I blogged a while ago about Ford setting fairly reasonable pricing on the new F150 SVT Raptor pickup. The Raptor promises to be quite an off-road vehicle with its bypass shocks, rear locker, big V8 and good chassis geometry. The prices announced are $38,995.00 for a Raptor with the 5.4 V8 and $41,995.00 for one with the new Boss 6.1 V8.
A Raptor disaster is shaping up. A friend just went to his local Ford dealership to order a Raptor. Surprise, surprise. The dealer told him the cheapest price on any Raptor is over $50,000.00! Since then, I've found that many Ford dealerships are slapping a premium on the Raptor.
It seems strange that Ford dealers would be doing this in these tough economic times. Then again, this is EXACTLY why so many hate auto dealers. It's also why the OEs are in so much trouble.
Ford, declare the Raptor dealership pricing a disaster area and throttle dealers that are going to kill the Raptor before it has a chance!