First time Ford buyer: Lightning
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Freshman User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
First time Ford buyer: Lightning
Hi, everyone!
Fast cars has always been a passion of mine. I've owned numerous cars, from 442s to corvettes to chargers. Haven't had a Ford yet.
I'm looking for one vehicle that can serve as a daily driver, haul stuff, and still be fun to drive.
Pickups seem to fit my need, but which one? I like R/T Dakotas, but I don't like Dodge reliability especially in the auto transmissions.
The Ford Lightning has always impressed me, both in looks and performance. I raced one at the track with my vette, and got beat. Instant respect from me
So with all that out of the way, I'm seriously thinking about buying a used lightning. Naturally, I have some questions, so please excuse my dumb questions as I know nothing about Ford trucks
Most important, how reliable are these trucks? I'm thinking about buying a 1999, or close to that year. I think 1999 was the first year for that generation, so do I have to worry about 1st year bugs? Is there anything in particular that breaks on lightnings?
Second, what are the transmission choices? Since this will be my daily driver, I prefer an automatic. If auto is available will it hold up?
What kind of mileage do these trucks get?
What kind of prices can I expect, say for a mint condition 1999, with 75K miles?
I'm hoping to keep the budget around 12K, so that might knock me out of the newer trucks. What about the older lightnings?
Thanks in advance! Any informationn is greatly appreciated!
Fast cars has always been a passion of mine. I've owned numerous cars, from 442s to corvettes to chargers. Haven't had a Ford yet.
I'm looking for one vehicle that can serve as a daily driver, haul stuff, and still be fun to drive.
Pickups seem to fit my need, but which one? I like R/T Dakotas, but I don't like Dodge reliability especially in the auto transmissions.
The Ford Lightning has always impressed me, both in looks and performance. I raced one at the track with my vette, and got beat. Instant respect from me
So with all that out of the way, I'm seriously thinking about buying a used lightning. Naturally, I have some questions, so please excuse my dumb questions as I know nothing about Ford trucks
Most important, how reliable are these trucks? I'm thinking about buying a 1999, or close to that year. I think 1999 was the first year for that generation, so do I have to worry about 1st year bugs? Is there anything in particular that breaks on lightnings?
Second, what are the transmission choices? Since this will be my daily driver, I prefer an automatic. If auto is available will it hold up?
What kind of mileage do these trucks get?
What kind of prices can I expect, say for a mint condition 1999, with 75K miles?
I'm hoping to keep the budget around 12K, so that might knock me out of the newer trucks. What about the older lightnings?
Thanks in advance! Any informationn is greatly appreciated!
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
From: Marietta, GA
You should ask your questions over in the Lightning forum. If you can't get the answers there, there is a National Lightning Owners Club that has a forum that will provide you additional information.
Bill
Bill
Lead Driver
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,746
Likes: 7
From: Tampa Bay, FL USA
I second V8muscle's suggestion, but let me add one thing: look for a Lightning that's owned by someone you know. Like any high-performance vehicle, these are either babied or beaten. Ask friends if they know of anyone with one they want to sell. This is one vehicle that you don't want to be buying like a "pig in a poke," if you know what I mean.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,323
Likes: 2
From: Montana Territory
The tranny is a 4r70w, which is pretty good. They only came with automatic trannies. You'll want to make sure that the previous owner has service records, these are very dependable trucks, but they need service too.
