2021 Ford Raptor

Raptors are no different than Corvettes, Mustangs, Challengers, or any of their special versions. All require very specific use cases to fully appreciate their function. They tend to be dominated by the "look at me" contingent with a minority actually truly exploiting their talents. That should not come as a surprise, it's marketing and occurs in all other aspects of retail as well. Don't even get me started on mobile phones...
100% agree on this. The Raptor forum was filled with mall crawlers.

There is a road up by Big Bear that in a normal 4X4 takes about 2 hours to do the loop. My raptor did it in 45 min averaging 60 Mph. That was a blast.

Also, based on the people on the raptor forums, I would NEVER buy a used Raptor. Even a CPO.
 
I had both a 18 and a 19 Raptor. I did do a lot of off-roading with some of it being high speed. I thought, at the time, that it was an amazing truck. I didnt tow but did the random trip to the dump from time to time...

But...

Both trucks about the 20k mile mark, developed pre-mature "old car" syndrome. The amount of things that either broke, or needed replacement or were heavy on the maintenance got more. That plus the cam phaser issue really turned me off from getting a Gen3. My 19 Raptor at trade in had the cam phaser issue, a rattling sun roof (3rd time) and a leaky rear shock and was recommended that I get all 4 rebuilt early (needed at 50K) at 23k. I was looking at it being in the shop for 2 weeks.

I've always loved the Super Duty so I made the jump to the Tremor after seeing the G3 in person. The fit and finish between the 21 Raptor and the 22 Tremor looked the same but I do think the Tremor is far better built than both my old 18 and 19 Raptors. For me at least, the noise of V6TT vs V8 is just that, noise. The V6 is the perfect engine for the raptor. It's lighter, more powerful and just flys. I do wish the Tremor had a console shift and not a column shift. That's my old beef.

I love the 22 tremor more because it's higher, stronger and a better truck in the traditional sense. I did have to swap out the Tremor boards for the FX4 boards so my wife could get into it. Once I added the Carli, I would never go back to the raptor. Especially with local So Cal dealers wanting 25-33% of sticker for ADM. It's a great truck, but it's a 20K truck with 50K of bolt ons and it's not worth the ADM they want for it. It's sticker at best. IMHO.

Spot on, so very true, looked at a couple used 19 Raptors and the springs were flat & one looked like a rear shock was/had leaked

I would be scared to buy a used Raptor, even a low mileage one
 
My comment was basically made on the points that you just outlined. Of course it’s better than an F-150, the question is if it’s better than an 18k dollar side by side off-road. It’s not. Even the F-250 tremor has an LSD in the front. Torsen is just another word for their marketing department to hammer on, like Fox.

They took a truck and put some pretty nice hardware on it, but it’s still based on that truck. It’s not going to get to the 18+ inches of suspension travel you need to do what it claims (not out loud, but through imagery and reputation) to do, much less that amount of travel you need for a 6000+ pound street legal pickup truck.

People are out there in a cage, 5 point harness and full face helmet doing this stuff. The raptor is a (very) fancy F-150. It’s not a great comparison, and it’s not THAT capable.
You're Right...it is not better than a side by side off-road.....or even a Jeep Wrangler or the new Ford Bronco because of width. The F150 Raptor is not that capable off-road...but it is one of a few OEM vehicles off the assembly line that are noticeably more off-road capable compared to other mass produced 4WD vehicles.

I would venture to say...a bunch of would be Raptor buyers will now be looking at Broncos. In addition, there will be former owners selling and or trading in their Raptor for a Bronco. It is the "hey, look at me...see what I got" mindset...enslaved by consumerism.

The F150 Raptor's capabilities are more narrowly highlighted and shine in the limited focus of "high speed" off-road open space use compared to other OEM 4WD vehicles. To say it another way, the F150 Raptor does not make much sense for consumers living several miles away from open space desert geography and terrain. A properly equipped SD Tremor is a far better choice for most people because it is more versatile. It can haul the real and very capable off-road toys to the playground.

Too many people purchase F150 Raptors to show off to their family, friends, co-workers and society. To those folks I say, "show me numerous photos with several different time and date stamps of you and your Raptor in the desert jumping, catching air, getting filthy dirty, etc"....only then will I smile, otherwise I will roll my eyes and shake my head.

No doubt the above little speech will step on some toes. Well....too bad...and as the saying goes, "the TRUTH hurts sometimes"...actually, in todays world, quite often. It will be interesting to see how many LIKE hits if any, this post gets. Probably NONE!?!?!?!!! Could it be because it hits too close to home? I HOPE I am WRONG!

Don't get me wrong here and prematurely a$$ume something that is NOT so. I think it is GREAT that people are successful, have discretionary money to spend (although that is shrinking up now for more and more people...and increasing for a few others) and are enjoying life! It is the ATTITUDE that too many people have.....the "I want it right now....."instant gratification"....."I am better and or more important than you"....so, "get out of my way".....ALL disgusting.

Instead, successful people with money should feel compelled.....have a sense of duty to be more considerate, more giving and less selfish. Probably everyone on here...including myself should "look in the mirror" more often and be thankful...and then follow up with some selfless ACTION!

The Torsen with worm gears has similar function, reliability and durability as a Detroit TrueTrac with helical gears.....even though not lockers, both way better than a traditional LSD. There are situations where a Torsen and Detroit TrueTrac are preferable to lockers. My Jeep wrangler has e-Lockers front and rear.....and it is a somewhat of a tank in mud and or snow.....but I do not use the e-Lockers on snow packed paved roads.

Completely Agree with your second and third points!
 
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No reason to get a Tremor unless you tow and don't have the
driveway space for a Raptor too.
I can see one, that is until can figure out the financial means to pull that off without massive debt.

I loved my gen 1 Raptor and got it back when it was pretty much special order only. Many people we not even sure what it was. Over the years seen it turned into a status symbol and was not fond of that aspect, but the sheer joy to drive in the prairie made me overlook that part. Back when I bought mine It was still cheaper than the basic 4x4 normal F250 CCSB let alone a Tremor. Establishing a family and growing property pushed me needing something with more room, towing, and payload capacity and unfortunately had to give up the Raptor.
 
I wanted a reliable engine. My 2018 Raptor spent 2.5 months in the shop in the first 2 years, mostly for engine related issues.
 
Yesterday, took my 2020 Raptor to the dealer to lock in my price on the trade-in. I already miss it but looking forward to having the towing capacity for new 5er. Screw Raptor can only tow 8k and can squat at that. Thanks for the good times Ruby.
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At Raptor Assault in Utah - You get to jump their rigs.
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Ordered a 22 raptor and a Bronco. Selling my 2020 Cirrus 820 truck camper and the 2020 Tremor because all next year we are cruising so no camping. I figure the camper market will fall out in 23 and will buy/build a Sprinter or Transit for a decent price. The Raptor will be delivered in Jan from an open slot in the assembly line the dealer had. The Bronco... sometime in July. I will sell the Raptor and Keep the
Bronco, maybe....

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