Dealer lets people test drive your new Bronco Sport…

[Mark S.]

That's why I did not say, "Direct quote from manual:"...partial throttle, moderate rpm, gentle braking...". I was paraphrasing.

You did not say you were paraphrasing, you said "the manual calls for," which I believe a reasonable person would assume to mean you are quoting. Further, your paraphrase was not accurate.

The recommendation on avoiding heavy braking isn't to prevent mechanical damage, it's because the brakes don't achieve maximum effectiveness until broken in. And Ford's recommendation says nothing about partial throttle or moderate RPM. Indeed, occasional hard acceleration will promote, not hamper, ring seating. As an example, this instruction sheet from Mahle Motorsports--a leading international development partner and supplier to the automotive industry--is far more detailed than any Owner's Manual I've seen, and it recommends only 20-30 minutes--not 1,000 miles--of driving using part throttle and varying loads/RPM. After that, it recommends 5-6 full-throttle acceleration runs to 75% of max RPM.

I suspect the majority of break-in recommendations from auto manufacturers are less about preventing mechanical damage and more about giving a new owner time to get used to driving a new vehicle, especially one whose driving characteristics may change as components wear in.

The bottom line is -- as with essentially all vehicles ever made -- the Bronco Sport should be broken in. The typical number of miles is the 1,000 stated by Ford.

Manufacturer recommendations for breaking in modern cars are all over the map, so words like "typical" are meaningless. Even Ford's recommendations are not consistent; the manuals for the 2021 MY and 2022 MY Bronco Sports are different. Do you think something changed between model years that required a different break-in procedure?

Many people are hard on cars (read: ignore break-in requirements) when they test drive them. That's a fact.

A fact is provable. To prove this claim you would have to define "most" and "hard." I get your point; it's reasonable to assume that someone test driving a vehicle is not concerned with break-in requirements (if any), but an unprovable assumption cannot be fact.

As with so much of this stuff, it's a personal choice. My position -- speaking only for myself -- is that I do not want to pay full MSRP for a "new" vehicle that may have been thrashed.

A perfectly reasonable position. I get it. Again, I'm not discounting anyone's concern about their dealer allowing other customers drive their special-ordered vehicle without permission--that would annoy me as well. But my concern would not be about mechanical damage. My concern would be about my relationship with the dealer.

Sponsored

 

[Osco]

If I see 10 or more miles on a new car I tell them I’m not interested in a demo car.
I often get, “Oh no not a demo, we just drove it over from another dealer” I then add, “Sorry but the employee that drove it over might have floored it wide open to see what it could do, how can I know with certainty they took it easy with a non broken in engine, I’ll pass”
Then If they knock off $500 and it’s not over 30 I may bite.

 

[baja_bob]

I live near the Flint, Mi area where the HD GM trucks are built. The spray in bedliner is installed on the other side of town and I see the GM employees hot-rodding these $60K+ trucks around town back and forth to the plant. So when you first get your new truck it already had several hard miles on it.

 

[sajohnson]

If I see 10 or more miles on a new car I tell them I’m not interested in a demo car.
I often get, “Oh no not a demo, we just drove it over from another dealer” I then add, “Sorry but the employee that drove it over might have floored it wide open to see what it could do, how can I know with certainty they took it easy with a non broken in engine, I’ll pass”
Then If they knock off $500 and it’s not over 30 I may bite.

Exactly.

Even if we had a way of knowing that the additional miles were 'easy' miles, why pay a new car price for a used vehicle?

That said, every situation is different. I can understand that if a person really *needs/wants* a particular vehicle, and they have been searching for months, they may go ahead and pay top dollar for a "new" BS with (say) 150-200+ miles on it.

But under ordinary circumstances there is no reason to pay MSRP for a vehicle with more than about 10 miles on it.

That's just a matter of principle if nothing else.

Of course, we can't know how a vehicle was driven, which, principle aside, is a very serious practical reason not to buy a vehicle that has been driven for anything other than necessary purposes -- factory testing and delivery.

 

[sajohnson]

I live near the Flint, Mi area where the HD GM trucks are built. The spray in bedliner is installed on the other side of town and I see the GM employees hot-rodding these $60K+ trucks around town back and forth to the plant. So when you first get your new truck it already had several hard miles on it.

That's a common problem -- the people paid to transport vehicles are often 'kids' -- teens and early 20's -- who have a heavy foot, and no respect for the fact that they are driving someone else's vehicle.

That's a good reason to pay for rollback transport.

I'm honestly surprised that dealers get away with selling cars with more than 10-15 miles on them -- let alone 100+ miles as "new". I'd think state law would specify a certain max mileage.

 

[M3H7363]

But under ordinary circumstances there is no reason to pay MSRP for a vehicle with more than about 10 miles on it.

These times are anything but ordinary.

Sticker on my '21 Big Bend was $31000. I got it for A-plan plus tax. Carvana gave me $3000 more than I paid for it out the door. Why? Don't know, don't care. Obviously someone is going to buy it for more than I paid and with the 3700 miles I put on it.

Why is this dealer asking this much for a BSFE? It obviously didn't cost that much and has 6000 miles on it now. Here's a pic I took of it in their lot.

 

[Geelloo90042]

That really sucks if the car you reserved on order was being used as a test car. When I got mine, it still had the white plastic covering in it, with 19 miles off the transport vehicle. I guess it really depends on the integrity of the dealership. I work for a company that supports numerous car brands and we value the word "integrity" and "accountability" . I for one would not deal with any dealership that does backdoor, behind your back deals to get you out the door. Just be super deligent when getting your car, and don't just settle. Good luck to y'all

 

[kyle_conrad]

I'm honestly surprised that dealers get away with selling cars with more than 10-15 miles on them -- let alone 100+ miles as "new". I'd think state law would specify a certain max mileage.

"New" is defined by number of titled owners, not by number of miles.

 

[sajohnson]

"New" is defined by number of titled owners, not by number of miles.

True, but that is ripe for abuse.

Is a dealer demo/loaner with 2,500 miles a "new" car? Legally, yes. Is it the equivalent of the same model car with 8 factory/transport miles on it? Not even close.

If someone bought a car, put 2,500 miles on it, and traded it in it would of course be considered used, although in many cases it will have been treated better than the 'new' dealer loaner car that has had multiple drivers -- drivers who had no financial interest in the car.

 

[sajohnson]

That really sucks if the car you reserved on order was being used as a test car. When I got mine, it still had the white plastic covering in it, with 19 miles off the transport vehicle. I guess it really depends on the integrity of the dealership. I work for a company that supports numerous car brands and we value the word "integrity" and "accountability" . I for one would not deal with any dealership that does backdoor, behind your back deals to get you out the door. Just be super deligent when getting your car, and don't just settle. Good luck to y'all

The charge for extra mileage on a leased car is typically $0.10 to $0.30. At the *very* least, the dealer should deduct (say) $0.25 per mile for each mile over the as-delivered mileage. That would be nowhere near enough to convince me to buy a car that had been test driven, but at least it would be a token gesture -- an acknowledgement that they are selling a vehicle that has already begun depreciating.

 

[sajohnson]

These times are anything but ordinary.

Sticker on my '21 Big Bend was $31000. I got it for A-plan plus tax. Carvana gave me $3000 more than I paid for it out the door. Why? Don't know, don't care. Obviously someone is going to buy it for more than I paid and with the 3700 miles I put on it.

Why is this dealer asking this much for a BSFE? It obviously didn't cost that much and has 6000 miles on it now. Here's a pic I took of it in their lot.

Absolutely, strange days indeed.

The car market is crazy. As you said, used cars are selling for over their MSRP when new.

The bottom line is that hot market or cold; new or used; a car with (say) 8 miles that has never been driven (ex. factory and transport) is worth more than one that has been taken on several "test drives" (aka joy rides, at least in some cases) and has 140 miles on it.

If there are 2 identical new Bronco Sports and one still has the plastic on it and the other has 300 test drive miles and they are both the same price, which one would a buyer choose?

If there are 2 identical used Bronco Sports -- one has 1,000 miles and the other 7,000 -- they may both have crazy prices on them (over MSRP) but the one with 1K miles will be priced higher.

Needless to say, even in this market, vehicles depreciate with every mile they are driven.

 

[Meanderthal]

Needless to say, even in this market, vehicles depreciate with every mile they are driven.

Not in this market, apparently if the dealer let’s people joy ride in your vehicle they are making it more valuable and they should charge you more for it.

 

[Mark S.]

If there are 2 identical new Bronco Sports and one still has the plastic on it and the other has 300 test drive miles and they are both the same price, which one would a buyer choose?

The orange one, of course!

 

[sajohnson]

The orange one, of course!

Orange!

 

[thekingprawn]

You mean yellorange...

Sponsored