Do I wait…

[Ranger#5?]

Yeah I think that is the main concern a lot of us have. It is taking so long to even get an announcement, and then there will be tons of waiting after that. My pov is, I've waited this long, I owe it to myself to at least find out what the pricing is otherwise I may have some serious remorse.

But at this point, I can't fault anyone for moving on.

I'm hopeful the wait won't be as bad as feared. Just "help" your dealer make sure they properly submit your order and complete any ROVP/COVP process ASAP and get confirmation immediately they did it right or stay on them until you do get it. Lots of people learned this the hard way on Mavericks and were too laid back or detached to monitor if anything was not going right and just waited. My hope comes from them actually telling us they were scaling back the Bronco option packages and trims to get ready for Ranger production along with the fact they were already building the 5G Ranger in same factory for last few years. Also, the transport after build should be more direct and faster since the factory is in USA instead of Mexico like Maverick. Positive thoughts here (or maybe delusional)

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[Wayfaring Ranger]

-Car loan delinquencies reach record high
-Dealer lots filling back up with inventory
-Interest rates high
-Prices still inflated

There's almost no good reason to buy a car right now unless you're desperate.

 

[Ranger#5?]

I think we have 2 to 4 weeks before we finally hear or see anything about the G6 and order banks will open shortly there after.

Personally, I'd wait to see what the pricing is and what's all available for us in NA, since I'd put money on you won't find any/many G6 Rangers on the lot that aren't the lower basic trims for quite a while once production gets rolling.

I'm basing this off of the Ford Video guy's weekly live-cast and how other Ford models are faring on the mid to upper trims.

Sadly, my Bronco is scheduled to arrive at the Dealer the week of May 12th, but whether that date will hold is yet to be seen. It looks like I will have to end up buying it, having it shipped to me, then sell it if the Ranger Raptor is at a some-what sane price point.

Definitely going to wait until I at least see if they have configuration I want and pricing. If they do I continue the process. My situation may be easier to tolerate since I'm retired and have a couple good driving options + workarounds and only average 3-5k miles annually no matter how hard I try to drive more.

I'm also hoping the higher trim demand plays to my advantage as I only want XL optioned up to FX2 and I'm there

 

[Snkrjeff020]

I'm hopeful the wait won't be as bad as feared. Just "help" your dealer make sure they properly submit your order and complete any ROVP/COVP process ASAP and get confirmation immediately they did it right or stay on them until you do get it. Lots of people learned this the hard way on Mavericks and were too laid back or detached to monitor if anything was not going right and just waited. My hope comes from them actually telling us they were scaling back the Bronco option packages and trims to get ready for Ranger production along with the fact they were already building the 5G Ranger in same factory for last few years. Also, the transport after build should be more direct and faster since the factory is in USA instead of Mexico like Maverick. Positive thoughts here (or maybe delusional)

Do you mind elaborating what exactly I should expect the dealer to do to make sure there's no hiccups?

I literally plan on showing up the day order banks open with a box of donuts and coffee to help motivate them to put my order in. But what exactly should I ask for to ensure my order is in? Is this something they should do on their own, or is it practical to wait for them to do it while you are there? This will be my first time ordering any car, and first time doing it with Ford.

 

[telenerd]

I plan on ordering a XL of XLT base. My local dealer mentioned base orders with minimal features for the 5g were taking anywhere from 3-6 months to arrive after placing order. On a few occasions they had a bunch of XLT show up a month after order. Tremors, Lariat, and Raptors plan on waiting awhile especially Raptors. I’d expect 2 year waits on Raptor like what it took for my Bronco.

 

[Ranger#5?]

Do you mind elaborating what exactly I should expect the dealer to do to make sure there's no hiccups?

I literally plan on showing up the day order banks open with a box of donuts and coffee to help motivate them to put my order in. But what exactly should I ask for to ensure my order is in? Is this something they should do on their own, or is it practical to wait for them to do it while you are there? This will be my first time ordering any car, and first time doing it with Ford.

Absolutely! With the understanding I'm not a Ford employee or expert on this process. Just sharing what I learned (some the hard way!) and experienced buying my Maverick through Customer Special Order process. NOTE: there is 1 guy I DO consider an expert named Tim Bartz at Long-McArthur Ford in Salina, KS. He was very generous with his time and expertise on the Maverick Forum. Has a weekly podcast youtube channel show with updates and insights into process. I think Slyder? here follows the podcast and can chime in if he wants.

Ok, so my 1st ever experience ordering a new vehicle was the Maverick. Bought many new Ford's off the lot in my life so that was my total previous experience. I followed all the rumors about a new Ford compact truck and kept talking to my only local dealer comparing notes the whole time. Then the "reveal" of Maverick happened and announcement of early Reservations. We didn't even have the on-line Build & Price tool available yet, but FOMO took over and I placed a reservation using the on-line form (it went to my dealer) to get my name in the process with a date connected. At this time was dropping a special ordering process on dealers that differed from their normal ordering and introduced new internal SW tools at same time with no learning curve or formal training for sales staff.

Order banks had opened and I sat with my sales guy and created my file with basic info and was handed off to the order guy on sales floor. I sat with him and watched/confirmed every step of the build entering process until there was a finished "Order Preview" sheet presented for my review and signature and date. At this point my order should be in the system and I knew to expect an Order Confirmation email from Ford within 2 days maximum or go back and find out what was wrong (like incorrect info entered holding it up). Super small dealership and they weren't busy so I asked if they could enter while I was there as it normally goes on the stack for designated order entry person to do later. They agreed and I got email confirmation while sitting there talking. Some customers drop the ball here and just wait- and many have bad outcomes as a result. It's more complicated for people not ordering local where they pop in for answers. I tend to go with Polite but Persistent as my M.O. I basically had to educate and instruct my dealer on processes Tim B shared but Ford didn't pass on to local sales staff and they were receptive to my inputs. They only had 7 Maverick orders for MY22 I think but ALL made it through the process eventually.

Back to the Maverick Forum sister site to see what people are experiencing on this. Tim B. shares there is a specific follow up step that MUST be completed for you to have a valid order in Ford's system that can move through the process next steps. Sometimes called ROVP; Retail Order Verification Process, or COVP Customer Order Verification Process. Ford salespeople were used to only using 1 of these before Maverick came along. Somewhat belatedly Ford announced the exact 1 that HAD TO be used just for Maverick and gave a deadline to do it or you would not have a valid order in system. Turns out even if done correctly by your dealer there may only be 1 person (sales manager, administrative staff, etc.) receiving confirmation and it does not get widely shared automatically at dealership... AND they are under no obligation to notify the customer either way. I popped in and requested confirmation mine was done correctly and Ford acknowledged it. They promised me it was, but don't have to show or give written proof, print out, etc. Had to trust them here.

One you're at this point things should slowly move along and there is 1 or more Ford Customer phone hotlines and chats and trackers for checking your order status. Do NOT take these at face value and expect accurate matching information or real time updates! You'll be mis-led and frustrated no matter how well-intentioned info is presented to you. My solution was to often keep checking with #1 my dealer staff, #2 tracking tools, #3 Ford phone hotlines with live person- then I would cross reference all sources for commonalties and throw out information not supported by at least 2 of the 3 sources. Looking back that probably game me ~75% accuracy on valid information.

OK, long winded I know- hopefully helpful. I'm expecting same level of babysitting and timely follow up needed diving into Ranger process If there are follow up questions I could try to clarify if I have a clue, but we should be respectful of other posters here who might not want to wade through my ramblings...

 

[Ranger#5?]

-Car loan delinquencies reach record high
-Dealer lots filling back up with inventory
-Interest rates high
-Prices still inflated

There's almost no good reason to buy a car right now unless you're desperate.

the big manufacturers have already made it clear they are not going back to building inventory to fill lots as their business model. Inventory is going to be limited simply due to supply chains still not able to build as many as they possibly could, and they can always slow production and focus on other more profitable models like Bronco at MAP instead of Ranger in Ford's case. You could end up being right, but I am selfishly betting against it since I don't have any purchase restrictions based on getting a loan. Prices inflated is a matter of personal opinion and not really a factor in lower trims like I want.

 

[Wayfaring Ranger]

the big manufacturers have already made it clear they are not going back to building inventory to fill lots as their business model. Inventory is going to be limited simply due to supply chains still not able to build as many as they possibly could, and they can always slow production and focus on other more profitable models like Bronco at MAP instead of Ranger in Ford's case. You could end up being right, but I am selfishly betting against it since I don't have any purchase restrictions based on getting a loan. Prices inflated is a matter of personal opinion and not really a factor in lower trims like I want.

The manufacturers might say that, but I'm still watching my local Ford lots become filled with F-150s, Broncos and crossovers after being empty for 2.5 years. They couldn't keep more than 15 cars total on the lot during COVID and now there's probably close to 100. Same thing happening with local Chevy, GMC and Toyota lots.

And it's only going to take 1 manufacturer to return to the old status quo before the others follow suit, otherwise they are losing a ton of money on lost sales as buyers go to someone that can provide a car instantly rather than waiting months.

 

[Ranger#5?]

The manufacturers might say that, but I'm still watching my local Ford lots become filled with F-150s, Broncos and crossovers after being empty for 2.5 years. They couldn't keep more than 15 cars total on the lot during COVID and now there's probably close to 100. Same thing happening with local Chevy, GMC and Toyota lots.

And it's only going to take 1 manufacturer to return to the old status quo before the others follow suit, otherwise they are losing a ton of money on lost sales as buyers go to someone that can provide a car instantly rather than waiting months.

I understand what you are saying. However, I think you are misreading what you are seeing and forming conclusions on. Especially with F-150s. Ford built and parked ~100k F-150s lacking chips and subassemblies in multiple states during supply chain freeze. There was a business site article maybe 1 month ago I read documenting Ford rapidly finishing these F-150s and shipping to awaiting dealers as fast as they possibly can now. Discussed this with my friendly dealer who confirmed these are not new dealer ordered inventory on their lots now- they were mostly customer special orders finally arriving after LONG delays. They don't sit on lots more than a couple days until the customer comes to claim them. Super Duties also fit this scenario.

A little searching will bring up these articles you can read for yourself and probably the most important number tracked by industry analysts is days to turnover inventory on lots. Check that out too to for verification of what you are seeing on your local lots- the units are not just sitting going stale, but rather moving through in a few days to be replaced by the next shipment.

Also, I'm personally not expecting a single brand to go rogue and abandon the new model and open the floodgates for everyone else to follow or miss out. It's just like oil companies- they all work in lock step because they all profit more long term by coordinating than going it alone for short term gain. Of course YMMV.

 

[Slyder]

Absolutely! With the understanding I'm not a Ford employee or expert on this process. Just sharing what I learned (some the hard way!) and experienced buying my Maverick through Customer Special Order process. NOTE: there is 1 guy I DO consider an expert named Tim Bartz at Long-McArthur Ford in Salina, KS. He was very generous with his time and expertise on the Maverick Forum. Has a weekly podcast with updates and insights into process. I think Slyder ? here follows the podcast and can chime in if he wants.

Ok, so my 1st ever experience ordering a new vehicle was the Maverick. Bought many new Ford's off the lot in my life so that was my total previous experience. I followed all the rumors about a new Ford compact truck and kept talking to my only local dealer comparing notes the whole time. Then the "reveal" of Maverick happened and announcement of early Reservations. We didn't even have the on-line Build & Price tool available yet, but FOMO took over and I placed a reservation using the on-line form (it went to my dealer) to get my name in the process with a date connected. At this time was dropping a special ordering process on dealers that differed from their normal ordering and introduced new internal SW tools at same time with no learning curve or formal training for sales staff.

Order banks had opened and I sat with my sales guy and created my file with basic info and was handed off to the order guy on sales floor. I sat with him and watched/confirmed every step of the build entering process until there was a finished "Order Preview" sheet presented for my review and signature and date. At this point my order should be in the system and I knew to expect an Order Confirmation email from Ford within 2 days maximum or go back and find out what was wrong (like incorrect info entered holding it up). Super small dealership and they weren't busy so I asked if they could enter while I was there as it normally goes on the stack for designated order entry person to do later. They agreed and I got email confirmation while sitting there talking. Some customers drop the ball here and just wait- and many have bad outcomes as a result. It's more complicated for people not ordering local where they pop in for answers. I tend to go with Polite but Persistent as my M.O. I basically had to educate and instruct my dealer on processes Tim B shared but Ford didn't pass on to local sales staff and they were receptive to my inputs. They only had 7 Maverick orders for MY22 I think but ALL made it through the process eventually.

Back to the Maverick Forum sister site to see what people are experiencing on this. Tim B. shares there is a specific follow up step that MUST be completed for you to have a valid order in Ford's system that can move through the process next steps. Sometimes called ROVP; Retail Order Verification Process, or COVP Customer Order Verification Process. Ford salespeople were used to only using 1 of these before Maverick came along. Somewhat belatedly Ford announced the exact 1 that HAD TO be used just for Maverick and gave a deadline to do it or you would not have a valid order in system. Turns out even if done correctly by your dealer there may only be 1 person (sales manager, administrative staff, etc.) receiving confirmation and it does not get widely shared automatically at dealership... AND they are under no obligation to notify the customer either way. I popped in and requested confirmation mine was done correctly and Ford acknowledged it. They promised me it was, but don't have to show or give written proof, print out, etc. Had to trust them here.

One you're at this point things should slowly move along and there is 1 or more Ford Customer phone hotlines and chats and trackers for checking your order status. Do NOT take these at face value and expect accurate matching information or real time updates! You'll be mis-led and frustrated no matter how well-intentioned info is presented to you. My solution was to often keep checking with #1 my dealer staff, #2 tracking tools, #3 Ford phone hotlines with live person- then I would cross reference all sources for commonalties and throw out information not supported by at least 2 of the 3 sources. Looking back that probably game me ~75% accuracy on valid information.

OK, long winded I know- hopefully helpful. I'm expecting same level of babysitting and timely follow up needed diving into Ranger process If there are follow up questions I could try to clarify if I have a clue, but we should be respectful of other posters here who might not want to wade through my ramblings...

Yeah, Tim Bartz is very helpful and provides a LOT of information other Dealers don't know or for some stupid reason WON'T share.

His YouTube live cast us every Tuesday at 7pm Central. If you can't make it in time to watch the live, it is recorded and he breaks off some segments into shorts so you won't have to sit thru the whole thing if you're looking for specific info.

 

[Slyder]

The manufacturers might say that, but I'm still watching my local Ford lots become filled with F-150s, Broncos and crossovers after being empty for 2.5 years. They couldn't keep more than 15 cars total on the lot during COVID and now there's probably close to 100. Same thing happening with local Chevy, GMC and Toyota lots.

And it's only going to take 1 manufacturer to return to the old status quo before the others follow suit, otherwise they are losing a ton of money on lost sales as buyers go to someone that can provide a car instantly rather than waiting months.

Car manufacturers are making some Dealer stock units of lower trims and medium trims minus some popular equipment packages, but customer orders take priority over everything IF the parts are there for them.

Ford has set the guidelines for what types of Broncos can be ordered until '24 M.Y ordering starts, for example, so any new customer orders are fairly restricted.
No Base Broncos (except for 'maybe' Dealer stock)
Everglades is done for '23 M.Y (may or may not return for '24)
Bronco Raptor order-banks closed for the '23 M.Y last week
Outer Banks & Wildtrak can't order cloth interior
No manual transmissions until '24 M.Y
No optional beadlock capable wheels for non-sasquatch Badlands. It is unknown, if these will return, since we've seen a Ranger Raptor on Ford Authority running around with them on it and it's possible they'll be an option for it.

 

[Snkrjeff020]

Absolutely! With the understanding I'm not a Ford employee or expert on this process. Just sharing what I learned (some the hard way!) and experienced buying my Maverick through Customer Special Order process. NOTE: there is 1 guy I DO consider an expert named Tim Bartz at Long-McArthur Ford in Salina, KS. He was very generous with his time and expertise on the Maverick Forum. Has a weekly podcast with updates and insights into process. I think Slyder ? here follows the podcast and can chime in if he wants.

Ok, so my 1st ever experience ordering a new vehicle was the Maverick. Bought many new Ford's off the lot in my life so that was my total previous experience. I followed all the rumors about a new Ford compact truck and kept talking to my only local dealer comparing notes the whole time. Then the "reveal" of Maverick happened and announcement of early Reservations. We didn't even have the on-line Build & Price tool available yet, but FOMO took over and I placed a reservation using the on-line form (it went to my dealer) to get my name in the process with a date connected. At this time was dropping a special ordering process on dealers that differed from their normal ordering and introduced new internal SW tools at same time with no learning curve or formal training for sales staff.

Order banks had opened and I sat with my sales guy and created my file with basic info and was handed off to the order guy on sales floor. I sat with him and watched/confirmed every step of the build entering process until there was a finished "Order Preview" sheet presented for my review and signature and date. At this point my order should be in the system and I knew to expect an Order Confirmation email from Ford within 2 days maximum or go back and find out what was wrong (like incorrect info entered holding it up). Super small dealership and they weren't busy so I asked if they could enter while I was there as it normally goes on the stack for designated order entry person to do later. They agreed and I got email confirmation while sitting there talking. Some customers drop the ball here and just wait- and many have bad outcomes as a result. It's more complicated for people not ordering local where they pop in for answers. I tend to go with Polite but Persistent as my M.O. I basically had to educate and instruct my dealer on processes Tim B shared but Ford didn't pass on to local sales staff and they were receptive to my inputs. They only had 7 Maverick orders for MY22 I think but ALL made it through the process eventually.

Back to the Maverick Forum sister site to see what people are experiencing on this. Tim B. shares there is a specific follow up step that MUST be completed for you to have a valid order in Ford's system that can move through the process next steps. Sometimes called ROVP; Retail Order Verification Process, or COVP Customer Order Verification Process. Ford salespeople were used to only using 1 of these before Maverick came along. Somewhat belatedly Ford announced the exact 1 that HAD TO be used just for Maverick and gave a deadline to do it or you would not have a valid order in system. Turns out even if done correctly by your dealer there may only be 1 person (sales manager, administrative staff, etc.) receiving confirmation and it does not get widely shared automatically at dealership... AND they are under no obligation to notify the customer either way. I popped in and requested confirmation mine was done correctly and Ford acknowledged it. They promised me it was, but don't have to show or give written proof, print out, etc. Had to trust them here.

One you're at this point things should slowly move along and there is 1 or more Ford Customer phone hotlines and chats and trackers for checking your order status. Do NOT take these at face value and expect accurate matching information or real time updates! You'll be mis-led and frustrated no matter how well-intentioned info is presented to you. My solution was to often keep checking with #1 my dealer staff, #2 tracking tools, #3 Ford phone hotlines with live person- then I would cross reference all sources for commonalties and throw out information not supported by at least 2 of the 3 sources. Looking back that probably game me ~75% accuracy on valid information.

OK, long winded I know- hopefully helpful. I'm expecting same level of babysitting and timely follow up needed diving into Ranger process If there are follow up questions I could try to clarify if I have a clue, but we should be respectful of other posters here who might not want to wade through my ramblings...

Hey thanks for taking the time and writing all that out. It is very helpful to get a comprehensive overview of what takes place, so that we know what to expect. I am hoping it is a relatively smooth process besides all the waiting. And I am sure we will all be checking back here frequently to compare everyone's statuses.

 

[Snkrjeff020]

The manufacturers might say that, but I'm still watching my local Ford lots become filled with F-150s, Broncos and crossovers after being empty for 2.5 years. They couldn't keep more than 15 cars total on the lot during COVID and now there's probably close to 100. Same thing happening with local Chevy, GMC and Toyota lots.

And it's only going to take 1 manufacturer to return to the old status quo before the others follow suit, otherwise they are losing a ton of money on lost sales as buyers go to someone that can provide a car instantly rather than waiting months.

Also, while some manufacturers are doing this, this isn't a viable long term strategy. Manufacturers make money, by making cars. They already have guarantee buyers from the franchise dealers. The CEO of these companies have a fiduciary responsibility to the shareholders to give them a ROI. By not producing cars, they are simply leaving money on the table.

 

[Ranger#5?]

Hey thanks for taking the time and writing all that out. It is very helpful to get a comprehensive overview of what takes place, so that we know what to expect. I am hoping it is a relatively smooth process besides all the waiting. And I am sure we will all be checking back here frequently to compare everyone's statuses.

you're welcome. I made a fix to original post where I mistakenly said Tim B did weekly podcast- it's actually his youtube channel and as Slyder noted, it is parsed so you can really home in on exact topics of interest without viewing the whole broadcast.

I don't know if you have a Ford dealer you can trust or work with or not in SD, but if you can start or nurture a relationship now with 1 and find out what they require to place a new Ranger order ASAP you'll be ahead of the game at opening of order banks.

I did have a talk with my local guy and we both expect a similar order process to Maverick- but he doesn't think a Reservation period will kick it off like before. I won't rule that out. They are also expecting to use same Ford online ordering tool in place since Maverick, and they are now used to using the new Ford internal tracking application called VinView which was a substantial upgrade.

The next chapter of my novel could be titled: "incentives" and using the Smart Vincent internal database to find them, if anyone is interested. As a former buyer in their system, I have an account there already and we verified a 2024 Ranger qualifies me for a $750.00 discount until July 5. Used that on my Maverick purchase too successfully. The $ comes direct from Ford, not the dealer and offers appear in my email or USPS box from time to time...

have a great day

 

[Snkrjeff020]

you're welcome. I made a fix to original post where I mistakenly said Tim B did weekly podcast- it's actually his youtube channel and as Slyder noted, it is parsed so you can really home in on exact topics of interest without viewing the whole broadcast.

I don't know if you have a Ford dealer you can trust or work with or not in SD, but if you can start or nurture a relationship now with 1 and find out what they require to place a new Ranger order ASAP you'll be ahead of the game at opening of order banks.

I did have a talk with my local guy and we both expect a similar order process to Maverick- but he doesn't think a Reservation period will kick it off like before. I won't rule that out. They are also expecting to use same Ford online ordering tool in place since Maverick, and they are now used to using the new Ford internal tracking application called VinView which was a substantial upgrade.

The next chapter of my novel could be titled: "incentives" and using the Smart Vincent internal database to find them, if anyone is interested. As a former buyer in their system, I have an account there already and we verified a 2024 Ranger qualifies me for a $750.00 discount until July 5. Used that on my Maverick purchase too successfully. The $ comes direct from Ford, not the dealer and offers appear in my email or USPS box from time to time...

have a great day

So funny enough, I have been in contact with my local dealer (I actually have a Ford dealer like less than a mile from my house), since the announcement of the ROW RRaptor. So I have been checking in with him every month or so for 2 years now. I already confirmed with him that the pricing will be MSRP. I asked him a couple of weeks if they already had a waitlist going or how are they assigning their allocations. He pretty much replied back and said, "we will get allocations, but I will put your order in no matter what." Obviously, I am hoping they put everyone's order in when someone orders a car, so I am not quite sure what that means.

I think I did a pretty good job of relaying that I am a serious buyer, and would like one of the first units. It was getting dicey at times because the dealership has been sold to a new ownership group couple of months ago, but all the staff had been retained. I am just hoping for a smooth process.

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