to know. EVERY 802a around here I find seems to have it but when it comes down to it, I only want the 802a for the cooled seats. I have them in my current ram and they are amazing during the summer months with the humidity here in NC.

Thanks as well for the ESP recommendation at that dealer. Any particular person to speak with there?

I appreciate all your help as I know not many people will get into the newbie forums as often there is a lot of repetitive questions in there.

I'm going to go drive a 2020 today just to see the difference on the live valve vs the pre-2019 shocks as the 17/18 didn't seem much if any better than my ram with 2.5 Kings. Possibly see if there are any deals to be had on maybe a leftover 19 as I know dealers are hurting. However I'm sure it goes both ways that if you want to trade in, you have to accept they are going to pay less for your trade more than likely.

for the ESP, you don’t need to talk to anyone! https://www.floodfordesp.com <-- i have it, bought from here, it’s a legit Ford ESP.

One thing that the live valve shocks are good at is adapting to changing terrain. One downfall - when they fault, they default to full non-compliance, and there have been more than a few folks on here who have had shock faults from the shock, sensor, etc.

good luck!

That's definitely interesting that the shocks fault to full compression. I have seen the live valve for the mountain bike world and they are the opposite with faults meaning they fault to open compression. I suppose it makes sense though as the default position is probably firmer in the truck shocks to have too much compression if it fails versus more body roll and potential to bounce off the bump stops if failing in the open position.

As I said, for me it would be a pavement vehicle mostly with the most off roading being fire roads or rutted/pot hole dirt roads for hunting in the fall. I am just looking for the best suspension for that which maybe the live valve would be as my wife and I weren't all that impressed with the 17/18's. It also could be a tire pressure thing as I have my current truck aired down in the rear to make the ride much better as it makes zero sense to have the rears as stiff as the front.

I did just find this 2018 that's a little higher in price but somehow only has 3,100 miles. It does have a pedal commander installed and the big thread on here I scrolled through seems to have positive things to say about it. Also seems to be the only 802a without the sunroof. Asking is $58k flat but who knows they would do out the door.

Any feedback is appreciated and I appreciate the patience and help.

*Edit* Unfortunately this truck has sold before I could test drive it.

it’s minus the tailgate step, but looks pretty good otherwise.

Just a note ask for less from your trade and have them reduce the price of theirs accordingly... less sales tax and lower annual renewal fees too.

Icecobra said:

Just a note ask for less from your trade and have them reduce the price of theirs accordingly... less sales tax and lower annual renewal fees too.

Click to expand...

That's a very good point I didn't even think about to help out. Thanks for bringing that up.

Hey man,

I dont know if you're dead set on the one you posted or just looking for 2018's+, but heres one that is a 2017, one owner and is basically fully loaded with low mileage for a steal. I haven't seen a cheaper, cleaner Raptor for sale from a dealership.

Its been on the lot for a bit as well, probably due to this whole virus thing so theres probability to try and negotiate that price down. I recently bought a 17 and I'm loving it with no issues and I get compliments on the color from various people.

Best of luck

Heres the link:
https://www.gregcoatscars.com/vdp/1...SuperCrew-4WD-for-sale-in-Louisville-KY-40213