Upgrade just for the bigger battery?

[AirVeg]

With tax incentives going away I started toying with the idea of trading out my 23 XLT SR (purchased new 4/24) for a 25 Flash ER. Other than the battery, the Flash adds nothing of any value to me. I don’t drive a much, with only 11k miles, and almost never DC charger but a couple times a year, so my SR battery has never been a concern even in winter. However my in-laws are looking to offload a pop up camper and offered it to us for free. If we take it on and become a semi frequent tower, the ER obviously would make more sense. So I had the day off and popped in 2 different local dealers just to see what they had to offer.

The one problem is I’m not even 18 months into my 72 month XLT loan so I owe 41K and it’s valued maybe mid 30s. Both dealers priced out the same truck, both came back at 0% with slightly different discounts added. One offer was 986/mo the other 969/mo after I pinned the first offer on them.

Either offer the payment will be just slightly more than my current payment, but adding on 30k in additional debt and resetting my 72months. Of course I could drop more cash but no point if 0%.

So the question is now do I take the deal now with the tax credit just for easier towing or just roll with my SR since I really do love the truck as is. Or maybe there is more room to haggle, but I’m not so sure since I’m upside down and they let me walk reasonably easy compared to previous buying experiences.

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[K6CCC]

Unfortunately you eat a big loss on the previous truck. If it were me, I would get the bigger battery - oh wait, I did... If I had the smaller battery, it would be hard to pay the price to make that upgrade.

I specifically wanted the Flash to get the bigger battery and I wanted the 9.6 KW PPO. I don't use it a lot, but I sure do use it... For my 66 year old body, the tailgate step is a Godsend. There was noting in the Lariat that I wanted (and a few things I specifically did not want), so the Flash was perfect for me.

 

[wpy8912]

Buy a used ER

 

[AirVeg]

Buy a used ER

I’ve been looking at this too, but the math doesn’t work out with no finance incentives on used vehicles. Plus I’m more on my own to eat the trade in difference.

 

[Firn]

I’ve been looking at this too, but the math doesn’t work out with no finance incentives on used vehicles. Plus I’m more on my own to eat the trade in difference.

2025 flash, if they are on the job 2 trucks, has a 120kwh battery, not the 131 of previous years. So you would be dropping a lot of money for less of an upgrade.

How much is your time worth? You can buy a lot of time at a charger for that amount of coin

 

[Saberdentures]

I don’t think you should upgrade; too much money for too little extra range. I would gladly make a few extra charging stops to save several thousand dollars.

 

[watts/up]

My opinion is that it makes no sense to add that debt just for a larger battery that you might use (not necessarily need) a couple times a year. I’m sure @hturnerfamily will weigh in on this but you can definitely tow a trailer with a SR battery and a pop-up should be even less of a hit than your typical trailer. Save your money.

 

[chl]

So the estimated range for the SR battery Lightnings is 230 miles.
The estimated range is 300 miles for the 2025 flash with the 123kWh battery.
The larger ER battery 131kWh range (Lariat or Platinum) is 320 miles.

If you go for it drop the Ford Mobil Power Cord (-$600) from the deal and get the $7500 tax credit upfront so the 71,017.69 becomes $62,917.69, but maybe think about adding an extended warranty.

You've got the 0% loan in the deal, so the 62917.69/72 = $873.86/mo (not including any add-on).

Get gap insurance - you see how fast things depreciate, if totaled you're screwed.

Consider you are paying quite a bit for an extra 70 miles of estimated range, so it it worth it?

Consider that the odds are the EV tax credits will come back once the current office holders change, could be 4 years from now, and ponder what the range will be of the EV pickup trucks of 2029-30?

Also, only a semi-frequent tower of the camper? How much range will towing the camper eat up? Where would you tow it? Are there plenty of charging stations along the way? Maybe the extra range would not make much difference?

Just lowering highway speed might make enough of a difference in range that having an extra 70 mile range estimate won't matter?

But if after careful thought and calculation, you really need the extra 70 mile range and can afford the new payments, then you do it.

Good luck

 

[KahnDawg]

You may want to thoroughly question your dealer about the 30D $7500 tax incentive and the eligibility for the 2025 Flash. The attached screenshots were shared earlier today in the Facebook Ford F-150 Lightning Owners Group.

From my understanding (which could be flawed), 2025 mid-range (Flash) and extended-range (Lariat and Platinum) no longer qualify for the 30D incentive.

I just wanted to give you a heads up in case this were a factor in your decision making.

 

[jimfigler]

I did back in April 2024 but only because my 2023 Pro had 11k in positive equity and the deal on the Lariat ER was crazy good. With trade equity it was 35k off. No regrets.

 

[Etsquared]

With tax incentives going away I started toying with the idea of trading out my 23 XLT SR (purchased new 4/24) for a 25 Flash ER. Other than the battery, the Flash adds nothing of any value to me. I don’t drive a much, with only 11k miles, and almost never DC charger but a couple times a year, so my SR battery has never been a concern even in winter. However my in-laws are looking to offload a pop up camper and offered it to us for free. If we take it on and become a semi frequent tower, the ER obviously would make more sense. So I had the day off and popped in 2 different local dealers just to see what they had to offer.

The one problem is I’m not even 18 months into my 72 month XLT loan so I owe 41K and it’s valued maybe mid 30s. Both dealers priced out the same truck, both came back at 0% with slightly different discounts added. One offer was 986/mo the other 969/mo after I pinned the first offer on them.

Either offer the payment will be just slightly more than my current payment, but adding on 30k in additional debt and resetting my 72months. Of course I could drop more cash but no point if 0%.

So the question is now do I take the deal now with the tax credit just for easier towing or just roll with my SR since I really do love the truck as is. Or maybe there is more room to haggle, but I’m not so sure since I’m upside down and they let me walk reasonably easy compared to previous buying experiences.

Not really necessary but you will stop ALOT more often if camping or overnighting MORE THAN 150 miles from your home. That simply means you will stop at superchargers after 110 MILES! of travel for not so obvious reasons.
1. SUPERCHARGERS stop charging you at 90%. So your 185 est. range w/ camper and available supercharger locations will severely limit range to say a second or third camping overnight stop.
2. Those additional stops mean lots of DQ blizzards, McDonald, Starbucks lattes etc lol good luck though I would up range to FLASH if financially feasible after my similar experiences with my 2023 SR

 

[Ricks Lightning]

Sell the truck on your own. i was in a similar situation last year with a 3 month old Pro. wanted the flash with the ER. several dealers were at 35k on a 55 msrp Pro. sold it on my own for 45k, and was able to forward the 0 down 0% to the new buyer, but it took 5 weeks and i needed to have a total of 6 payments for Ford to accept the deal. buyer got a deal and i got out for 5k out of pocket.

Rick

 

[Danface]

BTW, in reality, the camper is not "free" so perhaps buy a small camper that you can pull with the SR?

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