title says it all looking at bith truck is about 11-20k and fofo is about 8

ummm... are you serious? get the lightning! duh!

Go with the Focus. You will kill almost anything in the corners and get twice the mileage of the truck as well.

lightning dude, or get a Mach 1.

Personally I just think those lightnings are hideous as well. lol. thats just me though.

well...thats two different types of vehicles you're talking about.....really it's what you want more....i like both vehicles but what i dont like about the lightning is that you can only get a regular cab...but the lightning is fast, but if gas is an issue then go for the svtf

lightning dude, or get a Mach 1.


mach 1's suck dude. if your gonna fork out for a stang, 03-4 cobra all the way. as for the lightning, they are nice trucks but the stock eaton blowers are well known for major heatsoak and they are really particular about modding them. ive personally seen about 5 blown up around here just from mild modding. so be careful if you want to make it faster. as for which to choose, a "good" lightning will cost you around 17k still. fofo will be about half that. for the money i would buy a 2000 reg cab silverado/sierra then shove a 6.0 in it for about a grand with a 3000 stall and some bolt ons. will easily kill a lightning for less money. you could find one of those trucks in good shape for 8-9k and as long as they have a 4.8 or 5.3 the 6.0 will direct plug and play and look stock with no modifications to anything. good luck on whatever you choose.

Lightning!

go with the svtf, you can take the money you would have spent on the lightning and put some boost in the svtf. and you will still get better gas mileage.

Focus dude. Lightning has 25 gallon tank. = 75 buck to fill and gets 12 city. (300 mp tank)

Focus 13 gallon tank = 39 bucks to fill and gets 22 city. (286 mp tank)

So you will go twice the distance with the same amount of gas.

(all data taken from consumerguide.com and assuming gas costs 3 dollars)

The focus will be far more practical (can haul more than three people) and will still be very fun and very moddable.

Yea I think the SVTF would be the way to go. If you planned on maybe spending 20k and getting a SVT that costs 8K.. you know what you could do to the Focus with the rest of that? Built engine, built tranny, suspension, and then strap a turbo in it.

That's the way to go I think.

Fofo will get MUCH better milage. I really like the lightning, but its just not practical, especially at $3 a gallon. And the focus is sooo much fun to drive on the backroads.

I owned a 2000 model year Lightning. It was nice, but I'd go for a 2001 or up as they made significant changes in power and gearing. If I were given the choice between an STVF or Lightning right now I'd pick the SVT Focus, mainly becuase the Lightning sucked gas like it was soda pop. I averaged 9-12 mpg in the city. About 16 on the highway. I do about 30,000 to 35,000 miles a year though so a V8 truck with a SC wouldn't be a good investment. They are ALOT easier to mod and for around $1,000 you can run deep deep deep into the 12's in the 1/4 mile... [8]

They do have reliability issues if you put a smaller SC pulley on without proper tuning.

But for practibility and economical reasons, I would vote Focus SVT. [hihi]

i guess it depends on your main purpose or useage for the vehicle

I owned a 2000 model year Lightning. It was nice, but I'd go for a 2001 or up as they made significant changes in power and gearing.

only difference was they bumped the boost up a few psi. gears were the same.

Yeah I would have to say FOFO..

focus, hands down, almost all aspects its a better vehicle, and can be made to go faster then a lightning and still get 20mpg's

only difference was they bumped the boost up a few psi. gears were the same.

Incorrect.

The '99-'00 had 3.55 gearing, the 2001+ had 3.73s. That's a fact. They also made some other changes to the engine to make them more reliable. Many '99-'00 Lightnings had intake manifold seal problems, sparkplug hole problems in the heads and intercooler leaks (mine included) and I believe their are numerous other TSBs on the older models. The 2001-2004 models are MUCH quicker than the 1999-2000 models mainly due to the gearing change, not so much the 20hp gain.


Straight from Wikipedia:

"In 1999, after a five-year hiatus, Ford SVT unveiled the Second Generation Ford Lightning. Powered by a modular SOHC 2-valve 5.4 L Triton, the new engine was capable of producing 360 horsepower (270 kW) and 440 ft·lbf (600 N·m) of torque. This was primarily due to the inclusion of an Eaton Supercharger that was factory installed. Behind the engine sat the 4R100 automatic transmission which connected to a rear end housing 3.55:1 rear gears. The Lightning featured specialized 18" wheels mounted with Goodyear Eagle F1 295/45ZR-18 tires. The Lightning's suspension system, which lowers the truck half an inch in front and two inches in the rear was also modified from the standard F-150. The suspension was largely unchanged for the 2001 Model. It retained the front short-and long-arm system with coil springs and a 31 mm solid stabilizer bar along with the rear solid axle with five-leaf springs and a 23 mm solid stabilizer bar.

In the 2001 Model Year, the engine design was slightly altered to produce 380 horsepower (280 kW) @ 4,750 rpm and 450 ft·lbf (610 N·m) of torque @ 3,250 rpm. Also, the previously leaky intercooler was redesigned. This problem was addressed as a recall in earlier models. Another engine revision came in the 2003 Model Year when a weakness in the heads, the lack of sufficient threads for spark plugs, was addressed and fixed. At the other end of the drivetrain, the final drive ratio was shortened to 3.73:1 in 2001. Also, in 2001 the drive shaft was increased in size to a 4.5-inch (110 mm) aluminum unit, from the previous 3.5-inch (89 mm) steel unit. The specially developed 295/45ZR-18 Goodyear Eagle F1-GS unidirectional tires were upgraded utilizing a new generation F1 GS rubber compound; improving the tires' gripping capability. With these engine and drivetrain revisions, Car and Driver magazine drove a lightning from zero to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 5.2 seconds. For 2003, the Lightning's cargo capacity was raised from 800 lb (360 kg). to 1,200 lb (540 kg)."

Pretty accurate I would say, seeing how I owned one and belonged to several different Lightning forums and enthusiast clubs .

All the information you need about the Lightning can be found at these sources:

http://www.svtlightnings.com

http://www.fordlightning.net

http://www.fordf150.net/specs/2002-ford-f150-svt-lightning-overview.php

If you buy the lightning, you will have to take out a second loan just for tires.[burnout]

focus, hands down, almost all aspects its a better vehicle, and can be made to go faster then a lightning and still get 20mpg's

Wrong. For around a $1,000 worth of mods, you can get a 2001-2004 year model Lightning to run low to mid 12's. Mod for mod the lightning will always be faster. The '01-'04 Lightnings ran 13.70s to 13.90s bone stock... [;)]

Ok, well if money is no object, then you'd be correct. But if money were no object, I could make a 1987 Yugo run 9's in the 1/4 mile (and yes, it's been done)! [histerical]

If you buy the lightning, you will have to take out a second loan just for tires.[burnout]

True dat!

My 2000 Lightning was a POS.

I would own a 2003 or 2004 model again though but not any of the earlier ones. They are nice trucks. I'd have to have another car to drive on a daily basis though. Gas mileage on the Lightning is horrendous!

I guess I have never really understood why people just wanna go fast fast fast!!! I mean it is fun but I enjoy a more responsive car that will handle the corners just as well as any straightaway. I mean a 1/4 mile is over in what 12-16 seconds. What about a bendy mountain road! A whole day of fun. lol thats just me.

I guess I have never really understood why people just wanna go fast fast fast!!! I mean it is fun but I enjoy a more responsive car that will handle the corners just as well as any straightaway. I mean a 1/4 mile is over in what 12-16 seconds. What about a bendy mountain road! A whole day of fun. lol thats just me.


Oh but you can make the 4800 pound lightning handle really really well. A full Hotchkis springs, shocks and sway bars set-up makes that truck rock in the curves and pulls over .90g on the skidpad.

We are comparing a truck to a compact car. They couldn't be much different in all areas than they are.

Tough choice.
BOTH! :P

I'm with Carmen on this one! Best answer yet!

I'm with CKA. Get both. Ooo oo then you can pull a trailer around with the lightning and be like night rider. When you want just drive the Focus out the trailer...LOL!!