One of the SVT dealerships is having a special "invitation only" event for the Lightning on the weekend. I called in and got 1 out of the 5 invites available, to test drive it! My mind has been racing since I've made the call about transferring my loan payments from my 1998 F-150 4x4, to the Lightning. I made a quick calculation in my head, and basically the loan would be about $200/month less with an extra 2 years onto the term. The compremise(spelling?) is with the winter driving. Up here in Canada, a good third of the year is winter, so how driveable would it be with winter tires? What would your decision be under the circumstances? I also have an old race truck that could get rid of and maybe get an old 4x4 for the winter.

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1998 F-150 XLT Reg. Cab Flareside 4x4, Black, 5.4L, 3.55LS, tow package, 285/75/r16 Mud Terrain BFG's,K&N, GTS headlight covers, Alpine changer w/FM mod, Clifford alarm system w/keyless entry & starter disable // Future considerations: Bed mat, tonneau cover, 4" suspension lift.

1971 F-100 Sport Custom Reg. Cab
-390FE w/Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, 780cfm Holley, ported & polished cylinder heads,
Hydraulic Crane Cam, 10.5:1 CR, Black Jack headers, true double roller timing chain, and high volume oil pump
-C6 transmision w/B&M 2600rpm stall
-9" Ford Rearend w/4.10 Richmond Gears & 31 spline axles
-215/65/r15 Yokohama's for the front & 28"x13.5"x15" Mickey Thompson ET Street slicks for the back

[This message has been edited by fordification (edited 08-18-2000).]

[This message has been edited by fordification (edited 08-18-2000).]

 

I bought a set of Yokohama winter tires and 16" Ford steel wheels. We don't get as much snow as you guys do, but we also have a lot less snow removal equipment !

Anyway, it is a lot of fun in the snow. You can go sideways if you like (just apply some right foot) but you never feel out of control. It is a big go-cart with very predictable handling.

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99 Black Lightning
Superchip
13.429@101.14

 

Check out:
https://www.f150online.com/f150board...ML/000454.html

and
https://www.f150online.com/f150board...ML/002677.html

for info on winter driving/tires.

 

The Lightning comes with its own built-in snow plow.

 

I guess winter driving can be done if needed. Plus I could always pickup an old 4x4 for a couple grand.

I've got a couple other questions that leave me wondering. What kind of insurance rates are you guys paying. Full coverage is needed when your financing. I'm paying about $120(Cdn) for my 98, so how much more would it be? Hey BlackLight, what rate are you at? Also, I'm curious how much I can get for my 98 if trade in. I bought it for $36G, so I'm thinking 28-30,considering the extra's I have on it.

 

fordification,

The winter weather driving a Lightning here in South Florida is spectacular!

He He He

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2000 Lightning, Chassis Tech Drop Kit, 80 mm Pro-M Mass Air, w/ K&N Filter, Danny Swanson Flip Chip, Flow Master 40 Series Exhaust, Billet Upper & Lower Grill, 100HP Nitrous Oxide NOS System. 12.533 @ 109.10 MPH
GO FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES

 

Yep, my snow tires, look remarkably like my summer tires, but have less thread.

 

Hey, don't rub it in! You guys are missing out on some great winter fun! Like getting frost bite on your feet, hands, & face, or watching all these loser drivers on the road, going way to have and crashing into each other. Not to mention looking at all the hot chicks with there non-revealing snow suits! Seriously though, sometimes I welcome the cooler temperatures, for a couple of days or so. Atleast we get these huge chinooks every once in awhile, which are like mini summers in the middle of winter.

[This message has been edited by fordification (edited 08-18-2000).]

 

One thing we all forgot to tell you. There is a sticker on the door frame. It is from Ford NOT recommending driving the Lightning in the snow with the stock F1 Goodyears.

 

I pay around $1100 a year for insurance. And don't let these guys get to you, I'm sure the skiing in Florida is just as much fun as in Whistler...

 

I test drove the Lightning on the weekend, and my adrenaline is still flowing steadily!! The pull it has is phenominal! The salesman pulled it out of the lot and headed down a secondary road, but there was a car in front of us. So he pulled out to pass, and I notice a car coming the opposite direction towards us, but he punched it and it to maybe 2 seconds to shoot 3-4 truck length in front of the car! He told me to look over at the speedo, and we hit 155km/h just like that! My truck maxes out at 160km/h for gods sake! I proposed my deal to them, and they really haven't said yes or no. Basically, I'm asking to keep my $$$/month loan payments the same, with a 4 year term, and using the value of my truck as a down payment. They did a rough estimate on it, and it depreciated like 45% after only 1.5 years!! I only hope they take the deal. Tonight I'm getting an accurate appraisal done on the truck at the one dealer. Also I should mention that saturday, I went over to the other SVT dealer, and they seem to be really interest in my proposal. So I'm thinking the two dealers just may battle back and forth, just to get my business. I guess it depends on how anxious they are to sell off these trucks. The one dealer has like 3, two red and one black, and the other has 4, two black, one red and one silver. Wish me luck guys!

Blacklight, $1100/year?!! How old are you? I paying like $1440/year with my 4x4. Mind you I'm only 23 years old.

 

<He's hooked>

 

THEY TOTALLY LEAD ME ON!!!! For one thing, they appraised my truck and gave me nothing for it. Valued at 19G's, and the amount oweing on it still is 19G's. That's like saying I leased the truck for $700/month, which is $200/month more then a regular lease on the truck, and also wasted money on the aftermarket parts! So no down payment was added on to the estimate on the Lightning. One thing that wasn't brought to my attention before was that you not able to finance it off of Ford Credit. Your interest rates are taken off of bank interest rates, which is estimated 9.65%, which is a far stretch from the 0.9% on my truck now. The interest is like 8-$9000 alone! They dropped the sticker price a whopping $2000 to $39,500. The grand total he showed me on the estimate form was only $39,500, but that's not including tax or interest! With 7% tax and 9.65% interest, it comes to around $52,000!! $20,000 more than my truck! They totally ignored the part where I said I was looking for around the same payments and same term as my truck. They should of just said it wasn't even in the ball park. The difference is $176/month ($866/month) more and an extra year to the term (5 year term). At least I did get a free test drive in the Lightning out of the deal.

[This message has been edited by fordification (edited 08-22-2000).]

 

If I may offer a few suggestions,
Try a different dealer. You can't expect to get anything back from aftermarket parts, in fact I wouldn't be supprised if they deduct for them at a dealer. Sell your truck on your own. You shouldn't go in and put all your cards on the table and ask them what you have to deal with! They are there to extract as much from your wallet as you will allow! If you want one you will have one!
Tom

 

There was another SVT dealer that I went to Saturday that said he may be able to make the deal, which I doubt very much he can! Between the low value for my truck and the high interest rate, there's not much chance. Before I went for the appraisal I check out www.megawheels.com, to see what kind of price range my truck is going for, and they were all around 27-$29,000 for higher mileage trucks, but all supercabs. The value of supercabs are higher, but so are flaresides over fleetsides, plus with all the extras. I was hoping to put about 7-$8000 down on it, which would have brought it down to the cost for my 4x4 without tax. But that interest rate is a killer! Has anybody else had this problem?

[This message has been edited by fordification (edited 08-22-2000).]