Come On, Man - Buy a Bronco Sport

[Ben]

Apparently between parts supply shortages for the offroad packages, and demand, Ford is asking people on the waiting list to take a $2500 bonus to pick a Bronco Sport or various other Fords instead of the real Bronco. 

I see those Bronco Sports around here, and they look like any other pavement queen SUV. No thanks.

The actual offroad Broncos do look cool, but out of curiosity I looked at a couple of local dealer sites, and the base offroad packages are going for $60K ($10K over MSRP) and they go up from there.

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/bronco-popular-ford-buy-another-vehicle

[Lennyjoe]

I had a full size Bronco and got excited to hear they were bring them back……until I realized they were small like the Bronco 2.  Would never own the new ones that’s for sure.

[Ben]

I had a full size Bronco and got excited to hear they were bring them back……until I realized they were small like the Bronco 2.  Would never own the new ones that’s for sure.

Well, there's two different kinds. The Bronco Sport is the smaller, less capable one. I've watched videos of the bigger Bronco matched up against 4Runners and Jeeps, and they're pretty impressive. Just too rich for my blood. I used to have an 89 Bronco, back in the manual locking hubs days. 

[dogmush]

I had an 85 full size with a 351.  That was a great truck.

It would be more accurate to say that the new Broncos are small like the original gen 1 Broncos, rather than the Bronko II.  They are smaller than an F150 though,  so not "full-size".

I'd like one, but I use most of the space in my current rig with wife, dogs, and crap so I don't think I could fit in a Bronco.

Maybe if I left the wife behind.......

[HankB]

I had an 84 Bronco when I lived in Minnesota, but only with the 302. On the other hand, it came with Dana posi front and rear, so it was one helluva blizzard truck.

The latest Ford wearing the Bronco name doesn't particularly impress me - at a distance it looks pretty good, but as you get closer it shrinks and shrinks until it looks almost like a kiddie car. For the price they're asking, you really ought to get more vehicle.

[Bogie]

Tonka. Expensive Tonka.

[MechAg94]

I am curious if the shortages they claim are limiting production are actually CAFE emissions limitations or some other govt regulation. 

[RocketMan]

I am curious if the shortages they claim are limiting production are actually CAFE emissions limitations or some other govt regulation.

Probably still having chip shortages.   From what I have read, the semiconductor shortages are easing a bit, but they are still far from over with.  Lots of computer stuff running emission controls in vehicles.

[Ben]

Probably still having chip shortages.   From what I have read, the semiconductor shortages are easing a bit, but they are still far from over with.  Lots of computer stuff running emission controls in vehicles.

In this case, I'm wondering if it's not just chip supply, but chip allocation. Again, looking at local dealer inventory, one of them has like 100 F150s, but only a dozen Broncos. Obviously the F150 is a bigger seller, but with the ridiculous demand for the Bronco that's creating MSRP + $10K pricing, you have to question whether they're not allocating more chips to the Broncos to create even further "hype demand".

Though there is a decent selection of Bronco Sports, so maybe there still is a shortage of off road specific mechanical parts as well  as one of the articles I read mentioned.

[MechAg94]

If it were solely shortages of parts/chips, I would have thought they could solve that problem by now.  Just makes me think there is more to the story whether they like what the allocations are doing to sales or something else is slowing or preventing expanded parts production. 

[BobR]

The Bronco debacle is nothing compared to the way Ford has managed to screw the pooch with their Super Duty line. While possibly (certainly) an outlier a guy I know got his 22 Super Duty delivered the other day. He originally ordered a 2021 that was rolled over to a 2022. Over 800 days from initial order to delivery. Mine took 9 months and it wasn't that special.

bob

edit: I went back and looked, his initial order was 10/30/2020 picked up on 1/16/2023

[HankB]

If it were solely shortages of parts/chips, I would have thought they could solve that problem by now.  Just makes me think there is more to the story whether they like what the allocations are doing to sales or something else is slowing or preventing expanded parts production.

In other words, the same type of "non-public" reasons we've had for several years now (even before covid) behind ammo shortages, primer shortages, and immense price increases.

[Lennyjoe]

My Brother in-law works for ford up in the Lorain Ohio area and they are storing trucks anywhere they can find open space waiting on chip sets for the main computer. 

Starting to really take its toll on the Air Force as well…

[HankB]

My Brother in-law works for ford up in the Lorain Ohio area and they are storing trucks anywhere they can find open space waiting on chip sets for the main computer. 

Starting to really take its toll on the Air Force as well…

Too much reliance on microchips - I used to think a lot of the "features" on new cars were just more things to go wrong after you bought them, but now it seems they're more things to go wrong when you build them as well.

I remember at work we were introducing a new product, and Marketing said "IT HAS TO INCLUDE A MICROPROCESSOR!"   The lab said, "It doesn't need one" to which the response was "DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME? I SAID IT HAS TO INCLUDE A MICROPROCESSOR!" 

So they built the machine and Marketing was DELIGHTED with the performance - it did everything they wanted and did it well, and came in ahead of schedule and under budget. The smug Marketing manager said "SEE, I TOLD YOU IT NEEDED MICROPROCESSOR CONTROL!"  To which the lab team leader pulled out the requirements, and said "You never said we had to USE the microprocessor, you just said we needed to put one inside!"  Whereupon he opened a little inconspicuous drawer in the back of the machine, reached in, and took out a loose chip. 

Much hilarity ensued.