What's going on, Gents?
My name is Kyle, 33 years old and live in Las Cruces, NM. I've ridden and raced motocross my whole life, so naturally I've been very aware of Raptors since they came out. For whatever reason the first generation didn't really click with me and I didn't quite understand the capabilities of the truck. I lived in Orange County, CA during those years, so my friends who had them really weren't using them for anything other than a commuter vehicle.
When the Gen 2's came out I started paying more attention, and had a couple buddies get them. Again, they didn't utilize them to their capability, so I kind of wrote them off as just being a suspension lifted F-150 with a nice interior.
I moved out here 3 years ago and became friends with someone with a 2019. He took me to a riding spot deep in the desert one day, and we were hitting UTV trails at 50mph with our dirt bikes in the bike. The bikes barely moved, our bodies barely moved and the lightbulb in my head went off - I now understand what Raptors are all about!
I had just bought a 2020 GMC Sierra Denali half ton, but the search was on for a Raptor. keep in mind this is the end of 2020 when used 2019/2020's with 40k miles were going for $80k+, and the Gen3's has been announced but no one was getting them anytime soon.
The last 3 years I've been watching the market and waiting for them to be available for close to MSRP. I've sniffed around a couple times and couldn't find one for less than $10k over sticker which didn't feel right to me. A few weeks ago I got motivated to find one and began searching. Couldn't find a new one for MSRP, but did see a used 2021 with 18k miles available near me at a fair price. Went to the dealer, got a great trade value for my Denali, and ended up scoring this rig for $72k OTD. Maybe you guys will tell me otherwise, but I felt like I stole it.
It's Leadfoot Gray which has always been my desired color, and has every option from the factory. She's in immaculate condition! The previous owner put on (I believe) 2020 Raptor bead lock wheels and a front bumper/light bar (which I think I'm going to swap back to OEM).
I've already put 2,000 miles on it in the last 3 weeks, and have put this thing to the test already! Sand, whoops, mud, rocks...this thing is so much fun and so damn impressive. I am surrounded by BLM land and can take off on UTV or Jeep trails about 1000 yard from my driveway. I'm in heaven!
I've been cruising the forum the last few weeks and have learned a lot. I hadn't done a ton of digging on these trucks until recently, so I still have a lot to learn. I really appreciate the information provided on this site!
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Day after I got it - front bumper has to go IMO
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Why I didn’t think I needed a Raptor all those years
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