Trading My Ford F-150 Raptor for an Expedition Timberline: Good Idea or Horrible Mistake?
To many, the thought of trading a Ford F-150 Raptor for an Expedition Timberline is just silly, but there are some valid reasons why it makes sense.
I’ve owned quite a few different Fords in my lifetime, including F-150 pickups covering multiple generations – some of which have made appearances here at Ford Truck Enthusiasts, as many loyal readers may already be aware. However, owning a Ford F-150 Raptor was always something I eventually dreamed of doing, and that opportunity finally presented itself at a time when the the automotive market, in general, was going through some wild times following the onset of the pandemic.
Driving past my preferred dealer one day in late summer 2022, I spotted it – a 2022 Ford F-150 Raptor, finished in Antimatter Blue, and equipped with the 37 Package – precisely the spec I wanted. At that time, it was essentially impossible to find a Raptor of any kind sitting on a dealer lot (at sticker price, to boot), let alone one like this, so I jumped at the opportunity to buy it – at least, after confirming that I wouldn’t have to pay any sort of markup.
Fast forward a little over three years, and that truck is now gone, as I recently traded it in for a 2024 Ford Expedition Timberline – a move that some folks will obviously question, at the very least. Originally, I planned on keeping the Raptor for a long time, but much has changed for me, as is usually the case in life. There are also some issues that I experienced with the truck that became quite frustrating, so let me explain my seemingly bizarre decision a bit more in detail.
For starters, my Ford F-150 Raptor was built during a time when automakers were facing serious supply chain issues, and my truck is one of them, as it came without auto start/stop from the factory – a good thing, in my personal opinion. However, this was also a time when Ford was experiencing serious quality issues with many of its products, which is why so many of them are still being recalled (and recalled again) to this day.
That was certainly true of my truck, as I can’t even recall (pun intended) how many times it’s been to the dealer for repairs. Heck, it’s been three times for the old flickering LED headlight issue, because the software update fix didn’t work, and it was still a problem when I parted ways with the truck. Then there’s the sudden full volume static randomly coming from the stereo system (better than coffee if one needs to wake up quickly), and the failing rearview camera, not to mention the fuel pump recall there’s currently no fix for.
I also experienced tons of issues with the active exhaust, as many Ford F-150 Raptor owners from this generation have, where it tends to rattle – in some cases, quite loudly, which is perfectly fine if you’re driving some old beater, but it isn’t a great look for a pricey vehicle with a just few thousand miles on the clock. A dealer replaced the valve, but it continued to rattle, and honestly, I just got tired of spending more time at the dealer than actually driving the truck. Throw in the fact that I have three large dogs, and that my wife and I travel halfway across the country a couple of times a year, and a full-size SUV just seemed to make a ton of sense.
Previously, we were making that trip in my wife’s 2021 Ford Bronco, but as one might imagine, that isn’t exactly ideal given our specific situation. Thus, when the redesigned 2025 Expedition launched earlier this year, I was intrigued, and headed down to my preferred dealer to check them out. At that time, the new Expedition was selling like hotcakes, but I had the option to place a deposit on one that was in transit.
There was one sold Tremor on the lot, so I was able to take a peek at it, at least – though I couldn’t drive it. I wasn’t a huge fan, right off the bat, of the small and oddly shaped steering wheel, but those are the sorts of things that one gets used to. However, there was also a 2024 Expedition Timberline sitting on the lot, with a massive discount applied to the original sticker price, saving me a cool $15k if I opted to go that route.
I wound up taking it for a test drive, and was immediately impressed at how differently it drives compared to an F-150. The “truckiness” is completely absent, even though this one has a front leveling kit and 34-inch Nitto Ridge Terrain Grappler all-terrain tires that the dealer had installed previously. The ride was super smooth, and maneuvering the big-bodied SUV around tight spaces was incredibly easy – something that I was concerned about, given the fact that my wife would be driving it a lot and has never driven, let alone owned a large vehicle of any kind.
Regardless, I still went home and mulled the decision, and wound up realizing that the leftover 2024 model was the right move for me. Turns out, it was a good one, because we find ourselves tooling around in the Expedition more than any other vehicle in the garage these days – it’s supremely comfortable and pleasant to drive, and there’s room for several friends in the back, if we just want to car pool somewhere.
Thus, I honestly don’t find myself missing the Raptor these days, even though it was a comfortable, capable, and fantastic-looking vehicle. Like most Raptor owners, I wasn’t exactly out there going on regular high-speed Baja-style desert blasts, either. Honestly, given how expensive those trucks are, I’m not in the kind of position one needs to be in to be capable of financially recovering from wrecking their truck in that kind of scenario. Turns out, insurance companies aren’t exactly keen to reimburse you for rolling a vehicle after launching it off a large hill – something I don’t need to worry about when I’m transporting the dogs to and from day care, at least.
Photos for Ford Truck Enthusiasts by Brett Foote
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