Long version:
When the 2004 F-150 was released, I bought a Lariat SCab with the 6.5' bed (which just barely fit in my garage. A few years later, getting remarried and gaining an instant family, I really wished I'd sacrificed some bed length and gotten an SCrew.
I had been following the impending release of the Raptor, but was disappointed an SCrew wouldn't be offered. So I hung on to the Lariat, and longed for the day a SCrew Raptor might become a reality.
That's when fate stepped in and my 2004 Lariat developed a major engine problem.
I traded it in on a 2009 SCrew Lariat, which was a great truck, loaded to the gills. Soon after, the SCrew Raptor was released (Damnit!).
By late 2010, with gas prices creeping up over $4.00 a gallon, and a 90 minute daily commute to work, I came to a decision that it was time for my truck to go. I got a great deal on a 2008 BMW 535i, lowered my payment by over $100 and saved a good bit on gas (but I missed my truck, especially on trips to Home Depot).
Then on November 13th, fate stepped in again. On the coldest day we'd seen all year, on my way to work, the 535i's engine overheated (likely due to a fault in the thermostat). I pulled over onto the widest shoulder I could find, just a few feet from the Toll "booth", and sat there a few minutes trying to decide if I should call roadside assistance. Next thing I knew something shoved me forward about 100 feet. another driver had drifted out of the right lane and plowed into the rear quarter of my car.
A few days later, I found out my car had been deemed a total loss. so with a clean slate, gas prices trending downward, and now working from home 1-2 days a week, it was RAPTOR time!
I spent a couple days haggling over price, and weighing the options between the Raptor or another 535i (at least I told my wife I was weighing the options), and a few days later my new 2013 Raptor was home!
Short version: When I saw my first Black Raptor, I thought "That's Batman's Truck!", and i had to have one.
