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Buying without test driving

dcg2

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Clubs
 
First drive in a Bronco was when I brought it home from Stephens. I've put 800 miles on it in less than a week so far and no ragrets here. Drives like I thought it would only better. Only thing is it's hard to keep my foot out of the gas and it can be a bit thirsty if you're hammering it.
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dgorsett

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I sat in one, never driven. I will drive mine before sale, but just to check for glitches.
 

Lord Bronco

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I bought without test-driving. I’ve now had mine for two months, and it’s still the only Bronco I’ve even seen in person, except a 2-door Sas from out of town that I passed a couple weeks ago.

No regrets! It has exceeded my expectations! Love the 2.3L manual! I do have passing thoughts of missing automatic when in traffic, but I live in a small town, and those momentary thoughts are far fewer than the thoughts I’d have missing the manual, had I gotten the automatic. If you are driving daily in big-city traffic, you may want the automatic.

The suspension, handling, power, and ride are all 100% fucking great.

I guess you technically could say my brother and I both test-drove it when it arrived and I went to get it, before I signed the papers and bought it. We both briefly drove it and were on a natural high.
 

noliveaxle

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I normally don’t test drive vehicles I buy. I already read or expect how it’s going to handle. Yes, I have had issues with alignment being out after purchase. Being new, dealer will take care of it.
 

CarStory

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Curious how many of you folks in this long haul waiting game have still never even test driven a Bronco? And have no urgent desire to do so before getting yours? 🙋

I was reading another thread where a member was taking a little heat for buying without driving first, and it made me curious. Of the few vehicles I have bought brand new, I've never bothered test driving any of them. Not for comparison's sake with other models anyway. Just a quick spin around the block before I bought it to make sure nothing crazy stood out. Anybody else? Where's my weirdo's at?

I haven't test driven one because I did early reservation but I will be allowed to test drive my build when it arrives at the dealer before I buy it. If I don't want it the dealer will refund my $100 and sell it to someone else with a $10,000 market adjustment.
 

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Bronck

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I don’t understand. Ford is giving most of us plenty of time to test drive before they are built (like a year and a half). And you can always cancel and get your $100 back.
 

Broncotrax

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My thoughts exactly!
Well I'm with you fellas! I ordered mine for one reason. While I get that most people here have never even owned a Bronco and are fine with general transportation and may consider a 4runner or heep Cherokee,... I am not. This will be my fifth Bronco. It will serve pretty much one purpose. replacing my current wheeler (2014 JK).
I have other dailys so this is for off road use only. I can fabricate and modify what I want to make it what I need. I have no worries it will be awesome. No need to test drive one ahead of time. Mine will be the first one I drive. Nothing else will suffice.
 

MayhemMike

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Guilty. I never test drive a vehicle. Why? Because I seldom buy off the lot. I order exactly what I desire. In the case of the Bronco, it is to replace my wife’s vehicle. She on the other hand not only has to test drive THE vehicle, but she needs to make sure things like the turn signals produce an enjoyable sound to the ear when called upon. For this reason we did not convert our reservation into an order before Mar 19. Since then, we have test driven and inspected several Bronco demos. Oh, the tone produced by the turn signals on the Bronco remind her of an ocean breeze. Just kidding . Waiting to order our two door CO BL SAS.
 

BroncoAgain

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I have no plans on buying till they are field tested by owners. Like 100,000 of them or more. When the ADM's are done and they are sitting on the lots. Then I'll test drive one and buy it. I was 19 when I bought my first new 1970 Bronco so this one would be my last. I don't need or want to be the first on the block with one.
 

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lasttj

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I think it's nuts to buy a first year of any vehicle without test driving one first. Even crazier to pay ADM without a test drive.
 

Rahkmalla

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I think it's nuts to buy a first year of any vehicle without test driving one first. Even crazier to pay ADM without a test drive.
How many new cars have you test driven?

I was a lot guy for ford, a mechanic at toyota, and sold at dealers for 4 different manufacturers and as a result am also my family's designated car shopper person. I've driven probably a few hundred new cars (guessing maybe 70-80 different models), and I can't even guess how many used cars.

Test driving used cars i get. But I've never once been surprised by the feel of a new car. Trucks feel like trucks, small cars feel like small cars, big cars feel like big cars, minivans feel like minivans. Luxury models feel like luxury models, cheapies feel cheap. Only reason I test drove the Bronco was because my wife was curious. Guess how it felt? Half way between a truck and a wrangler. How was the wind noise? as expected. How was the tire noise? as expected.

I'm not saying everyone should have all the same knowledge I do, but the idea of finding it "crazy" to buy without a test drive? Not crazy at all. If you are a car person, you can pretty much guess what a car is going to feel like before you drive it. Perfect example: guy traded in a 2 year old 135i that was manual. I like manuals, so i took it for a spin. Want to know what it felt like? Well, it's a small BMW coupe built on a budget. It felt like a small car with plenty of power, good steering response and road feel, and as good a fit and finish with discount-luxury materials.

If you've driven a lot of cars, there aren't too many surprises left.
 

Wanted33

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I haven't driven a Bronco yet, but I expect it to be better than my Jeep so I'm alright. But, there's no way I can buy one without testing the seats. The wife has nerve damage in her back from a car accident, and if the seat causes her pain we can't buy the vehicle. Luckily we were able to check the seats out early this year when the road show came to town. So, we're good to go.
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