Dealer Sold My Bronco. Is my Price Protection gone for good? How to replace a 2 door/MT/High order?

[johntesi]

I’ve posted about this some in other threads but I think the questions at-hand deserve their own thread.

I ordered a 2-door Badlands, high package, manual transmission in Feb 2022.

The TL/DR version is that Corwin Ford of Springfield used loopholes to get out of “having” to sell the truck to me so they could mark it up $10k and sell it retail. Once the news hit of no manuals scheduling, they silently refunded my credit card down payment (not my $500 deposit thoguh) and insinuated via text message they weren’t holding the vehicle for me. Even after I pulled a cashier’s check at the nearest chase bank and they re-pulled my credit for a deal with more cash down, sent me the updated terms, etc. — they casually texted me they sold it while I was en route.

Now I have no bronco, no price protection or reservation, and apparently no ability to even order a replacement if I had an extra $5,000. Is there ANYTHING I can do?

Anyone aside from Mr. Levine on Twitter who actually helps? He keeps offering to introduce me to a new dealer, ignoring my concerns about price protection or MT scheduling. I am obviously not satisfied with this. He isn't reading all the details of the thread and keeps sending generic "I can try to help you find a new dealership to order through" messages.

Price protection lost + additional MSRP increase means a bare minimum change of $5,000 in price. Manual Transmissions are not scheduling when the order bank chaos resumes on Monday.

The night before I headed into town to see the truck, I noticed my bronco listed on their website for $10k ADM. it wasn’t an "automatic listing" like often happens with the generic 3D rendering and stock number — they had full on listing photos of the truck. I downloaded this web page as proof.

I asked if everything was ok with my order and they assured me it was.

I came to the dealership and checked out the Bronc. My first time ever even sitting inside of one.

*TONS of dealer shenanigans ensued.* Yes, I could've just taken the truck and all their games and dealt with the consequences, but I figured with a special order and a bunch of money already down, I could stop back by and clean up the deal in the morning. I edited this part out to make the thread shorter. I know I made mistakes in my assumptions here.*

THEN, we reached an agreement via text and phone call about more cash down, leave the credit card down payment on file with them, get the deal done.

I got everything together, confirmed with the sales manager the amount of my new cashier's check combined with the down payment and initial deposit they still had from me. He confirmed my math.

When I asked for a printout of the deal sheet, he stalled before sending me the updated payments, only to text me 11 minutes later saying the Bronco was now sold. I was en route in my trade-in with cashier's check printed and in-hand, I had the notification that they pulled my credit for a third time for the same vehicle, and aside from speeding, there was nothing I could do to be there sooner.

I already had Ford Pass linked to the Bronco and could see it was sitting on the lot with the same amount of miles and gas I left it there with. It remained this way for at least 36 more hours before I ostensibly lost the ability to see it. So if it really was sold, they did something they claimed they weren't doing for me, and held the vehicle until the customer who paid markup could actually come to the dealership.
*UPDATE* The Ford Marketing team tells me it still shows on their end as not sold as of Friday, 3/24. A full 3 days after he claimed to have sold it out from under me.

I understand that a lot of people who buy Broncos believe you just have to "shut up and sign the papers" and that "a deal's not a deal until you pay for it." I understand the legal claim that me laying eyes on the truck and not keeping it immediately gave the dealership the right to do whatever they want, at least according to Ford Corporate. I simply don't understand how a dealership can run numbers, pull credit three times, and text back the updated terms (which I agreed to) and then claim they sold the vehicle because they "thought I wasn't interested" (Mike Levine's line he keeps using to absolve Ford of any responsibility). They knew I was interested and hard pulled my credit that day.

Best-case, I lose a solid $2k+ on trade-in value when the next dealer lowballs me on that if I magically regain PP and find a similar build. Realistically, I'm looking at $9k+ in loss of PP and trade value and another year or more of waiting for another shot at a manual/High/Badlands.

It really feels like @Ford Motor Company is okay with this outcome because they don't have to reimburse the dealership for my price protection and they can absolve themselves of a constrained build.

I just want a fair chance to buy the vehicle I ordered at the price it was advertised to me. I know this is not a unique claim or complaint, but in a lot of ways that makes this even worse.

IS THERE ANYONE WHO HAS SUCCESSFULLY RECLAIMED THEIR PRICE PROTECTION AFTER A DEALER SOLD THEIR VEHICLE OUT FROM UNDER THEM? Who did you talk to?

Is there any chance I can get a manual build slot in the existing April/May builds that are still scheduling manuals?

Do any of the "cool" dealerships on these forums want to rescue me or even add me to a list for possible matches to my build if someone bails on theirs?

*edited to make this shorter and less conciliatory.

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[SZairborne]

I hate to say this, but you had the truck and then brought it back and told them to wait. Id say your out. You did not commit and returned the vehicle. I personally would have never brought it back. You must have known they would have people waiting to buy it. When i bought mine they had another one on the lot that the deal fell through. After i signed the paper, they printed all the paper work out and then drove it to the person house who wanted to buy it. I'm sorry this happened to you, but you gave it back.

 

[KompressorV12]

Man I read this expecting a clear cut "reservation this day, build notification this day, then they sold underneath me this day" but got a 10 chapter essay with all sorts of "I can see the dealer's perspective" and "I can see your perspective" I still don't know who is right or wrong. Sorry man, there are people that have way more clear cut sold beneath them broncos than your story who have had mixed success with remediation.

 

[RagnarKon]

Honestly... I would take Mike Levine up on his offer, get paired up with a new dealer, and work with your new dealer to get an order submitted ASAP. Your new dealer will hopefully be able to work with their Ford reps and/or the Bronco Brand team to recover your price protection.

Mike Levine works in media relations and communications, so he alone isn't the right person to solve all of the problems. But the fact he is willing to at least get the ball going and prioritized with a new dealer is definitely a big step in the right direction and probably your best option at this point.

In my mean time keep your eyes peeled at other dealers.

 

[johntesi]

Man I read this expecting a clear cut "reservation this day, build notification this day, then they sold underneath me this day" but got a 10 chapter essay with all sorts of "I can see the dealer's perspective" and "I can see your perspective" I still don't know who is right or wrong. Sorry man, there are people that have way more clear cut sold beneath them broncos than your story who have had mixed success with remediation.

I definitely understand. I don't want to paint an unrealistic picture of me as perfect and the dealer as evil. I just want help understanding if anyone has found success with remediation and/or Price Protection.

If anyone decides to read it all, it's appreciated. The question posed at the top and the screenshots are pretty straightforward.

Honestly... I would take Mike Levine up on his offer, get paired up with a new dealer, and work with your new dealer to get an order submitted ASAP. Your new dealer will hopefully be able to work with their Ford reps and/or the Bronco Brand team to recover your price protection.

Mike Levine works in media relations and communications, so he alone isn't the right person to solve all of the problems. But the fact he is willing to at least get the ball going and prioritized with a new dealer is definitely a big step in the right direction and probably your best option at this point.

In my mean time keep your eyes peeled at other dealers.

I agree with this, too. I'm trying to figure out if/who else to speak to or how to transition from a Twitter DM to a legitimate offer or order. If I can't get a manual then the point is moot. There's not a single build in the country like mine for sale, at least not for MSRP or anywhere close to it.

Lesson learned on accepting the BS dealers shove down your throat if you really want something.

 

[RagnarKon]

I agree with this, too. I'm trying to figure out if/who else to speak to or how to transition from a Twitter DM to a legitimate offer or order. If I can't get a manual then the point is moot.

Yeah you really have to march down the path Levine gives you to see where it goes.

Ford CAN do order overrides, but I don't know what that'll look like in this case. In the past you would have been put in contact with the Zone Manager for your dealer's Zone. But Zone Managers no longer exist anymore after Ford's reorg this past fall, so not sure where the path will go. But you won't know until you walk down it.

 

[johntesi]

Yeah you really have to march down the path Levine gives you to see where it goes.

Ford CAN do order overrides, but I don't know what that'll look like in this case. In the past you would have been put in contact with the Zone Manager for your dealer's Zone. But Zone Managers no longer exist anymore after Ford's reorg this past fall, so not sure where the path will go. But you won't know until you walk down it.

I sincerely appreciate this. This is the information I'm seeking, and you've provided it in spades!

I checked out of the forums for a long while after ordering, it wasn't worth all the stress and heartache. Sadly, I was too checked out to have my ducks in a row for this deal and now I'm at the mercy of a corporate monolith. I'd love to be as involved, passionate, and helpful as you are. I just need a dang Bronco. <3

 

[cbrenthus]

You never mentioned the color, but here is a list of Badlands Manuals, and there are a few 2 doors. You can also do the same search on Autotrader and Cargurus to see what pops up:

https://www.cars.com/shopping/resul...dlands_advanced&year_max=&year_min=&zip=75201

 

[johntesi]

You never mentioned the color, but here is a list of Badlands Manuals, and there are a few 2 doors. You can also do the same search on Autotrader and Cargurus to see what pops up:

https://www.cars.com/shopping/resul...dlands_advanced&year_max=&year_min=&zip=75201

Thanks for this. I've gone down this road several times but will continue checking periodically. None of them are 2 door/high package, and only a couple are even listed at MSRP for a BadManMid.

Paying $50k+ for a Badlands mid when I had a Badlands High for $46.4k feels pretty asinine and is a huge part of what I'm trying to get help with here. Ford and Corwin had my money to play with interest-free for 14 months and regardless of how speedy I couldawouldashoulda been on the purchase, I'm trying to get help with price protection and finding a meaningfully similar build. If I were made of money, none of this would have been an issue to begin with.

I'm open to Area 51/Azure/Cactus/Eruption. I *might* bend my color preferences a little bit if I can get PP and bad/high/7MT.

Here's a pic of "my" Bronco.

 

[johntesi]

After spending over 3 hours of my day on the phone with Ford “Marketing Department,” I think I’m SOL.

Also, it seems like that Marketing hotline rings people in their houses lol. Quite the array of background noise. Must be quite the gig getting paid to say “yes I have heard a lot of similar cases,” and “unfortunately there is nothing I can do but take notes,” over and over while your kids scream in the background.

Updates for today:
-
Marketing team told me the Bronco is still on the lot at Corwin.
- marketing team said there is absolutely nothing they can do to help me.
- marketing team member admitted that aside from the dealership having a change of heart, I’m screwed.
- I called Corwin Ford and they hung up on me after I said who was calling. audible phone shuffle noise and click.
- I called 4 more times and finally connected with the sales manager. He said very condescendingly “oh I’m aware you’re talking to Ford.”
- I asked him very simply: “Ford says you still have the bronco. My app says you still have the bronco. What’s up man?”
- he stuttered and said “we have a contract on it but the vehicle is physically here and not marked as sold yet.”
- I said I was having a brutal time trying to find some help and that Ford can't do a ton for me since they can't see that you've sold my Bronco yet and he said “yep; you won’t be able to replace this deal.”

Sounds like the dealer chose to sell to someone at a higher price but hasn’t even finalized the deal with them. That or they’re dragging t their feet trying to sell and buy the car back so they can CPO it /mark it up / get out of any new car obligations at all.

The most helpful Marketing guy I spoke to was ADAMANT that he could see the vehicle in their system and it is not sold. I asked him if he could understand how that makes this situation all the more shady and urgent and he kept repeating a robotic answer.

I said “man, this bronco I ordered can’t be replicated at this point. Can you help me with some urgency or escalation?” Nope. He just recommended I go to the dealer and look if it's still there.

He also kept referencing a coupon number, which I shared with a local dealer here that has a consolation prize Bronco I’ve been eyeing. They said it is only for the exact order I made and can’t be applied to anything else. Tough pill to swallow paying a mere $4k less for a Big Bend 7MT that doesn’t even have the Mid package vs. Badlands High. Frivolous options, $1000 dealer nitrogen, and no price protection with all the MSRP increases makes it a very grim world out there.

It was fun daydreamin’ with y’all. Hope this is a lesson for all. The poison pill the dealer is forcing on you is far better than getting forced out of your Bronco on a loophole. Barring a miracle by Mike Levine, I think my Bronco dreams are dead.

I used to be an automotive journalist and I like to think I'm the type of guy Ford would "want" in an enthusiast spec Bronco, but it's very clear they don't actually care about that kind of stuff.

Here's an article I wrote about living out of my old Land Cruiser in Alaska with my dog. Those were the good old days...

 

[Cheshire]

What a convoluted story! This is your text:
*TONS of dealer shenanigans ensued.* Yes, I could've just taken the truck and all their games and dealt with the consequences, but I figured with a special order and a bunch of money already down, I could stop back by and clean up the deal in the morning. I edited this part out to make the thread shorter. I know I made mistakes in my assumptions here.*

What did you leave out of this story? After waiting 13 months, you went to get your Bronco but...? What. You didn't like it? You couldn't decide if you wanted it? You got in an argument with the salesperson? Who knows what happened, you left out this part! Sounds to me like you left in a huff, but figured you could come groveling back and buy it later if you changed your mind. Only you and your dealer know what transpired, but it sounds like you caused this, at least in part. Take Levine's offer and get a priority build. You'll get it fast that way.

BTW, mine is being built next week (I have the sticker). I'll wire the money to Granger Ford sight unseen and pick up the car after that. I've read tons of stories here. People rush in and buy their Broncos the second they are available. No one comes, fiddles around and leaves without doing the deal. You balked, then walked and it didn't work out. Your inability to make a decision is what lost you your Bronco as far as I can see.

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