POLL: New to ford? New to full size trucks?

[GDN]

Never drove a full-sized truck, but owned a 1994 Roadtrek 190, 2000 GMC 2500 Savana and 2015 Merc sprinter 3500, so used to driving large vehicles, mostly long distances.

Grew up in 1960's Fords, owned a 72 Pinto and 74? Bobcat for a year or so, but not a really Ford person. Primarily Chevy and Mercedes to date. Sister had an old Ranger that had 400,000+ miles on it, which was impressive to me.

We are glad you are here having survived the Pinto !!

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[GrokTime]

I am new to both Fords and trucks. Very excited about this vehicle, but I am a bit apprehensive about the size!

 

[Bigpoppa]

We've all heard that 75% of the reservations for the Lightning are from "new to Ford" customers, but I'm curious how many are also new to full size trucks? Understanding that users here may skew this poll relative to the general public/the bulk of the reservations, but still curious. Let us know!

This will be my 5th Ford full sized pickup!

 

[VTbuckeye]

Had a 2011 F150 lariat. Traded it in on a 2017 Tacoma in Feb 2018. So not new to Ford or full size, but had a gap. Liked our 2019 Chevy Bolt. Love our 2022 Volvo xc40 EV. Mostly happy with our 2016 Volvo XC90 PHEV. My volvos (SPA, CMA) are far enough removed from Ford to not count.

 

[Roy2001]

I have only heard terrible things about Ford and the last time we went to test drive a MachE, the experience was equally terrible. However, it being an EV does provide me some comfort.

Can you provide some details?

 

[monsterlag]

Can you provide some details?

Not the actual car but the Ford Dealership experience. They had no idea what they were selling. All they were selling were trucks and the sales people didn’t even know the basics of whether the MachE had even a standard or extended battery.

We went on a test drive but weirdly they had somebody come with us, this isn’t a thing at least with Audi/BMW etc. We actually did like the MachE but once we got back to the dealership, they said they can’t sell it to us. Apparently they didn’t know that it was a demo/mannequin and it had sales restrictions.

Went to another dealer nearby, equally as clueless. Waited over an hour just to see somebody even though we had an appointment. We were ready to buy and they tried to mark up the APR on us(800+ Credit score). Left immediately.

We bought the Etron the next week.

 

[Avocadodude]

My grandparents were Ford loyalist. Wish I still had the LTD. I came back to Ford when Ford bought Jaguar and they made one in my price range, the X-type. Moved to France for work, bought the Ford designed S-40 (super fun car) and a year later XC-90. Moved home traded the S-40 in on F-150. So In around about way, yea, loyal to Ford.

 

[LightningShow]

Not a Ford loyalist but i have owned more Fords than any other vehicle. Two full sized trucks, ‘88 and ‘97 F-150, but haven’t had a truck since 2001. I’ve been driving a Ford Flex since 2016.

 

[hturnerfamily]

I initially found it very hard to believe that 'this' Lightning would, for some, be the FIRST ever Ford for them.

Then, I had an epiphany - I have FOUR boys, all of which have hardly 'yet' started in their automobile ownership, although one DOES have a Ford, our hand-me-down 14' Ford Focus SE, with leather interior, black on black, which he loves(our youngest). Our next up, 21, in aerospace engineering in Huntsville, waiting for the Moon Launch, owns our only other EV - the 2014 Nissan Leaf, with about 60 mile usable range. Another, 28, rides a motorcycle, but DOES own a eBike, which he sometimes uses to commute to work. And the oldest, all of 29, a fire fighter, drives that 'other' brand, a 16' Chevy Silverado.

So, yes, I can see where the 'polls' may show that many are 'NEW' to the Ford brand, which is hard to believe, but a 'young' person, who is maybe more immediately drawn to the 'Full EV' vehicle type, would, of course, be possibly NEW to the Ford brand, unless they already own a MachE, or, believe it or not, the 'original' Ford Focus EV(back in the 'day'!), from 2011/2012. I always wanted one, but could never find one, and actually also never even SAW one. : /

I gave Ford some info about my own 'brand loyalty' and previous 'Ford ownership' before I headed to San Antonio last month. I realized after a few moments that I had REALLY been a Ford owner, but had not really realized it until I put all the 'years' of ownership together(over 40 now)... that's about the time the F150 became THE biggest selling VEHICLE, and every YEAR thereafter!

1980 - 1966 Ford Mustang convertible 6cyl, Wimbledon white with black interior
1982 - 1966 Ford Mustang convertible 8cyl, 289 4-barrel, 4-on-the-floor Hurst, with Edelbrock carb, Wimbledon white with black interior
1986 - 1980 Honda Prelude(don't laugh, it was o.k.)
1989 - 1989 Ford Ranger(first new vehicle, leased, but won't never do THAT again!)
1992 - 2002 various 'used' small trucks for the insurance 'debit' business, including my one and only Chevy, an S10, for a very short time, and including a Mercury Sable and Ford Taurus station wagon
2003 - First ORDERED New Ford F150 Supercrew, with added Leer truck cap
2005 - 2014 the 'JEEP' years - used wranglers and an ORDERED Brand New JK 4-Door in 'pollen green'
2010 - 1965 Ford Mustang convertible, AGAIN, this time a mid-life crisis, CANDY APPLE RED w black interior, 289 8cyl, Built on MY BIRTHDAY in December 1964! Cha Ching!
2014 - the 'motorhome' years - toured the country, including Alaska, and Canada, towing our 2014 Ford Fiesta, for over 50,000 miles, before an accident in 2017, then towed a 2014 Ford Focus SE for another 50,000 miles... finally selling it only several weeks ago. I had also used this same Focus towed behind brand New diesel motorhomes from the factories in N Indiana to RV Dealers all over the southeast. The Focus was a champ, and my way 'home' after every delivery.
2021 - 'Reserved' a Brand New LIGHTNING for ordering, which wound up MUCH LATER than most of us anticipated, finally ORDERING the Brand New PRO in Iced Blue Silver with 9.6kw ProPower, Tow Technology, and Max Towing. Scheduled to be build JULY 4th week - I'll be waiting in anticipation for the next several weeks for my WINDOW STICKER, and then the holiday week for my Build updates. Maybe, just maybe, I'll receive my truck BEFORE the summer is 'over'.... let's hope.

Thank you Ford.

 

[OnTheGround]

So this is my primary concern with the Lightning. My parents had a Ford Taurus Station wagon when I was a kid and that was my only real experience with Ford, I’ve driven large trucks plenty of times in my life (My Mother-in-law has a 2001 F-150 King Cab I’ve driven a few times, work has Ram 1500 Crew Cabs I’ve driven a few times, a few others as well, so I have a feel for the size even though I know I’m not accustomed to it), but I’ve never actually had to live with a full-sized truck (largest car I’ve owned is a compact crossover). I figure I’ll have no problem adjusting, but my wife on the other hand took years to even sit in the driver seat of my Santa Fe. It’s important to note that she loved it when she finally did drive it though, and wants one of her own next time.

I’ve been figuring on going down to the dealership once I’m invited to place my order and test driving a Lightning mannequin, or a gas F-150 with the crew cab and 5.5 bed (if no mannequin available) to make sure I can be comfortable with it before I order, and yeah I’d probably have to bring the wife down and sell her on the truck before I order it.

(that last part is the concern. I’ve actually been thinking about ordering it on my own and only bringing her down to test drive once it’s delivered because I think she’d be less likely to reject the purchase if she sees me sitting giddy in the truck I want…. But unfortunately the potential mortality rate with that kind of game is also a little higher).

 

[beatle]

I am new to both Fords and trucks. Very excited about this vehicle, but I am a bit apprehensive about the size!

I'm also new to Ford. I grew up riding in and later learning to drive an 87 Aerostar, and we always had an F150 work truck in the driveway. This will be my 3rd truck, having owned a 98 Tacoma and a 2007 Ridgeline. The Lightning is also bigger than I'd like, but I think I can manage with the 360 camera and a second vehicle for tight city parking. Even my Model S doesn't fit in all the parking garage spots around here. It'll be nice to free up a garage space for a potential track car.

I'll be first in line for a midsize or compact pickup.

 

[PV2EV]

If we knew everyone's age, you might find the new to Ford buyer of the Lightning to be 40-60 years old. Convincing this age group to try a brand new to them is a huge feat for Ford.

I hope they make the most of it by delivering a reliable, quality product.

 

[rlbussard]

This will be my 12th For between my wife and I since our first Ford in 2013. I unfortunately go through a lot of cars, mostly trucks. Wife now has a Mach E and soon my Lightning. Hopefully we can actually keep these for awhile. But I have already been trying to talk to my wife about getting a Mach E GT. She's not having it though. She loves her Premium First Edition Mach E too much.

 

[T i h o r]

I think I'm the odd one out that they're trying to win over. New to Ford and full size trucks!

Also 36 if it matter, so I guess I'm a bit younger than their target demographic?

 

[PV2EV]

I think I'm the odd one out that they're trying to win over. New to Ford and full size trucks!

Also 36 if it matter, so I guess I'm a bit younger than their target demographic?

Not sure what the target is, but you might be at the lower end of the buyers. Maybe 30-60 is a more representative range of most buyers. Still hard to convince someone in that group to try a new brand, when it is not a luxury brand. Really makes the Lightning a perfect fit in today's market.

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