What's the verdict on purchasing a "buyback" lightning (from those that have done so)?

[HI Zeus]

I've seen a few posts scattered about regarding purchasing the "buybacks" and it seems that most people who have done so are very happy with what they got. I've seen a lot of negative posts regarding doing this, but they all seem to be from people who have no personal experience with purchasing a buyback Lightning.

If you BOUGHT a Lightning that was a buyback, please share. Here are the things that are of the most interest to me:
How long have you had it (miles and months) and have you had any issues?
What was the cause of the buyback (seems like the majority are batteries they couldn't replace quickly due to supplier)?
Did you feel like the dealership gave you honest records/history on the vehicle?
What was the basic warranty situation for you (residual of 36/36,000, an additional 12/12,000 etc.)?
Was a FORD extended warranty available, and did you purchase it?
Overall satisfaction with your purchase to date.
Would you recommend the dealership you bought from? (If "yes" please share their name.)
Any thing you would do differently, or advise others to do differently?

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[Legacy23]

Ok, I bought my '23 Platinum as buy back from Capital Ford in Charlotte. I live in NJ and they shipped the truck to me. It's got 20k miles and comes with the remainder of the 36k bumper to bumper. I did get the Ford extended warranty for bumper to bumper until 100k. I would highly recommend Capital Ford to get a truck from.

I would do it again any day and twice on Sunday. If you have any questions about the process let me know and we can chat. Too much to text all the info.

 

[MotoGary]

I would do it again any day and twice on Sunday.

You couldn’t even do it once on Sunday in my State since all car dealers by law are closed on Sunday.

 

[No Oil HaHa]

I love mine! I bought it last April with 7k miles on the odometer. It now has 47k and it has been a reliable truck just like every other F-150 I’ve owned.
It came with the remaining factory warranty plus I purchased a Ford extended warranty with an additional 75k miles. I also got the remaining 3 years of free Blue cruise and just got it extended for another year.
It was not a battery related buyback but due to parts shortages in ‘22 and the previous owner being impatient/using it as an excuse to get out of the truck. It was a piece of molding that had to be replaced in the passenger side door.
My dealer was great; a small town dealer in Ohio: Loudon Ford. I dealt with the owner’s son and the entire buying process was pain free. They even helped set up FordPass before it left the lot so I could track the location when it was shipped to me.
My only problem wasn’t with the dealer or the truck, it was with Ford itself and it’s a problem you won’t have. I ordered my free mobile charger through the app before I even had the truck in my possession(my mistake, I admit). FordPass still had the old owner listed in the database and that was where the free charger was going to be shipped. It took many calls to Ford and much frustration before the problem was resolved but “all’s well that ends well.”

 

[Legacy23]

You couldn’t even do it once on Sunday in my State since all car dealers by law are closed on Sunday.

Good point!

 

[Henry Ford]

You couldn’t even do it once on Sunday in my State since all car dealers by law are closed on Sunday.

I didn't know this law existed. What a dumb law. I can't believe it hasn't been tested on Constitutional grounds.

I haven't bought a buyback but I'd consider it. I think it comes down to your risk assessment and tolerance. Those who have strong opinions against purchasing a buyback don't value the risk - in their assessment - as worth the discount. It's your money, spend it however you want.

 

[Bigisland Guy]

I got rid of my old lightning as a buy back due to battery module issues, one battery module went bad after 10k miles and another after 30k. I did purchase an ESP plan on the truck and hope it carries over to the next owner along with the service records on the Fordpass app. Good luck to the next guy who owns the truck! It was a great truck but retail repair costs and rentals approached over $35k between CSP's, Recalls, and warranty work. So the net advice to any one who is considering a Lemon is to rember that the truck has not just one battery but several battery modules. (If one goes down they don't replace all). This is also a truck that the average garage mechanic can't work on due to the tech. So a Ford ESP plan is a must if your considering a Lemon in my opinion.

 

[MachLightning]

Find a truck that has what you want and then do your homework. Look at the Carfax and it will tell you what the truck was bought back for. The dealership can also provide you with proof of repairs. In my experience most of the buybacks were part shortages on recalls/customer satisfaction programs. A huge number of the buybacks also came from California, which has exceptionally consumer friendly lemon laws. Owners see an easy way to get their money back just before the 24 month limit, so they take it.

Like Legacy23 I bought mine from Capital Ford of Charlotte and had a great experience. I live in northern Maryland so I drove down in my trade-in and drove back with the truck of my dreams. Mine had 20K miles and the remaining factory warranty. I also bought the extended warranty just to be safe.

After trade-in I got my '22 Platinum for $60K off MSRP. Couldn't be happier!

 

[HI Zeus]

Find a truck that has what you want and then do your homework. Look at the Carfax and it will tell you what the truck was bought back for. The dealership can also provide you with proof of repairs. In my experience most of the buybacks were part shortages on recalls/customer satisfaction programs. A huge number of the buybacks also came from California, which has exceptionally consumer friendly lemon laws. Owners see an easy way to get their money back just before the 24 month limit, so they take it.

Like Legacy23 I bought mine from Capital Ford of Charlotte and had a great experience. I live in northern Maryland so I drove down in my trade-in and drove back with the truck of my dreams. Mine had 20K miles and the remaining factory warranty. I also bought the extended warranty just to be safe.

After trade-in I got my '22 Platinum for $60K off MSRP. Couldn't be happier!

How long have you had it now? How much did you pay for the extended warranty (through Ford Mo Co?) ?

 

[No Oil HaHa]

. I did purchase an ESP plan on the truck and hope it carries over to the next owner along with the service records on the Fordpass app.

I can verify that service records do carry over to the next owner. The previous owner had his truck into a Ford dealer about 2 and 1/2 hours away from me several times while he had it while it hasn’t graced the doors of a Ford dealership once since I’ve owned it.

 

[ndsee1982]

I also purchased a 2023 Platinum from Capital Ford in Charlotte. I have had it about 1.5years and all issues are typical, new starter battery, new air strut for the frunk, and not due to the buy back.
One thing to note, by purchasing a buy back you get a great price, however, if you were ever to sell it you would also sell at that discount. Additionally, with the buy back vehicle, they will tell you exactly why it was bought back and what they did to fix it. Many of the vehicles were simple due to supply chain issues during the pandemic and not a real issue.

 

[HI Zeus]

...It came with the remaining factory warranty plus I purchased a Ford extended warranty with an additional 75k miles...
It was not a battery related buyback but due to parts shortages in ‘22 and the previous owner being impatient/using it as an excuse to get out of the truck. It was a piece of molding that had to be replaced in the passenger side door.

I appreciate the info on the door molding (THATS a BB I'd jump on all day long... including Sundays, UT law be damned!! )

What did you day for the 75K EW? Through Ford Mo. Co.?

 

[No Oil HaHa]

I appreciate the info on the door molding (THATS a BB I'd jump on all day long... including Sundays, UT law be damned!! )

What did you day for the 75K EW? Through Ford Mo. Co.?

Yes it was the Ford PremiumCare EV plan with a $100 deductible. I paid $2,450. Probably can get it cheaper if you shop around but I’m a resident of CA where I can’t purchase out of state warranty coverage unless I’m actually purchasing a vehicle.

 

[wbhjohnson]

Like some have said, you want to look at what the damage was. I also drive a Jaguar I Pace buy back and have put 60k miles on it worry free in less than 3 years. It was 56k instead of 91k msrp in the hot market of 2022 so for me it was the right choice and has worked out. But I verified it was all issues that my local dealership knew how to fix before buying. A lot of these EVs get bought back for issues that eventually are able to be easily fixed

I just purchased a 2022 Platinum Lightning w/2500 miles for 58k. I looked at the buy backs but decided to pass after digging deeper on the 3 I was looking at- their issues had been repeated leaks in the sunroof and things like that which I could see the history of repeated fixes and fails that made me think it wasn't worth it. I have had success studying prices nationwide and just buying with only a few thousand miles and having it shipped. I did this for my first Jaguar I Pace that was not a buy back, when I bought a second one that was the buy back same thing - found it in a cold state and had it shipped to TX. Same w/the Lightning. That would be my advice, know the prices by heart so when someone posts a great deal you know to jump on it and if it is a buyback make sure you know the exact issue and are comfortable that it isn't likely to continue

 

[Bigisland Guy]

. A huge number of the buybacks also came from California,
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Although this has some merit if you look at Heller Ford as an example you will find that only about 3 of the 17 F150 lightnings Lemons that they have came from California per car fax reports, several came from Florida and even Texas. This is why I would pull the data on which serial #'s and build groups have common issues rather then just focus on states. I would check this forum and look at the data that has been collected by some of the legacy members on their spreadsheets to help you make an informed decission. Good Luck!

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