Cost to Fun Ratio, Is It Worth It?

[Bigg50]

I'm with Raptizzle. Spend your money on using your truck. For me, it costs me roughly $500-$1000 per run. Anywhere from $300-$600 in gas, at least $100 on food drinks etc, and if we're staying at hotels there's another $100-$300. Not to mention the cost of repairs incurred on runs.

I'll admit I got carried away with mods for a bit but I came to my senses (for now ) and now spend my money on using my truck. I went on 7 runs over the last year and I'd guess my average spend was around $600/run. That money would have bought me some nice new mods for the truck but the experience of using it is far more valuable.

If you're going to spend your money here's what I tell new owners to get:

-Bumpstop kit
-mid perch
-radio
-GPS
-2nd spare
-and some progressive rear springs if you can swing the cash.

From there you're good to go and have well equipped truck to tackle the desert.

 

[MatMan]

I agree that dropping an additional 20-25k isn't really a great return, which is why I buy all my parts used. Divorcees and cancer patients have helped me at keeping costs down improving the golden ratio of fun per dollar. I know that sounds insensitive, but it's business.

The used aftermarket is fairly active for desert race parts.

Buy low, save money

 

[ZBoater]

Modding is something that can be done as a hobby, not necessarily to achieve s specific performance milestone. If you enjoy personalizing your truck and have the coin, then the enjoyment you will derive from driving it can't be easily measured in dollars and cents.

 

[Hazzard]

Like anything else modding the truck is a hobby for most. If it was not for the truck the $$ would go somewhere (guns, strippers, watches, booze, ect). To go full on crazy and start chopping the frame up the ratio to $$ to fun is just not there for me (location limits the crazy mods too as there are no good shops close), not to say I don't want a linked truck but it won't be built on a raptor platform when I can go grab a wrecked FX4 or ranger dirt cheap.

 

[ntm]

I've spent more money on cars that just sit in the garage and get driven rarely.

Use the raptor every day in the dirt, it's paid for itself through work, so I don't feel bad about throwing money at it.
The money spent on a long travel front did not increase the fun factor in a linear fashion when considering costs, but it definitely increased the fun factor a lot more than 3.0's/bumps/deavers on a "bang for buck" comparison.
I might feel differently if the truck didn't see regular offroad usage and it hadn't paid for itself through work.

 

[beachz]

I try not to do the math on my modded projects/hobbies.

When I look back, I can't say I regret spending any of the money I have on my "projects". I may have spent it differently to get more bang for my buck, but I would have spent it just the same.

I have to assume the Raptor won't be any different. However, I will likely not spend the money you are talking about on my mods. If I lived near the desert, it would probably be a different story.

 

[ZBoater]

I don't know. Guns and strippers sound a heck of a lot better. Maybe it's just me.

 

[LittlEvil]

Are you going to use your truck to the effect that you will need that modification? And will that modification help protect your investment? If your answer is yes then pull the trigger and drop the cash or, like me, save and plan. I have to look at it this way because I have champaign and caviar taste on a McDonalds budget.

 

[JayLV]

Here's my take after putting 3.0s on:

I took this truck out in the desert bone stock and had a blast. There were guys down in Baja running stock that were keeping up just fine, however, I wanted to be faster and safer. Having Deaver's, Bumps and 3.0s I feel like I can drive the truck to 80-90% of what I'm capable of much easier and safer than I could previously. So that cost/fun factor is worth it for me. In regards to the RZR aspect, there's something to be said for having air conditioning, a full cabin and being able to drive to/from the desert.

I'm at the point now that I think any further mods will undo millions of dollars in Ford engineering to "strengthen" parts that may not actually need it, UCAs, Tie Rods, etc. Realistically I should cage the truck next because if I crash going as fast as I do now, it could be bad. Any faster it's definitely bad and what's $6k compared to my actual safety and well being?

I'd love to have a long travel, linked badass pre-runner. But for what it will cost me to do that to my Raptor, I can just buy one that's already done. Having talked to some guys who have spent a LOT more time in the dirt than I ever will, these trucks are never going to handle like a purpose built race truck no matter how much I dump into it. So, from this point forward if I want a toy, I'm going to buy/build a toy but I'm leaving my truck as it is.

 

[oxfordraptor]

It's funny you say that. Since buying the truck, all I do is look for reasons to get away haha. Camping, offroading, etc. Def been happier over the past year getting out more.

Everyone is going to have different views and its not all about cost per mph. Adding lights gets into the thousands as we all know but allows us to drive at night and SEE. How do you put a measurement on that value? I find it extremely fun to drive at night at speed.

Did I spend to much on mods in comparison to fun, probably. Will I continue to spend, mostly likely probably. Will I still have fun, I hope so. There is also the satisfaction of building up your own raptor that for some you can't put a value on, it's priceless. The amount of information that I have learned just about an automobile and off-roading is also priceless. My life was just work, home and work, repeat. This year I've been the happiest for a long time, how to you put a price to that?