How can Ford go ahead and build 2022 vehicles when they have thousands of incomplete 2021 builds sitting around? Complete BS (and that doesn't stand for Bronco Sport)
Easy. They run '22s down production line and put on trains. Then they hire contractors to install parts on the ones sitting in the yards. Two diff processes independent of each other.
The F150 is probably the best meter. It's a longstanding brand bull. It's truly the cash flow of Ford. Much like you and many others, just because it's ordered doesn't mean money is in the bank...a car sitting on a desert tarmac is just sitting metal. If you dont buy your sport someone surely will. The F150 is a complete different animal. There is no waiting line or priority purchase. The truck sold itself. It has to be commodity issues. It would make zero sense to have all the parts needed for a XLT with basics on hold until Ford can find a sunroof for ten trucks to complete custom orders first. The fact they are shipping basic sports while package and moonroof dependent sports idle til Halloween says a lot. The fact broncos needing hard tops will wait until 2023 while soft tops turn out for dealer lots is making a lot of people upset...but business must go on. Sucks for those wanting what they want with no compromise....thankfully you have vehicles allowing you to wait on a toy.
That makes sense for Ford if they don't care much about Customer Satisfaction. This is the kind of thing that turns buyers into lifelong haters of the brand, Those people have friends and families, coworkers and they post on social media. Then the media gets ahold of this and headlines like "How new is that Ford? Was your new Ford sitting in the desert for months? New fords poorly assembled by contract labor, issues abound, Ford customers not so special".
If my June built unit not here by Aug I will look into ordering a '22 and start all over again. Not taking one that sat for several months in desert. Dealer can sell that one over MSRP to the dozens of buyers fighting each other bidding it up to grab it.
Sadly I have no doubt they are counting on it. Again you can't pause 20,000 broncos waiting on parts for ten because they were first in line....it's just not logical. Hate that it's come to that but if they don't sell cars nobody gets one when they close the doors.
The crazy thing is that I am driving (actually college age son is) a vehicle that I no longer want to dump money into anymore to drive on the road and perhaps pass my state inspection come December. Back when I ordered my BB in mid February, I figured that I would have my vehicle by late May and let my son drive my current vehicle for the summer and then put it up for private sale or for salvage in September. I currently have a build week in late July (my 6th!). My vehicle may end up with a November or December delivery date....yet I keep seeing ads on TV, internet and print. I watch Ford market the Maverick and take orders from the same assembly line as the BS. I will bet my paycheck that they share some common electrical control modules (aka chips). The pickings are slim for other comparable vehicles IF I need one TODAY and their prices are hovering around MSRP right now...not what I want to spend on a vehicle...especially when I ordered it. Ford customer service SUCKS right now. Some of you may not be happy with me saying that, but I am not a "fanboi" - it is the honest truth! A BS is just a vehicle to drive...it isn't a body part, God's gift to man, or owning one is an entry into some exclusive club which I see some people believe that they are a part of because they purchased one...it is just a vehicle. Look at Ford's e-mails that they send to you notifying you of production date changes, delivery dates, etc. Sometimes, there is no update and you are left hanging. This is PATHETIC! No apologies, no "thanks for being patient customer", etc. I understand delays...but extended delay after delay without honest communication to customers or dealers is just terrible! Just venting.
I through in the towel a couple of weeks ago shortly after I received the ETA bump to 10/31. For me it wasn't just the wait time. I don't blame Ford for the supply chain issues on parts. I was turned off by the lack of communication and poor customer service. Announcement that orders placed after mine would be eligible for additional incentives and same builds as mine apparently leap frogging over me really pissed me off. When my dealer told me my BS was built and parked in a lot waiting on chips that was the last straw for me. That just doesnt sit well with me from a start/stop, QA/QC standpoint. There is always a risk in buying a first year build and one that I was happy to take. But not on these terms.
100% I did the same and now have a used 2020 Crosstrek (I know, a Lezbaru) that I picked up with 2300 miles on it. It's certainly not the BS badlands I had hoped for but it's not bad at all. I saved myself about 10K and I'll just wait a few more years for the dust to settle. I do blame Ford 100% for the total lack of communication and the communication I did get was always wrong.
Same here, as soon as my ETA turned to 10/31, I wasn't going to wait for trick or treat. I'm usually not a first year vehicle purchase person, and the delays in putting the vehicle all together, has just made me think odds are better the vehicle might have more issues over time. Financially, it was the best time to move and sell my present (Impreza) vehicle (high used vehicle dollars). I sold the Impreza to CarMax and got 4.2K more than the dealer was offering. I'm enjoying my 2021 Cherokee Trailhawk, and in a few years, I'll see where the Bronco Sports, or Broncos are in quality.
the Cherokee Trailhawk was on my short list too. The mechanical locker, actual low drive and Tow capacity on the Jeep made it compelling. I couldn’t find one that wasn’t overpriced locally so I ended up with the Subaru. . I just put some 15” KO2’s on it and it’s fine on the forest roads we go hiking on. A compromise for sure but I like it a lot more than I thought I would.
