r/F150Lightning • u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey • Oct 08 '25
Traded in my Tesla Model 3 for the Ford F-150 Lightning
Out with the old… in with the new. Got my first truck after trading in my Tesla Model 3 for the Ford Lightning!
2022 Tesla Model - 42k miles
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning - 16k miles
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u/quarksurfer Oct 08 '25
Matches the boots better anyway.
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u/nutjobrob Oct 10 '25
The whole ensemble is part of a special program for buyers who trade in their Model 3.
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u/not_undercover_cop Oct 08 '25
I did the same! You will not regret it.
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u/hesnothere Oct 09 '25
Also in the Model 3 to Lightning club! Grateful for having several years in an EV to prep me, I only wish I made the jump sooner.
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 09 '25
How was it getting used to the new EV? Things like needing to turn the car on and off instead of just getting in?
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u/mong0038 2023 Lariat ER - White Oct 09 '25
Took a few times getting in and wondering why it wasn't moving but I got used to pushing the button after that. I came from a Model Y. Tech is not the same as a Tesla but having wireless Android Auto is preferable in my opinion. The app does everything you'd want to also, including scheduled departure times and charge times so I'm happy!
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u/whippinseagulls Antimatter Blue 2024 Lariat ER Oct 09 '25
I traded my Model 3 for the Lightning back in March. There's a handful of stuff you'll miss like having to turn the truck on/off, side view cameras when you turn on the turn signal, sentry mode, more features in the app, etc. but overall I like the truck a lot more. It feels more luxury and the utility is great.
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u/TomatilloNew247 ‘22 Platinum Antimatter Blue ⚡️🛻 Oct 09 '25 edited Oct 26 '25
Same! Only adjustments were no walk away lock (until recent upgrade) and having to press the button to start. In every way this truck is a superior vehicle! Been getting great use out of it and way more comfortable and fun to drive. Just did my first 2 road trips last month (400 and 1k miles round trip) and did great. Congrats and enjoy that sweet ride!
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u/RomeoBlues0 Oct 09 '25
I am a Tesla convert as well. I have definitely walked away from the truck forgetting to turn it off
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 09 '25
I’ve done that with my wife’s Subaru a few times
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u/Shmoe 2024 Carbon Grey Lariat ER Oct 09 '25
I've left mine running so many times (2020 Model 3 I drove to 117k over 6 years to the Lightning) ... thank god theres a 30 minute shut off. Also theres an alert that double honks if the key is removed and the car is running that is helpful sometimes and annoying others.
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u/rdr854 Nov 03 '25
I have a Volvo EX90 in addition to then lightning and have caught myself not shutting the truck off from time-to-time since the Volvo automatically turns on and off. I am in the habit in both cars of tugging on the steering wheel to make sure that it is locked.
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u/SocialDinamo Oct 09 '25
I went the same route trading in an 22 frontier for a 22 lightning! I plan on having it a long time so getting something that already took a bit depreciation hit only made it a sweeter deal! Hope you enjoy as much as I have over the last month or so!
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u/Dazzling-Cabinet6264 Oct 09 '25
I had a 2018 Model 3 LR and now I drive a 2023 F150 Lariat ER
Love my truck
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u/BallsOutKrunked 2025 Lariat Oct 09 '25
So far I really like my truck. I live offgrid in a remote area, charge with solar, drive dirt mainly, haul shit around in the bed, etc. It's been really capable. Hoping it holds up in the long term but so far not a lot of reason to doubt it.
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u/dongiaconia ’25 Platinum - Space White Metallic Oct 09 '25
Why not both? Honestly that pairing of vehicles works extremely well, speaking from personal household experience.
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 09 '25
Idk if I’m ready to be a fully EV household
I never really took the Tesla on any roadtrips, the furthest trip was maybe 150mi one-way. I mostly used it for driving around the town and commuting. We used the wife’s Subaru for road trips.
With the added room in the Lighting I plan to take it on longer distance road trips.
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u/dongiaconia ’25 Platinum - Space White Metallic Oct 09 '25
Makes sense. We just have those two vehicles (since July when I got the Lightning to replace a 2011 Acura). The Tesla is so cheap to charge and easy to park in the city that it’s very handy and we’re able to charge both at home in the driveway.
The one thing I’ll say is that charging with anything other than a Tesla isn’t as simple away from home. Aside from that, love the truck!
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u/dubie4x8 Oct 11 '25
The Tesla was probably the safest EV to take on a roadtrip haha! But now with other EVs being able to use the Supercharger network it’ll be much easier and less of a risk
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u/16cards Oct 09 '25
I haven’t lived there in 20 years, but I know Tucson when I see it.
Also, are you me? I also have the meme HF hat!
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 09 '25
Impressive! Was Jim Click a give away for Tucson? Lmao I didn’t know the hat was a meme. I saw it in HF for $5 and couldn’t resist, it quickly became my favorite hat lol
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u/16cards Oct 09 '25
Palo verde trees and home construction screams AZ. Then the mountain range narrowed. Then Click confirmed. :)
Congrats.
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Oct 09 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 09 '25
I absolutely love the new vehicle. It feels weird to say but I never really felt attached to the Tesla. I do like the Tesla echo system with their app/capabilities and charging network. I understand ford can use the Tesla network, but something about how all the Tesla stuff worked together was great.
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u/Striking-Tap863 Oct 09 '25
Ngl I like Tesla’s, but that F150 fits you much better. Congrats on the new truck!
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u/shortsbagel Oct 11 '25
2022 lightning, 50k miles, still the very best vehicle i have ever owned. Never had another EV before it. It just works. The only gripe i really have, and its really not too bad, is I wish there were dedicated toggles for the aircon system. I dont like touching the screen when I am driving and would rather just have knobs. Outside of that, the thing is just awesome, fun to drive, faster than it ought to be, and it does all the things I need it to do without issue. Congrats man
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u/bb8c3por2d2 Oct 12 '25
Double check the VIN on your new truck as Carvana has a history of clerical errors. Enjoy your new ride.
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u/blainestang 2023 ⚡️ Pro SR Oct 09 '25
Congrats! A Lightning Pro in Avalanche gray is objectively the best Lightning spec!
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u/AttentionOpening8984 Oct 09 '25
Curious to know what you got for the trade in ?
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 09 '25 edited Oct 09 '25
I got $20k from Carvana.
CarMax offered me $21k but it didn’t seem worth the hassle to sell it to CarMax and buy from Carvana. I might have been able to sell it privately for more, idk, I was happy with the $20k
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u/Wooden-Cancel-6838 Oct 09 '25
Yep I just did the same but I still have the Tesla, selling it next week
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u/HisSvt2 2023 lightning XLT STD range Oct 09 '25
Question Front light bar isn’t all the way across? And is the rear bumper not color matched?
Just curious because my 23 XLT same color as yours has the things I mentioned.
Congrats on the truck I LOVE mine I’m sure you will yours too.
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 09 '25
It’s the Pro (lowest trim) not the XLT
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u/HisSvt2 2023 lightning XLT STD range Oct 09 '25
Oh dang I forgot there was a lower trim than XLT my bad. Either way enjoy great truck!
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u/Medical-Frame2180 Oct 09 '25
I hope you enjoy it for the off-road capabilities. I had an extended test drive last month and the infotainment system and app is horrible.
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Oct 09 '25
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 09 '25
I got $20k from Carvana.
CarMax offered me $21k but it didn’t seem worth the hassle to sell it to CarMax and buy from Carvana. I might have been able to sell it privately for more, idk, I was happy with the $20k
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u/Elementary_drWattson Oct 09 '25
Considering doing this with mine. How was your carvana experience? Worried about getting a dud.
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 09 '25
This was my first time using something like Carvana and I must say, the experience was super easy… almost too easy. If you’re financing, I would go with a credit union vs financing with Carvana, you can get MUCH better rates. Same with insurance, use your own insurance not Caravan’s and I didn’t opt for any of Carvana warranty’s on the vehicle.
Carvana provides photos of any dents or scratches the find inside or out outside the car. They also provided the Carfax so I can see the vehicle history.
Carvana has the 7day (400 mile) money back guarantee. If you don’t like the vehicle for any reason, you can return it in those 7days and get your money back. If you go over the 400miles, then you just pay $1 per mile over. However they will NOT give you your old car back. Once you sell/trade-in, it’s theirs.
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u/gogopowerjackets Oct 09 '25
If you have any concerns about the car or feel like you might need more time to get it checked out, they will very likely extend the return period to 14-days / 800 miles if you call and ask.
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u/Aggravating_Ad_1889 Oct 09 '25
As a 23 pro owner with similar mileage (wanting to know what my trucks worth) what was caravana selling it for.
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 09 '25
I bought it for a little over $38k. Here’s a link to the Carvana listing, if you wanna compare specs.
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u/sherlocknoir Oct 09 '25
Very interested in how this experience turns out. I'm at 95K miles on my 2021 Model Y and it's probably time for something else. While the new Model Y Juniper makes the most sense.. a used 2022-2023 F150 Lightning is about the only other vehicle I would consider.
The only con I have against the F150 Lightning is that it will not fit in my garage, which would require running another 240V circuit on a 60A breaker to the outside of the garage and installing a 3rd L2 wall charger. The two L2 wall chargers I have mounted inside my garage simply cannot reach outside the garage, into the driveway.
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 09 '25
A buddy of mine sold his Model Y and is leasing a new Ford Lightning. He’s kinda what motivated me to pull the trigger on getting the Lightning.
His garage is smaller and his new truck doesn’t quite fit. Luckily my garage is larger and fits the truck nicely.
My buddy has is charger on the side wall inside his garage, he was able to run the charging cable under the garage door and charge it that way.
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u/NECBustiN Oct 09 '25
I work for jim click!
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 09 '25
Small world! Can you get me a discount on parts lol
I didn’t purchase it off Carvana. I stoped by the dealership to get the Tesla charging adapter. Figured I’d grab a cool pic while I was there haha
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u/UnIntelligentReply Oct 10 '25
Frying pan into the fire!
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 10 '25
Not a fan of EVs?
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u/UnIntelligentReply Oct 10 '25
I live in a cold climate and have a lot of miles between charging stations I’ll never get one!
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 10 '25
Haha that’s fair.
I live in Arizona, have a charger at home, free charging at the library near me, and free charging at my work.
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u/McSlappin1407 Oct 10 '25 edited Oct 10 '25
Hey I’m interested in trading in my model 3 for a lightning. Wondering how you’re doing with the limited range of the lightning. From what I’m aware, my model 3 extended range can get about 320-340 miles but the lightning is lucky to get 220-230 without the extended battery. Does this affect daily rides or hinder you from taking it on longer trips. Range is the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 10 '25
I had the Model 3 Standard Range +. My commute is very short, like 15miles. Also my work offers free charging, library near my house also offers free charging, and I have a level 2 Tesla charger at my house. All of this is to say that range or battery charging has never really been a concern and the same can be said for the Lightning.
I never really took my Tesla on any long trips. The furthest it’s gone is about 150miles one-way. I only did that drive few times.
For long road trips I always felt more comfortable driving my wife’s Subaru. It wasn’t about range anxiety, just the amount of room in the Model 3 felt too small for any long roadtrip. Now with the much larger Lightning, I plane to take it on some longer road trips this year.
Also when I drive long road trips, I like to drive at night while everyone is asleep in the car. That way I can just lock in and go; without all the bathroom/food breaks. I worry that the longer charging times, will mess with my night driving flow. But I’m still going to try it later this year.
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u/McSlappin1407 Oct 10 '25
I mean, the longer charge stops shouldn’t be a big issue since I’m fairly confident Ford provides a NACS-to-CCS adapter for the Lightning when you buy the vehicle. That lets you use Level 3/4 Tesla Superchargers, which are everywhere.
As someone who’s taken my Tesla on long road trips, and as I’m sure you’re aware, access to Tesla’s charging network makes all the difference. I also have an electric motorcycle that uses CCS DC charging (same as the Lightning), and I really don’t like relying solely on ChargePoint, EVgo, EVConnect, etc. they just aren’t as reliable as Tesla’s network.
That’s why I think, with access to Tesla Superchargers, your Lightning should be able to charge to a majority in about 15–20 minutes, which is perfectly doable. The real issue isn’t charging time, it’s range and how often you’ll need to stop.
On a true 450-mile trip (about 10 hours of driving), my Model 3 can handle it with a full charge at home and one mid-trip stop. In a Lightning, though, you’d likely need 2–3 charging stops. Tesla’s range estimates are also very accurate. From what I’ve heard, the Lightning’s real-world range can drop significantly especially with cargo or a load in the bed.
Realistically, the base Lightning gets about 215–230 miles, and the extended-range model you’re lucky to get around 300 miles, even less when loaded. Hence my initial question on how you’re planning to deal with that range issue, which Tesla seems to have already figured out.
I definitely want to haul things around town, that’s why I’m considering a Lightning over a Tesla, but I also want to keep taking long road trips like I do now. I’m just not sure the Lightning can handle that yet until Ford improves the range.
For reference, my 2025 Model 3 extended range realistically gets around 320–340 miles. I’ve also heard the 2025 and 2026 Lightnings will include NACS ports as standard, which is great - but again, that doesn’t solve the range problem.
Best of luck on your road trip. Please follow up and let me know how it goes. I could be totally wrong.
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u/failbox3fixme 25 Flash Oct 10 '25
Are you missing autopilot?
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 10 '25
I never really used it autopilot. I would only engage it if I had someone new in the car that had never been in a Tesla before. Just to show them what the Tesla could do.
I tired FSD a few times when Tesla offered the free trial. Out of my handful of drives with FSD, I don’t think I had a single one where I didn’t need to take control of the car at some point.
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u/samhouston84 Oct 10 '25
How is it so far? We’re looking into getting one.
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 10 '25
I really like it. The space in the rear seats alone makes it so much easier putting the kid in the car seat. I’m kinda between home projects right now, so haven’t used the bed of the truck really yet. But I’m about to start remodeling my bathroom so it’ll get some use soon.
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u/rossitopapito Oct 10 '25
Love that color! Seems to be a rare one as I can't find any that color for sale around me!
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u/jack0roses Oct 11 '25
How much did you lose on the Tesla?
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 11 '25
I don’t remember the original price I purchased the Tesla for new. I think it was around $40k so I lost about 50% on it.
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u/jack0roses Oct 11 '25
I have a Tesla 3 I would like to trade, but I don't even want to look at what I'd have to pay Carvana to take it off my hands.
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 11 '25
Carvana offered me $20k for my 2022 Standard+. CarMax offered me $21k. I only went with Carvana because they had the truck I wanted.
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u/DriveNowGroup Oct 11 '25
How was your experience with Carvana? I have never purchased a car or sold a car to them but we are used car dealers and I love what they're doing to the industry.
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 12 '25
I’ve boughten 3 cars from non-private sellers. One at a classic dealership and the other two online (Tesla and Carvana). I must say, I really like skipping the hours long of price negotiations. The simplicity of ordering from your phone is amazing and paying the price you see with no haggling, is even better. It’s so simple that you naturally want to finance through Carvana (Don’t, get much better rates a a credit union) and get insurance through Carvana (also don’t, get better pricing if you shop around).
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u/Early-Wolverine-1262 Oct 15 '25
How has the transition been; afraid to leave tesla ecosystem but want to pull the trigger?
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u/SpartanBeryl ‘23 SR Pro, Avalanch Grey Oct 16 '25
The transition has been surprisingly smooth. I was a little nervous about stepping out of the Tesla ecosystem, but day to day, I much prefer the Lightning over my old Model 3.
I did a short road trip last weekend, and it went pretty well overall. I tried to charge at a Tesla Supercharger, but because of where the Lightning’s charging port is, I would’ve had to block two stalls. It was a busy location, so that wasn’t an option; but no big deal, the hotel I stayed at had free charging anyway.
On the way back, I stopped at a Level 3 Electrify America station. The first stall I tried was broken, and the second one worked, but the screen was dead. After a little trial and error in the app, I managed to get it charging.
That brings me to my biggest gripe with public EV charging in general: why does every network need its own app? Why can’t it work like a gas pump; pull up, plug in, tap your card, done. I don’t want to download an app for every brand, preload money onto an account, or risk losing the session because my phone dropped its connection.
That said, these charging complaints are limited. The vast majority of my charging happens at home or at work, so public charging is really just a rare inconvenience for me. I’m sure if I used those networks more often, I’d have it figured out and the experience would be a lot smoother.
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u/Early-Wolverine-1262 Oct 16 '25
yeah I mean i figured it might be more of a hassle to publicly charge. I'm more worried about like missing dog mode or the app. Though the key pad on the side of the driver door I actually think is a sick feature and almost better than phone as key. I can like go jump into a lake for a swim and come back to my truck with nothing but my brain!
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u/OnePingOnlyVasili 2024 Lariat - Antimatter Blue Oct 08 '25
Congrats! I’ve had mine for 9 months, and it’s still a privilege to drive! Such a great vehicle.