I work for FoMoCo and have access to purchasing cars from the employee resale lot. I just placed a hold on a 1999 Red Gen 2. 11K Miles. Options are the tonneau and a 6 disc changer. What is unique about this vehicle is that it is the vehicle featured in the January 2001 Automobile Magazine feature article entitled: All Jazzed Up. The vehicle was produced in May of 1999 and immediatly shipped to Germany. The truck re-entered the US last week. It comes with a euro front license holder, and some funky rear lights beneath the rear bumper. In addition, there is an additional set of wheels and smoked tires in the bed, which I presume that I will get with the vehicle. The condition is flawless. The price is $21,000. Questions:
1. How good a deal is this? I have seen conflicting NADA Blue Book numbers.

2. This will be my daily driver. How practical is this vehicle?

3. What MPG are most of you getting?

4. How much are tires to replace?

5. What should I look for when assessing this vehicle? I am not allowed to drive it, but it is still covered by the warranty.

6. Is this truck as bad in the snow as it appears to be?

I have util Thursday to Name the dealer to ship it to. Any advice would be helpful. It looks like an extremely cool ride....

VIN is <deleted>

 

The VIN is deleted? Then hos did it get into the US? And how do you plan on registereing it?

 

$21,000 seems like a good price. I haven't shopped to see what 99 Ls are going for, but I would think anything under $23,000 is pretty good. Check the classifieds section of this web page. As far as a daily driver, it wouldn't be my first choice. I live in Cleveland, and I'm storing mine for the winter. You live North of me. If you can, get a beater car for the winter. They get about 14 mpg highway. Tires are roughly $300 apiece, but you may get them for about $250 if you shop. Look at the antifreeze level in the intercooler. If its down, the intercooler may be leaking.

 

rwill1,
I work at EVB and can fill you in on some of the issues people are having with their trucks. E-mail me at slightning01@aol.com. I'll send you back my work e-mail.



------------------
2001 L. (Silver)
Born on date: 1/17/01
Weight: 4,670 lb.
Eyes: Clear
Blood type: Ford Blue
Received: 1/25/01

 

Ford currently owns the vehicle, and it either has a certificate of origin, or they have a Michigan title for it. The resale lot would not be selling it otherwise.

 

rwill1, Hi neighbor. You shouldnt have any trouble in the snow, I have driven mine for the last 2 winters without any added weight in the bed, and have not had an incident. Mine is my daily driver, I find it very practical. I get an average of 14 mpg, but I also hot rod it alot.

------------------
Jim
96 Black Cobra,
K&N,OffRoad H-Pipe
NitrousExpress 150 shot
1999.5 Black Lightning
No Mods yet

[This message has been edited by NXCobra (edited 01-30-2001).]

 

Rwill,

Have them ship it to 5 Star Ford In N. Richland Hills, TX.

For $21,000 I will take it!!

------------------
Roger In DFW. Home of the 1999 Stanley Cup Champion ****Dallas Stars****
99 F-150 Sport XL Bright Red, 50 Series Flowmaster, Lower front valance painted to match truck!
99.5 L Wheels And Michelin Pilots 285/55/18

 

Tires are only $215.00 each at TireRack.com



------------------
Rich
1999.5 SVT Lightning - Red. 100HP Shot NOS, BellTech 3/4 drop, Super Chip(TRAC). K&N Filter. Viper Alarm w/remote start, Sir Michael's roll pan, smooth corners and steps w/billet inserts, clear corner lenses, Cervinis Ram Air hood, ARE Cover w/ wing, Momo billet pedals, cd changer, cover, Phantom boost and nitrous gauges, MTX Thunderform w/ 2 10" MTX Thunder 4000 subs. 5-channel 500w. Clarion amp.(APA5241), (4)Polk Audio 3-way, 130w. DX 7's, Color-matched Muth signal mirrors, Soundproofed cab, BedRug, Trenz billet grills, Piaa 9007 Super Whites, etc. Build #2755
TampaSVT@Tampabay.rr.com

http://home.tampabay.rr.com/tampasvt/

2001 PT Cruiser - Limited Edition
1999.5 Expedition XLT

 

What dealer did you deal with? Are you pleased with them?

 

Rich is correct on the tires, except he didn't mention that they will also cost you to be shipped and mounted. So the last pair I bought from them cost me $245 each by the time they were on the truck, still not that bad considering that they list for $360. However, numerous posts indicate that they don't work in the snow, so you will need another set of wheels and snow tires to drive it year round. You might want to consider another brand of tire anyway. The F1s on the rear only lasted me 9K, and people are reporting getting much better milage with the Toyos and no loss of traction.
The big issue with the 99's is premature failure of the intercooler. There are tons of information in this forum about it. I wouldn't let that stop me from taking advantage of a good deal on the truck as long as the warrantee was good for at least a couple of years. Supposedly the i/c fix is on the way.

------------------
I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

'84 Alan Record Carbonio, Aerospoke wheels, Campy brakes.
'00 SVT Lightning, silver, built 2/9/00, #133 of 4966, G-tech Pro, JBA headers, 4.10 gears, Swanson chip, Pro-M, NGK plugs, carbon drive shaft, Roadmaster suspension kit
13.39 @ 102.5
2001 Kevlacat 2400, twin 115 Evinrude FICHT, Raytheon VHF, radar, autopilot and GPS chartplotter/fishfinder.

gmvye@pacbell.net

 

Rwill1

Sounds like a good buy to me, even though I’m sure she’s been rode hard!

I get 14 > 14.5 mpg on a regular basis. The best ever is 15.8. But I have never been able to get thru an entire tank of fuel with busting the 75mph mark or my foot falling to the floor.

I keep mine in the garage when the snows out. Not worth the risk to me. As the owner of a body shop, I would have to say performance vehicles are my best customers, when the snow flies.

 

rwill1, I have always used Gorno, up until lately. There was an a-plan issue with Gorno and the 2001 Lightning I wanted to order, needless to say I have gone looking elsewhere.

 

Ford does not recommend driving the Lightning with the stock F1 tires. There should be a warning sticker inside the driver door on the pillar.

Got 11,500 miles on my F1s and they look practically new. But,I do not drag race or do many hole shots. Too much traffic and too many cops. Rotated tires at 7,000 miles.

Bottomline is that the Lightning is superb vehicle that has numerous potential uses.
And, unless you rag it out, you could probably sell it for near what you payed for. About eight months ago or so, I think the Edmunds trade-in value was over $25K.

 

I am probably going with them because I understand that they have a few mechanics who know these vehicles well.

They did not want to give you a-plan on your 2001?

 

I misspoke. $25K is not Edmunds trade-in value. It was the retail value. That was, of course, after the first year of depreciation. If I remember correctly trade-in value was around $21-$22K.