With the Ranger Splash and today’s SVT Lightning, Ford declared the step-side to be the sporty truck of choice. Let’s see if we agree and whether or not this hot F-150 comes with a price that’s just as agreeable.

There were so many issues with yesterday’s that a few of you didn’t know where to begin. Most of those issues weren’t with the car itself which almost everyone agreed was tres cool. No, the issues were with its described performance, its missing title, and, most importantly, its $19,500 price. With all the issues balled up together, that price proved a deal killer. That was evidenced by the 78 percent No Dice loss the car suffered in the voting.

If yesterday’s Citroën was incontrovertibly French, today’s is undeniably as American as apple pie. And that’s even though it was built by Ford of Canada in Oakville, Ontario. Still, you don’t get any more red, white, and blue than an F-series with a big, powerful V8 and that’s just what the Lightning offers in spades.

Built on the standard F-150 standard cab/short bed body style, the second generation Lightning was intended by Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT) to be a bit of a one-trick pony. Given a mere 800-pound carrying capacity and a step-side bed for the smallest amount of room possible, the Lightning certainly wasn’t designed to be a work truck.

Instead, it was designed to go like stink and to be actually able to go around corners. That was all made possible with the SVT modifications, which included a supercharged edition of the 5.4 liter Triton V8, a lowered and better-controlled suspension, and model-specific Goodyear meats on 18-inch alloy wheels.

Put all together, the Lightning could make it to sixty from a standstill in a little over five seconds while still being able to tow two and a half tons of trailer. Well, okay, maybe not at the same time.

Being a 2002 model, this Lightning gets the higher-output 380 horsepower engine, which represents a bump of 20 ponies over two years earlier. That extra power is made by way of a larger intake and MAF and together those also make a massive 450 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels exclusively through Ford’s 4R100 four-speed automatic with column shift.

This one comes with a freshened coat of factory black and 155,000 miles under its belt. Beneath that, the seller claims the bodywork to be free of both rust and dings. Aftermarket units fill in for both the head and tail lamps along with those there’s a non-factory grille. Those all give the truck a bit of a custom look, but they might not be to everyone’s taste. More to everyone’s taste likely is the side-exiting exhaust. I mean, who doesn’t like that? Finally, a soft tonneau covers the bed, making the truck a viable grocery-getter.

For a nearly 20-year-old truck with over 150K showing on the odo, the interior looks pretty nice. The split-bench seat shows little to no wear and the column shifter frees the floorboard for games of footsie whenever the mood might hit. The truck even has its factory stereo in its Taurus-inspired dash.

According to the ad, the Eaton blower was rebuilt three years ago and everything on the truck is working as it should. The tires are new, and while they do look to be uni-directional, they also seem to be Hankooks rather than the original-spec blimp-company jobs.

Per the seller, the title is clean and the reason given for the truck’s sale is too many cars and not enough time. In the end, the seller blames the sale on his wife. As we all know, happy wife, happy life.

Let’s see how happy you all are about this Lightning’s $17,500 price tag. That seems to be on the low-ish end for this model, but that can be attributed to the high mileage and the somewhat mundane color choice.

What do you think, is this SVT F-150 worth that $17,500 asking as it’s presented in the ad? Or, does that price mean lightning isn’t going to strike?

You decide!

Tampa Bay, Florida, , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to Don R. for the hookup!

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