RaptorFinder website change

[photoneffect]

At the risk of looking like a drama-queen, I decided to bring back the site, albeit in a limited form. It will no longer show all the VINs for all the fun statistical games, but rather just show the ones that are listed for sale. That was always the most useful part of the site and it makes maintenance a lot easier. It still costs money, but it's now $25 for 50 credits instead of 25. If you can't afford that don't buy a Raptor. If you don't see the value ask someone who is smarter than you.

Not that I suspect anyone actually cares, but the reason I shut down the site was really because of the nature of the discourse on this thread and most threads here. I refuse to believe that because it's the Internet you have to accept that some people are going to be terrible. Those people should be kept in check by the reasonable members of the site and the ones that refuse to fall in line should be banned. The forums I'm apart of where that happens are just better, more fun, more useful places to be. Maybe I'm just a snowflake, but I don't really see why people have to be a-holes. Looking back this thread had some useful feedback and wasn't even that bad, but I guess it was just the straw that broke the camel's back. But in the end taking down the site isn't going to change any of that and won't be of any use to even the reasonable people of the world. I probably won't be lurking on the forum much, but if you send me a PM I'll read it.

 

[brzon]

Thank you for bringing this back! I just like browsing the options and configurations and it is fair that you be paid for your efforts as I have seen nothing like this on Corvette or Camaro sites I frequent and wish somebody would do it for those as well...

Assume you could do a Mustang one too if you so decided with your access to Ford's database?

 

[fx4210]

this is a nice touch under instructions... glad to see the site back up it definitely will help people find their future truck

"If you have any questions or constructive feedback contact me at @photoneffect on FRF. If all you have are complaints please disconnect from the Internet and consider trying to not be so very terrible."

 

[smurfslayer]

At the risk of looking like a drama-queen, I decided to bring back the site, albeit in a limited form.

hey, you resemble that remark !
You’re not ‘a’ drama queen, you’re ‘our’ drama queen

I bought my Rap before this sight was up, but thanks ! I think other buyers are going to benefit from it.

... If you can't afford that don't buy a Raptor. If you don't see the value ask someone who is smarter than you.

For real.
#Raptorsarentforeveryone

Not that I suspect anyone actually cares, but the reason I shut down the site was really because of the nature of the discourse on this thread and most threads here. I refuse to believe that because it's the Internet you have to accept that some people are going to be terrible. Those people should be kept in check by the reasonable members of the site and the ones that refuse to fall in line should be banned. The forums I'm apart of where that happens are just better, more fun, more useful places to be. Maybe I'm just a snowflake, but I don't really see why people have to be a-holes. Looking back this thread had some useful feedback and wasn't even that bad, but I guess it was just the straw that broke the camel's back. But in the end taking down the site isn't going to change any of that and won't be of any use to even the reasonable people of the world. I probably won't be lurking on the forum much, but if you send me a PM I'll read it.

Actually I do care and I’d venture more than one or 2 other users here do too. I own a forum, moderate for 2 private forums and maintain a few at work, professionally and own a couple mail lists. Every forum has the cadre of characters typified in the ‘how many forum users does it take to change a lightbulb’ meme, but your comments are sharp criticism that need to be taken seriously. It’s not like you’re playing the alpha-geek or profundus maximus here, you actually developed tool for the user community to use to help save time and money. It would be one thing if you were the only user to express this sentiment, but you’re not. I agree with you, this is the only motor / gearhead / petrol head type forum I’ve ever read or belonged to with a problem user issue this big. I’ve had to put people on double super secret probation, and it’s never fun. Least fun for me was moderating the lawyer, for making demonstrably false accusations against another user. Still, if you let stupid $hit go unchallenged, it proliferates and you get what you deserve.

An internet forum is kind of like a garden. There’s a lot of crap involved. some users are like weeds, and need to be uprooted and discarded. Some users are like mint or blackberry bushes and will take the freakin’ place over if you don’t pare them back when they go too far. Most just hang out like low yield vegetable plants, producing a squash or 2 every once in a while. Some are high yield, like the tomato plant that won’t stop deep into November.
FRF needs a bunch of ‘weeding’ and ‘paring’.

 

[jaz13]

Wow!, You you gave him a whole $20.00 bill How generous of you! How many thousands did he save you? $20.00 is pretty much an insult. Not surprised he didnt respond.

Obviously our parents raised us differently. When someone holds the door for me, I say thank you. When someone sends me $20, I also say thank you. It's what polite people do. You're right, if $20 was an insult and he didn't appreciate it, then sending it was a mistake.

Out of curiosity, how many hundreds of dollars did you send him for using his website?

Edit: And to be clear, RF didn't save me thousands of dollars, it saved me about 60 minutes. Without RF I would have done a national search on Autotrader looking for MSRP deals. Then I would have plugged those MSRP deals into the Ford Window Sticker website to see the options. I have no doubt I would have found my truck this way, it would have just taken a little more copy and paste to get there. $20 donation seemed fair for saving me 60 minutes of time.

 

[ssj4sadie]

@photoneffect how much work was it to maintain the site to show the statistical data?

 

[photoneffect]

Anyone have any experience with the GT350? I had a couple different people ask for a "mustangfinder" and for the life of me I cannot find the posts. Is it the GT350 that people have a hard time scoring at MSRP? I know next to nothing about Mustangs so any info would be appreciated.

 

[1phatstang]

Anyone have any experience with the GT350? I had a couple different people ask for a "mustangfinder" and for the life of me I cannot find the posts. Is it the GT350 that people have a hard time scoring at MSRP? I know next to nothing about Mustangs so any info would be appreciated.

Yes, the GT350 is the Mustang of choice - not uncommon to see dealers asking 20K ADM. The GT350R is the "Holy Grail" of Mustangs - even a steeper ADM.

 

[photoneffect]

Yes, the GT350 is the Mustang of choice - not uncommon to see dealers asking 20K ADM. The GT350R is the "Holy Grail" of Mustangs - even a steeper ADM.

Would you happen to know the forum of choice for GT350 owners? Wanna see if there's any desire for a finder tool.

 

[Sasquatch77]

I am not sure there is a need for it. The gt350 and gt350R are fairly easy to find at MSRP or less right now. There are also more low mileage used ones than I thought there would be.