that is awesome! are you able to close the soft top over the mesh top without taking it off?You all have heard the reviews from the media, influencers, and now actual owners. No need for me to go into any of that. So instead I'll share what having my new Bronco means to me. But first, I'll touch on some of things that people seem to complain about most.
1) 2.3 engine - I have a 4 door sasquatch and am more than satisfied with this engine. That said, I haven't tried off-roading up any mountain sides yet. During my break in period I've kept it somewhat leashed with just some light off-roading and getting on the accelerator a few times just to feel what power it would produce. I have no complaints whatsoever. I will say I'm not a "car" guy and thinks every single vehicle that is made should come with a v8. However, my best friend is. He drives a 2019 Challenger SRT with 392 Hemi. I let him drive the Bronco and he said he was impressed with the engine and the overall handling of the vehicle. Would a bigger engine be better? Probably. But is it needed? No. It's perfect for me.
2) Soft top - I personally love it. I love the convenience. I had the top down all weekend except when driving on the interstate and when it rained. I went to my God Daughter's birthday party on Saturday with the top down. While I was there it started raining. I flipped the top up and then put it right back down when it stopped. I love it. Does it have more wind noise? Yes, of course. Are the side windows slightly wrinkled? Yes. I can live with it and it doesn't bother me at all.
3) B&O sound system - I personally think it sounds really good. Again, for me it's perfect. The same friend who owns the Challenger is also an "audiophile". Seems like wanting v8 engines and concert hall quality music go hand in hand. Lol. But again, he was impressed with the sound quality. Is it the best? No. But it's still really good.
4) Roast leather interior on Outer Banks - I will admit I was hesitant on this interior when looking at it in pictures. The brown looked like baby poo and I wasn't sure about the dash. Now I'm glad I got it. I think it looks great. The brown leather is much darker in person and I think the bronze dash looks really good too. Everyone that asked me to look at it over the weekend agrees. One of the first things people say is how much they love the interior.
Moral of the story is this. I think the long wait has made us all really nit pick every detail about this thing. We have all become Bronco "fatigued". But when someone looks at it for the first time, in my experience, they love everything about it. I probably took 20 people for rides in it over the weekend and not one person had one bad thing to say about it. The word I heard most was "awesome". So just enjoy it when you get it. Have fun with it. Think about all the good things you get with it instead of nit picking things that are totally subjective. I absolutely love mine and have nothing bad to say about it!
Now my Bronco story....
This is a story of fulfilling a childhood dream at the age of 42. Pretty much anyone who knows me would say I'm not a materialistic person. I don't care to live in a mansion or drive a fancy car. I live in a modest cabin in the woods and (before the Bronco) drove a 2009 Chrysler with 220,000 miles on it. This story may seem materialistic on the surface. And I can see why it would seem that way since I am talking about buying a $55k vehicle. But it's so much more. It's a feeling I'm sure most can relate to, in one way or another. The feeling of being 16 again with a head full of dreams and empty pockets. Not really knowing what you were doing in life, and not really caring either. Just living it.
As a kid, I absolutely loved the Bronco. I am sure most of you can relate to that. I always wanted to have one, but never did. When Ford stopped making them in the mid 90s that dream seemed dead. Then, in 2004 they teased us with a possible comeback and a futuristic looking concept model. After that, nothing but silence. For over a decade. Since the release of that 2004 concept, I waited. Hoping one day Bronco would be reborn. In 2017 it finally happened. Ford announced it had begun the initial planning phase to bring Bronco back to us. Ever since that announcement over 4 years ago, I have followed every news article, read every blog, and joined every forum that allowed me to follow the updates and rumors. At that time we didn't know what the new Bronco would be. Would Ford totally mess it up? I sincerely hoped not. My renewed childhood depended on it. Speculation ran wild. Photos got leaked. Finally, in 2020 Ford announced it was ready to reveal the new Bronco to the world. We all remember the night. July 13, 2020 8:00 pm est. I didn't know what to expect, but I was ready. Then it happened. I watched the reveal video. It was everything I had hoped for and more. Wow is all I could think of. Just wow. Ford absolutely nailed it. That childhood feeling I'd been longing to find engulfed me. I immediately tried putting in my reservation. The website had crashed. Apparently there were A LOT of other people out there just like me. I kept trying all night. Finally, 5 hours after the reveal I secured my reservation. It's been rumored Ford received over 100,000 reservations in the first 3 days following the reveal. But Ford never officially confirmed that. Then the wait began.
To say it's been a rollercoaster ride of emotions since I put in my reservation would be an understatement. Again, you all can relate. Countless delays because of Covid and production problems made the wait longer. Deliveries were supposed to start early spring 2021. Then late spring. Then sometime in the summer. Then Ford sent an email basically saying they couldn't say when they would be able to start producing them because of the production issues they were having. A lot of reservation holders jumped ship. They were tired of waiting and just wanted to buy something else. But as I said previously, it wasn't about the "car" for me. It was the experience I was waiting for. So I was patient. I kept waiting. I changed my order specs several times based on what Ford said they were having problems producing. And I waited some more. Finally, at the end of May, I received an email that my Bronco had been selected to be built. Even though I was ecstatic, it wasn't going to be built until mid July. More waiting. I have a lot of patience but this process sure did push my limits. Mid July came and I received the email it had been built and was being shipped. It was actually happening.
Friday July 30 my dealer emailed me letting me know it had arrived. I could not wait to see it. I could feel that childhood anticipation engulfing me just the way it did the night I watched the reveal. When I first saw it drive around the corner I felt like I was floating. I wanted to jump in then and there and drive away and never look back. Back to simpler times when I didn't have a worry in the world. But first I had to take care of the adult stuff. Sign paperwork. Write a check. Sign more paperwork. Blah blah blah. But it had to be done. And it seemed to take forever. But then the time had come. The moment I've been waiting over 4 years for, or I guess you could say over 20 years. It had been 1 year and 15 days since I put in my reservation. My best friend was there with me. I'm sure he was just hoping that now I would stop talking about it. He's heard it the entire year. I shook my salesperson's hand and he handed me the key. I put the top down and got in and started it up. I drove away with the radio turned up, wind blowing through my hair, and a huge smile on my face. I was driving straight to 1995 and never turning back.
That's my Bronco story. I know there are still a lot of people out there waiting for their moment including a couple of my friends. I hope you all get your moment sooner than later. Try to be patient. I promise when you get it you will find it was worth the wait. And when you do get it, just enjoy it!
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