Ford Raptor R drivers hate the decals that come on the truck. At least, that’s according to car salesman @captaindriver who posted a viral TikTok about a common customer practice.
According to him, every single customer who’s purchased a Raptor R from him immediately rips its decals off. Strangely enough, this option is listed as a $1,800 MSRP option from Ford. His clip on the topic garnered over 5.6 million views and commenters speculated as to why these stickers are maligned.
Stickers off
“This is one of my customer’s trucks,” he says while showing off a Ford Raptor R. “One thing I noticed about every single Raptor R customer I’ve sold, they always want me to remove the graphics.”
Next, he goes on to point out the locations of these undesired stickers on the Raptor’s body.
“On the MSRP, it’s like $1,800 for the stickers on the hood, right here, and on the back. One of the gentlemen I sold it to as I was walking out of finance to give him the rest of his paperwork, I just see him yanking the stickers off the side,” he says. “Nobody wants the stickers on the Raptor R’s apparently.”
Toward the end of the video, the car salesman begins to muse why this could possibly be the case. “Maybe there’s a reason why I can’t afford one. But, I would keep the stickers on. I don’t know. What would you do?” he asks.
Ford’s history of ‘sleeper’ cars
Conan O’Brien has famously argued in favor of his 1992 Ford Taurus SHO (Super High Output). On the vehicle’s exterior, it appears to look like a pedestrian sedan. One that was built as a reliable commuter vehicle. In fact, the Taurus was part of a major re-branding campaign for Ford in the 1980s. The vehicle was the auto manufacturer’s poster child for its re-commitment to quality.
The model became so popular that other variants were offered by it, such as the SHO variant. What differentiated the car was what was under the hood. It sported a variety of performance upgrades. A beefier engine, upgraded suspension, and many SHO variants came with a manual transmission.
While the SHO never became a sales savior for Ford, there is certainly a market for sleeper performance vehicles. The Raptor R is essentially a Ford F-150 on steroids. Like the Taurus SHO, on the outside, it looks similar to the standard version of America’s top-selling car. However, it packs a supercharged V8 engine that cranks out 720 horsepower.
Raptor vs Raptor R
Even within the F-150’s performance variants, there are tiers. The Raptor still has an engine that’s considerably more powerful than an entry-level F-150. It comes with a twin-turbo V6 that tops out of 450 horses, significantly less than the R variant.
The Raptor R’s 37-inch tire option is also standard, whereas Raptor buyers will have to pony up more for that upgrade. This Ford dealership delineated the differences between the two models. However, it appears that the list of similarities between the two is greater than the distinctions that set them apart.
@captaindriver Would you take the Raptor R graphics off? #raptorr ♬ original sound – captaindriver
TikTokers have their own ideas
Folks who responded to the Ford salesman’s post speculated as to why Raptor drivers remove their stickers. One person said it could be a means of not wanting to catch the attention of car thieves. “Removing the graphics deters from theft,” they said.
Someone else replied they just aren’t a fan of decals. After all, purchasing a vehicle with a $109,000 MSRP just for it to look like something out of Fortnite just feels wrong. “Decals are tacky period. It already has badges, no need for it to look like a hot wheels,” they said.
Another person made a connection to a common dealer practice. “Nobody wants the dealers logos in their vehicles either. Yet y’all still do it,” they said.
One TikTok user had a more practical explanation as to why folks remove decals from their cars. For them, it’s about preserving the car’s aesthetics and minimizing its depreciation. “They are tacky and ruin your paint over the long term,” they said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Ford via email and Captain Driver via TikTok comment.
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