Thinking about trading in my bronco

[Kerney]

If you want a Lightning get the Lightning. I don’t think you are going to convince a very high percentage of folks of the “advantages” that you think it brings though. I was impacted by Hurricane Ian and my $1,000 gasoline generator did just fine and if needed I could have pulled fuel out of my boat giving me a week or two of run time which would far exceed the Lightning’s capability. As someone else mentioned you can’t do ‘truck’ stuff with the Lightning. Towing with the Lightning severely hurts range and even not towing we use our “big vehicle” to travel. For example the last 2 weekends we did 4 hour trips each way so having to find an EV recharging station / time required to recharge kills off any EV.

I compare the current EV options to the compact fluorescent light bulb. Yes there is a change coming, but there are many real issues. There is going to be a LED type breakthrough (higher capacity / faster charging EVs or lower cost Hydrogen or something else) and the current EV will go away like the CFL bulb.

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[stickshifthappy]

Motels from Tallahassee to Tennessee were packed with Ian's refugees. The supply of retail gasoline was hit hard, but not depleted. And we're seeing more and more of corporate America cave in to the ESG agenda. Any company--especially an energy company--that dares to question the "global warming" hypothesis (I'm being polite--the Admins are sensitive here) would face a political and public relations storm of typhoon proportions.
"Green energy" has become the holy grail of the Davos nomenklatura and the "expert class" (the apparatchiks) that serve them, that is, a political agenda with religious zeal.

You've said your piece; and I, mine. Best to drop this subject lest we get banned. All that said, I appreciate we're neighbors of sort and commend you on your carbonized gray Badlands--good choice!

Yep this all day. EV is not the final answer, it's a knee jerk reaction, and currently a weak solution.

 

[5.0Maverick]

Couple things. Firstly, I didn’t intend to ruffle any feathers so I apologize for that. Secondly, I love my bronco, it’s a shit ton of fun and it’s only going to get more fun after it’s been scratched up a bit.

My dilemma is needs vs wants. I want the bronco, but I need more utility. (I am buying a fixer upper house sooner or later and right now I don’t have the space to store a trailer when not in use) I’m either going to flip the lightning, or sell the bronco. I was just looking for honest opinions and perspectives. This board has always obliged in that regard so I’m thankful for everybody chiming in as they have, even if they don’t like my question!

Cheers everybody!

Ps: The wrencher in me likes the idea of flipping the lightning and buying an old f100 with a big block and a four speed.

 

[DriveAllNight]

Couple things. Firstly, I didn’t intend to ruffle any feathers so I apologize for that. Secondly, I love my bronco, it’s a shit ton of fun and it’s only going to get more fun after it’s been scratched up a bit.

My dilemma is needs vs wants. I want the bronco, but I need more utility. (I am buying a fixer upper house sooner or later and right now I don’t have the space to store a trailer when not in use) I’m either going to flip the lightning, or sell the bronco. I was just looking for honest opinions and perspectives. This board has always obliged in that regard so I’m thankful for everybody chiming in as they have, even if they don’t like my question!

Cheers everybody!

Ps: The wrencher in me likes the idea of flipping the lightning and buying an old f100 with a big block and a four speed.

For those of us without a personal fleet and DYIers this is a reality.
If you actually use a truck as a pickup it's hard to justifying owning a Bronco instead of a truck, other than happiness, which is legitimate. But if you need the cargo space the truck is by far the better choice, yes you can make do with a Bronco and a trailer but it's not the best choice. Doesn't mean its not the right choice

For years I was going to buy an old beater truck for when I needed it, but in the end I just prefer being in a truck. Then the Bronco came back, and I found all the reasons in the world to be able to get by without a bed, but I'm not fooing myself, it's not a practical argument, there is nothing about the Bronco that is practical, it's a smiles per miles argument nothing more.

Sometimes in life you have to make the practical decisions other times you can go with your heart, only you know where you are situated right now.

 

[stickshifthappy]

Couple things. Firstly, I didn’t intend to ruffle any feathers so I apologize for that. Secondly, I love my bronco, it’s a shit ton of fun and it’s only going to get more fun after it’s been scratched up a bit.

My dilemma is needs vs wants. I want the bronco, but I need more utility. (I am buying a fixer upper house sooner or later and right now I don’t have the space to store a trailer when not in use) I’m either going to flip the lightning, or sell the bronco. I was just looking for honest opinions and perspectives. This board has always obliged in that regard so I’m thankful for everybody chiming in as they have, even if they don’t like my question!

Cheers everybody!

Ps: The wrencher in me likes the idea of flipping the lightning and buying an old f100 with a big block and a four speed.

No worries, these kinds of sites are for social interaction, and posing questions, and comments for folks to respond to. I mean what else are we gonna do at work all day ?

 

[stickshifthappy]

For those of us without a personal fleet and DYIers this is a reality.
If you actually use a truck as a pickup it's hard to justifying owning a Bronco instead of a truck, other than happiness, which is legitimate. But if you need the cargo space the truck is by far the better choice, yes you can make do with a Bronco and a trailer but it's not the best choice. Doesn't mean its not the right choice

For years I was going to buy an old beater truck for when I needed it, but in the end I just prefer being in a truck. Then the Bronco came back, and I found all the reasons in the world to be able to get by without a bed, but I'm not fooing myself, it's not a practical argument, there is nothing about the Bronco that is practical, it's a smiles per miles argument nothing more.

Sometimes in life you have to make the practical decisions other times you can go with your heart, only you know where you are situated right now.

And it used to be you could find that $1,000 beater pick up. Thanks Mr. Obama.....

 

[indio22]

$7k for a decent charger? Come on man!! That is ONLY if they have 100a service panel and no way to expand.

He can use a standard 240 NEMA 14-50 outlet that is common for dryers

- In a pinch a long 14-50 extension cord is a few hundred dollars and the laundry room is generally not far from a garage (in many homes).
- They sell splitters for the dryer plug if it were more permanent that range from $80 - $300.

Even at just 16 amps he would be looking at 10-12 miles per hour. With a full 40a giving him about 30 miles per hour

If that doesn't work and they need to install a new 240v circuit - I just ran 6 AWG through 26 floor joists (yes) more than 140 feet with a double pole 60a breaker and Gen3 Tesla Wall Connector for $900.

I power my 220V MIG welder and plasma cutter, using a heavy duty extension cord from our house clothes dryer outlet. (Got a deal on some 6AWG wire but haven't had time yet running to the garage.)

Living in an urban area outside a city without long commutes, I estimated my family daily usage, and an EV would easily meet majority of our driving needs. With a second petrol car for less frequent longer drives. Charging overnight would be no issue, this electric grid stuff and range anxiety is a non-issue for my household.

Main reason two years ago I bought a petrol Kia Soul instead of EV, is because I got it brand new for 14k with nice mpg, and the comparable EVs were still too expensive in terms of long term break even point. But down the road when EV prices are more comparable, for sure I'm going electric.

Anyway 6G is a place where people buy a vehicle with high clearance (to clear nothing), skid plates (that only hit air molecules), 4low (that is never used), and big tires (for rolling over pebbles on pavement). It's hard to make a functional buying argument when people are buying mainly for image.

 

[710-oil-614]

I power my 220V MIG welder and plasma cutter, using a heavy duty extension cord from our house clothes dryer outlet. (Got a deal on some 6AWG wire but haven't had time yet running to the garage.)

Living in an urban area outside a city without long commutes, I estimated my family daily usage, and an EV would easily meet majority of our driving needs. With a second petrol car for less frequent longer drives. Charging overnight would be no issue, this electric grid stuff and range anxiety is a non-issue for my household.

Main reason two years ago I bought a petrol Kia Soul instead of EV, is because I got it brand new for 14k with nice mpg, and the comparable EVs were still too expensive in terms of long term break even point. But down the road when EV prices are more comparable, for sure I'm going electric.

Anyway 6G is a place where people buy a vehicle with high clearance (to clear nothing), skid plates (that only hit air molecules), 4low (that is never used), and big tires (for rolling over pebbles on pavement). It's hard to make a functional buying argument when people are buying mainly for image.

I just wish folks would enjoy both buckets - EVs and lifestyle vehicles like the Bronco - I love them both. I still drool over Broncos, listen to cammed out exhausts on youtube, watch Lite Brite, Matt's, Fab Rats, Trail Recon, etc.

I swapped the Bronco for the Model 3 as a stepping stone because $5/gal gas and the value of the Model 3 will maintain longer than the Bronco's would.

I had never tried an EV and I wanted to see what it was all about, could I live with it daily? Obviously from my previous posts you can probably tell where I ended up on that spectrum.

I'm not sold on Teslas, specifically my Model 3 - but I am sold on EVs. I really miss a truck, SUV, something with more space. The Model 3 is a car, a small sports car with world class speed. It has done nothing wrong in 7k miles it's just not the right vehicle for my lifestyle long term.

I'm in Columbus, OH and I've had it in Chicago, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, WV, PA, VA, TN, and NC so far. The only "range" anxiety currently is when I go to Boone, NC because my property does not have electric (and it's a real bitch getting the tesla up the mountain ruts) so I have to rely on slow charging public chargers in town.

Otherwise - I have moved freely with the vehicle adding at most 30 minutes to any trip I have taken due to charging. I generally average between 200-240wh per mile and I currently pay $0.16 per kwh at home - which averages out to about $0.035 - $0.04 per mile. Supercharger costs in the midwest and SE (outside of chicago) have averaged about $0.42/kwh so about 2.5x more if you are using the supercharger network - however those prices are set to rise soon.

 

[710-oil-614]

Ooooof. Ford announces another price hike of $5k to the Lightning Pro. Their $39,984 truck is now $52,984 and you can't order one.

Nice marketing Farley.

 

[Felix808]

As stated before, no electric vehicle for me due to numerous events like this today
See Post #57
Wasn't even that windy today.

 

[Montducati]

Coming from a 3 time Raptor F-150 owner and now a Bronco Raptor owner I can say the only reason I would go back to an F-150 Raptor is if it were mandatory that I have the payload.
My first day today with the Braptor I could tell almost instantly how much better the ride quality and handling feels. Having the shorter wheel base and more even weight distribution IMO makes a huge difference. Obviously I am a big fan of the esthetics of the F-150 Raptor having owned 3; however, I like the looks of the Braptor/Bronco that much better.
So in conclusion I hope I never require to own a vehicle with a payload again.

 

[khatch]

Hey Maverick, not sure if it’s too late to offer a perspective. I have the Bronco and love it. I have an 18 year old F150 and have a Lightning being built right now. And I use the truck bed quite a bit, so much so that I would say priority 1 for me is I have to have a truck. So I’m contemplating keeping the old one, buying a new ICE version or buying the Lightning.

I probably don’t have to tell you that a truck is the most versatile auto available. It’s my daily driver, family vacationer, off road capable, customizable, hauler and tower. I simply don’t want to be without a truck. And so far I haven’t been able to bring myself to buy a new one, spending 10s of thousands to get minor features. Over the years, that list has added up but it’s been incremental. So maybe now it’s worth it.

Then the Lightning came along. These are major changes. Performance: Zero to 60 in about 4 seconds. That may or may not be important to you but there is no debating that the performance improvement is by far more substantial than any other previous model’s improvement. Add a low center of gravity with the battery location and 4 wheel independent suspension and I’m sure it handles very well, relative to the ICE model. Maintenance/reliability: I don’t recall the reduction in parts number but it’s substantial... maybe 40% fewer parts? Everything I can think of that I’ve repaired or replaced on my F150 has to do with the ICE. I don’t want to list them but there are so many things that simply aren’t there that most believe maintenance costs will be greatly reduced. It’s silent, it’s good for the environment, it’s got a trunk, which is nice, it’s cheaper to fuel (I will charge at home almost exclusively). I don’t believe that I will see this level of improvements in any single new model of a truck again in my lifetime.

Are there downsides? Yes. Everyone worries about range, charging infrastructure, and charging time but it depends on your situation. We may do a once a year road trip and with upfront planning, I don’t expect problems. Infrastructure is improving rapidly and range, well I can’t say I’ve ever asked about range on a previous car because you just fill up when needed. Needless to say, I’ve become just as excited about the Lightning as I was for the Bronco. If I had to choose, I would probably go with the Lightning simply because I need a truck. The people who say it doesn’t do truck things, I guess I would say that depends on what things you are talking about. It can haul, it can tow, it has a bed, it has 4 wheel drive. Yes I can do truck things. It’s only problem is reduced range while towing/hauling, which may or may not be a problem for you. It’s not a problem for me.

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