Playing with Lightnings for a while now, I am getting the feeling, that there are certain balance issues about the nanite price of a Lightning compared to all other vehicles. Lightnings overall do less damage than a MBT and in addition to that miss a second turret, but only cost 100 nanites less. They also don't have acces to an empire specific ability to make it more effective. Sunderers can smoke a Lightning, yet a Sunderer costs 150 nanites less than a Lightning, but is a mobile spawnpoint at the same time. A Harrasser has only a little less health than a Lightning, yet it costs less than half its price, is a lot more mobile and has, as Sunderers and MBTs, a much bigger variety of available weapons to it. Overall, I have the feeling, that every single Lightning I pull simply was not worth its price, it gets killed fairly quickly by any other vehicle than Lightnings and is not cheap enough to make me think it is worth being spawned. You will bring the argument, that all the vehicles I called out are operated by more than one person? A single manned MBT or Sunderer can still take out a Lightning with ease, even because it is a to or mre person vehicle it should be notably more expensive, it is more effective exactly because of that fact. I would kind of like to see the Lighning price reduced to 250 or at least 300 nanites, so it is actually worth spawning anymore. Right now I rather take a 5 or more minute drive with an MBT to the next base than pulling a Lightning, an MBT has a lot more capability than a Lightning, survives longer and can do a lot more in the same time compared to a Lightning.
I've always felt that the lightning should be cheaper... in fact, 250 nanites is the price I proposed in my mega-thread (link in siggy). So yes... I completely support your position!
It should be ~275. A lightning can easily kill a harasser if the driver has even halfway decent aim so I don't think they should be equal in terms of resources. Sunderer's should be put back to their old resource cost with how effective they are at everything. It wasn't until they reduced the cost of sunderer's that we began seeing roving packs of sunderers driving around wrecking everything.
It's being able to pull from any terminal that makes it good. Although I think Harassers are an outright stronger vehicle just for the mobility. I see some players that just use them as a drive-by roadkill vehicle and/or tank mine delivery vehicle. Lightning though, is good for when mobility is less of a an advantage, and/or you're solo and can't manage seat swapping effectively. On my VS character I pretty much pull Lightning and Sunderer exclusively, rather than MBT or Harasser. Never run into a problem with the cost, though a cost reduction wouldn't hurt. OTOH on my TR character I'll probably pull Prowler over Lightning whenever possible, since TR's MBT main cannon is amazing and worth rolling solo. I plan on putting AA or AI weapon secondary just for backup, Prowler AP is enough on its own unless you're 1vs1 against 2/2 tanks a lot.
