Ford Raptor: There’s Never Been a Better Time to Buy

End-of-year inventory and the disappearance of dealer markups make the 2018 Raptor a bargain proposition.

For many of us, the Ford Raptor represents a dream vehicle. Something that we’d love to own, but maybe can’t afford. Thanks to a $50k+ price tag and options that can quickly tack on 50% more, it certainly isn’t exactly what you’d call cheap. But now that we’ve seemingly moved past the days of dealer markups on the truck, is it now possible to find a deal on Ford’s off-road menace? Well, for that and other reasons, YouTuber Raiti’s Rides sure thinks so.

“There are so many dealerships that have been adding on the ADM markup on the price of the Raptor. And it’s been kind of scaring people away or putting people off,” he notes. But as we’ve seen recently at some other dealerships, his hometown Ford seller isn’t tacking markups on their trucks anymore. In fact, three of the four carry $1,000 discounts at the moment. The other one is selling at MSRP. Talk about a turn of events!

Thus, it looks like the hype that initially drove Raptor prices into the stratosphere might finally be over. “These cars are enthusiast-style vehicles,” Raiti notes. “People want them. And that creates a demand. And unfortunately, supply and demand — you know how that works.” We’d also throw in the fact that despite the controversy surrounding Ford’s switch to the V8, the new Raptor represented a big performance and capability step up from its predecessor.

Thus, the hype surrounding the new Raptor was incredibly strong when it came out. And people were more than willing to spend whatever was necessary to get their hands on one. Thankfully, that seems to be over now. And now that a slightly revised 2019 Raptor is hitting dealer lots, you can probably start nabbing end-of-year discounts, too!

So if you’ve been craving a new Raptor but couldn’t bring yourself to spend the cash, now appears to be the time to strike. Especially before all that good 2018 inventory dries up!

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.