Ford needs to let us buy the pro with extended range

[sotek2345]

I really want the ER Lariat + trim. But my heartburn is that I'm paying $80k+ for something that 5 years later I may wish I had waited. It seems like chargers and batteries are improving rapidly. There is also the 2nd Gen Lightning in 2025. What improvements will I wish I had waited for in 2025? My biggest fear that is that the 2nd Gen will have 300 miles on a SR battery and the fast DC charges will be able to recharge it in 15 minutes. Then I will kick myself for having spent so much on something I want to upgrade. As @Kiggulak said, it is a $20k jump from SR Pro to a ER XLT. I can't imagine the depreciation on the SR Pro will be that bad.

My goes like this: $40k for SR Pro less $7.5k credit. So for $32.5k I sell it in 2025 to buy the 2nd Gen. Depending on what the federal credit looks like then (I don't believe it will be around in 2025), I should be able to sell my SR Pro for around $25k. Let me know if you think my thinking or math is off.

By the way, can someone tell me why Ford Options is the way to go on the Lightning? It seems that I am paying off the balance or walking away from the Lightning just like a lease with Options. Why not just buy with normal financing?

The real benefit of Ford Options (beyond low interest rates and potential rebate cash), is risk transfer. The Lightning will be a Gen 1 product and no one really knows how it will turn in out. If it has lots of problems, or if new tech comes out and tanks the resale value, then you hand it back and Ford has to deal with it. If the truck is great and/has great resale you can just buy it out.

A lease is similar to this, except with options you will own the truck (title in your name), which means you get the tax rebate and don't need to deal with the insurance issues / costs that you can sometimes get on a lease.

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[BennyTheBeaver]

By the way, can someone tell me why Ford Options is the way to go on the Lightning? It seems that I am paying off the balance or walking away from the Lightning just like a lease with Options. Why not just buy with normal financing?

You can read up on it in this thread:
https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/leasing-an-f-150-lightning.5846/

I think what you're missing is the Balloon Payment option at the end of the term, you have smaller monthly payments and then at the end of it you can sell it back to Ford for a pre-determined price, or buy it yourself. The key is unlike Leasing, Ford Options lets you receive the tax rebate.

 

[astricklin]

You can read up on it in this thread:
https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/leasing-an-f-150-lightning.5846/

I think what you're missing is the Balloon Payment option at the end of the term, you have smaller monthly payments and then at the end of it you can sell it back to Ford for a pre-determined price, or buy it yourself. The key is unlike Leasing, Ford Options lets you receive the tax rebate.

Other manufacturer financial services as re passing through the tax credit with a lease (Nissan, VW) why GM chose not to(mostly) and now Ford is not at all I don't really understand. Fingers are crossed that congress will at least make the tax credit refundable for those of us who can't get the full amount.

 

[Kiggulak]

By the way, can someone tell me why Ford Options is the way to go on the Lightning? It seems that I am paying off the balance or walking away from the Lightning just like a lease with Options. Why not just buy with normal financing?

With Ford Options you can private sell the vehicle for more than the balloon payment and payoff the balloon, or re-finance or payoff the balloon and keep the 2022, or turn it in to dealer because it depreciated more than the balloon residual.

On a traditional lease there is no private sale option and the vehicle goes back to the dealer without ability to profit. The latter two options are the same as the Ford Options Balloon payment. Also baked into the profit/depreciation consideration is mileage. If you go under on the lease you paid for the miles but unless you keep the truck you hand that money to the dealer.

Plus there are additional lease initiation fees that don't exist with Ford Options.

You can compare what the monthly payment over 4 years look like between a 10K mile lease and buying with normal financing. The lease monthly out of pocket is significantly lower. You can use any car financing calculator with your expected trim level pricing to conduct the comparison.

The Ford Options is a way to lease with lower monthly out of pocket, gives the purchaser the current up to $7.5k tax credit, and allows for profit if the truck depreciated less than the miles you used.

 

[astricklin]

So I believe originally Ford was not going to offer the Sasquatch package on the Bronco with the manual transmission. However due to demand, they decided to change this and make it available. The issue with the Pro ER is that we really don't know how many people actually want to order this. Sure maybe 15 of us here want it so that's .01% of reservations... Not going to change Ford's plan.

 

[Sun Devil]

With the exception of guessing how many miles to estimate for the time period, it seems like Ford Options is the way to go if I'm going to be upgrading later (or even if I decide to keep it). Thanks for the explanations.

 

[Roy2001]

I really want the ER Lariat + trim. But my heartburn is that I'm paying $80k+ for something that 5 years later I may wish I had waited. It seems like chargers and batteries are improving rapidly. There is also the 2nd Gen Lightning in 2025.

That's why I plan to get a Pro, hopefully for less than $45k, and after tax credit it would be just over $30k.

I don't need to tow, don't need to bring dirty bikes, just want a toy. So after 3 years, I could spend like $90k to get a Raptor like Lightning when both Ford and I have confidence on EV trucks. I don't feel comfortable to spend$80K+ on something completely new.

230 miles range with 150+ miles usable range would be enough for me. I have a Model X on order as well, that would be the one for road trip. I also don't have the confidence about FAST charging for F150 next year. I don't want to drive to somewhere and find out that the charging is only limited 75kW and charge time would be one hour while you were expecting it to be 150kW and 30 minutes.

 

[adoublee]

If you consider the $10k I paid for my 2013 Ford Focus Electric the domain of disposable income then I'd agree with you.

However its better stated that buying a New BEV is a very costly endeavor and most BEVs (non-tesla)

I am not excluding Tesla and don't really consider 2013 Ford Focus when generalizing trends. They have 80%+ of BEV marketshare. As much as I am open to other BEV manufacturers, one must ask why Tesla hold value so much better. I would say it is because they are perceived as most usable and comfortable (NOT the AI).

That said, I'm very happy for those who will be happy with the SR. I maintain that if you are going to buy, it's probably going to work out best if you buy what you woukd want to keep - that may be the SR.

No matter how good of value the Pro SR is compared to other BEVs, not having the features like intelligent access, interior work surface, phone as a key, standard 360 camera, option of lane keeping and adaptive cruise are going to keep the masses from pulling the trigger on the Pro in my opinion.

 

[astricklin]

No matter how good of value the Pro SR is compared to other BEVs, not having the features like intelligent access, interior work surface, phone as a key, standard 360 camera, option of lane keeping and adaptive cruise are going to keep the masses from pulling the trigger on the Pro in my opinion.

The problem is when it costs me $15k+ to get those things (or 20+ for ER) it's not a good value. I can buy a $40k Tesla or VW to get those convenience items and a daily bev and then get a $20k used truck.

 

[Snakebitten]

One way to look at what Ford is doing by offering the Pro SR and not the ER to the public is they are selling the Public a Commercial Fleet vehicle to allow the public to buy an electric truck for under $40k. They have no obligation to make their full Fleet line available to the public.

It's sorta a glass half full thing.

You can look at it like Ford is being mean by not allowing the Public to buy all Commercial Fleet models, or you can look at it like Ford is being nice by allowing the Public access to a Commercial Fleet model which is priced below $40k.

I too would like to buy a Pro ER, but it's all about perspective (in my opinion).

I like your perspective. The average consumer might be unaware that Fleet sales by all the manufacturers have always had offerings that aren't available to the general public. What's different about this Lightening offering is that the fleet offering is both publicly known AND it's an option they find appealing.

I purchased a Platinum Powerboost recently and the company I work for purchased a fleet Powerboost. Now that I get a good look at the Fleet version of the Powerboost I see what an amazing value equation it is.

The CrewCab XL Powerboost 7.2KW is quite the truck for ~43K! You won't see one displayed at your local Ford dealership.

They're parked out back somewhere.

 

[ExCivilian]

Although I am needing my Lightning by December 2022 (I have a son turning 16 that month and my daily driver will become the family car), those who get their Lightnings in 2023 or 2024 might get an ER Pro as a consumer. One would hope that as production ramps up that Ford may make it available to consumers.

I really want an ER Lightning, but I am trying to convince myself to just get the SR Pro now and upgrade to the 2nd Gen Lightning in 2025.

The post of mine you quoted about having to wait until 2023-2024 was in reference to a Rivian order placed today--not the F150.

 

[Sun Devil]

The post of mine you quoted about having to wait until 2023-2024 was in reference to a Rivian order placed today--not the F150.

Sorry about that. Thanks for clarifying.

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