Switching between hard top and soft top. Which to buy?

[TNbroncogirl5]

Hi!
I am in the research phase before purchasing. I want to be able to switch between soft top and hard top seasonally. I am trying to figure out which configuration would be easiest to start with to then switch to the other. I know the soft top comes with the brackets so that is a bonus but the hard top comes with the defroster and wiper mechanics installed. If the soft top doesn’t have the hard top prep kit, is that something that can easily be ordered?

If you have both, which one did you start with or would you recommend starting with for

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[Charlesbrown165]

If you order with dual top …..then it comes one way…..hard too installed and soft
Too on a foam pallet strapped inside the bronco.

 

[coadr]

If you're only doing one of the two and not the dual top as mentioned above, order the hard top and buy the soft top second hand.

 

[TonkaTruck]

It’s marginally easier to add the hardtop to an OEM soft top equipped Bronco.

That said, you’ll pay way more of a premium for a second hand or after-market hardtop.

 

[TNbroncogirl5]

It’s marginally easier to add the hardtop to an OEM soft top equipped Bronco.

That said, you’ll pay way more of a premium for a second hand or after-market hardtop.

That’s what I was thinking too. Thanks for your input!

 

[TNbroncogirl5]

If you're only doing one of the two and not the dual top as mentioned above, order the hard top and buy the soft top second hand.

Thank you! I am planning to buy one off the lot vs ordering one. Seems to be a better value to buy a hard top and order a soft top after the fact.

 

[indio22]

Thank you! I am planning to buy one off the lot vs ordering one. Seems to be a better value to buy a hard top and order a soft top after the fact.

Coming from the Jeep world, I always recommended buying with hardtop due to aftermarket cost and OEM top being nice, and then buying from a selection of soft tops afterwards. But the issues with the Bronco hardtop and lack of having many aftermarket soft tops to choose from, throws a wrench into the equation. Still if you will want a hardtop, I'd go with hardtop and get soft top later.

 

[MNBigfoot]

Used/take off hard-tops sell for $5k-7k, soft-tops $800-1800.

 

[RagnarKon]

You'll have to look at prices.

On the surface it is substantially cheaper to buy a hard top Bronco now and order a soft top for your Bronco later. As @MNBigfoot mentioned, aftermarket hard tops are around $6500, while aftermarket soft tops are around $2000.

BUT... it is much harder to find available hard top Broncos and if you wait too long you'll be risking even more price increases, particularly once 2024MY launches. On top of that, hard tops are more sought after than soft tops, and they are selling at a higher price on dealer lots. In my local area hard tops are routinely being sold at $4000 - $7000 more than the soft top even though it's only a $2000 upgrade if you buy it from the factory.

So... you'll have to include all of that in your calculations. On the surface hard top is the obvious choice, but it may turn out that soft top is the better option.

 

[TNbroncogirl5]

You'll have to look at prices.

On the surface it is substantially cheaper to buy a hard top Bronco now and order a soft top for your Bronco later. As @MNBigfoot mentioned, aftermarket hard tops are around $6500, while aftermarket soft tops are around $2000.

BUT... it is much harder to find available hard top Broncos and if you wait too long you'll be risking even more price increases, particularly once 2024MY launches. On top of that, hard tops are more sought after than soft tops, and they are selling at a higher price on dealer lots. In my local area hard tops are routinely being sold at $4000 - $7000 more than the soft top even though it's only a $2000 upgrade if you buy it from the factory.

So... you'll have to include all of that in your calculations. On the surface hard top is the obvious choice, but it may turn out that soft top is the better option.

Great points to consider. Thank you for your input!

 

[Pdaddy]

I waited an extra year to get my 2022 bronco with the hard top and I just received the Bestop slant back soft this week.
I think the Bestop soft top looks nicer/tighter than the factory soft top so that’s the direction I would go.

 

[Wardognal]

I came across this the other day, it may help.

 

[BOLD Renegade93]

My point is tied to what Wardognal posted above. If you elect to buy a soft top first, I’d save up a little more money and get the Advanced Fiberglass hardtop. I like the slant back look, which is just personal preference, but the build quality seems much better than the Ford top since it uses injected foam for the middle layer instead of cardboard. Time will tell how those tops hold up but Ford has already set the bar low lol.

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