Gen1 buyer, looking for support!

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Snuggles

Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2022
Posts
37
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Location
Portland, OR
Nice truck for sure.

I don’t regret buying mine at all, but quirks that I guess I wasn’t expecting:

- you really start to notice bad parking lot design. Narrow spaces suuuuuck. Parking next to another raptor in narrow spaces is kinda comical. You can get out of the truck but barely fit between fenders.

- interior has a lot more plastic than the newer gens. Overall I’m okay with this because I genuinely use it as a truck - but sometimes wish it was fancier.

- stereo upgraded can be a PITA with all fords of this era.

- engine is powerful, but shifting is slow. This can be fixed with software.

- speaking of shifting, no paddle shifters unless you want to do a steering wheel swap plus fancy wiring modules. Pretty expensive, but on my wish list.

- 6.2 gets crappy gas mileage, but is a truly reliable motor. We had an ecoboost explorer that had some incredibly expensive issues. I don’t want to own that engine again.

- I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was/am really impressed with the off-road capabilities. I’m in the PNW so i don’t do speed runs, but have been amazed at how well the truck tracks on slippery, icy, snowy stuff. Significantly better than other trucks I’ve owned. It just keeps going with little drama.

- my only half-regret is upgrading to 37” MT tires. It looks soooo good, but they are heavy and you can feel it. Took a lot of the athleticism out of the truck.
 

Bozz

Royal Smart A$$
Joined
Aug 24, 2020
Posts
5,745
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23,209
Location
Nashville, TN
Nice truck for sure.

I don’t regret buying mine at all, but quirks that I guess I wasn’t expecting:

- you really start to notice bad parking lot design. Narrow spaces suuuuuck. Parking next to another raptor in narrow spaces is kinda comical. You can get out of the truck but barely fit between fenders.

- interior has a lot more plastic than the newer gens. Overall I’m okay with this because I genuinely use it as a truck - but sometimes wish it was fancier.

- stereo upgraded can be a PITA with all fords of this era.

- engine is powerful, but shifting is slow. This can be fixed with software.

- speaking of shifting, no paddle shifters unless you want to do a steering wheel swap plus fancy wiring modules. Pretty expensive, but on my wish list.

- 6.2 gets crappy gas mileage, but is a truly reliable motor. We had an ecoboost explorer that had some incredibly expensive issues. I don’t want to own that engine again.

- I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was/am really impressed with the off-road capabilities. I’m in the PNW so i don’t do speed runs, but have been amazed at how well the truck tracks on slippery, icy, snowy stuff. Significantly better than other trucks I’ve owned. It just keeps going with little drama.

- my only half-regret is upgrading to 37” MT tires. It looks soooo good, but they are heavy and you can feel it. Took a lot of the athleticism out of the truck.
Sooooo......what's the problem? ;)
 

Louisiana Barefoot

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2021
Posts
108
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131
Location
Independence, La.
Congratulations on a pretty SCREW (not a SCAB as originally described). I bought mine with 136K miles and have had no issues. I don't use it much (currently 148K) after 2.5 years. It was a gift for myself after reaching social security age. (I'm old). When I got it home, I did change all 16 plugs, wires, and coils AND fuse 27. A must on fuse 27 if it hasn't been done already. I recently changed ALL fluids. (Both differentials, transmission, transfer case, brakes, radiator, and power steering) Enjoy your new ride.
 

BoatzNHoes

Member
Joined
May 9, 2023
Posts
12
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21
Location
San Diego
Picked up a 14' beginning of year and have had ZERO regrets. The truck is solid. The only nuisances I've come across are the light bulbs such as the turn signals are starting to go out.
I've spent a whole lot of time behind Gen2s and the Gen3 and they are out of the box fantastic and continue to evolve! With that said, nothing replaces the V8.
 

Oldraptor 1

Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2022
Posts
42
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58
Location
Texas
Just like mine, except for the decals. My 2012 had 166,000 when I purchased her last year. So far so good. Your going to love it! Nothing like that V8 sound. It has soul!
 

StangGT5

FRF Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2023
Posts
59
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62
Location
Atlanta, GA
All is good on body rust and the frame. Front and rear frame welds look good with no damage to the lower or scraping from crawling or 4wheeling. No undercarriage rust. Only thing that stood out was the heaviness of the door closing and the mirror shaking when I slammed it shut. Doors are heavy compared to the aluminum doors on mine.

Yeah the mirror shaking was offputting at first. Coming from modern Land Rovers (yeah reliability jokes incoming), I'm used to high build quality on body panels and interior. The Gen 1 is an absolute riot though. I find it's cheaper parts kind of charming in a way, which is the same way I felt about the SRT products I have owned. Fast, loud, fun, and kind of cheap in the places you don't really care about on a sports vehicle anyway.

OP, It does feel heavy, but that makes it feel very solid to me at all speeds. I also think it handles VERY well for a leaf spring 6000lb pick up truck. It sways of course, but that just makes it more genuine Baja truck to me as well.

As for mileage, they seem to go for a very long time. I have heard the torque converter lock up solenoid can fail in the trans around 100K, but if it's made it past this you are probably fine. The trans is do for service around 65K miles, so just have the dealer through that in. With it being Ford certified, you should be able to enjoy it carefree for a while. I got one with really low mileage so it was eligible for a lengthy Ford warranty that is pretty close to bumper to bumper coverage for a few grand. I plan to keep the truck for a long time, so it was worth it to me.
 
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