Not Lambo! Too low, but yes to a Bronco!
Sorry, I have no answer to the question of "Wen Lambo?!" and I never know "Wen Moon"! No, sorry, I do know the answer to second one for most people: NEVER! Why? Because you ain't an astronaut! Well, with that taken care of, lets get down to business. Yesterday, I bought a 2022 Ford Bronco Sport with by crypto riches! No, sorry. Yes, to the Bronco, but No to the crypto riches! Sorry to dissapoint you again and again! Such is crypto!
Ok, so things are far less dramatic than my catchy intro to this post. I used to drive a 2014 Ford Taurus. I bought it used in 2015, with 12,500 miles on it. I don't drive much. Just commuting and drive around town. Recently it started giving me some mechanical trouble that is beyond regular wear & tear. Also I was getting tired of the "boat like" driving experience (if you have driven a post-2010 Taurus, you know what I mean). This week, it started giving me some drivetrain related problem, and a close friend said some nice things about the new restored Bronco line (which is re-imagined in 2021). Ford stopped manufacturing the Bronco in 1996. After a 25 years of hiatus, as a general fan of Ford car and trucks, I found a lot of things to be excited about driving a Bronco. I have never driven one prior to this purchase.
Trouble is now in the United States, it is a terrible time to buy a vehicle. I am sure you have read about this in many places. People are paying $5000 over MSRP for a $40,000 car!! This is unheard of 2 years back! People in the US typically pay between invoice and MSRP, often even below the invoice. So current car buying market is hard to mentally understand for most people in the US. Good summaries can by found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021%E2%80%932022_global_supply_chain_crisis
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/12/business/global-supply-chain-nightmare/index.html
In 2021, automakers were obliged to cancel plans to build ten million cars. We forecast that they will cancel a further seven or eight million in 2022 and four million in 2023, as demand for semiconductors outstrips supply by 10 per cent.
All new cars were hit by this issue but the Bronco, being new on 2021, was hit particularly hard. It was not just the semiconductor chip, there were some other body material problems too, especially with the hard top.
I don't want to bore you with too much background info (I think I already have). To make long story short and get to the main point, even if you have the money it is not easy to buy a Bronco right now. Now, this may not mean much overseas, but in the US this statement is a BIG DEAL. Why? Because in the US, traditionally, it is incredibly easy to buy a car. You don't need money, you don't need credit, you don't need to know how to drive! (just kidding). But really folks, it is very easy to buy a car in the US for the last 30 years or more (I am going to go out on a limb and say, post Nixon era).
I am going to argue perhaps it still is (in spite of the supply chain crisis)
Car Nirvana = Carvana
So I have no time, and I thought after having dinner and putting kids to bed, and I should buy a Bronco. I looked up online, and saw the Houston inventory of Bronco (used or new) are very low. I have heard about Carvana before. It is a fun way to buy cars online. Now, buying car online is nothing new. I think people are doing it for the last 20 years. However, recently it is more and more common and user friendly.
Basically, you choose your car, give some simple personal info, set-up your trade-in and in a couple of days they can deliver the car to your home and take out your trade-in.
OR
You can go the car vending machine in-town (if you have one, we do) and get the car from the vending machine. That's the first picture by the way! I decided I will do the same. The whole process online took me about 30 min (and I was doing other things at the same time, like playing Splinterlands!). Anyways, I got in done on Thursday night before going to bed. I set up a delivery on Saturday noon, when I will go the vending machine and pick up the car.
Vending
So, I did on Saturday. I went there, and it is less dramatic in the mid-way light, but nice nonetheless!
It is just a random place right next to the I-10 freeway in Houston. There were cars everywhere just like other dealerships but it did have the vending machine like you see above.
When I went inside. They checked my ID and took my old car keys. Had me sign some paperwork and then the dude gave me this token above. This 'Carvana Coin' LOL, I am supposed to insert in this slot below...
It does some funny cassino type sounds, and then the elevator is activated and out came the Bronco!
That's about it. Maybe I will do a review of the SUV later, It is a nice truck, definitely a trade-up for me.
Oh if you are curious, that is a Mustang behind my car...
I did the Carvana thing once. I received a cherry looking F150 from back east. It was immaculate inside. As long as you didn't look under the car because it was rusted to shit. Right after (November timeframe), I ordered a ridiculous truck from Ford (an F450)--almost as a joke. It took months to be built, and they hadn't jacked up the prices yet so I got it for below MSRP with some incentives I locked in. Now I'm debating if I want to keep this beast or if my next logical step is 5th wheel nomad living. It's pulling my moms trailer here, total overkill.
Oh you keep it!! That's an wonderful truck. You have the use case for it for sure!
Congrats on the nice new ride!! Ford has really upped it's game in the last 10 years, especially with their designs. I prefer the Ford Ranger Raptor though, not sure if they have that in the US.
On your comment on availability, just be glad that they do vehicle manufacturing in the US. Currently in Australia, some cars have like close to a 12-18 month waitlist and I have seen 1-2 year old used cars being listed at the current MSRP + a little extra. Mind boggling considering that the first 2 years are when your car loses it's most value
Yes, this supply chain crisis is a disaster and also largely overblown. The crisis is real, but this is the first time in decades in the US at least it is a sellers market for car. So dealership are taking the advantages as much as they possibly can.
And yes we have the Raptor here! It's a nice truck!
Never seen one of those, looks a bit like a Land Rover discovery
Yeah, does have the similarity!
For some reason these Bronco's are quite popular in that region, I know a few other owners. Also, this new one looks more like a Land Rover Defender haha.
Congrats on the purchase dada, I hope it serves you well. 🥃
It was popular before and now as well after the reintroduction in 2021. I am surprised that you know multiple owners as it is not widely distributed yet here in Texas.
One of my cousins probably has the new one, he's currently in Canada. There was a garage find too I believe, an old 70s Bronco found somewhere in Bangladesh, which was restored later on.
You'd be surprised to see how many old American classics are rolling on the streets of BD. Dodge, Fords and Chevys, all lying around in the garage or being driven.
People here absolutely love such classics. The older gen Defenders and the Jap fav 90s Land Cruisers are most common here.
That's a sweet looking car!! Hope is runs as well as it looks.
I loves the car vending machine thing, that is awesome. We have nothing like that yet
I am driving it for a day, and it does a good job. It is tall. Boxy. But I find that is good thing for me. It is easy to get-in and out and with a lot of head room. It is at least 2 ft shorter in length than my Taurus, and yet roomier inside. Got a 4WD too, which is a plus. Smaller engine than my previous Taurus and therefore better fuel economy.
The car vending is really cool! Good videos you can find on youtube !
this just asks for a hidden camera joke of some kind :) where the car is the victim 🤣
true!
fairly certain that's a felony in Texas!
that's a shame , even if it was faked with mirrors or projections ?
Lol, that really is cool to see!
Did you get the title? I’ve heard a lot of bad things about Carvana in other states.
Yes, I have read those reviews too. However that arises typically during cash purchases, as they have difficulty transferring the titles immediately. In my case, it’s a loan. So when I pay it off in a couple of months the process should be automated. This typically take care of the problem by itself.
This was a fun and entertaining read, congrats on your car purchase. I am HODLing my 2003 Honda Element, which I bought for $8K cash in 2009 with only 38K miles. Over the next 11 years I would put another 206K miles on it and it runs like a charm. However, now that I'm living in Brooklyn, NY, I have very little need for it since I can take the train everywhere.
But this Element is the original model from 1st year production and it is still in great shape. Although uninsured and not driven in 7 months, I continue to HODL and hope to use it in the future as I have it set up for camping. If I do decide to get a new car, I really want electric.
What made you ultimately decide on the Bronco besides your love of Ford and the limited availability?
That’s good to hear regarding Honda Element. They are reliable car.
Not much. My kids wanted a purple Jeep! I have driven a Sahara, but the the ride is so uncomfortable I couldn't pull myself to it. A friend talked about the Bronco instead and I had my laptop in front of me and I bought it. Not sure much thought went into it :)
Beautiful car!
Congratulations!
Let your car always work perfectly and without problems!
Wow!! First of all, congratulations on your new ride, this car is sweet, not a fan of Ford, but looking at this, I think I am having a rethink.
As for the vending car machine I thought it was a joke at first until I saw the coin thingy in your post. Cool though. Nice ride once again. Can’t wait for a review of the SUV.
Its not a joke actually, and quite easy on the contrary!
Many Congratulations! Looks like a handsome beast. 🔥
Thank you! Will let you know how it does..
Futuristic look! Hadn't heard of this model before. It's awesome!
!CTP
its reintroduced in 2021
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Nice baby, you got here... Congrats. Some day, I will be able to get one too. I love cars....