Preparing for Ownership - DMV mechanic specializing in Raptor mods?

[TunaSmell]

Hello all,

I'm Scott and I've been following the Raptor for a couple of years now. I only recently joined the forum and really enjoy reading the posts. My current ride is a 10 yo Suburban, which I bought new. It has about 75K miles. It has been a good truck hauling around our two kids and dog, but its almost time for something different. I have continued to follow the Suburban, Yukon, Cadillac, and the new Navigator but I still like the Raptor. I like a big vehicle and I want something that makes me smile when I drive it. My boys and I go to the auto show each year and the Raptor always makes us smile. Plus the interior and tech of even the new GMs seem dated. My wife thinks owning a Raptor in the city (DC) is not practical for us, but I disagree. I am very comfortable with a big vehicle in the city ...been doing it for 10+ years now. It will probably handle the terrible pothole filled roads better too. It has the space for the kids, the dog, bikes, and road trips. We may lose a seat or two but no biggie ..we only have 6+ people in the car a handful of time a year. She has a V90 that fits everywhere if necessary but I see Raptor's in plenty of parking garages around us.

I have been watching tons of videos, doing plenty of research on common issues, what to look for when buying, and all the necessary info I'll need to prepare myself for raptor ownership. The one thing I have not come across is a local shop specializing in Raptor mods. ..someone in the DC, VA, MD area. Any recommendations? In terms of dealers, there appears to be one dealer in VA (Koons I think) that has the biggest allotment of Raptors but I am not adverse to buying out of state. Any recs on local dealers that have a good reputation w/r/t the Raptor?

Good to be here.

 

[smurfslayer]

Welcome to FRF.

First, unless you have F*** you money, you should disabuse yourself of the notion that you’ll get a Raptor locally for less than $5k over MSRP. You’ll need to do some searching and driving. Last I heard the local Koons’s ( is there a plural of Koons? Koons dealers - whatever) were running 10-15k over MSRP. Sterling had 2 on order they were asking 5k over for a couple years ago and were the most receptive to negotiating at first but would not commit to me so I bought elsewhere. As you surely know, this is a “micro-economic-climate” I finally got an MSRP deal (this was late ’16) in writing. 2 nearby dealers told me to walk, they were not coming off the ADM. So I drove a little further, got a better deal.

Although the market is much better now, with lots of users here getting well under MSRP, that’s not a common occurrence around “the bubble”. Maybe they locals have come off their greed a little but I’m not optimistic. The market is a lot different now, but check out Shenadoah, Leonardtown, a couple near Richmond, Warrenton, maybe Ourisman and Waldorf dealerships. allocations are a tough game, so some may not have an allocation to get a Raptor.

Keep an eye out, once in a bit we get postings of reputable and sane dealers offering up a Rap for a good price.

now, some tougher questions.
Do you have a place to park off the street?
When was the last time you had your vehicle stolen? I have some relatives and friends in DC, it’s a matter of when, not if. The Fordpass app has tracking, so you would eventually locate the truck but it’s going to be damaged. My brother’s Accord was located 3 or 4 blocks from his house a couple weeks later. Raptor parts are notoriously hard to get from dealers so you could be without a vehicle for weeks after the recovery.

you need 6’8” of ceiling for a stock Raptor, and higher if it’s a multi-level garage. they fit in the Reagan/DCA parking garage, but you’ll need to be even more cognizant of height and turning circle.


when the 1st ’17’s were being released, there was a thread launched like ‘post all your 2017 raptor problems here’. it had a bunch of stuff from surface rust, loose radiator hose clamp and various other stuff. I bagged work early and hot footed it to my dealer, making it with a couple hours of daylight to spare. I snapped pictures from every angle, even under the truck. checked the usual stuff, fluids, air pressure - lazy dealers put over 44 psi in the tires, Ford says 38. Then we test drove for a long time. Don’t just take a casual ride around the corner, a lot of people reported vibration related to balancing the tires. The K02 were notorious for a while here. I tried different drive modes, the transfer case, tire spinning, hard on the brakes, and when we got back I went over the truck again. then we did the paperwork.

My wife thinks owning a Raptor in the city (DC) is not practical for us, but I disagree

Does she drive a prius? The prius is the arch enemy of the Raptor, and you probably know, DC metro is the highest concentration of high density housing, law enforcement and priuses in the Milky Way. If there’s a prius in the fleet, your Raptor will never bond with you. also, don’t let your wife refer to your Raptor as ‘fat’. Raptors are just big framed.

you’re right about pot holes. The Raptor can shake off what mortal cars and trucks are taking road damage from.
Good luck in your search. I’d suggest using Ford’s locator from Ford.com, cast a wide net and start shopping.

 

[TunaSmell]

Do you have a place to park off the street?

Yes, I have a driveway. While I live in DC I should clarify I am very close to MD/DC border near Bethesda...its more akin to suburbia than downtown DC. Cars are rarely stolen. Also, gone are the days of "break-ins" the bad guys now have a gadget that uses your own key fob to pop the locks on your car. The good news is no more broken windows to replace. If you don't leave valuables in your car than you have less to worry about.

Agree on the mark-ups. I stopped at Koon's in Sterling last year ...their Raptors had a $10k or $15K mkt value adj.

 

[smurfslayer]

The Rap carries it’s girth well, with a driveway, you’re in better shape. I say do it. My wife was first to get the Raptor over 100, coming back from Kentucky. She protested “it just got away from me” ... Wives seem to enjoy Raptors.