The current new vehicle market is more expensive than its ever been. The chip shortage and lack of dealership inventory have led to outrageous prices and sellouts everywhere. Specifically, one of the models with the most hype since its resurgence, the Ford Bronco, is nearly impossible to find. Reservations are backed up through the new year (and maybe longer) while Ford produces hard-top replacements for sold Broncos. The SUV is being marked up by dealers across the country. Unless you’re prepared to heavily overpay, you’ll be waiting for a retail-priced Bronco for a long time. Even if you have the next available Bronco with a preorder from a dealership, you could get screwed. Some dealers are giving reserved Ford Broncos markups just before delivering it to a customer.

Last-minute Ford Bronco markups

A YouTube channel called Pipsburgh Views features a couple who had a last-minute Ford Bronco markup experience. As first reported by Road And Track, the couple had preordered their Ford Bronco about a year ago. The dealership it was reserved at was even one the husband used to work for, but it’s not personal. The 4-door Bronco Outer Banks the couple ordered arrived at the store, and it was finally time to pick it up. The agreed-upon price was $52,810, the standard price point for this type of Bronco. Just six days before delivery, they were notified that the price of the vehicle would now be $62,000. The vehicle did not receive any upgrades or changes since the order was placed.

The couple counteroffered with $5,000 over the original asking price. Though $5,000 is less than $10,000, it still shows just how badly this couple wants their Bronco. Paying over the original price for a new vehicle is unheard of unless it’s for a rare and highly sought-after vehicle. Unfortunately for this couple, that’s what the Ford Bronco has become. The dealer has not accepted or declined the $57,810 offer, but if we had to guess, they’ll probably decline. Under normal circumstances, this sort of offer would get the customer anything they want plus the vehicle. In today’s new vehicle market, the dealership knows it can sell the Bronco for $10,000 over to someone else. Why would they deprive themselves of an extra $5,000 if they don’t have to?

An isolated incident

The situation discussed by the Pipsburgh Views YouTube channel is horrifying, but surely we’d hope not many dealerships are participating in such shady activity. Unfortunately, many people online are reporting having the same exact experience. Those who have preordered a Ford Bronco and are on the waiting list are being told the official pricing of their unit is unavailable until the vehicle arrives. Refusing to commit to the originally agreed-upon price tells the entire story. The only reason dealers would refuse to agree on a price ahead of time is if they want to markup the SUV when it arrives.

A user on the Bronco6G forum claimed the dealer he ordered through did the exact same thing just days before delivery. Another user from Facebook was told last minute their Bronco would cost an additional $5,000, as reported by Zerin Dube. Some people seem to think they’ll be able to get the price back down to MSRP by negotiating with the dealership. Unfortunately in the current climate, that’s not likely to happen. The dealerships have such limited inventory and extremely high demand for a vehicle like the Bronco, that they know if you don’t pay their marked-up price, someone else will. That’s why Ford Bronco markups are nearly impossible to work around.

Best practices

According to the report by Road and Track, a Ford spokesperson had this to say about the ridiculous dealership markups. “Dealers are independent franchises and ultimately the final price a customer will pay for any vehicle is agreed between themselves and a dealer that’s at, below, or above MSRP. If a customer isn’t happy with their dealer experience, our team can help them find a different dealer that’s a better match.”

The manufacturer SUGGESTED retail price is just that, only a suggestion. Meaning Ford’s representative is right, dealers can price Broncos as high as they want. The best thing buyers can do right now is avoid buying a Ford Bronco. For some, an extra $5,000-$10,000 may not be enough to deter them. If that sort of price boost is out of your price range, maybe just avoid the model altogether. As badly as some might want a new Ford Bronco, the market has never been worse for consumers. Buying any car has never been more expensive, and buying a Bronco right now is nearly impossible.

We do not recommend buying a Ford Bronco or any other vehicle marked up significantly above sticker price. New vehicles lose value very quickly, and the Ford Bronco will likely be no different. Paying thousands of dollars over sticker price for something that depreciates daily is not a good idea. It doesn’t look like dealers have any reason to stop the Ford Bronco markups any time soon.