Will I get tired of a Raptor?

[Captain]

I was looking hard at a Tundra TRD Pro, but 1) I'm not crazy about the colors they come in and 2) I'm disappointed in how slow Toyota's been to update them. I ultimately ended up going with a '14 SCrew in Ruby Red with 54,000 miles. I wanted air conditioned seats and the Raptor has much better aftermarket support. It's the first vehicle I've owned that hasn't been a blue Toyota.

I paid full retail through Carmax to get what I wanted (1 owner, came from out west), so I expected to have at least a twinge of buyer's remorse. I freaking love this truck. The only thing that hurts is the gas mileage, but it's just a hair better than my '00 Tundra was getting, so it's still a win for me. I actually looked at new Raptors first and fully planned on buying one, but just to be sure I test drove a first generation. For me, there definitely wasn't enough difference to justify another $25,000 for a new truck.

All that to say, no, I don't think you'll get tired of your Raptor.

That’s good info. After s few more days of research I’m actually leaning toward a used Tundra. Let me explain before you beat me up.

My entry fee into the Raptor club is there but it means something with at least 100k+ miles that may or may not been well cared for. Staying under $30k I can only be so picky. Trucks that age need some extra TLC $$$. So I’m a little concerned about buying a 6-7 year old money pit. I’m not saying I’m broke, but it doesn’t mean I want to continuously spend money on repairing expensive SVT parts.

On a Tundra they basically haven’t changed any mechanical stuff since 2007. So that significantly broadens my choices of price vs age vs mileage. Im not a Toyota fan boy but after owning this FJ with 165k miles from 4 previous owners I do understand where the reputation came from. It’s interior has held up better than my wife’s 2011 Explorer we sold at 65k miles. So the Tundra entry fee is anywhere from $15k for slightly older than Raptor with probably higher miles but leaving plenty of coin on the table for repairs and upgrades to $30k for something a few years newer than a Raptor with less miles.

Am I over analyzing this or is there some logic to my thinking?

 

[smoothie]

I was between the Raptor and a tundra as well. The one thing I did not like about the Tundra is the lack of Technology. It's about as basic As It Gets. Ended up with a Raptor.

 

[Waddy]

That’s good info. After s few more days of research I’m actually leaning toward a used Tundra. Let me explain before you beat me up.

My entry fee into the Raptor club is there but it means something with at least 100k+ miles that may or may not been well cared for. Staying under $30k I can only be so picky. Trucks that age need some extra TLC $$$. So I’m a little concerned about buying a 6-7 year old money pit. I’m not saying I’m broke, but it doesn’t mean I want to continuously spend money on repairing expensive SVT parts.

On a Tundra they basically haven’t changed any mechanical stuff since 2007. So that significantly broadens my choices of price vs age vs mileage. Im not a Toyota fan boy but after owning this FJ with 165k miles from 4 previous owners I do understand where the reputation came from. It’s interior has held up better than my wife’s 2011 Explorer we sold at 65k miles. So the Tundra entry fee is anywhere from $15k for slightly older than Raptor with probably higher miles but leaving plenty of coin on the table for repairs and upgrades to $30k for something a few years newer than a Raptor with less miles.

Am I over analyzing this or is there some logic to my thinking?

Sounds like you are taking a similar journey as me man.

I started out with 2013-14 F150 FX or Platinum, moved on to Tundras, all the while the Raptor kept calling my name. But I was worried about entry cost and maintenance costs.

I am now firmly in the raptor camp, looking between 29k and 32k, 2013-2014. You're right, at that price range your probably ending up with 100k+ ( I have seen a couple at 90k+ for 33k than I am hoping I could talk down to 32k). But here is why I am firmly team Raptor.

It is a specialty vehicle, you pay more to get in, but you'll get more out of it financially and emotionally. You will get more money back when you sell it and you'll never look at at "regular" truck in envy, ever, secure in the badassery of your Raptor. You get a Tundra, every time you see a Raptor you'll think "what if". Furthermore maintenance doesn't seem to be that much different from a regular F150 (outside of tires and shocks) which again, to me just like the price for entry, is also worth it for having a truck I know I am going to love. As far as miles, look for a commuter truck, so far i have seen a couple trucks where the owners bascially were driving Austin to Houston every week, i'd rather 100k highway miles, than 60k jumping dunes every weekend.

Do whats best for you man, but I'd advise you stick to your guns, maybe add a couple grand to your budget and get you a Raptor, I'm about 2 weeks away from getting mine.

 

[Novtec1]

My 2011 was my first truck ive ever owned. i looked at everything before the raptor (f150s tundras dodge 1500 even tacoma pre runners). Always came back to the Raptor. took my time, looked all over the country and found one 5 minute from my house at a dodge dealership. 2011 with 33k miles paid 35k for it. Personally i think the dealer didnt know what they had. If you want a Raptor BUY ONE. Once you get one you will never see a (insert truck here)and say " I should have got one of those". If you dont EVERYTIME you see a Raptor... you will.

 

[tennridgerunner]

That’s good info. After s few more days of research I’m actually leaning toward a used Tundra. Let me explain before you beat me up.

My entry fee into the Raptor club is there but it means something with at least 100k+ miles that may or may not been well cared for. Staying under $30k I can only be so picky. Trucks that age need some extra TLC $$$. So I’m a little concerned about buying a 6-7 year old money pit. I’m not saying I’m broke, but it doesn’t mean I want to continuously spend money on repairing expensive SVT parts.

On a Tundra they basically haven’t changed any mechanical stuff since 2007. So that significantly broadens my choices of price vs age vs mileage. Im not a Toyota fan boy but after owning this FJ with 165k miles from 4 previous owners I do understand where the reputation came from. It’s interior has held up better than my wife’s 2011 Explorer we sold at 65k miles. So the Tundra entry fee is anywhere from $15k for slightly older than Raptor with probably higher miles but leaving plenty of coin on the table for repairs and upgrades to $30k for something a few years newer than a Raptor with less miles.

Am I over analyzing this or is there some logic to my thinking?

Beat you up? Shoot, after growing up in a Toyota family and only owning Toyotas myself, I still want to beat myself up for buying a Ford.

I think you're being smart about your decision. The only way I would buy a high mileage Raptor ( >100,000 miles), would be if it had a clean Carfax and was only owned by one person. I was thinking hard about a blue '12 down in Georgia with 120k miles for $33k, but like you said, when you get up there in miles, you have to start budgeting for repairs and more maintenance. I bit the bullet and paid $46k for mine ($52k after taxes and a comprehensive warranty), but for me it was worth it to get the color I wanted and something with low miles.

A lot of people aren't aware that you can search for used cars on Carfax's website. It's how I found my mom's LX470 and the Raptor in GA I mentioned above. You can set your filters to one-owner, no accidents, and well-maintained. I highly recommend it. That said, I couldn't agree more about how well Toyotas hold up. The only reason I decided to get out of my Tundra is the last two owners were hard on it, and with 186k miles, it's in need of a lot of deferred maintenance. Speaking of the first gens, I would suggest you take a look at the '05/'06 crew cab TRD Tundras. Great trucks that I would own in a heartbeat. Heck, as many issues as my '00 has, when I drove it 90 minutes home the other day after getting used to my Raptor, I still didn't half mind it.

Something else you should know that I failed to research: Raptor upgrades cost more than the equivalent Tundra upgrades.

Good luck to you, regardless!

 

[Frank N]

I have had 6 pickups in my life, no wait 5 pickups and one Raptor. This thing is in a different class, there is no comparison. I cant imagine getting tired of the Rap, if I do, it just means I probably need some psychological counseling....or more mods, or both.

 

[Adam Ratatat]

To beat this dead horse a little more, I went from a 2015 Chevy Colorado Z71 Off-Road truck (the ZR2 wasn't available at the time of Purchase) and traded it in for a 2010 Raptor with 50K miles on it. I paid 36K for the Raptor and have invested around $5K ($3K for the wrap and Ceramic Pro Coating) so far with about another 1.5K to go.

I do not consider it a money pit as the maintenance is normal wear and tear. I am pending a $500 pair of rebuilt shocks and $300 for front brakes and Rotors. Anything out side of that will be purely add on for the fun of it. I have driven in numerous types of terrain and am planning a trip from California to South Dakota in December.

This truck is more than I could have ever dreamed of. I can tell you that if you are considering a Raptor and it is something you always wanted (That's most of us on here) there will not be a vehicle on the market that will fill that gap. The Raptor is truly a 1 of a kind vehicle. Good luck and hopefully you make the right choice for you.

 

[RaptorMaryland]

Just my take, as I believe that this is the model to follow.

I had a Saturn (20 years) and a Honda (17 years) and I just change the oil with Mobile 1 every 10k miles. I let a local shop handle brakes and tires, and I AVOID any dealership like the Plague. All they do is break things.

With that Car Model you can afford any Car or Truck for 20 years and 200K miles.

I did have some stuff go bad in both, and lucky for me my local u-pick-parts had 5 or so identical years cars to get a $30 computer out of. Just match the exact part number and swap, and it works. The Saturn was in a flood in Norfolk and I was able to replace every part I needed from a Junk Yard, and it still went another 100K miles.

The Raptor is being bought because its a F-150 as the most sold vehicle in the world and thus the most spare parts available on the planet or universe.

Bonus- looking at Honda and Ford parts, I can say that Ford parts are a LOT less in cost even from Ford.

All I have to do is make it to the 100K Miles (So I will get the Ford maintenance agreement for $2K) and the spare parts are there for you to get cheep.

 

[FreightTerrain]

Hello everybody. Here's the story. I've wanted a Raptor for as long as they've existed so I finally just drove a 2013 the other day and it was everything I had dreamed of and more. I'm pretty sure I had a chub for most of the drive. Now I've owned 20+ vehicles in my 20 years of driving so needless to say I get tired of things and move on quickly. I liked my Power Wagon but it had to go due to electrical gremlins. I have an FJ Cruiser now but I'm really tired of rowing the manual 6 speed and I miss having a truck. I don't do any high speed offroading but do need to be able to battle up to our cabin in 1-2' of snow at times and the wife isn't too keen on me thrashing around in her Grand Cherokee Trailhawk.

My price range is $30k or less. Raptors in this range are generally 2011-12 with 120k-150K miles and I'll probably have to hunt pretty hard to find a clean one. Am I stupid for considering this? I feel like the fun factor is worth the risk in a way.......unless I get tired of it. So how fast did the fun wear off for you guys? If ever?

My other option was buy a pretty well equipped CPO 2015 F150 XLT I found for $30K. It's leveled but still a pretty boring vehicle in comparison. (I feel like this is the responsible choice)

Or a 2011-2014 F150 and spending $1500 on a small lift and new tires. I know this won't make it a Raptor but it will acomplish most of where I need to go off road and all in it will still be under $25K and probably have fewer miles than the Raptor. (This will save money up front but I might just keep dumping money trying to continually make it more capable). I've considered doing this with a used Tundra too but the E-locker on the ford is keeping it in front for now.

All opinions and comments are appreciated. Thanks.

no. no you wont

 

[hkguns]

I have not tired of my Raptor and I can't see myself driving any other vehicle as long as I am above ground.

Whether or not you will get bored is a question only you can answer.