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2001 F150
Lightning - The Story
GENERAL MOTORS
Well, believe it or not, the Lightning was not my first choice
in vehicle. In fact, it was a long time after beginning my search
that I even meet with a Lightning, face to face.
I actually started out looking for a car... I already had the
Camaro and the Z28, and wanted something a little different. My
first choice was the Pontiac Grand Prix GTP.
It had a look all it's own. It had a supercharged V6, making
240HP (and modifications are possible)... The sticker was a reasonable
$37,000 (all figures are in Canadian Funds). It looked like a
really good option. Then I tried to sit in it. My smile quickly
turned to a frown :( I'm a pretty big guy. I'm 6'6" and about
270lbs. There was just no way I could fit into the GTP. Just to
have my head not touching the ceiling, I had to push the seat
on such an angle that even my long arms couldn't reach the steering
wheel.
So the GTP was out (it was FWD, anyways), but on the same lot
was an S10 Xtreme. It looked nice - actually kinda flashy, rear
wheel drive, and I fit! Could this be the one???
Time for a test drive... Uh oh... Kinda feels weak. But the price
was good at $28,000 (after tax) it was substantially less than
the GTP, and there's a healthy aftermarket, too. I could use the
savings to pump up the abilities of the truck to something more
respectable. I honestly believe I would be driving this vehicle
today, had the salesperson pushed a little harder. I really liked
the truck, but we couldn't come to an agreement, mostly because
the sales person was too soft, and unwilling to do any dealing
without first checking with the manager.
I decided to wait a while, and really think out my decision.
It should be noted that there were a few other quick considerations
made, before I finally ended up at the Ford dealership. They are
as follows:
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Car
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Reason
why not
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Subaru
Impreza WRX
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Too
small, can't fit at all :(
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Lexus
IS300
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Too
small, don't fit well
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Chevy
Z28
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Did
I really want 3 Camaros
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BMW
325
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Fun
and fit well, but I didn't feel worth the price with the
options I wanted
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Acura
3.2CL-S
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Suspension
felt mushy, FWD is not really my thing
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FORD
My father has always driven Fords. He owns the F-250 that can
be seen in some of my pictures. Once I told my father that I was
looking at a truck, he kept pushing for me to try out the Ford
offerings. I decided I wasn't doing myself any justice by not
making a completely informed decision. Off to the local Ford dealership
I went. I didn't care for the styling of the Ranger, but the F-150
looked interesting.
I looked at the Super Cab 4x4 with the 5.4l engine. I fit in
the F-150. The seats were comfortable, and the truck seemed to
fit with my style a little more than the little S10 Xtreme. It
was bigger, more of a work horse and looked meaner, to me at least.
Time for a test drive! I was surprised by the lack of power the
truck had. Based on the engine size, I figured this would be a
brute. I wasn't expecting musclecar sensations, but was quite
disappointed. The S10 felt quicker.
My father has always driven Fords. He owns the F-250 that can
be seen in some of my pictures. Once I told my father that I was
looking at a truck, he kept pushing for me to try out the Ford
offerings. I decided I wasn't doing myself any justice by not
making a completely informed decision. Off to the local Ford dealership
I went. I didn't care for the styling of the Ranger, but the F-150
looked interesting.
I looked at the Super Cab 4x4 with the 5.4l engine. I fit in
the F-150. The seats were comfortable, and the truck seemed to
fit with my style a little more than the little S10 Xtreme. It
was bigger, more of a work horse and looked meaner, to me at least.
Time for a test drive! I was surprised by the lack of power the
truck had. Based on the engine size, I figured this would be a
brute. I wasn't expecting musclecar sensations, but was quite
disappointed. The S10 felt quicker.
I explained my concern to the salesperson, (unknown to me I was
at an Authorized SVT Dealership) and he responded, "Then,
do I have the truck for you!"
The Lightning
It was inside the dealership, and I had never seen one before.
Not images on the Net, and definitely not in person.
Here I was, face-to-face with the perfect vehicle for me. It
had everything I liked about the F-150, but improved upon it.
A meaner look with the ground effects. The wheels, covered with
monster rubber screamed high performance. The interior had a custom-look,
with the black and gray captain's chair. And under the hood!!!
This was the one for me!
My only question was what colour to get. It only took me a little
while to find the one for me. There was a silver one at Donway
Ford (Eglinton Ave. near Warden Ave.) in Toronto. Don Vass, the
sales person, was fantastic. He let me take the Lightning for
a brief test drive, and the smile on my face when I returned sealed
the deal. I HAD to have one.
My long journey towards my first new vehicle came to an end,
mid-July, 2001. I had a brand new SVT Lightning. While no where
near what I had originally expected to get, there is absolutely
no way I'd trade her for anything else I had looked at along the
way.
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