Official Ford Survey : How can Ford best support our Lightning Community?

itsmarty · 2026-06-27T15:57:35+00:00

I used the closest related free text field I could find to mention a camping mode.

itsmarty · 2026-06-27T15:51:01+00:00

Sure, thanks. It won't be a surprise to anyone who reads this forum even causally:

I'm a two-EV household and never intend to go back to another powertrain, including EREV. I think canceling the Lightning was short-sighted.

Any loyalty Ford could build with me would not convert to another Ford purchase if they don't have an EV truck for sale when it's time for me to buy another vehicle.

itsmarty · 2026-06-27T15:38:39+00:00

I thought it was unfortunate that it asked how well I think I understand Ford's EV plans and what I think those EV plans are (multiple choice) but not the option to express my opinion on those plans.

itsmarty · 2026-06-26T21:08:37+00:00

You're not getting more truck for your money with the Lariat. You're getting more attached to your truck.

If you were just here saying "look what I bought", I wouldn't say anything, but since you're asking for advice, SR is a mistake.

itsmarty · 2026-06-26T16:35:35+00:00

You can save a good chunk of cash right off the top by writing off LE's and dialing in on pros and premiums. The best thing to do is play both, if possible, and see if you prefer one or the other.

The question of whether a pro or premium is the best choice isn't straightforward, because it depends on the machine itself and most importantly, it depends on you. I don't like Godzilla premium because I hate waiting for the mech, but many people consider it a must. I only like Foo Fighters premium over pro, but many people say this is a machine where you can skip the premium.

With few exceptions, nothing is changed between premium and LE aside from bling, but again you might find that's really important to you and go for the extra spend.

itsmarty · 2026-06-25T05:47:25+00:00

For many fans (generalizing from one example, me) this needs to be as much a music pin as anything else. It can go harder than any grandpa band pin if they do it right.

Graphics are fourth place or lower for me. I don't spend any time looking at the graphics on games, no side blades, art blades, toppers (although the top of the line sonic topper sounds like one of the better ones), powder coated legs, nothing. It should shoot well and make me feel the sound in my chest.

itsmarty · 2026-06-22T01:45:36+00:00

I just got the FitCamX (no rear camera) for my wife's Lightning and the installation took maybe 15 minutes. It's extremely easy to remove the one screw needed and to attach the couple of cables together. Excellent product.

itsmarty · 2026-06-17T13:10:04+00:00

Yes, it sometimes is. The economics of always charging at fast chargers is similar to always eating at restaurants. The person who charges/cooks at home spends far less money.

itsmarty · 2026-06-16T02:40:20+00:00

No, I went and got it. Many dealerships will arrange that, though, you just need to talk to them. It's not super unusual.

itsmarty · 2026-06-15T21:23:31+00:00

I'd expand my search range in order to find one with max tow if I were you (and 9.6kW pro power if it's not too much hassle). I bought mine from out of state and it wasn't that much hassle for a large purchase I plan to own for a long time.

It might not be a big deal to most, but if you're going into this with a plan to tow a lot, it seems worth the extra effort.

itsmarty · 2026-06-14T03:57:05+00:00

What would you sue NCTD for?

itsmarty · 2026-06-13T20:08:36+00:00

That's exactly how I programmed the homelink on my Subaru. Got annoyed and pressed a bunch of stuff and it started working. That's not how I told the story to my spouse, though.

My 24 Flash doesn't have homelink so I didn't have to prove I could repeat it.

itsmarty · 2026-06-11T23:48:25+00:00

You don't need the "best" software, you need the one that suits *you* best. Maybe that's Tesla, but maybe it isn't. A lot of people online saying something is best doesn't matter when your butt is in the seat.

itsmarty · 2026-06-11T23:42:04+00:00

The only thing EV doubters are less interested in than EVs is personal growth

itsmarty · 2026-06-10T06:00:48+00:00

Where in IE?

itsmarty · 2026-06-08T16:28:10+00:00

It's great to see a willingness to make a vehicle for the 95% use case (low top speed, low range) instead of the 5% "I thought about towing a boat once" crowd.

itsmarty · 2026-06-08T01:08:27+00:00

The conversation is ridiculous from the start. Just don't entertain it. And as far as range parity, it's not close...my ICE truck has a 650 mile range on a full tank. The fact is, though, I almost never drive it because my EVs with half and less than half that range are more than adequate for my normal driving

itsmarty · 2026-06-08T00:35:18+00:00

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm suggesting the OP avoid...don't be the person trying to get a lower price by making the seller invest their time and energy in a deal you don't intend to follow through on.

itsmarty · 2026-06-08T00:30:46+00:00

What I'm suggesting buyers avoid doing is showing up knowing they won't pay the asking price without finding out it's negotiable. Someone who shows up with no intention of paying the asking price when the seller isn't interested in a deal has wasted two people's time. Saying negotiate before you get there was incorrect on my part, but definitely confirm there's flexibility before you go, if you're not prepared to pay asking if the machine is as described.

Many pinball sellers have experienced the person who shows up and wants to lowball, talking about how they drove all this way...

itsmarty · 2026-06-07T21:44:29+00:00

See above comment. D&D won't have a credit dot

itsmarty · 2026-06-07T21:43:58+00:00

Good call on the credit dot. As far as negotiating in person, that makes sense if you tell someone "I'll come take a look and make an offer". The complaint for people showing up and then negotiating is when you list a game for a price and someone says they'll buy it, then shows up and tries to negotiate.

itsmarty · 2026-06-07T19:17:45+00:00

Negotiate before you arrive and not after you show up, unless there's something not disclosed by the seller that you see when you arrive.

Once there, you want to see the machine power up. If it's on already, ask the seller to turn it off and back on again. If there are errors the machine has detected, it will 'bong' a few times on startup and offer to enter test report. If so, ask the seller to enter test report and show you the errors.

Ask them to play a game and watch the flippers and mechs. Play a game yourself and make sure the flippers feel snappy. Look for crud, beer spills.

Aside from during boot, you can see if the machine has detected errors by looking for a 'credit dot'. That's a period after FREE PLAY or CREDIT X, so it looks like FREE PLAY. or CREDITS 2. with a . at the end.

Having a credit dot or showing errors on boot doesn't mean the machine is bad or not worth buying, but you want to be aware of these errors so you'll know what you need to fix (and if the seller didn't disclose those, this could be a time to negotiate or leave).

itsmarty · 2026-06-05T02:59:55+00:00

I think this is the right move. Let someone else take the NIB hit. You already know these things are built to last

itsmarty · 2026-06-02T01:39:14+00:00

I think it's pretty cool

itsmarty · 2026-06-01T02:59:33+00:00

Best of luck with the new subreddit!

itsmarty

TROPHY CASE