Holy price increase

[MJE]

For me it came down to the 80/20 rule basically. I'm buying it for what it I need 80% of the time, which is going to work. For that 20% of the time when there's snow or I want to get to a trailhead off a forest road that has rougher conditions, then that's where the Badlands trim comes in. Sure, the Black Diamond 2 door Bronco I've spec'd out a dozen times would do that 20% better, but the 80% would arguably be worse, and for $3k more. Maybe one day (lolz), but I could honestly get by with a BB and opting for the BL was already a no compromises step up.

Your logic & mine are the same. Maybe one day too, if I can be south in retirement & enjoy some sun with the roof off. But my use case is basically the same as yours & for that BS BL it is.

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[RonSwanson]

You paid too much, again all the market will bare.
43k buys a lot more vehicle when your not buying the latest still hot new toy.
43k gets a 4x4 Ranger I think.

The only problem with that is getting one in a timely manner. Ford has built roughly twice as many Bronco Sports as they have Rangers so far this year.

 

[RonSwanson]

There wasn't any MSRP creep when I got my Bronco Sport, but I did order an Escape PHEV for my wife at the end of March. Is the price they quoted it at when I ordered set in stone or can they hit me with like a 7% MSRP hike when I eventually take delivery?

 

[thekingprawn]

There wasn't any MSRP creep when I got my Bronco Sport, but I did order an Escape PHEV for my wife at the end of March. Is the price they quoted it at when I ordered set in stone or can they hit me with like a 7% MSRP hike when I eventually take delivery?

Ordered vehicles get automatic price protection when there's an MSRP increase between order and production. Some dealerships have to be convinced of Ford's policy and taught to fill out the paperwork so that Ford reimburses them for the loss they take on the increase.

See this post from Long McArthur on the price protection.

 

[RonSwanson]

Ordered vehicles get automatic price protection when there's an MSRP increase between order and production. Some dealerships have to be convinced of Ford's policy and taught to fill out the paperwork so that Ford reimburses them for the loss they take on the increase.

Thanks for that info. I know the dealer won't try to charge me over MSRP on this (and I have X-Plan). I wasn't sure about the price jump between order and build/delivery though.

Is there any more specific info I should be prepared to give the dealer about this or a dept. at the Ford mothership you dealt with to get a dealer to toe the line?

 

[thekingprawn]

Thanks for that info. I know the dealer won't try to charge me over MSRP on this (and I have X-Plan). I wasn't sure about the price jump between order and build/delivery though.

Is there any more specific info I should be prepared to give the dealer about this or a dept. at the Ford mothership you dealt with to get a dealer to toe the line?

I edited the comment to add a link to info provided by Tim Bartz.

Dealerships are completely independent businesses over which Ford has almost no control, sadly. They can limit dealership allocations or ultimately pull the franchise, but overall Ford probably can't/won't do much to assist an individual sale unless things go sideways enough to garner the amount of attention needed to harm the brand publicly.

My plan if the salesman tries shenanigans is to first demand the sales or general manager come tend the deal, then demand they get the regional rep on speaker phone if they still won't honor the price, then call the Ford complaint line on speakerphone and have a very robust and exuberant conversation in the middle of the showroom. I don't think any of that will be necessary, but I'll be prepared should the dealership choose the way of pain.

 

[RonSwanson]

I edited the comment to add a link to info provided by Tim Bartz.

Dealerships are completely independent businesses over which Ford has almost no control, sadly. They can limit dealership allocations or ultimately pull the franchise, but overall Ford probably can't/won't do much to assist an individual sale unless things go sideways enough to garner the amount of attention needed to harm the brand publicly.

My plan if the salesman tries shenanigans is to first demand the sales or general manager come tend the deal, then demand they get the regional rep on speaker phone if they still won't honor the price, then call the Ford complaint line on speakerphone and have a very robust and exuberant conversation in the middle of the showroom. I don't think any of that will be necessary, but I'll be prepared should the dealership choose the way of pain.

Yeah, I get that they're independent from Ford. I think the way you gamed it out is pretty close to what I would would do if the scenario presents itself, but I appreciate you playing out all the steps. I'll check out the link you dropped in the last post too.

I don't think the dealership will be intentionally difficult. The sales rep flat out said they wouldn't try to go over MSRP. They weren't the most organized / communicative when I bought my Bronco Sport. though, so I'm trying to arm myself with some more info on the pricing.

The dealer never recognized the $100 I put down on my Bronco Sport as a deposit the day after the vehicle launch in July 2020 when I ordered the vehicle from Ford's website. I had to call the dealer about a half a dozen times before they finally credited it back to my credit card.

 

[69cuda340s]

This price increase may push some number of people from the Sport to a lower trim full size Bronco.

Or push them to another brand all together. But Ford has more buyers then vehicles to sell right now so for the time being Ford gonna cash in. If some go to another brand not a problem right now.

 

[Tigger]

But also keep in mind that we have had a really odd market where so many dealerships have no cars on the lot and the ones they can get are pre-sold or immediately sold. But, the marketing and pricing decisions were made prior to this fact (they do their planning just like designers etc). Thus, it makes sense to me that they are adjusting to the new facts of car selling. And, I may be incorrectly assuming, all will adjust back to normal where you buy a vehicle and it depreciates significantly as soon as you drive it off the lot.

 

[kingtj]

Yeah.... This has been argued a lot on other web sites discussing the Bronco vs. Sport.

The thing is? I'm not so sure the fully loaded Bronco Sport Badlands vs. a lower trim level full-size Bronco are for the same audience?

I know myself? I already went through my phase of wanting to build an "ultra capable 4x4 off-road machine" when I bought my Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon and then added all sorts of accessories to it. It was a lot of fun building it up. But ultimately, I realized I just didn't need some of that capability I paid for. For example? Sure, it has the front sway-bar you could unlock with the push of a button. But like most Wrangler owners I knew, that feature wound up getting used mostly to take a cool photo or two of the Jeep with one front tire up on a big rock and then wasn't touched again. It feels good knowing you CAN do it, in case the situation arises. But for 99% of the people driving those Wrangler Rubicons around, they aren't ever *really* running into those situations.

(I mean, if we're honest here? Most of the real hard-core off-roaders I knew were using much OLDER model Jeeps or other 4x4 vehicles. Because if you're going to bang it up on trees or rocks or break stuff on it, you'd rather it be an older one that's fully paid off and already all scratched and dinged up.)

With my Bronco Sport purchase this time around, I just wanted "enough" 4x4 off-road capability for the things I really have or could see myself encountering. EG. I could go to some 4x4 park and know that anything from the easy to an intermediate difficulty trail is doable with a Badlands edition Sport. That's good enough for me! I have no real interest in tackling their most advanced or difficult options. More likely, I'd want some ability to get up or down steep hills in the winter when I visit my daughter up in Western Maryland, and I want to be able to drive around the land on my friend's farm.

Things I had a real struggle with in the Wrangler included getting a really good sounding stereo. The B&O system in this Sport already sounds FAR better than the supposed "Premium" system the Wrangler Rubicon had in it. And of course, for daily driving, the gas mileage was another consideration. 14-15MPG or so gets old fast....

So yeah, I might want the "best" Bronco Sport configuration I could get, but a relatively stripped down full-size Bronco at even an equivalent price doesn't meet my needs and wants as well.

They're in kind of a tricky spot with the BL running right into the price range of the full size Bronco. Not everyone (in fact, almost no one) needs what a full size Bronco is capable of, and very few people actually want the ride of such a thing for a daily driver, but at the price a deck out Badlands gets to it starts to make sense to get all the things you could for that much money. This price increase may push some number of people from the Sport to a lower trim full size Bronco.

 

[Jrl]

Yeah.... This has been argued a lot on other web sites discussing the Bronco vs. Sport.

The thing is? I'm not so sure the fully loaded Bronco Sport Badlands vs. a lower trim level full-size Bronco are for the same audience?

I know myself? I already went through my phase of wanting to build an "ultra capable 4x4 off-road machine" when I bought my Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon and then added all sorts of accessories to it. It was a lot of fun building it up. But ultimately, I realized I just didn't need some of that capability I paid for. For example? Sure, it has the front sway-bar you could unlock with the push of a button. But like most Wrangler owners I knew, that feature wound up getting used mostly to take a cool photo or two of the Jeep with one front tire up on a big rock and then wasn't touched again. It feels good knowing you CAN do it, in case the situation arises. But for 99% of the people driving those Wrangler Rubicons around, they aren't ever *really* running into those situations.

(I mean, if we're honest here? Most of the real hard-core off-roaders I knew were using much OLDER model Jeeps or other 4x4 vehicles. Because if you're going to bang it up on trees or rocks or break stuff on it, you'd rather it be an older one that's fully paid off and already all scratched and dinged up.)

With my Bronco Sport purchase this time around, I just wanted "enough" 4x4 off-road capability for the things I really have or could see myself encountering. EG. I could go to some 4x4 park and know that anything from the easy to an intermediate difficulty trail is doable with a Badlands edition Sport. That's good enough for me! I have no real interest in tackling their most advanced or difficult options. More likely, I'd want some ability to get up or down steep hills in the winter when I visit my daughter up in Western Maryland, and I want to be able to drive around the land on my friend's farm.

Things I had a real struggle with in the Wrangler included getting a really good sounding stereo. The B&O system in this Sport already sounds FAR better than the supposed "Premium" system the Wrangler Rubicon had in it. And of course, for daily driving, the gas mileage was another consideration. 14-15MPG or so gets old fast....

So yeah, I might want the "best" Bronco Sport configuration I could get, but a relatively stripped down full-size Bronco at even an equivalent price doesn't meet my needs and wants as well.

Says it all very well . Thanks

 

[Badlanders]

The reality is, how many 4X SUV's / CUV's on the road ever even get off the pavement. In the early '90's they became the trendy popular vehicle to have. They slowly replaced soccer mom vans, again no disrespect, just terminology most are familiar with. No, not taking potshots there are those that actually do use the vehicle capabilities. Me, it's more on 2-tracks, forest, seasonal roads and dealing with snow. Regional geography plays a part in each owners usage.

I like the 80/20 rule. Would I like the Full Size Bronco, you bet, my need now is better F.E. Goes back to an example of a business teacher. Does it make sense to buy the 12 passenger van for the annual 2 week vacation (and the associated operating cost), when a regular car suffices for the other 50 weeks. Rent a van for the 2 week vacation. An extreme example, most buyers try for some moderation.

Oops... drifting off course a bit. The price increase, about $3k over my original order, is what keeps me hanging on, waiting for my order. And that's without the $1k Custom Order incentive.

 

[kingtj]

The reality is, how many 4X SUV's / CUV's on the road ever even get off the pavement. In the early '90's they became the trendy popular vehicle to have. They slowly replaced soccer mom vans, again no disrespect, just terminology most are familiar with. No, not taking potshots there are those that actually do use the vehicle capabilities. Me, it's more on 2-tracks, forest, seasonal roads and dealing with snow. Regional geography plays a part in each owners usage.

Yep, and what's funny now is, I see a whole lot of the early 2000's minivans running around (Dodge Caravan, Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country mostly), and almost none are getting used by the original/traditional audience of "soccer mom" types. A local cab company near me uses a fleet of them, and many have the middle and rear seats removed to use them as cargo/work vans.

Other than considerable issues with peeling paint and fenders or tailgates rusting, it seems like they kept going and going!

 

[Badlanders]

Yep, and what's funny now is, I see a whole lot of the early 2000's minivans running around (Dodge Caravan, Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country mostly), and almost none are getting used by the original/traditional audience of "soccer mom" types. A local cab company near me uses a fleet of them, and many have the middle and rear seats removed to use them as cargo/work vans.

Other than considerable issues with peeling paint and fenders or tailgates rusting, it seems like they kept going and going!

In the early to mid '90's, I know Ford and GM offered AWD on the Aerostar and Astro, and believe Dodge did on the Caravan. Short lived for the Aerostar, the Explorers etc. ramped up and took over.

 

[Mick2022OB]

I thought I had come back to the correct thread but may be wrong. This has to do with dealerships honoring the price when the order was placed even if the pricing increased on the sticker when produced. Someone had copied and pasted Ford's policy about them honoring the original order price and something to the effect that a dealer would be reimbursed by Ford for the difference or something similar. If you posted this somewhere. could you repost or send a link?

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