I’m curious if anyone on the forums has gotten their hands on a Ford Lightning, and if so, what their thoughts were? Any luck using the InterNACHI discount and did it help bring the price down a bit?
I recently traded in my Ram 1500 for an Eco Diesel Jeep because we were looking for a more fun adventure vehicle, and while I seriously love it, i’ve pretty quickly realized that it isn’t very practical putting 60-100 miles a day on a diesel vehicle.
why’s that? Most diesel engines outlast gas engines by a landslide, and I’m sure that eco diesel does pretty good on mileage?
The worst part about diesels are that the pumps at the gas stations are always an oily mess, lol.
True! I’m getting about 24-25mpg average, but got about 22 in my Ram and diesel is about 30-35% more expensive where I am. Definitely not a difference that’s going to make or break me, but the idea of never paying at the pump seems nice, although i’d be giving up the opportunity to tow much over 100 miles in a drive or take a 4+ hour trip without stopping to charge, but my wife would take the Jeep so we’d still have it when needed. I also like the idea of having the “frunk” haha
Yeah, thats not much of a difference, considering the price of fuel. I was expecting you to say the mpg would be more lopsided than that.
I also didnt realize the lightning was full electric. I’m not a fan, once more people have them, we will have grid issues much worse than we already do in some parts of the country. This push by the green agenda is a huge reason for the inflation crisis we are in.
Haven’t thought about it that way, but that’s a great point. CA is already seeing some of those issues and trying to reduce peoples electric use while mandating electric cars 
It will be interesting to see how EVs withstand the test of time, polybutylene and asbestos seemed like a fine product when they first came into use i’m sure!
If you need to do truck stuff, like towing, the range may become an issue. Most reviews i’ve seen report less than half expected range, with an empty trailer.
If you’re just looking for an SUV with a short bed, like most folks with an F150 crew cab, probably do pretty good.
Im a long bed, V8 guy myself. But i have another business that requires the long bed, and a fishing boat I like to drag all over Puget Sound / Straight.
Soon as they make an electric vehicle that can do basic truck stuff though, and I can buy one that is 10 years old, and repair it myself… Im all over it.
My normal rotation is a truck about 10 years old, under 100,000 miles. I pay less in cash to own it outright than many guys put down on a new truck, and I never have a payment. In 3 years its over 200,000, and I sell it for usually about 60-65% what I have in it.
Average used car payment in US is $515. In terms of cash flow, doing around 2700 miles per.month at $5.50 gas, Im about even with a guy who has an average used vehicle payment buying $1.99 gas.
And my total cost of ownership is usually like $4000 over 3 years. If you really want to save money on transportation, try that formula out.
(Caveat: I do have the skills, tools and space to do any repair needed pretty quick, I do my own maintenance, and I am very picky about buying used vehicles.)
Amazon guy showed up in one of these the other day. Said it was like driving a space ship. I guess they only use one pedal somehow. Pretty cool.
My bank account wishes I could follow that formula! I enjoy driving a newer car but I also don’t know hardly anything about picking out a good vs bad used car, and even less about actually fixing cars when needed. I’m sure I could tinker around and figure some stuff out but it’s always been one of those things that I’m scared to mess with.
For sure.
For what its worth, I have every confidence that anyone who can inspect a house can fix vehicle. And when you only buy 10 year old trucks, they all feel pretty new when you get one!
My current 2010 has bluetooth! Lol.
My main reason for doing it though is the mileage I put on. Any poor vehicle that comes into my life is gonna get ran hard, and i sort of figure whats the point of having a nice new truck if Im just gonna hammer on it.
Also, repair time. If you have the proper tools, its quite often faster to do repairs yourself. Good mechanics rarely can do same day service. (If you find one who can, pay him well and send christmas cards.) 9 in 10 times I can get to Napa, fix the truck, and get back to work by 10 a.m.
2 other bonueses:
1.) Everybody assumes I dont make much money. Good lawsuit cover.
2.) Its as recession proof as a vehicle can be, and that helps my businesses be recession proof.
