Who buys a 1st year anything?

[jimmy234]

It's anecdotal, but I bought an '18 JLU and had zero issues with it. Was a fantastic vehicle, really. Kind of got the "jeep thing" out of my system after four years of it, but it gave me lots of awesome memories and zero headaches. Would do it all over again, no question.

Sponsored

 

[Phil James]

I've been in this rodeo for some time. I put my order in for a new Bronco like everyone else did. Then I got to thinking, who buys the first year of anything? Are people really surprised there are problems with the new Bronco? If you expected perfection from the 1st year or manufacturer, you must be new to this game. I'm dying to hear your response on why you bought a first year rig. A limited addition is one thing, it's a collector vehicle. But if you want dependability, wait a few years for the inevitable bugs to be worked out. Everyone howled for FORD to get the Bronco out the door, ASAP. OK fine, and this is what you get, what did people expect? From what I hear and read, many of the problem were for out sourcing the manufacturer of components. Never fear, FORD will get it right eventually. If FORD was allowed to do proper R&D, many of the issues seen today would have been dealt with before the release.

You are correct. I was foolish to reserve and order a 1st year vehicle. It's obvious that 2d or 3d year is much less likely to have defects.
Fortunately Ford Motor Company realized how foolish I had been, and put my order out a coupla years ...
... pretty nice of them.

 

[mpeugeot]

I've been in this rodeo for some time. I put my order in for a new Bronco like everyone else did. Then I got to thinking, who buys the first year of anything? Are people really surprised there are problems with the new Bronco? If you expected perfection from the 1st year or manufacturer, you must be new to this game. I'm dying to hear your response on why you bought a first year rig. A limited addition is one thing, it's a collector vehicle. But if you want dependability, wait a few years for the inevitable bugs to be worked out. Everyone howled for FORD to get the Bronco out the door, ASAP. OK fine, and this is what you get, what did people expect? From what I hear and read, many of the problem were for out sourcing the manufacturer of components. Never fear, FORD will get it right eventually. If FORD was allowed to do proper R&D, many of the issues seen today would have been dealt with before the release.

Despite the impression that first year vehicles are a disaster, I have had exactly zero problems with my 2021 Bronco 2 door 2.7 Outer Banks with Lux and Tow. I took delivery of my Dirt Mountain Bronco built Aug 5th, 2021 on November 19th, and have put 20,000 miles both on and off road on it.

So while I will be the first to admit that first year cars carry a greater inherent risk of defects and problems... not all of them are an unmitigated shit show. I will even go as far as to say that I have been lucky... at least until last night when I got hit by a rock to the windshield (this time it cracked the windshield and I was pissed).

 

[AZ_Liberty]

I'm dying to hear your response on why you bought a first year rig.

After replacing the rear end on the Mustang, the top was starting to delaminate. And replacing tops on those things is pretty pricey. Plus I needed to fix the rear windows.

So the choice was either order a Bronco, or find another used Mustang to limp along with. Those are the only two Fords you can buy with a stick shift.

Personally, I think $30k is a lot to pay for a car. I normally buy something a few years old and let some other sucker take the depreciation hit. (which seems quite laughable in the current market I admit)

On the other hand, Ford hasn't built mine yet either, so I'm driving my wife's old Expy, which is technically a nice enough car, it's just huge, and has a stupid automatic in it. I figured, I can put up with that for 6 months or so. (jokes on me)

 

[okbob]

Twice, bought a 03' f250 6.0l no issues, sold it with 333k miles. 22'(supposed to be a 21') bronco no issues yet lol

 

[Seatmandan]

I've been in this rodeo for some time. I put my order in for a new Bronco like everyone else did. Then I got to thinking, who buys the first year of anything? Are people really surprised there are problems with the new Bronco? If you expected perfection from the 1st year or manufacturer, you must be new to this game. I'm dying to hear your response on why you bought a first year rig. A limited addition is one thing, it's a collector vehicle. But if you want dependability, wait a few years for the inevitable bugs to be worked out. Everyone howled for FORD to get the Bronco out the door, ASAP. OK fine, and this is what you get, what did people expect? From what I hear and read, many of the problem were for out sourcing the manufacturer of components. Never fear, FORD will get it right eventually. If FORD was allowed to do proper R&D, many of the issues seen today would have been dealt with before the release.

"if Ford was allowed to do proper R&D"

Huh??!? explain that comment.

 

[pakrat]

Mine has been flawless (knocks on wood)! And while I've been busy wheeling the s*!t of it and being the envy of every off-road enthusiast I meet, the "no 1st year crowd" can sit at home or drive their outdated 4Runner around. When their 2nd or 3rd yr. or beyond vehicle finally arrives with the knowledge that they are safe from the 1st yr. gremlins, I might be ready for an upgrade. Who knows what 2024 will bring. More power? More fuel efficiency? Updated electronics? You name it. Not to mention late adopters are certainly paying more.

This isn't 1973.

 

[DefNotBuddyLee]

I have had a few 1st year models and I typically tell myself "never again".
With that said, I knew I wanted the Bronco and originally was going to wait a year or two. Then someone totaled my car, so I just went ahead and ordered. So far I am happy with my decision. Got a great deal on an extended warranty which is really what I would suggest if someone was concerned about the 1st year gremlins. In the case of the Bronco, I have the advantage of temps on my A/C controls and people I know that were purposely waiting to order for 2022 are in the weeds behind alot of people.
Outside of the possible gremlins, as others have mentioned, you tend to turn alot of heads with a 1st year model which can be fun.

 

[TX_Bronco77]

1) what do you think of the gauges? I prefer dials

I love the gauges, if I wanted dials I'd buy a classic car, wristwatch, or rotary phone.

2) It would be nice if a person could lay down full length in the rear and be able to close the hatch behind them, as I do in my B2.

Why would I sleep in my truck, even if I go camping I'll have a tent.

3) Where do you put a winch on this rig without purchase a bumper that's sticks out by a foot.

No real answer on this one because I have no interest in a winch. But there are several winch setups that are in the skid plate area which protrude much less than a bumper mount. Though I'd love to see a bumper mount winch on any platform that doesn't protrude 12".

4) Not a 100% on the rear hatch opening to the side like Jeep. I like having an overhead hatch to duck under like traditional Bronco do. I use the inside of the tire carrier to hold my table.

I wonder how a lift up tailgate would work on a vehicle that has a removable, not static top. Especially on a traditional Bronco that had side swing tailgates with a lift up rear glass. Or rear glass that rolled down into the tailgate and then swung open.

5) Did I mention I love Broncos, no matter what year, they are a head turning American classic.

 

[Baseaf]

I've owned plenty of first year vehicles. The avalanche, challenger, and the 3.5 ecoboost F150. Bronco is another one to the list. No regrets!

 

[MnLakeBum]

Because last August we added another driver in the household when she turned 16. We can’t do with less than one vehicle per driver.

 

[TX_Bronco77]

Because last August we added another driver in the household when she turned 16. We can’t do with less than one vehicle per driver.

Man I wish my parents would have thought that until I could buy my own car.

 

[Snowdogyyz]

I think next time a manufacturer comes out with a new vehicle, everyone should skip buying it. Period. Let’s all wait for the second year that inevitably won’t be produced when no one buys the first year run.

 

[Thiskers]

I have had a few 1st year models and I typically tell myself "never again".
With that said, I knew I wanted the Bronco and originally was going to wait a year or two. Then someone totaled my car, so I just went ahead and ordered. So far I am happy with my decision. Got a great deal on an extended warranty which is really what I would suggest if someone was concerned about the 1st year gremlins. In the case of the Bronco, I have the advantage of temps on my A/C controls and people I know that were purposely waiting to order for 2022 are in the weeds behind alot of people.
Outside of the possible gremlins, as others have mentioned, you tend to turn alot of heads with a 1st year model which can be fun.

Yeah second year doesn't have a ton of advantages, potentially a better made hard top (not that many 1st years got those anyways). I'm able to order a green color which I wanted initially which is nice. Those temperature knobs though, can't say I'm not jealous. Though I would've taken a 21 had Ford attempted my day 2 reservation, hopefully mine actually gets built the week of 6/6. Had my truck for 16 years now, I'm ready for a few minor modern things in my vehicle, like bluetooth that isn't a cigarette lighter plugin solution.

 

[BulldogBear]

The only time I purchase a brand new vehicle from a dealer is for my business's fleet, where I need to know what I'm getting and am willing to eat the dealer fees and sales tax.

For personal vehicles, I've always purchased used from people who I can tell have taken care of their vehicles. Until the Bronco.

After 13 years of reliability in my MB Gwagen, the itch for a new off-roader was scratching, and a Wrangler was definitely not the calamine lotion. This happened to be around the time news about both the new Bronco and new LR Defender were being leaked. I used to own an AA Yellow NAS Defender 90 (still regret selling her), and was really hoping that Land Rover would come out with something that competed directly with the Wrangler (locking diffs, easily fit 35" tires, convertible). Instead they came out with the next Discovery / LR5. While they're nice looking and the interior is several steps up from the Bronco, after my previous LR experiences and their known reliability issues, no thank you.

So I waited to see what the Bronco was going to be (I was really hoping for that concept version that was promoted ~10 years ago and showed up in the Rock's "Rampage." What can I say? I like boxy vehicles).
Removable top: Check.
Locking diffs: Check.
Swaybar disconnect: Check (and under load? Double check!).
35" tires from the factory: BIG Check.
Removable doors: Bonus.
Front facing camera for off-roading: Heck yeah!
Trail Turn Assist: What creative freshness is this? All in!

The Bronco checked all my off-roading boxes and then some, and, for a while anyway, is pretty unique, and offers a great open-air experience that isn't one of the millions of Wranglers you see everywhere, and has way more cabin space and far better seating.

Also, most of the important (costly) parts in the Bronco are based off of Ford products that have been in hundreds of thousands of vehicles, so while the vehicle is "new," most of what's inside it isn't, which helped in my decision to give a 1st gen vehicle a shot.

11k on the odo, and the only issue I have to date is the steering wheel horn/airbag cover starting to show the separation lines, and that also looks like it could easily become a factory recall issue as more people are likely to experience the same thing.

Only smiles so far as I get close to a year of ownership.

Sponsored