Friendly Ford buys F-150 Raptors from other dealerships

The 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor truck has bolted out of the starting gate, and Friendly Ford is purchasing the vehicle from dealerships throughout the country to keep them available.

The continuous supply of the 2017 Raptor from other Ford dealerships are thanks to the efforts of new truck manager Matt Cavaness.

“There are many people waiting for the Raptor,” said David Boehle, who has been in the car business for 23 years. “The horsepower, torque and the new 10-speed automatic transmission are among the reasons for the popularity of the Raptor.”

Boehle said the engine selections include the all-new 3.5-liter, twin-turbo Ecoboost V-6.

“The Ecoboost has 450 horsepower and has 510 pound-feet of torque,” Boehle said. “Nowadays, people love power, and they also love the packages offered on the Raptor.”

Also new on the 2017 Raptor is the Terrain Management System that allows the driver to select from six preset modes to enhance driving dynamics based on terrain and driving conditions.

Among the modes are Normal for everyday driving; Sport for high-performance, on-road driving; Weather for rain, snow or ice; Mud/Sand for muddy and sandy trails and terrain; Baja for high-speed desert running; and Rock/Crawl for low-speed rock crawling.

“I have never seen an F-150 4x4 straight from the factory that had this much power and torque and off-road capabilities,” Boehle said. “It’s truly amazing. The engineers at Ford Motor Company are absolutely unbelievable.”

Currently, there are more people wanting the Raptor than there are allocations for them.

“That’s the reason why we’re buying them from other dealers,” explained Boehle. “There are more customers that want Raptors than there are Raptors available. I have never seen anything like this where we have more people that want trucks than there are trucks to sell.”

Also key to the success is the fact that the Raptor is about 500 pounds lighter with a high-grade military-strength aluminum alloy body and steel backbone. Its high-strength boxed steel frame has resulted in the best-performing, most capable Raptor ever.

And nowhere is that more evident than off-road. Whether the driver is a race competitor or someone who simply wants to have the capability to cruise the desert, the Raptor is multifaceted.

It has better running clearance than the first-generation version, and its impressive additions have included four-wheel drive, torque-on-demand transfer case and 3.0-inch Fox Racing Shox with custom internal bypass technology.

For those wanting to capitalize on the latest arrival at Friendly Ford, Cavaness is constantly looking for additional inventory.

“We can sell 2017 Raptors all day long, but those coming in from the factory are usually presold,” Boehle said. “Matt goes out and secures other Raptor inventory for us.”

Situated at 660 N. Decatur Blvd., Friendly Ford has been at the same location since 1970 and is an 18-time winner of the prestigious President’s Award, Ford’s highest single honor for customer satisfaction.

The dealership will celebrate its 47th anniversary April 7.