Fully Loaded Badlands at purchase vs. Base model with after market stuff ($55,000 budget) What would you do and Why?

Badlands is the only way to get swaybar disconnect and the good Bilstein shocks with a 7-speed manual. So unless Ford changes the Sasquatch to be available with the 7-speed, Badlands will be the only way to go unfortunately.

One word “RESALE”. I am sure if you took a Base and added extras to match the Badlands, you would pay more for the Base+ than the Badlands. Then if you ever sell the buyer will offer to purchase it based on the Base model price.

I would get a Badlands and use factory parts under warrenty for 3 years. Then sell it and get whatever after that based on what I learned. I had a 1997 and 1999 Jeep wrangler which basically I did same plan.

I considered the Base myself. The question that keeps stumping me is, how long can I live with the base model until the aftermarket comes around, and how many “convenience” options do I want to give up for the time I own the Bronco. Going by what I have learned so far, I will stay with the 4 door Badlands that I reserved and upgrade from there. The main reasons: waiting for aftermarket to catch up, having all the bells and whistles while I wait, having a Badlands when I trade in or sell. I have a laundry list of things I want to do, but at the end of the day, I think it makes more sense for me to start with the Badlands and upgrade from there. Even if that means replacing some things that the Badlands package gave me. I might opt out of Sasquatch, depending on the wheel and tire combinations available through Ford, because I really want 37 BFG KO3’s on it with DOT beadlocks. I do want several of the luxury convenience options as well.

Thanks very much for your feedback everyone! Very helpful. Based on what I am reading and my interest is today.lol.. I plan to do the following:

Badlands / 2 door - 100%
Color: Area 51 or A. Blue
Upgrades:
2.7 Auto -100%
Blue M. Roof - 100%
High Pac. -100%
Tow Pac.- 100%
Leather - Maybe

Staying with 33” BFG -100% (GREAT TIRES) #1 reason for not going to 35”

Note: People keep mentioning that the Badlands to to much Truck for my needs and I should get the BASE or BD. Two things I say to that one: Resale value and two, love the look and feel to the Badlands.. regardless to Rock climbing or not. I think the 35” is more of an overkill then the Badlands.. Thanks again everyone!!

Gpscharron

Thanks very much for your feedback everyone! Very helpful. Based on what I am reading and my interest is today.lol.. I plan to do the following:

Badlands / 2 door - 100%
Color: Area 51 or A. Blue
Upgrades:
2.7 Auto -100%
Blue M. Roof - 100%
High Pac. -100%
Tow Pac.- 100%
Leather - Maybe

Staying with 33” BFG -100% (GREAT TIRES) #1 reason for not going to 35”

Note: People keep mentioning that the Badlands to to much Truck for my needs and I should get the BASE or BD. Two things I say to that one: Resale value and two, love the look and feel to the Badlands.. regardless to Rock climbing or not. I think the 35” are is more of an overkill then the Badlands.. Thanks again everyone!!

The leather cost has really got me stumped. I though Ford normally packages it with a certain trim level which doesn't seem to be the case with the Bronco. Is there any Ford product that has leather seats as an individual option?

Gpscharron

Since I am a Newbie in the off-road vehicle world and I am planning on getting a Badlands with the following upgrades: 2.7 auto, Black Top, High Pac.and staying with 33” .. I was wondering if any of you planning on getting the base or a lower trim and getting after market stuff instead.

I live in Miami but I plan to pull my Bronco with my RV and go to the Mountains.. I will not to anything extreme like heavy duty rock climbing, but plan to off road plenty..

What is your plan and why?

You might not want to go with the badlands if thats your case; the badlands alone would be overkill. Im in central florida btw.

I think people made all the key points I would've:

• re-sale
• warranty
• factory bundle can actually be cheaper than the DIY kit

A couple more that I would add though...

First is an extension of the earlier points: the OEM will make sure that all the parts work *as a system*. What I mean by example is: these 35" BFG tires on these wheels with these Fox shocks on this lift and this engine will need this set of gears and this electronic tune and this front end geometry to drive the way we think it should. They will do that algebra - you don't have to.

Second is getting more and more relevant as vehicles progress: *software*. Things like GOAT modes change the driving behavior of the car to match the condition. But they assume the car is a certain configuration delivering certain characteristics and behavior. The more you deviate from those expectations, the less the software will deliver the performance it intends to without somehow also modding the software. Tuners are good, but something like GOAT modes (that change a number of systems simultaneously) will add complexity. So, until the market has had a chance to consume and catch up to what Ford has done, I'll stay within a few degrees of OEM.

For all those reasons, I'd go Badlands, get a couple years on it seeing what you like and what you'd like to mod - then see how the market has shaken out during that time. You'll have some great, well tested and fielded options by then.

Deano Bronc

The leather cost has really got me stumped. I though Ford normally packages it with a certain trim level which doesn't seem to be the case with the Bronco. Is there any Ford product that has leather seats as an individual option?

Not that I know of. To get leather you have to move up to a certain level.

Gpscharron

Thanks very much for your feedback everyone! Very helpful. Based on what I am reading and my interest is today.lol.. I plan to do the following:

Badlands / 2 door - 100%
Color: Area 51 or A. Blue
Upgrades:
2.7 Auto -100%
Blue M. Roof - 100%
High Pac. -100%
Tow Pac.- 100%
Leather - Maybe

Staying with 33” BFG -100% (GREAT TIRES) #1 reason for not going to 35”

Note: People keep mentioning that the Badlands to to much Truck for my needs and I should get the BASE or BD. Two things I say to that one: Resale value and two, love the look and feel to the Badlands.. regardless to Rock climbing or not. I think the 35” is more of an overkill then the Badlands.. Thanks again everyone!!

Resale really doesn't matter, unless its a collector car.
If you want a Badlands, get one and don't let anyone try to talk you out of it.

also all bronco's seen so far are still hand built preproduction models and thus some thing might vary. I've heard people complain about the seats for instance but I expect they will be similar to ones in Raptor and not look like the preproduction ones??

This is the risk we take order a car we have not test driven.

There are a lot of Jeep Rubicons that have never been off-road.

Don't let anyone steer you on what you need/want. Its your money, spend it how you want to spend it. Get what you want and never have any regrets. Once you start off-roading, you will like it and want to do more challenging trails. This could be a GREAT family adventure for you and your family. Find some friends with similar interests and you will have even more fun.

I am ordering the Badlands with Sasquatch and Lux and 2.7L. I don't need the stick shift though that is nice...have gone over the Rubicon trail in a stock Wrangler JK (albeit I did add some beefier skid plates) that only had 32" tires. The JL today has 33"...me, I'd like to try a factory 35" that the Sasquatch has for better clearance and mobility. While I completed the trail, the Wrangler did show a lot of dents in the skid plates and I crushed the rock sliders (no damage to vehicle though...so guess they did their job). A few inches of clearance might have been the difference to making it easier to navigate. Most folks opt for lifts and bigger tires after they get a 4x4...having it standard from the Ford factory is awesome.

Everyone has different ideas of their wants and needs. I reserved a Base 2-Door, Sasquatch, v-6 , colors are limited. So I think White is my choice on exterior. I have a 1970 Mercury Montego with roll up windows! Love it. My 2018 Challenger has power windows, and everything else, including Blue tooth and Nav. I don't use it. But I'm a old guy. My Montego is yacht but it great to drive. I want something that my two girls, (pups) won't tear-up to badly. They were hell on my Jeep Patriot Trailhawk I had, leather. Their nails scatched everything. They have never been in the Challenger because of that. Sorry for so long, but as others have stated here, you basically know what you want. BUT! If you chose like a Black Diamond, but felt you really wanted a Outer Banks. You should opt for the one with those features. It won't make that much difference in price, or payments when you think about it, in the long run.

Gpscharron

Since I am a Newbie in the off-road vehicle world and I am planning on getting a Badlands with the following upgrades: 2.7 auto, Black Top, High Pac.and staying with 33” .. I was wondering if any of you planning on getting the base or a lower trim and getting after market stuff instead.

I live in Miami but I plan to pull my Bronco with my RV and go to the Mountains.. I will not to anything extreme like heavy duty rock climbing, but plan to off road plenty..

What is your plan and why?

Hello. I live in Ft. Myers area. I plan on muddin, goin to Georgia Mountains, and to New Mexico. So I wanted an easy clean Bronco. I'm praying Ford will make the wash out floors an option on ALL models. To me that is awesome. I reserved 2-door Base, sasquatch, v-6. I'm thrilled with electronics, sooooo to each his or her own.

Apples491

I did the lower trim plus aftermarket on my Xterra. It's got its pros and cons. You can do exactly what you want to the vehicle within the boundaries of your budget and in some cases, you can make it better than anything the manufacturer is offering. However, in my personal experience, part for part, I've spent way more doing aftermarket upgrades than I would have just buying the higher trim.

Plus, then you're stuck dealing with multiple warranties, if there even is a warranty on whatever aftermarket work you're doing. And that work may cause you grief at the dealership if you have to bring it in for factory warranty work. A lot of times, issues that arise from the custom work fall to you to diagnose and repair.

That's a long way to say, I'm going for the higher trim this time around. I'm going to try to get as much covered under Fords warranty up front. There will still be modifications I'm going to do because Fords option isn't up to snuff, ie sliders and skid plates. I've gotten really good at diagnosing problems with my very custom setup on the Xterra, But I'm weary of constantly tweaking to get the truck to do exactly what I want it to do. I'm looking forward to having a 'built from the factory' 4x4 with everything I'm looking for.

The warranty issue is one of the main reasons I am going for a Ford trim as much as possible. At least for the few years...

SierraHotelBronco

The warranty issue is one of the main reasons I am going for a Ford trim as much as possible. At least for the few years...

YES! You have that THREE year warranty! THAT speaks for itself. With all the electronics now>>> they are scary to replace. (price of replacement) That's why I opted for the base model. I want to keep this Bronco for the rest of my life. (I'm 63 in 10 days, GEES!) Time flies....I wish I would have done this long ago. Smart choice for you!