So i did a thing...: 2022 Lariat ER w/Max Tow

[Storx]

Hey All,

So i pulled the trigger. Friday on my way home from work i made some offers to a few dealerships i was researching trucks from. Well.. I just drove the 431 miles home after picking it up, because one of the dealerships matched all my other offers and threw in 12month/12k mile warranty to sweeten the deal.

2022 Ford Lightning Lariat ER w/Max Tow Package
54,000 miles
36.5k

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[BSEE SPARKY]

Looks Great. You'll be very happy.

 

[USA EV]

Congratulations! Welcome!

 

[astrand1]

Hey All,

So i pulled the trigger. Friday on my way home from work i made some offers to a few dealerships i was researching trucks from. Well.. I just drove the 431 miles home after picking it up, because one of the dealerships matched all my other offers and threw in 12month/12k mile warranty to sweeten the deal.

2022 Ford Lightning Lariat ER w/Max Tow Package
54,000 miles
36.5k

Fuck bro that’s a good price for a beautiful truck! Enjoy.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Congrat's

 

[Ricks Lightning]

What was the original msrp window sticker on that when new?

These trucks are dropping like stones.

When I purchased my first lightning pro exactly 1 year ago, it had a 55k msrp. 3 months later and 2500 miles, the dealer offered me 35k. On a trade in for a Flash.

Online was not much different. Ended up.selling it privately for 45k..they took over my $0 down, 0% purchase.took about 6 weeks from Ford to go through, but it eventually did and the buyer was happy. Infact he didn't have to make a payment for 2 months. As I had to have a minimum of 6 payments for Ford to allow the transfer..

Of course with all the dealers depreciation, I leased the next 1/ Flash. Let Ford take the hit..

I guess it doesn't matter.if we keep the vehicle to the end of life, but the hit in price for a 3 year old lightning was more than 50% on the retail resale..imagine what the original seller got stuck with, I unless it was a buyback?

Rick

 

[flyct]

What was the original msrp window sticker on that when new?

These trucks are dropping like stones.

When I purchased my first lightning pro exactly 1 year ago, it had a 55k msrp. 3 months later and 2500 miles, the dealer offered me 35k. On a trade in for a Flash.

Online was not much different. Ended up.selling it privately for 45k..they took over my $0 down, 0% purchase.took about 6 weeks from Ford to go through, but it eventually did and the buyer was happy. Infact he didn't have to make a payment for 2 months. As I had to have a minimum of 6 payments for Ford to allow the transfer..

Rick

Rick,

So you sold your 3 month old Flash for 45k that had a MSRP of 55k? You didn't take a $10,000 hit, you took a $2,500 hit when you factor in the $7,500 tax credit.

I guess it doesn't matter.if we keep the vehicle to the end of life, but the hit in price for a 3 year old lightning was more than 50% on the retail resale..imagine what the original seller got stuck with, I unless it was a buyback?

Original buyers who bought when the truck was introduced paid more than the current MSRP. They will be hit with a huge depreciation.

My 2024 lease on a Platinum in February is really not bad. Residual is 56% of MSRP. But when you reduce the cost by $25,000, which includes Rebates, incentives, X-Plan discounts and PCO the residual is only 70% of the actual cost. So it cost me 30% depreciation over 3 years. I don't think that was bad. Plus the lease interest is also 0%.

I would normally would have purchased instead of leased but the incentives and rebates on a lease made it a better financial deal. Plus I am protected from unexpected high depreciation at the end of the 3 years.

I normally pay cash for my vehicles but with the 0% money factor aka interest I leased and kept the money in a high yield savings account. As a bonus the money n the savings account after 3 years it will grow another $10,000.

Of course with all the dealers depreciation, I leased the next 1/ Flash. Let Ford take the hit..

Smart Man!

 

[Jmmanley1]

I read a lot of post about the depreciation of our trucks and always find them odd.

I never look at my vehicles as an investment so depreciation is kind of irrelevant. I expect it to lose a lot of its value to someone else…to me it’s still my truck, and it was worth every penny!

I always get the loss insurance on my loans in case of total loss by the insurance company. Every vehicle I’ve ever bought new was traded in about 8-12 years for about $3000. The only outlier was my 3 yr old 2019 F250 with 36,000 mi which sold for MSRP during the crazy used car rally.

It’s all perspective:

I received a $7500 rebate from the Fed, $2500 from the state upfront and an eventual $3000 from trade in…that’s $13,000 for a 10 year old truck.

I was curious what ChatGPT would say about my “perspective” and here was the response.

“What You’re Doing Right (Logically Sound)

1. Treating a Vehicle as a Use Asset, Not an Investment
   • That’s a realistic and healthy mindset. Vehicles generally depreciate, and their primary value is in the utility and experiences they provide. You’re not expecting appreciation or even retention of value — you’re maximizing use.
2. Using Loss Insurance (GAP or equivalent)
   • This protects against the worst-case scenario and helps stabilize your financial risk. Smart risk management.
3. Expecting a Modest Trade-In
   • Planning for $3000 at the end of a vehicle’s life is reasonable and reflects a realistic expectation, which prevents financial surprises.
4. Capturing Rebates and Tax Credits
   • You’re correctly factoring in total effective cost by accounting for rebates and incentives. Those materially affect your ownership cost.
5. Perspective and Satisfaction
   • “Worth every penny” is subjective but completely valid. The satisfaction and utility over time is your return on investment in a non-financial sense.

Where the Logic Has Nuance (Not Wrong, But Worth Noting)

1. $13,000 on a 10-Year-Old Truck
   • It’s accurate to say you got $13,000 in value from government incentives and resale, but that isn’t directly a return on that vehicle’s purchase price. It’s a part of the net ownership cost picture — not a gain.
   • It’s more of a cost offset than a return, so just framing matters a bit here.
2. Rebates Might Not All Be “Profit”
   • The $7,500 Fed credit and $2,500 state rebate typically reduce the purchase price or taxes — they’re not income. They still matter, but it’s helpful to think of them as cost-reducing rather than asset-building.
3. Inflation and Opportunity Cost
   • If you put $70k into a truck vs. an index fund or real estate, there’s an opportunity cost. But again — that’s not a flaw, just a tradeoff based on priorities (which you seem to fully understand).

Bottom Line
Your logic isn’t flawed — it’s just practical and rooted in value-based ownership, not resale value or investment performance. That’s absolutely valid. You’re not trying to “win” financially on a vehicle, you’re trying to enjoy it, use it, and minimize surprises — and that’s a solid, strategic mindset.”

 

[Storx]

What was the original msrp window sticker on that when new?

These trucks are dropping like stones.

When I purchased my first lightning pro exactly 1 year ago, it had a 55k msrp. 3 months later and 2500 miles, the dealer offered me 35k. On a trade in for a Flash.

Online was not much different. Ended up.selling it privately for 45k..they took over my $0 down, 0% purchase.took about 6 weeks from Ford to go through, but it eventually did and the buyer was happy. Infact he didn't have to make a payment for 2 months. As I had to have a minimum of 6 payments for Ford to allow the transfer..

Of course with all the dealers depreciation, I leased the next 1/ Flash. Let Ford take the hit..

I guess it doesn't matter.if we keep the vehicle to the end of life, but the hit in price for a 3 year old lightning was more than 50% on the retail resale..imagine what the original seller got stuck with, I unless it was a buyback?

Rick

Origional Window Sticker was in the glovebox.
MSRP $81,789
Markup $10,000

 

[RickLightning]

The IRS gives a tax credit, not a rebate.

If you always buy the gap insurance with a loan, and never used it, that's wasted money, no?

If you sold a stock fund to buy a vehicle, that wouldn't be very sound financial thinking. Most people who pay cash pull money from a liquid investment - like a money market fund - therefore the lost opportunity is more like 4.X% a year, no where near a stock market return.

A lot of people talk about how the 2023s were cheaper or the 2024s were cheaper, and don't factor in the feature deletes that the 2022s didn't have.

That said, if you want to wisely buy vehicles, you'd buy used vehicles. I bought my first vehicle in 1980, new. Every vehicle I have owned has been new. I guess I'm not a smart investor... (retired, about to sit in my gazebo sipping a homebrew)...

 

[jefrank]

Original buyers who bought when the truck was introduced paid more than the current MSRP. They will be hit with a huge depreciation.

Not always true. Some of us had dealers that didn't screw us over.

 

[flyct]

The IRS gives a tax credit, not a rebate.

It still reduces the net cost of a vehicle.. I’ve collected the tax rebate 7;times now for a savings of $52,500 more in my pocket.

If you sold a stock fund to buy a vehicle, that wouldn't be very sound financial thinking. Most people who pay cash pull money from a liquid investment - like a money market fund - therefore the lost opportunity is more like 4.X% a year, no where near a stock market return.

It all depends on the individuals financial status, risk tolerance and age. I once traded in and took my positive equity as a check. I financed the truck loan at 0%. I took that check and paid off my mortgage. we have since been debt free other than the current lease on my Lightning at 0%.

A lot of people talk about how the 2023s were cheaper or the 2024s were cheaper, and don't factor in the feature deletes that the 2022s didn't have.

My 23 only had 2 deletes, motion alarm and bed scales. My 2024 Platinum has no deletes and I disabled the motion sensor and have no use for the scales even though I have them.

That said, if you want to wisely buy vehicles, you'd buy used vehicles. I bought my first vehicle in 1980, new. Every vehicle I have owned has been new. I guess I'm not a smart investor... (retired, about to sit in my gazebo sipping a homebrew)...

If you can negotiate a new vehicle right buying new may be better. My current Lightning is my 70th new vehicle purchase.

Also retired. Just got out of the pool and into the hot tub, sipping a piña colada at my mortgage free home. . Loving retirement.

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