Dec 23, 2022
Forgive me in advance, but the holidays tend to make me a little sappy and introspective, and I've come to realize the value in sharing gratitude and 'feelings' - gratitude especially - doesn't mean anything unless you share it.
We've all been on this Bronco journey for different lengths of time - some longer than others. Mine began 7/20/20 when I put my reservation in. Upon doing so, I joined this forum as well as another, various facebook groups (and even moderate the Bronco6X facebook page), started to get more and more obsessed with the new Bronco, the idea of offroading, etc - up until that time, almost all my vehicles have been on the other end of the spectrum - lowered Mustangs, Miata that was sent up for road courses, muscle car - I'd never really stepped into the world of off-roading. But something about the Bronco launch lit that fire in me. Over the months, information turned into misinformation, promises became broken, and the lack of consistent information or communication from Ford became more and more frustrating, my excitement turned to bitterness - this was all as we were dealing with Covid isolation and concerns (my wife has an autoimmune disease, so I HAD to take it seriously, and it was VERY stressful for quite a while). I ended up giving up on my hopes of a Bronco and swore off Ford in December 2020, despite the fact that the Bronco would be my 9th Ford vehicle. I bought a Chevy ZR2 Bison - and then 2 months later my dealer called me to convert my Bronco reservation to an order. By that time, my blood pressure came down a bit, so I went ahead and converted it. Over what would be the next year and a half - I continued to be involved here and other places to whet my appetite while I waited. I think we all had various 'coping mechanisms' to deal with the frustrations of the endless excuses and delays... we formed bonds with our 'virtual' friends who were experiencing the same frustrations and disappointments. I know for me, I tried to minimize my obsession with all things Bronco around my wife - knowing that she was excited FOR me, but this isn't really her jam. Finally, when things started to happen in June 2022 and I got my build date of 8/1/22, it seemed more real. Then, blend date of 8/8/22.. then on 9/27 I got the call from my dealer (an hour and a half away) that it was there and ready - problem was, we were packing for a vacation we were leaving for the next day - so he agreed to hold it for me until we returned- I finally took delivery 10/12/22. Since then, I've already put 4600 miles on it - many of you have seen my photos of my mods I'm doing, trips I've taken, fun with a local Bronco group, been part of the Traveling Lamp tour etc.. I'm truly loving this thing, and having an absolute blast with it.
As someone who's been a 'car guy' his whole life - I always immerse myself in the 'culture' of whatever genre I'm involved in - whether it's the classic Muscle Car crown when I had my 71 Dodge Dart, or the Mustang crowd, or the track rat crowd when I had my Miata, etc - there's always a 'community' of enthusiasts associated with every genre - and they are all different - some good, some bad. I have to say that out of all the various Bronco communities I've found so far (the 'other' forum, various facebook groups, and Bronco Nation), THIS one is the one that resonates most with me. I appreciate that it's almost always civil, friendly, supportive - and people are LEGITIMATELY excited for each other when they start seeing light at the end of the Bronco delivery tunnel.
I'm beyond grateful and thankful for my amazing wife who always supports me and my interests - she enjoys exploring nature, but isn't a big fan of sitting in the car, so when we go out, I try to make it a good blend of seat time and walking time.. and she doesn't complain about the fact that probably 50% of my T-shirts and hats are now Bronco related LOL. I'm also grateful for this forum and the people who keep it running, keep it civil, and the participants whom I've never met (yet), who make it a great community.
I hope everyone has a FANTASTIC Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Solstice, or whatever holiday you may celebrate (if any) and happy New Year. For those of you still waiting for your Bronco - I get the frustration. Truly. I'm not gonna say "it's worth the wait", but I will say that the delivery of your beautiful Bronco helps take the sting out of the pain. I can't wait to see more 'I took delivery' posts from other members and see what adventures you take and memories you make 😎
Merry Christmas!
Mark
We've all been on this Bronco journey for different lengths of time - some longer than others. Mine began 7/20/20 when I put my reservation in. Upon doing so, I joined this forum as well as another, various facebook groups (and even moderate the Bronco6X facebook page), started to get more and more obsessed with the new Bronco, the idea of offroading, etc - up until that time, almost all my vehicles have been on the other end of the spectrum - lowered Mustangs, Miata that was sent up for road courses, muscle car - I'd never really stepped into the world of off-roading. But something about the Bronco launch lit that fire in me. Over the months, information turned into misinformation, promises became broken, and the lack of consistent information or communication from Ford became more and more frustrating, my excitement turned to bitterness - this was all as we were dealing with Covid isolation and concerns (my wife has an autoimmune disease, so I HAD to take it seriously, and it was VERY stressful for quite a while). I ended up giving up on my hopes of a Bronco and swore off Ford in December 2020, despite the fact that the Bronco would be my 9th Ford vehicle. I bought a Chevy ZR2 Bison - and then 2 months later my dealer called me to convert my Bronco reservation to an order. By that time, my blood pressure came down a bit, so I went ahead and converted it. Over what would be the next year and a half - I continued to be involved here and other places to whet my appetite while I waited. I think we all had various 'coping mechanisms' to deal with the frustrations of the endless excuses and delays... we formed bonds with our 'virtual' friends who were experiencing the same frustrations and disappointments. I know for me, I tried to minimize my obsession with all things Bronco around my wife - knowing that she was excited FOR me, but this isn't really her jam. Finally, when things started to happen in June 2022 and I got my build date of 8/1/22, it seemed more real. Then, blend date of 8/8/22.. then on 9/27 I got the call from my dealer (an hour and a half away) that it was there and ready - problem was, we were packing for a vacation we were leaving for the next day - so he agreed to hold it for me until we returned- I finally took delivery 10/12/22. Since then, I've already put 4600 miles on it - many of you have seen my photos of my mods I'm doing, trips I've taken, fun with a local Bronco group, been part of the Traveling Lamp tour etc.. I'm truly loving this thing, and having an absolute blast with it.
As someone who's been a 'car guy' his whole life - I always immerse myself in the 'culture' of whatever genre I'm involved in - whether it's the classic Muscle Car crown when I had my 71 Dodge Dart, or the Mustang crowd, or the track rat crowd when I had my Miata, etc - there's always a 'community' of enthusiasts associated with every genre - and they are all different - some good, some bad. I have to say that out of all the various Bronco communities I've found so far (the 'other' forum, various facebook groups, and Bronco Nation), THIS one is the one that resonates most with me. I appreciate that it's almost always civil, friendly, supportive - and people are LEGITIMATELY excited for each other when they start seeing light at the end of the Bronco delivery tunnel.
I'm beyond grateful and thankful for my amazing wife who always supports me and my interests - she enjoys exploring nature, but isn't a big fan of sitting in the car, so when we go out, I try to make it a good blend of seat time and walking time.. and she doesn't complain about the fact that probably 50% of my T-shirts and hats are now Bronco related LOL. I'm also grateful for this forum and the people who keep it running, keep it civil, and the participants whom I've never met (yet), who make it a great community.
I hope everyone has a FANTASTIC Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Solstice, or whatever holiday you may celebrate (if any) and happy New Year. For those of you still waiting for your Bronco - I get the frustration. Truly. I'm not gonna say "it's worth the wait", but I will say that the delivery of your beautiful Bronco helps take the sting out of the pain. I can't wait to see more 'I took delivery' posts from other members and see what adventures you take and memories you make 😎
Merry Christmas!
Mark
Reservation: 7/20/20 | MY '21 order: 2/1/21 | MY '22 order: 10/22/21 | Blend 8/5, built 8/8, 'built' status 8/27, in my driveway 10/12/22
Auto Photographer in Sacramento CA:
www.instagram.com/photographybymarkbrooks
Auto Photographer in Sacramento CA:
www.instagram.com/photographybymarkbrooks
Sdakotabronco, Calbaugh
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Dec 23, 2022