Fred Keller

I'm wondering if anyone knows what exactly a Ford test vehicle is? Are these trucks ran up and down some race track and over bumps or are they just driven like normal people would and taking note to things like rattles and noises, and how thinks work or not in the truck? "Test Vehicles" are sold at Auctions and noted that way.

SCrewYou

i had always heard they destroyed the vehicles they torture test because of liability.

johnday in BFE

iTrader: (1)

Wish you'd have asked this a few days ago. My neighbor up here, lives downstate, and comes up here on weekends, etc., actually takes 150's and Mustangs on those tests. He went back downstate this morning from deer hunting.

msgtord

There is a difference between a prototype vehicle and a vehicle taken off the assembly line. Prototype vehicles are normally destroyed. Vehicles taken off the assembly line for durability testing are sold at auction. The mileage may vary due to the testing protocol required for that vehicle.

Bubbabiker

Msgtord is correct. Prototypes is under the NRE (Non Recurring Engineering) and considered non revenue-able and cannot be sold. Production line quality audits can be sold for revenue. In my line of work product quality audits after our analysis goes to refurb and to be sold as used products.

Ohsix

I’ve seen test vehicles on Interstate 70/270 outside Washington DC
With Michigan plates the vehicles have camouflage most are SUV
I think in the mid 90s Ford tested a fleet of Aluminum body’s on the Focus

WarSurfer

My Raptor was a test vehicle. It came from the factory with 90 miles on it. I grabbed it off the truck so it wasn’t the dealer. I had to sign something (MOU) acknowledging why the mileage exists and that I understood the warranty started at that point vs 0 miles.

Edit - mine is a mid year ‘10 so it was common on the early 6.2s for them to get shakedown runs.

Fred Keller

I'm really trying to find out if they are beat up from a test track and or just driven daily. The one I've seen going to Auction have anywhere from 6K to 10K miles and in service dates are sometimes quite early in production.

msgtord

Do you live in a extreme climate area? Either really hot or cold?

Pioneer74

iTrader: (3)

Test vehicles are driven on a loop using residential roads. Mostly I-75 or I-94. Nothing serious. Its like a quality audit on random vehicles coming off the assembly line.