Advice to prospective 2018/2019 Raptor Owner

[pierceography]

Hello all,
First message in the forum, as I'm looking to purchase a new Raptor in the next year. It seems so far off, but I have a lease on my current F150 through Q1/2019 and don't want to carry two truck payments.

After buying my wife a new Platinum Explorer, she's more open to the idea of a Raptor purchase (power is addictive). What sold her (and to a lesser extent, me) is the residual value the Raptor commands. While buying a car is rarely a strong financial decision, buying one that depreciates like a Raptor actually does make sense if you can accord the higher payment.

Anyways, ultimately I'm looking for advice. While my actual purchase is some time off (14-15 months as of this post), I'm a meticulous planner and enjoy sweating the details.

So with that, what advice can the forum offer to a new Raptor owner, with time to plan, for what will likely be a 2019 Raptor? (I realize there is only speculation on what [in]significant changes there will be between model years)

Some initial questions: 1) Are the beadlock rims worth it? I pretty much only like them for the color. 2) Has anyone had Roush modifications done? I'm considering the performance pac to increase HP/Torque. 3) I see a lot of Gen1 Raptors with interior color accents that match the paint. So far, the factory color accent for Gen2s is only orange, which is not available in the red color I'm considering. How do interior packages work if not factory?

Oh, and I'm about as far from a gearhead as you can get. I make my living in software, not hardware. So my ability to mod will be limited to paying someone else. (At least initially)

Also, I've put a deposit down at my local dealership for a 2018/2019 at MSRP, so hopefully all set on the hunt aspect.

Thanks, everyone!

(And sorry for the wall of text)

 

[jaz13]

Hello all,
First message in the forum, as I'm looking to purchase a new Raptor in the next year. It seems so far off, but I have a lease on my current F150 through Q1/2019 and don't want to carry two truck payments.

After buying my wife a new Platinum Explorer, she's more open to the idea of a Raptor purchase (power is addictive). What sold her (and to a lesser extent, me) is the residual value the Raptor commands. While buying a car is rarely a strong financial decision, buying one that depreciates like a Raptor actually does make sense if you can accord the higher payment.

Anyways, ultimately I'm looking for advice. While my actual purchase is some time off (14-15 months as of this post), I'm a meticulous planner and enjoy sweating the details.

So with that, what advice can the forum offer to a new Raptor owner, with time to plan, for what will likely be a 2019 Raptor? (I realize there is only speculation on what [in]significant changes there will be between model years)

Some initial questions: 1) Are the beadlock rims worth it? I pretty much only like them for the color. 2) Has anyone had Roush modifications done? I'm considering the performance pac to increase HP/Torque. 3) I see a lot of Gen1 Raptors with interior color accents that match the paint. So far, the factory color accent for Gen2s is only orange, which is not available in the red color I'm considering. How do interior packages work if not factory?

Oh, and I'm about as far from a gearhead as you can get. I make my living in software, not hardware. So my ability to mod will be limited to paying someone else. (At least initially)

Also, I've put a deposit down at my local dealership for a 2018/2019 at MSRP, so hopefully all set on the hunt aspect.

Thanks, everyone!

(And sorry for the wall of text)

Very little was changed between 17 and 18. I suspect the same will happen in 19. Although some people claim a V8 is coming in 19. But they also said the same thing in 17 and 18.

As for depreciation, the situation surrounding 14s was unique between the two year layoff and the last year of V8. Don't expect the Gen2 to hold its value as well, especially since producing numbers will be a lot higher for the Gen2. It will do a lot better than a Platinum or Limited, but don't expect to sell it for what you paid.

 

[pierceography]

Very little was changed between 17 and 18. I suspect the same will happen in 19. Although some people claim a V8 is coming in 19. But they also said the same thing in 17 and 18.

As for depreciation, the situation surrounding 14s was unique between the two year layoff and the last year of V8. Don't expect the Gen2 to hold its value as well, especially since producing numbers will be a lot higher for the Gen2. It will do a lot better than a Platinum or Limited, but don't expect to sell it for what you paid.

I've heard about the v8 rumors as well, but I doubt I'd go with a v8 even if it was an option. The twin TC v6 is plenty for me. Hell, I'm pretty satisfied with the 2.7L in my current F150.

As for the residuals, I'm not expecting to pull anything close to MSRP. But if the vehicle holds its resale value even 50% better than my current XLT, then the math works in favor of the Raptor over a different trim level.

Great advice though, thanks for the feedback!

 

[smurfslayer]

Tunes are now maturing for the ’17-’18 Raptors which inclines me to believe we will probably see more of the same for ’19 - Ecoboost v6. Since you’ve already secured a deal, it’s all about your planning. don’t be married to Roush, there are a bunch of other options now.

The bead lock ready / forged wheels are actually not a bad buy. The real bead lock rings are a few bills more , but I agree, aesthetically they are a nice touch.

Resale is great on all the Raptors, but the v8’s are going to fall out of favor in the next few years purely out of age of the vehicle more than anything else.

don’t be intimidated by the mods. I’ve gotten my hands dirty. The Raptor makes it easy. You have plenty of folks who have blazed the trail for you

speakers, subwoofer and amp, lights - lots of people have done lights and the Rap has aux switches pre-wired. It’s easy to get carried away really. Lots of folks have shared mod tips, step by step and even pictures.

good luck

Oh, and welcome to FRF!

 

[torrin]

I believe there will be no V8 in the Raptor line for '19, with that said, if I was that far out, I would make sure. If an 8 banger comers to Raptor Gen2, the v6TT will devalue to some extent. (I really like mine, but I would take a V8 just about any day.) Those V8's are great for getting to Starbucks faster. (But seriously, wait)

I was a 2014 owner and got the experience the value first hand, my 2012 also held better than most (I paid $55k and traded it 2 years later for $50k) so Gen1's held their value quite well.

 

[SubSonicSOPMOD]

If no news of a V8 comes out of the international auto show in a couple weeks I’m def starting the hunt for an 18 or 19. Not getting my hopes up, if there’s a v8 it will probably be a twin turbo and at least 100k
Anybody know if year 3 means they will actually make deals on these bad mothers?

 

[pierceography]

The beadlock rims definitely have some nice appeal to them, but the extra $$ will be tough given how much I'm already spending. Fortunately (kind of), I have a year plus to decide.

I do plan on getting my hands dirty with some mods (lights, speakers, etc), but will probably need a fair amount of padding between the purchase and any mods.

When I was having a conversation with a couple of the sales guys at the dealership this week, I mentioned the v8 and they seemed surprised it was even a rumor. Their take was that Ford has a lot invested in their TC v6, and going to a v8 doesn't make sense unless it's simply to say it has eight cylinders. Personally, I'd be surprised if they introduced a v8 too, but my opinion doesn't hold much water since I'm pretty new to this.

Another question I'd like to ask is: Were there any options that members chose not to add to their Raptor that they later regretted (or inversely added but decided they later didn't need)? (Example: Beadlock wheels, carbon fiber package, color accent, etc)

And somewhat of a side note: My brother is ironically looking to buy a Raptor too and has a decision to make. He found a dealership that has two Raptors: a 2018 that they're asking $5k above MSRP for (I'm sure he can talk them down), and a 2017 with 1500 miles on it that they're asking $4,500 below original MSRP for. According to the sales guy, the 2017 was bought back by Ford due to excessive road noise, but when they checked it out it was just overly aggressive after-market tires. $4,500 off MSRP for a practically brand new Raptor seems too good to be true, and Ford generally doesn't buy back vehicles unless there's something very wrong with them. Is there anything in particular he should be looking for regarding the condition of the truck? Or just general feedback on the deal...

Thanks, guys! Enjoying the forum so far.

 

[smurfslayer]

I put a deposit on the ’17 before it was on the lot, but it was a dealer order. At the time, stealerships were going ape $hit with crazy ADM numbers. I saw locally $5k over to $25k over. I saw $10k and $15k over in person. so when the much more loaded than I was looking for with no ADM showed up in my search, I scrounged more pennies and agreed. All of the options have some merit but I will say that if you plan on seriously off roading the truck, the moon roof is superfluous. You can do it, but it can break. My truck has the (way overpriced) decals on the side, but everything else at the time and inbound when I was shopping either had them, had an ADM or had less options than I wanted.

I thought heated steering wheel was ... meh. Nope. it’s legit. I pre start the truck and I am -comfortable- from the close of the door. heated and cooled seats are also nice. I think the subaru seats were faster to heat, but once warmed the Ford bun warmers acquit themselves nicely.

Things I was looking for -
Torsen front diff if I couldn’t land an 802A
tail gate step

I didn’t care about the moon roof, and I figured I’d probably do some stereo mods at some point so I wasn’t married to the sony/sync3 system. as it turns out, Lucille has all that.

accent, decals and carbon fiber were all aesthetic options to me that weren’t going to contribute to quality of driving. The only reason my truck has decals is because the market conditions when I bought left fewer choices. I’m ok with them, but wouldn’t have gone out of my way to purchase them.

The bead lock capable wheels are a nice option, especially if you get into off roading. You can off road without them, but at least 2 of the truck tests ended with a tire popping off the bead, running lower pressures and driving like a hooligan... which is kind of what off roading is all about

obviously, you have to make your own choices, but you have the luxury of time. good luck.

 

[pierceography]

I just realized I should probably list the options I selected in my initial build (obviously plenty of time to change it).

SuperCrew
Race Red
802a
Technology Package
Spray in Liner
Moon Roof
Tailgate Step

I'm a bigger guy (6'4"), so a moon roof is a requirement for me. Just makes the interior feel bigger.

I really don't plan on doing any hardcore off-roading. This will be a daily driver for me, but that being said there are a lot of dunes fairly close by, so I'm sure I'll take it for a couple runs.

As for the rest of the aesthetic options, they don't really wet my whistle for the price. I have the carbon fiber package in my current F150, it's not that impressive IMO. I wouldn't mind the graphics (hood and side), but $2k+ is a ridiculous price for stickers. And the color accent package would be nice, but it doesn't come with red. (Seriously, you can only get orange?)

 

[adeerchaser]

I have a Gen 1, so not much I can add here. Just wanted to echo, the heated steering wheel, as little as you might think it add- GREAT! My wife's Yukon has it, wish I did!