Still Have not Seen a Bronco in Person......

[JT58Bronc]

I saw two 4-door Broncos at a Ford event. There is a lot to like. But otherwise flying blind in terms of seat of the pants experience with 6 vs 4 cyl, auto vs man trans, hardtop vs soft, etc. Mainly just online conjecture and second hand reviews. And I don't buy a vehicle based on that.

So basically Bronco is a maybe someday vehicle, and I'm focusing on getting my current two open top rigs back in shape. Thankfully I have those to use and enjoy, so Bronco is more of a nice to have. Maybe get a used Wrangler for use until 2023? Life is too short to wait around.

Yes, a used Wrangler is a great idea. Although they are expensive they are fun and very capable. I have a 97, love it and the simplicity of it and how easy it is to work on. I'm installing a header very soon and it will take about 4 hours. Try doing this on the new Bronco........it just won't happen.

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[Efthreeoh]

I bought my current/1st car without test driving it and only slightly regretted it... I did get to sit in it and such though. Told myself I wouldn't do anything that foolish again, HOWEVER.... that was before the new bronco existed and was just random assumptions... I'm literally willing to buy one sight unseen/untested. I have that much nostalgia for the bronco.

My history with buying cars is I really only like to buy new and keep them for 15 years at a minimum. I've bought a few used cars when I was young and couldn't afford to buy new, and I bought one from CarMax (never again) in 2014 only because the model was 7 years out of production. I bought the CarMax car basically sight unseen and had never driven it or a similar model to it; I had it shipped in from out of state.

So generally buying a new car takes me at least 2 years of evaluation - lol. My Bronco build is a 2-door Black Diamond 2.3L with manual transmission. My plan with the Bronco is:
- I've seen the preproduction units from traveling dealer events and wasn't super wowed. They were both 4-door soft tops, yet one was an automatic Black Diamond, and the other was a Badlands with a manual transmission.
- I will drive my dealer's mannequins when the two arrive, but I'm sure both will be a 4-door soft top with a 2.7L and automatic 10-speed.
- When my 2-door order arrives, if it doesn't win me over, I'm not going to buy it. I have a few reservations with the Bronco: too much automation for me (pre-collision braking, start-stop, auto high-beams), too much infotech (I'd opt out of the dash screen if it was possible), and unnatural gages because it has a BS screen-based tachometer.

What attracts me to the Bronco is the manual transmission, removable doors and roof, and the aggressive off road capabilities. Those features are going to have to outweigh the crap mentioned above. I hope most of the automation crap can be switched off and remain switched off. I plan on keeping the screen off when driving, especially at night.

I'm not dropping $40K on a vehicle that has too many compromises for me, regardless how much nostalgia I have for it.

 

[gentlemanbronco]

My history with buying cars is I really only like to buy new and keep them for 15 years at a minimum. I've bought a few used cars when I was young and couldn't afford to buy new, and I bought one from CarMax (never again) in 2014 only because the model was 7 years out of production. I bought the CarMax car basically sight unseen and had never driven it or a similar model to it; I had it shipped in from out of state.

So generally buying a new car takes me at least 2 years of evaluation - lol. My Bronco build is a 2-door Black Diamond 2.3L with manual transmission. My plan with the Bronco is:
- I've seen the preproduction units from traveling dealer events and wasn't super wowed. They were both 4-door soft tops, yet one was an automatic Black Diamond, and the other was a Badlands with a manual transmission.
- I will drive my dealer's mannequins when the two arrive, but I'm sure both will be a 4-door soft top with a 2.7L and automatic 10-speed.
- When my 2-door order arrives, if it doesn't win me over, I'm not going to buy it. I have a few reservations with the Bronco: too much automation for me (pre-collision braking, start-stop, auto high-beams), too much infotech (I'd opt out of the dash screen if it was possible), and unnatural gages because it has a BS screen-based tachometer.

What attracts me to the Bronco is the manual transmission, removable doors and roof, and the aggressive off road capabilities. Those features are going to have to outweigh the crap mentioned above. I hope most of the automation crap can be switched off and remain switched off. I plan on keeping the screen off when driving, especially at night.

I'm not dropping $40K on a vehicle that has too many compromises for me, regardless how much nostalgia I have for it.

Yeah, sorry about technology and all! Also, i thought the tach was analog and the rest of the gauges digital? Anywho, as the years go by its going to be harder and harder to find the analog off road machine you crave. You might be better suited looking at something vintage that has exactly what you want as its hard to even find a new vehicle that either doesn't have a digital dash or doesn't have a tablet superglued to the dash sadly.
Honestly, if I was in your boat and mindset, I'd be hunting a nice older bronco instead of this new one.

 

[Efthreeoh]

Yeah, sorry about technology and all! Also, i thought the tach was analog and the rest of the gauges digital? Anywho, as the years go by its going to be harder and harder to find the analog off road machine you crave. You might be better suited looking at something vintage that has exactly what you want as its hard to even find a new vehicle that either doesn't have a digital dash or doesn't have a tablet superglued to the dash sadly.
Honestly, if I was in your boat and mindset, I'd be hunting a nice older bronco instead of this new one.

So I have 5 vehicles. The newest is a 2009. I'm hanging the cleats up in 2026. Four of the five I have are well over 100,000, and by 2026 three will be over or near 200,000. I will pair down to the 2009, 2008, 1997 (wife's car) and the Bronco. I want something new, manual transmission and at low miles when I retire. Buying the Bronco now to pay it off by 2026 and keep the miles low.

I have a fully equipped shop, so keeping stuff running is easy. All the tech crap should be optional.

 

[BroncoTodd]

I did not receive anything like this. I'll have to ask the dealer about it.

You have to keep hounding them for it. My brother went through the same issue with his dealer this past week. I told them he has to keep pressuring them for the actual order sheet, and show example of the actual WBDO order as an example when they play dumb.

Finally when forced to pull up in the system his 4 door big bend with no frills had been 99'd without his authorization. So he demanded that they change it and print out a copy for him, which they did.

There's obviously no proof that they didn't 99 him as soon as he left the office, but at a minimum you have to get some sort of evidence that you actually have an order in the system.

Best of luck!

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