Dealer not being responsive?...switch from OB to BL? & on lot markups discussion

[rrali33tt]

DORA Issue?

My current car is on its last legs...a very old 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport AWD. Not fancy but perfect for my kid to make lots of messes in lol Gave me no problems and at 118k miles now. One thing I always hated about it was its very slow pickup. Now it sounds like a Harley and the wheel is starting to shake! I have been eyeing the Bronco and BS for a while. I found an OB on a dealer lot for a very decent price...maybe 4k above MSRP (they had some silly "SUV package that doesn't even exist which was basically an extended warranty) that they refused to remove. Since I REALLY wanted a moonroof I ordered pretty much the same exact car but with moonroof, tech package, 360+ and splashguards on 1/22/22. They told me 12-16 weeks and I think my car may survive that since I will be working from home still. However, after reading these forums I am getting nervous that it may take longer than expected and I am not sure I have that time and I also am questioning whether I should get a BL instead.

The following Thursday I received a very brief email that Ford confirmed my order with a Ford Logo. I replied back and asked for the order number (which I later think I found on my order sheet after seeing pics on this forum so thanks to those who posted). I sent another email asking for the DORA and still crickets. When would they get a DORA? Is there a way to confirm my order was actually placed with Ford vs the dealer just ordering stock vehicles?

OB v BL?

Now, since I found this forum I have been questioning whether I should have ordered the BL vs the OB. I would love for some advice here! I do not go on off roading adventures, so that is why I ordered the OB. I mostly drive on the highway in Florida where it is so flat . I used to live in NY and NJ and had my fair share of snow and tiny hills. My family has gotten into hiking and we have driven up to Blue Ridge Mountains and would like to also go to Smoky Mountains. I figured the OB would be sufficient to drive to vacation homes there. I do not foresee any other off-roading on crazy trails. I have heard of some beaches down here that allow cars so that may be the extend of any "off-roading" I may do. But 90% of the time flat road Florida driving. I do have a heavy foot and people do drive crazy down here so having something that can react quickly is ideal. Considering all of this do you think I should get a BL or is the OB sufficient? Is the wait time for BL much longer? Can I change my order and keep my place in line or do I have to start all over?

Dealer Markup!
Since I am worried about not actually having an order placed and my car not making it to delivery, once I figured out I could search all the inventory (unfortunately for me after my order) and read the window stickers for all Bronco Sports within 100 miles with a moonroof lol. I have found 3 BL, one is 5k above MSRP one is 12K above MSRP! I expected 5k but 12k was a bit much. I am not going to spend that much above MSRP (I am not that impatient lol). The 12k markup dealer claimed they ordered it 13 months ago. I cannot wait that long my car will definitely not run anymore unless I repair it which I also see as a waste of money, which is why I am considering paying slightly above MSRP. What markups have you seen on a BL and OB? In non-Covid times I had been pretty good at negotiating on price of cars so this whole situation is frustrating for me. It does not help that I am stubborn (re price) and slightly impatience (re waiting lol).

Thanks for reading my very long post and I appreciate all of your advice/thoughts on this!

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[JerryC]

Youll have a much easier time finding a Bronco Sport (I'm assuming by BS you meant Bronco Sport) on a lot at MSRP.
I have 21 BS Badlands, I really like it and it is likey going to be a trade in when our Bronco Badlands comes in two years or whenever.

 

[Idontknow]

I test drove an outer banks the other night that my dealer had gotten in just for kicks. I have a badlands on order that is built and waiting for shipping.

The Outerbanks with the 1.5liter loaded with myself 225lbs my wife 125lbs and my friend who is my sales rep he’s probably around 230lbs had adequate acceleration. It had more pep than I expected. With that said I personally wanted something a little faster.

The big bronco will be a very long wait probably double the wait of a sport or you will be paying a ridiculous amount over msrp. (Probably)

If youre willing to travel say by flying and driving the car back. You can find them at msrp or under. Orders from what I’m reading are starting to get backed up. Mine took 3 months to get built.

My dealership has been charging 2k over msrp for a badlands. I think regular price on the other ones.

good luck with your decision !

 

[kino]

It's getting very difficult to find even a used BS BL. Plenty of new OBs on lots. I was just searching for the fun of it throughout IA/WI/IL/IN dealers, even Carmax.

 

[Moltenburn]

First.... Can't speak for Dora but I believe my dealer sent me mine 2 days after confirmation email from Ford.

Next OB vs BL..... Wife wanted a OBX all options. Placed order. Waited 1 day total and emailed dealer to switch it a BL with Prem and 360. Cost $1000 more than the OBX she was looking at. Bigger engine, better drivetrain, lifted suspension. Equaled no brainer decision.

And finally.... Shop around look out of state. OBX are all over the place, so finding one no marks up shouldn't be impossible. BL good luck. In Rocky Mountain region we have zero showing on lot for 500 miles. I would expect the same thing in other regions.

 

[kvenerable]

I bought an OB off the lot about 6 months ago and ordered a BL at about the same time. I just got my BL, traded in the OB. I paid MSRP both times, traveled about 300 miles to the Scottsdale AZ Ford dealer for both deals.

I have spent lots of time in FL, think an OB would be fine there. I bought the BL mainly for off road use.

Car Gurus shows 74 new OBs within 150 miles of Orlando, most are listed at MSRP. That’s a good starting place to look around an area for what you want, although some dealers may do some bait & switch. That’s how I found my dealer.

 

[MJE]

I test drove the OB once my dealer finally had one available for demos. Honestly the 1.5 was just fine for freeway driving, I was actually surprised as I expected to find it lacking. But in the end, my decision making process was much the same as Molten’s. The BL even when adding options was only just a little bit more, so worth it to go with. For me the decision to go BL was an easy one. Plus I liked the PP interior, the rubber floors (for the dog hair), and wanted the look of the steelies, and their 3PMSF tires.

But there’s 2 things to consider beyond just the purchase price, knowing the OB will meet needs:

1. Mileage: those couple of MPG’s will add up over the life of the vehicle if you plan to keep the BS as long as you did your Mitsubishi. Again, for me, that wasn’t enough of a factor to sway my decision.

2. Small items: In pouring over the order guides (thanks to everyone who posted them on here) there are a few small things that come only on the OB & not the BL such as wiper de icer & rain sensing wipers. Assuming these aren’t huge issues in the south though. But this far north, they’re nice to have and standard on even the Base, but only available on the OB for south of the border.

Unless the DORA is what the dealer gave me when they punched in the order, my dealer acts like they don’t seem to know what I’m talking about when I ask for it, so I just don’t worry about it. As far as markup goes, my dealer did accept X plan even for my BL order, no markups. But yes, there’s stories out there of huge markups for anything on the lot.

 

[Bronclahoma]

It's a tough time to buy a new vehicle. I don't think anyone, including Ford, can give you an accurate arrival date for an order. My son-i-law is picking up an Explorer Timberline tomorrow, He ordered it the first week of September. Recently it showed on a train for a month. I'd try to find one in stock and get the best price available. He has a high mileage F150 and had to spend $3k on it while he was waiting.

 

[rrali33tt]

I test drove the OB once my dealer finally had one available for demos. Honestly the 1.5 was just fine for freeway driving, I was actually surprised as I expected to find it lacking. But in the end, my decision making process was much the same as Molten’s. The BL even when adding options was only just a little bit more, so worth it to go with. For me the decision to go BL was an easy one. Plus I liked the PP interior, the rubber floors (for the dog hair), and wanted the look of the steelies, and their 3PMSF tires.

But there’s 2 things to consider beyond just the purchase price, knowing the OB will meet needs:

1. Mileage: those couple of MPG’s will add up over the life of the vehicle if you plan to keep the BS as long as you did your Mitsubishi. Again, for me, that wasn’t enough of a factor to sway my decision.

2. Small items: In pouring over the order guides (thanks to everyone who posted them on here) there are a few small things that come only on the OB & not the BL such as wiper de icer & rain sensing wipers. Assuming these aren’t huge issues in the south though. But this far north, they’re nice to have and standard on even the Base, but only available on the OB for south of the border.

Unless the DORA is what the dealer gave me when they punched in the order, my dealer acts like they don’t seem to know what I’m talking about when I ask for it, so I just don’t worry about it. As far as markup goes, my dealer did accept X plan even for my BL order, no markups. But yes, there’s stories out there of huge markups for anything on the lot.

Yeah the mileage is why I don't lease cars! The cost of gas is not that big of a deal now that I don't think I am going back to the office for another year if at all. Crazy times! I don't need a de-icer i n FL that's for sure. I have seen frost once in 5 years lol Rain sensing wipers would definitely be nice but the ones I currently have actually annoy me - either they barely wipe or go super fast lol. I will have to take a second look at the order guides. Mt OB on order is "fully loaded " tech wise and i did add rubber mats. All rubber would be sweet, my son makes such a mess and my dog does shed a lot. I have only found a few BL and I am going to keep researching.

 

[Folkman]

I bought an OB first. I ended up trading it for a BL (got slightly over what I paid for it).

I DO plan more off-road type things, being I. Az even some of the “easy trails” are a bit more off-road than I would trust the OB to be happy with. It may do it, but would it do it for long????

the OB was plenty quick and snappy even with myself and 3 kids in it. Walked up to flagstaff like it was on a flat road.

I don’t miss the “luxury” that was in the OB. I came from a stang, so it was odd not feeling the road as much. In the BL I feel it like I did the stang.

personally, given your needs, you couldn’t go wrong either way.

 

[Ponyrider]

I have had my OB for a year. Loaded. Just over 13,000 miles. I drive from Virginia to Pennsylvania frequently. I hate highways, all 2 lane back roads for me. Lots of hills and twisty roads. My OB is perfect. Plenty of get up and go. Deep snow in the Laurel Highlands no problem. I had considered a BL. But just could not see paying for all the extra off road stuff I was never going to use. Even if it is "only" $xxx more. The 31 mpg I get is also nice.
I did have to block out all the noise about the 2.0 vs the 1.5.

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