UPDATE: After 2 years of waiting and only a week left, I think I'm going to pass on the Bronco

[jb56]

OP has two vehicles in the household:

An F-150, and an Expy Max, which I believe is simply an Expedition EL with a name change.

The wife is driving the Expedition Max, and they picked out the Max and not the standard Expy because presumably they wanted the extra space.

The Bronco is TINY compared to an Expy. I'm driving my wife's old Expedition EL right now, and am massively looking forward to my Bronco because it is so much smaller than that ginormous Oxford White Whale.

But, I only got the wife out of the Expedition by buying her an F-150 super-crew. There is no way I could convince her to drive something as small as a Bronco.

So then the question becomes, what does the Bronco do for our friend that his F-150 does not. Mostly it has a much smaller turning radius. So much better for tight switchback trails. But otherwise an FX4 F-150 is pretty capable off road, and a Tremor will easily be more capable than a lot of stock Broncos.

For me the main appeal of the Bronco was as a daily driver. Better than my stupid Expy, because the Expy is an automatic, and those suck the joy out of existence. Better than my Mustang because it's not 3" off the ground and I can actually see around the other idiots on the road. And the stupidly short wheelbase means parking lots are no longer a scary and frightening place. But the OP ordered a Wildtrack, and those only come with the Auto, so shifting his own gears is obviously not a priority for him.

I'd still much rather drive a 116" wheelbase 4-door Bronco than a 131.6" Expedition as a daily driver though.

we were going to switch from a Pilot to a Bronco for my Wife’s daily driver. She loves the bronco and we love to mountain bike and go camping in the desert. Our plan was to just use the F150 if we needed to road trip with more space.

but then I decided to reserve a lightning, expecting to get in this summer, but I just missed the cut. But when the bronco was delayed much longer and I was going to switch to an electric truck, so we got an expedition so we can do longer trips and tow with it over longer distances.

but you are right, now we have two huge vehicles. But it’s hard for us to replace either with the bronco now. We certainly could, but it would be a big shift.

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[P52Ranch]

I'm not seeing a slow down yet. But what I am seeing is a lot of available units.

So similar Wildtraks are listed in my area for $79,000, and apparently everyone is copying each other. But there are way more listed than just a few months ago. Where I used to find just a few Wildtraks at a time that would be gone quickly, now there are 10+ Wildtraks and 10+ Badlands all available and they stay on for several weeks. So while the price hasn't come down I guess, that to me is downward pressure.

I agree with your observations on downward pressure in the market for autos. What is crazy to me is that 2 years ago when we all made reservations for this we didn't have any expectation of buying a Bronco and flipping it for more than we paid for it. We all expected a normal car buying experience for a Bronco.

This has been an unprecedented past 22 months with supply shortages everywhere that has created an artificial bubble of prices. That bubble will eventually burst and normal depreciation will return.

 

[benratt]

Simple ownership is lame unless actually doing something exciting and adventurous with the vehicle. The OP already said he has little use for the vehicle.

If people want to not have regrets and enjoy life, I'd focus on doing stuff, rather than owning things.

Well said Indio22. This Bronco was built to be the ultimate off roader with good on road manners and great handling. If you don't off road, or don't plan to or want to, you shouldn't buy this Bronco. I just went to the Bronco Off Rodeo in Austin and was blown away by it's capabilities. Even the non-sasquatch trucks did great, although a few more scrapes and hang-ups. If all you're ever going to do is daily drive it then don't buy it, you'll be disappointed because you'll be comparing it to your Expedition or Tahoe, or even F-150. But if you're on the fence, and you want to off-road, go to an off-roadeo, and you'll be sold.

 

[doyouevensunbro]

Not sure how serious that was meant to be, but if any regret sets in, I'm pretty sure there will be a bazillion Broncos around before too long.

Agreed. In a few years there will be nothing rare about this car. I can still easily buy Broncos from the 60's Our desire to get it now is just FOMO. If you broke free of that, then pass and get one later.

 

[jaruss01]

Ok. So theres the risk of potentially barely breaking even after tax by a couple bucks / not worth your time to sell to barely break even. But even then, wouldn’t it be worth it to at least try it out knowing your downside is minimal? Just the make believe cost to rent a bronco for a month would be the equivalent to your absolute downside scenario.

I get the whole don’t want to dance with the devil mentality, but your two years ahead of the average Joe on the waitlist.

Off road or not. It’s still a convertible on summer days and fun to joyride on paved streets.

 

[jb56]

Ok. So theres the risk of potentially barely breaking even after tax by a couple bucks / not worth your time to sell to barely break even. But even then, wouldn’t it be worth it to at least try it out knowing your downside is minimal? Just the make believe cost to rent a bronco for a month would be the equivalent to your absolute downside scenario.

I get the whole don’t want to dance with the devil mentality, but your two years ahead of the average Joe on the waitlist.

Off road or not. It’s still a convertible on summer days and fun to joyride on paved streets.

All good points. But for $61k, there really are a lot of alternatives as well. Some would probably hold value too. A used Boxter S, a used Mercedes GLE AMG, stuff like that. But the bronco is cooler and better off road. But there are cool things about those as well. We are just talking about a ton of money here.

 

[amazingjason]

Ballsy to be asking that much with so much inventory around. It’ll be interesting to watch them. I get your dilemma. I haven’t waited anywhere near as long as most here and It’s tough to not jump into something else. A lightning would be one of the few I’d consider, but it wouldn’t fit in my garage and is overall just more vehicle than I want on a daily basis.

Is it easier to get a lightning than a bronco?

Jason

 

[jaruss01]

All good points. But for $61k, there really are a lot of alternatives as well. Some would probably hold value too. A used Boxter S, a used Mercedes GLE AMG, stuff like that. But the bronco is cooler and better off road. But there are cool things about those as well. We are just talking about a ton of money here.

Hear ya. Knowing the bronco will truly be a third vehicle / toy…if the cache has worn off and there are other toys you may enjoy more then maybe let it go. At that point it’s personal preference. There are some crazies here like myself that wouldn’t sell under 90k since I can’t think of something I’d enjoy more at that price point (partially because my bronco serves several purposes in one). But if you could convince yourself of other vehicles/toys at 60k used/new that you would all around enjoy more then maybe it is perhaps time to let go. No matter how much convincing you see here

 

[osoblanco]

We reserved within 24 hours of the reservations opening and we were so excited for the Bronco. But a lot has changed in 2 years. We've made other vehicle choices and kind of moved on. When our bronco was finally scheduled to be built, I got excited again. Excited enough to basically plan on spending $61,000 on an off-roader, even with interest rates having increased. But the used market is starting to cool off in my town and honestly, the Bronco isn't really good at any of the things I want in a daily driver. It's just effing awesome. But even though I'm crazy excited about this and I've been waiting forever, I don't think that's a good justification for making a kind of bad decision.

Of course, with how long it is taking to get here, maybe I'll change my mind 9 more times. But I think I'm going to pass.

You've encapsulated what I've been kicking around for awhile now too, although a couple months short of your wait (had I not been living under a rock, I would have reserved first day, I literally reserved 30 minutes after seeing the launch video, after a quick discussion with the wife). And a lot has changed in the last two years. I went from being ready to pay cash, to financing, to possibly giving it up to address another family need. I'm too stubborn to walk away now, even if some days it does feel like the smartest decision. I haven't been scheduled, my dealer is ignoring me, and although I haven't been balanced yet I know that day could come soon. I hope you get clarity on the best decision for you and your family, it sounds like you are looking at all the information rationally and will do what's best for you. Maybe down the road, if Ford can get their act together, a Bronco may still be in your future, just maybe not the one you originally thought.

Best of luck regardless.

 

[Homer8715]

im in the same boat mines being built 8-8 and I dont know if I want it , there a lot of nice thing out there , im using some money that was left to me with instructions to buy myself something fun and something id never do ( my mom life insurance and her words ) my problems is that's money worth less today and will be even worth less in a couple years to it worth nothing, so ill get it I think but if I dint get the price match of its not flaws less ill be getting something else cause one its not that cool as it once was there all over the place , and I would give it all up to have a hour with my mom again , ps the supra 6 speed pretty cool and you dont see a lot of them

 

[sniffHound]

Edited.
Me need to keep mouth shut.

 

[jb56]

Thank you for sanity.

Am I confused about what this place is? Is it not a special Internet forum for discussing broncos? And isn’t talking about the decision whether to buy it after waiting so long appropriate for such a place?

the title is pretty descriptive. The forum is clearly labeled. You can just ignore this thread you know.

 

[EveryDayBronco]

We reserved within 24 hours of the reservations opening and we were so excited for the Bronco. But a lot has changed in 2 years. We've made other vehicle choices and kind of moved on. When our bronco was finally scheduled to be built, I got excited again. Excited enough to basically plan on spending $61,000 on an off-roader, even with interest rates having increased. But the used market is starting to cool off in my town and honestly, the Bronco isn't really good at any of the things I want in a daily driver. It's just effing awesome. But even though I'm crazy excited about this and I've been waiting forever, I don't think that's a good justification for making a kind of bad decision.

Of course, with how long it is taking to get here, maybe I'll change my mind 9 more times. But I think I'm going to pass.

I think the crazy part is the $61,000, that's GMC Denali territory.

The bronco is $30,000-$40,000 vehicle imo. Their original msrp for the 2-door base was about right, around $28,500. That makes sense, but +$60,000 for a loud interior regardless of the trim level is just outside the value calculation.

We are headed into a recession with thousands of lay offs happening everyday. It's happening and the market is close to correcting the past two years of artificial value!

 

[sniffHound]

JB,
I’m sorry for being a dipstick.

I know your frustrated and I should have been a teammate to encourage you to do what is best for your family and you. My bad. We’re all in life together. Please accept my apology.

I’ll have a year and a half wait for mine if I get in next April. Nothing like a week one person. I think this is a generational vehicle. The original Bronco was never the most ergonomic but fun to drive and to be in. This is the same in my opinion. It is a fun factor that can be debunked by reason. I want lockers, I want to haul my family around (5 total and 2 beagles) for adventures. Not cray cray off roading but fun. That is why I’m on board. Traded in a 4dr Jeep ruby for my wife’s new ride. I’m okay to wait and knew it up front which is NOT what the day 1 folks like you were told. Thinking about it is see why your jaded. Me and my family are looking forward to it but hold it loosely.

Best of luck and sorry for being a dipstick.

Am I confused about what this place is? Is it not a special Internet forum for discussing broncos? And isn’t talking about the decision whether to buy it after waiting so long appropriate for such a place?

the title is pretty descriptive. The forum is clearly labeled. You can just ignore this thread you know.

 

[Los]

@jb56.
So why bring this issue up if you don't want it anymore, sounds to me that it's the opposite, but then again we all make choices and if you made up your mind that's a choice which can only be made by you. No regrets... congratulations...

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