To everyone out there who is doing the rot and watching later orders than yours being pulled and given build dates while you wonder if you're ever going to see that shiny new Raptor that you ordered what seems like an eternity ago, the only thing I can say for sure is.....I feel your pain. Fords allocation process leaves much to be desired IMHO but it is what it is.
If it's any consolation to the fellow rotters like me, from what I understand, if your dealer got allocation last year then they'll probably get at least as many this year. My dealer isn't the biggest but isn't the smallest and has a good reputation in the area. I know they got two last year and I'm supposed to be number two this year. They told me up front to expect around a February delivery so it looks like that may be accurate.
I think much of this boils down to faith in ones dealer. There are probably some sheister's out there who will gladly take a deposit and hope they get an SVT vehicle when they've never ordered an SVT vehicle before. I'm trying to keep the faith in my dealer but this is a long time to wait for a new vehicle after I make the decision to buy when, in reality, I have no real guarantee that I'll ever see the thing. I'm a skeptical cat by nature so it seems like the closer I get to my promised date, the more doubtful I become. Especially when I keep being told by the friendly SVT people that I am still UNSCHEDULED. This really blows.
Merry ******* Christmas everyone, especially all you lucky SOB's with build dates on this thread. You folks who are already driving Raptors out there are truly lucky bastards. I wonder if I'll ever get lucky one day?
I must add one more thing here. Clean is a word that usually means something good but in Ford order/allocation parlance it means "we're not guaranteeing you shit at this point". I wish I wasn't so damn clean in Fords eyes. Is it cause I drove GM's most of my life? Hey Ford, listen up, I'm sorry...OK?