One day I had a knock on the door and it was a fellow inquiring about my 2005 Ram 2500 diesel. It was a quad cab 4x4 with Cummins engine and long story short he wanted to buy it. I rarely drove it as diesel is expensive and it was a bit harsh (but still fantastic).
Anyway, I gave him a number, he agreed to buy it initially but then told me "I was on crack" and backed out of the deal. I put the truck on FB Marketplace at a higher price and long story short sold it for $1700 more than I had agreed to sell it to him for anyway.
So...I had intended to downsize by a vehicle because we have a driveway full. However I've been wanting a Lightning and after pursuing several of them I bought this one. It's a new leftover 2023 Standard Range XLT.
It has the max tow package (which doubles the battery cooling among other things which I expect to lengthen it's life considerably) and it has the 9.6kw propower system (the bigger of the two it could have) so it will run my home in an emergency.
I realize the color is love-it-or-hate-it, but I fall firmly in the first camp. The fact that it shouldn't show dirt is a plus too.
The dealer from MA drove the truck to my home after we negotiated a fantastic deal on it. I could not be more pleased. I'll have more info later, just couldn't wait to post it.
Congratulations! If you haven't already, reserve a Tesla adapter in your Ford account. Total game-changer on roadtrips.
In reply to Tom Suddard :
Thank you Tom. The salesman actually texted me the instructions this morning and I ordered it on the spot. I also ordered one from A2Z which are apparently very good.
I know you are so right about the Tesla network! I can't wait to try them out as Electrify America sucks.
Congrats! I think you got a very good spec, I'm interested to hear real-world range in our area as the weather gets colder. Also curious how using the Tesla supercharger network works out, it seems to be pretty strong in this area.
In reply to dj06482 (Forum Supporter) :
Yeah apparently they are starting to build them with the CCS adapter already on them. There's a newer one over in Brewster from what I've found, and some new ones in Rocky Hill too. I rarely publicly charge the e Golf, but I'm eager to try it with the Lightning. I'm also really interested to tow with it.
With the max tow package it's got all manner of settings for towing that I "need" to try out. With 775 lbs of torque I bet it will do pretty well!
Congrats! It should make some interesting comparisons with your e-Golf. Better battery management (aka, not air-cooled only), more capacity for better range, faster AC and DC charging speeds, and you get to use the Tesla superchargers. Enjoy!
- Sean
In reply to ShawneeCreek :
Thank you! I looked pretty hard at the Rivian too, but the value proposition was too good to pass up in this truck (and it's larger, which is good for my application as my kids get bigger).
During what little time I've had it my biggest takeaway right now is the efficiency. In town I am getting around 3.2-3.4 miles per kW, which isn't that far short of the e-Golf. It's amazing what a difference 6 or 7 years of advancements in technology will do!
All of that being said, I still believe our e-Golf is a properly good car! Whenever I drive it I get out with a big grin on my face.
As a new truck owner it is my duty to immediately order accessories. First on the list was a Truxedo Truxport tonneau cover. It's a soft roll up cover but they have springs at the rear where it latches down that keep tension on the fabric eliminating most of the flopping around when driving that other covers exhibit. I had one one another truck and loved it. I think it's the best under-$400 tonneau out there.
I also added the cheapest Amazon bed mat I could buy. I thought I was getting a rubber mat but it turns out to be more like a trunk liner. I'm unsure of whether I will keep it or send it back: it fits well but I wanted rubber to protect the bed from impacts and this doesn't help with that. Ultimately I will either have the bed sprayed or I'll add a drop in, and I simply wanted to buy some time while I consider the options.
I've had Truxedo covers on my trucks for at least 15 years. The Lo Pro QT on my Dodge was looking pretty tired after going through some serious side winds, a decade of high altitude sun and generally lots of use. The wind had torn the straps that hold the crossbars to the vinyl. One of the latching clips on the back was also broken. I contacted the company and they sent me new vinyl, new Velcro and a new clip under warranty. After 10 years!
Even without that support, I was ready to order a new one because I like them so much.
Electric truck doing electric truck things! I enjoyed the confused looks of several other grocery shoppers as I threw my items in the frunk.
We took the truck to our campground for the long weekend and I am happy to report that with the addition of the frunk space, my Lightning managed to gobble up all of the same items we normally used my long bed diesel Ram 2500 for. Considering I would have burned around $17 in diesel fuel vs. the roughly $2.20 in electricity we used in the F150 it is already paying for itself!
There was one in the Lowes parking lot today. I could hear it purring as it ran the AC, waiting for its owner to come back to a nice cool interior. I was jealous.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
I took it to do some pre-camping shopping on Friday. At the first store I grabbed a deal on ice cream but on the way out thought to myself "this will melt while I'm in store #2". When I got there I locked the truck from the app which reminded me I could run the hvac while I was in the store. It was 80 degrees outside, stayed 60 inside while I wandered around the store. The ice cream in fact made it home safe and sound!
I wouldn't buy a vehicle just for that, but it's a fantastic feature I wasn't aware of when I did.
Oh yeah, the "run the A/C while parked" feature is one of the best parts about EVs.
Have you set departure times yet? You can do that in the app or in the truck's settings directly.
I go to the gym on a regular schedule. So I put those times into the truck, and now it's always ice cold when I get in after a workout.
In reply to Tom Suddard :
No I haven't. I had it set in the e Golf for a while but as I don't use this (or either for that matter) as a daily I don't really need it. I have a company car so this truck is more of a "when I need to run out" choice right now. I wanted something like the Golf but 3x larger with big payload and towing and a huge interior. I'm feeling like the Lightning perfectly fills that role.
Tom Suddard said:
Oh yeah, the "run the A/C while parked" feature is one of the best parts about EVs.
It's funny how many little things add up that you miss when you're not in an EV. Winter is the flip-side. Pre-warming, even in the garage, is great.
In reply to mfennell :
It's even better when it's not in a garage!
I thought the HVAC preconditioning was going to be the killer app for an EV when I was selling my wife on the idea. Turns out "never ever have to visit a gas station" wins for her, but I do love that electric AC.
cheese
New Reader
5/28/24 11:25 p.m.
that's the main driver for my partner as well. I don't know why the Polestar limits you to 30 minutes of preconditioning and there's no way to automatically enable it, but it's still a nice feature
Loweguy5 said:
In reply to mfennell :
It's even better when it's not in a garage!
Hah. Sure. But you can do the latter with an ICE car and it won't kill your family. :)
In reply to cheese :
gotta make sure to keep the battery with enough charge so the range isn't too negatively affected
The Ford app is actually pretty good and gives me the ability to turn the climate control system on with the touch of a button, plugged in or not. Then it gives me the option to extend it beyond the normal 15 minutes should I wish it. Super handy.
I continue to be amazed that this thing can be so efficient for 7000 lbs and frontal area comparable to a city bus.
A couple of updates: First, I elected to buy the Ford drop in bedliner. Since I had some rewards points it ended up costing me about $190 including tax for the bedliner shipped to my local dealer. The parts manager helped me lay it into the bed. A little effort at home and my bed was protected.
Also, I decided to send the truck out for a good detailing. A local detailer (one man operation) offers a hand-wash followed by a wax and sealant (also hand applied). He also vacuums, scrubs the mats (if needed) and cleans all of the windows in and out. Finally he adds protectant to all of the black trim and tires.
While I normally do that sort of work myself, this truck is huge and frankly I could pass up the deal: $135! I picked it up this evening, and it looks absolutely fabulous.
All that I have left on the short term list is a
set of wheels from an F150 Platinum and to have the front windows (lightly) tinted. Also, I ordered personalized plates too! Stay tuned.
I added a quick review on YT for prospective buyers:
https://youtu.be/XbEWM06QDXA?si=m1qzqy9JG_BXhcvD
