Lease it and beat the ever living snot out of it....
Any 200 series owners considering a 2017 Ford Raptor?
- Thread starter Canyonero
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i may be in the minority on this point, but i think they're quite comfortable... i went from american to japanese to german to japanese - with american and german and japanese in between...
i thought my taco (driver's seat) had decent comfort, then i was told otherwise (bulls**t, i said) and nearly simultaneously experienced german seating - at first, i hated how stiff it was. after a while, i really appreciated it on long trips. now that i have an LC, i personally think the seats are quite comfortable, but not quite as good as zee stiff german seats on long trips! many people may have experienced the same thing, given the price point. on the other hand, maybe i just have a resilient back? 
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the video screens work well for me right now (i have two kids under 8 years of age). long-term, there is a member that had them replaced by a local - to him - upholstery company with a leather cover for the hole it leaves for a reasonable price. i thought it looked fantastic and i will likely do something similar when my kids are older.
I think out of the box is usually overrated. Typically even with performance vehicles like the Raptor, it's sold to the general public for a desired price point so they will sell enough to make profit. To stay within budget such oem vehicles have parts that are compromises between quality, safety, cost, and performance. I wouldn't be worried about warranty repairs on a tundra, what is it going to need?? Plenty of people have over 150k on supercharged tundras. As far as finding shops to work on it...your in Colorado. Finding performance offroad shops is not a issue. You have Slee, high country, addicted offroad, Colorado Toyota Specialists, red line, etc. All a tundra is is a 200 with a little less gizmos and rear leaf springs. Just tell them how u want it to perform, they order the parts and install...that's their specialty.
They're only available with a 5.5ft bed sooo you're still kinda hosed.
That being said, I shopped around for a Raptor and the markup around here was anywhere from 5k to 15k over MSRP. This was last month so maybe they've smartened up. I dig the truck a lot but I don't dig it for $60k with the options I'd want.
Thanks for the input. I've been down a similar journey of vehicles and still have a Macan GTS of which I love the seats. And candidly my Raptor has bettter seats than the LC. That said, there still a lot I like about the LC that I'm hoping out weighs the things I don't like...some are intangible. I'm somewhat analytical and went so far as to put together a spreadsheet rating three SUVs scoring them in 10 categories on a scale of 1-5. And surprisingly the Mercedes GLS 450 and Yukon Denali came out ahead of the LC. Pedigree and exclusivity were not part of the categories...and probably should've been. I guess that's why I keep coming back to the LC.i may be in the minority on this point, but i think they're quite comfortable... i went from american to japanese to german to japanese - with american and german and japanese in between...
**EDIT**
the video screens work well for me right now (i have two kids under 8 years of age). long-term, there is a member that had them replaced by a local - to him - upholstery company with a leather cover for the hole it leaves for a reasonable price. i thought it looked fantastic and i will likely do something similar when my kids are older.
the LC is a workhorse and rarely has any major issues... that's true across essentially every series dating back to the 60's and some would argue since the 50's (as long as you don't count rust as an issue
). for me it was intangible as well. i've owned way too many vehicles over the years and i can't quite put my finger on what is special about it, but it's there. it first started with my last tacoma... 11 years ago. not the same feeling, but i similar affection i had for that truck... this time, i tried the new '16 tacoma but after i drove the LC, i knew i had found my next vehicle. the thing is, after a year, i still smile when i get in. the last time that happened, i actually kept a vehicle for an appreciable amount of time. i'm hoping it's the same with this one and i can be happy for 10 or so years... we'll see.
Left a 100 series in 2014 for a new King Ranch F-250 turbo diesel. Within 9 months it racked up 6 trips to the dealer for repairs. I returned to Toyota and haven't looked back. It was one of my favorite trucks I've ever had when it worked but hands down the worst truck I've ever had, from a model that is supposed to be one of their most reliable. Ever since I first saw the Raptor on Top Gear I've been fascinated with the idea but would never buy one. In addition to the spotty reliability it has a short bed and the towing capacity is greatly reduced because of the suspension - losing the two main reasons to own a pickup in my mind.
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Here is a great Ford Raptor review.
i love that video! ...to be fair the idiots launched the truck 15 feet into the air at what appears to be 50+ mph! i'm not sure any stock vehicle would survive that without significant damage and airbags deployed... still fun to watch though!!
Hey Canyonero... Re: plywood sheets in the 200...
If you put ARB drawers in back, you actually end up with LONGER space back there because you don't have to fold the second row up. Rather, you just fold them down...creating a much longer surface that gets rid of the wheel-well intrusion on the floor. This leaves you enough space to lay full, 4x8' sheets back there. You can place at least 8 or more sheets before they rise high enough to bump the narrower lines toward the top of the space. If you can move your front seats forward, you might get the back closed. If not, it's easy to just let the back down with the tail-gate open.
I've seen this before and it's painful to watch. I believe it's a BRAND NEW Raptor, as well. I feel sorry for the guy... He may well have totaled the truck, as I'd imagine he bent the frame along with everything else.
This is a perfect example of why I stay away from alcohol... Because without it, I know better. D
But drinking? -I'd be libel to do something really reeeeeally stupid like this (hmmm...like fall off the back of my truck and hurt myself? Doh!).
So mark, you are saying that you may have been drunk at the time of your little mishap?
- Thread starter
- #37
@Markuson -Thanks and that's interesting to hear. So even with my third row seats in the vehicle I should be able to fit sheets of plywood?
I think at least part of my concern is scratching/damaging the inside of the truck-leather, headliner, etc. I don't mind carrying around tools and recovery gear because they are stowed in containers, but I feel like I'd be playing a giant game of operation if I start hauling things like wood inside. That light gray headliner is the worst!
Maybe I will give it a go today and see how it works out. Still want a truck though!
- Thread starter
- #38
What I love about this is that even with all the owners doing things like this, bending frames, all the warranty battles, Ford has doubled-down and made the truck better and theoretically stronger.
Although I read a first drive review where they said the 10 speed transmission is either "slushy" or "violent." Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
I thought about replacing my LX with a Raptor... but I just could not get past the price and the uncertainty of it being a Ford. I have heard some Ford owners state that they LOVE the V6 engine, but knowing that the 2017 is also twin turbo'd, which puts it into a different class in my book, I am not certain that I want to go down that road. I love the idea of the power presented in the 2017 and the better gas mileage, but I also want to be sure that I get home...
I looked at maybe doing a Tundra TRD PRO too because I DO love the idea of having a truck again and the convenience of a bed for hauling without having to go get a trailer, but then I park downtown every day and know that parking a large truck would be a royal pain for me. Overall, I am now keeping the LX until I pay it down a bit and then I may entertain trading it in on a newer 200 / next model LC with the idea of an immediate lift, air bags for towing, and sliders.
I looked at maybe doing a Tundra TRD PRO too because I DO love the idea of having a truck again and the convenience of a bed for hauling without having to go get a trailer, but then I park downtown every day and know that parking a large truck would be a royal pain for me. Overall, I am now keeping the LX until I pay it down a bit and then I may entertain trading it in on a newer 200 / next model LC with the idea of an immediate lift, air bags for towing, and sliders.
Cody, for hauling plywood, why not just strap it to the roof rack. I know you have sliders (copied the design for my truck). they make for a great step to strap down materials. and as a bonus, if the factory rack doesn't work for you, its an excuse to get a roof rack!
win win.
win win.