Cost to Fun Ratio, Is It Worth It?

[Wilson]

I could get ***** in a prius

I understand what the op is saying if you want a TT buy a TT, if you want to mod a raptor mod a raptor but don't think in the end it will be a TT!

 

[Mil T]

Raptizzle.
I started with a used Raptor because I don't believe in losing money when I drive 50 ft out of a dealers driveway. Having said that, I took that depreciation money and put it in the truck in the way of suspension mods mostly in order to structurally tighten the truck up and make it safe pretty much for anything I should possibly come across. My goal was not to go faster or jump higher or look cool. It was strictly to make it safer and to give my odds of completing my trips and avoiding mishaps such as broken parts. I also do not like having to work on something in the field if it should break. So Safety assurance was my goal. I also knew how I would be using the truck. I think that is one of the most important variable in how you plan to modify an off road vehicle such as the Raptor. Family friendly mild off road touring or jumping, fast, balls out tear it up as much as possible.
I do not know exactly what your goal was with your first truck but I think because it was early in the Raptor days that you were looking to set some standards with it and it's mods where now it is past that stage. When you started it was build what would work well and how far can I take it kind of thing. You had influence and encouragement from various vendors for Raptor Performance parts that were being developed. The bar has risen so high now that it is hard to keep up with the mods as there are so many.
Your first truck was an awesome truck but unless you were prerunning for races, or leading hard core adventures of all similar level trucks, It was overkill.
A day in the desert or a week can be fun both ways. It's all in the attitude when you go somewhere with friends or the vehicles you have. Whether you are hauling ass or having fun seeing sites in hard to get places it all feels the same. FUN.
I've had more fun running with my motorcycle friends off road as their chase vehicle than any other time with my truck. But it's about the camaraderie than the vehicle and the places I can go. I could do it with our without mods and still have the same FUN.

 

[Geo_Tactical]

I could get ***** in a prius

The issue isn't getting the ***** and a prius; the issue is getting the ***** in the Prius. But, that's your business

 

[Bulletnjm]

This has quickly become one of my favorite threads. And it hasnt jumped off a cliff yet...

 

[MagicMtnDan]

I could get ***** in a prius

I was gonna say, "I'd like to see that" but there's no way I want any part of it.

 

[Supercup]

This is a great topic and one that is likely to have a large range of views.

I bought a 2014 in July and my mods to date have been limited to a xmitter light in the bumper, paint for bumpers and wheel arches, deaver +2's, SVC bump stop kit, K40 radar/laser detector and NTV for the Nav & Cameras.

My truck is my daily driver and I drive about 150 miles per day. I also will use it to tow our boat, tow motorcycle/quad trailer and for weekend off road excursions and of course to slepp my son back and forth to baseball and hockey games and tournaments. So it can and will do it all.

Here is how I would rate my mods to date:
The paint makes the truck look how I like it, so well worth the $1,000. 10 out of 10

The light works well offroad, so for those occasions it is nice to have and on the open road with no traffic is nice also. This was $1,200 - 6 out of 10.

The Deaver +2's were added hoping for a better ride and to carry trailer tongue weight better. I was able to custom order to address that specific issue. On ride quality they are better than stock in some cases and worse in others. In terms of carrying tongue weight they do what they were targeted to do. The other benefit is it improves the offroad ride. This was about $1,500 - 7 out of 10.

SVC bump stop kit and frame support - this showed its benefits on my first off road trip. I am sure it helped me out in hard running situations offroad. This is a mod I think is good to have and adds to my truck but not something I need everyday. This was about $2,500 - 5 out of 10.

The K40 came out of another car I sold, so it was easy to decide to add it to the truck. This is a very useful mod everyday. Cost $200 - 10 out of 10.

Ntv - this allows me to use the front or rear camera at anytime and allows me to use the key pad on the navigation while underway, instead of being limited to the voice commands. Being able to que up either camera at the touch of a button in any situation is a very nice feature. You can do it while running or when stopped. You can use the front camera for parking and the rear to see what is up with your trailer. This was $550 - 10 out of 10.


I enjoy all the mods and find the things I can use or see everyday are the mods that I like the best and add the most value to me. Having a "project" is a big part of our mod culture.

I have modded more trucks, cars, boats, moto's, quad's etc.. then I care to admit. I used to find myself modding things for the sake of modding. But now I find myself modding for their specific purpose with the focus on safety and reliabily first.

I have gotten better as I have gotten older in resisting mods that are cool, but really don't benefit my specific use or needs. The Raptor is a great truck out of the box, but it is fun to personalize it to you and your specific needs.

I have also learned to do all the mods when your vehicle is new (or as quick as you can) so you get to enjoy them all for the life of the vehicle. This helps with perceived value equation!

So the value of the mods for me comes from having a project, personalizing my truck and optimizing it for my needs. But as noted above the best part of the mods comes when using your equipment, whatever it is as often as possible with friends and family - that is where the real value is - the fun times and memories you create along the way are what you will remember!

 

[Wilson]

I like my mods worth every penny

 

[Raptizzle]

So many great responses.

One of the factors that a few of you touched on that I overlooked was the journey and memories we experience when building our toys. You really can't put a price on that!

 

[NickPic83]

This is a great thread. Lots of good points in here. Funny too, because this is something I've been thinking a lot about the past few weeks.

I agree with most people that the modding is a big part of the fun experience. The pic posted earlier in the thread really sums it up for me. I love hitting the trails and having fun with others during the trip.

With that said due to my location and schedule I dont have much time to hit the trails in the raptor however I have narrow trails practically in my back yard to enjoy my rzr. This brings me to where I agree with a couple others from earlier in the thread. The raptor is like a tool for me i need it for work sometimes so i dont want to beat it up too bad and have down time on it.Been thinking about easing up and the modding and trail riding on the truck and using the rzr more. Suspension, power, and lighting are already done on it and all I want to do is add a few other things so I think that's where the mod money will be going and then it's time to just upgrade what ever ends up breaking...then save for a go fast street car, maybe an 03/04 cobra

To sum it up yes its worth it if u can afford it. I love the raptor and installing mods except for installing the headers that sucked but they sound great lol. I wish I could get it Offroad more often

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[MagicMtnDan]

So many great responses.

One of the factors that a few of you touched on that I overlooked was the journey and memories we experience when building our toys. You really can't put a price on that!

True that. But mods have very little, if anything, to do with the memories everyone's made as a Raptor owner.