If the hype and overwhelmingly positive reaction are any indication, the 2021 Ford Bronco is going to be a hot seller -- especially when the SUVs first start funneling into dealerships. But, even though manufacturer-suggested retail prices exist, the dealer ultimately sets the final price. And factory-backed discounts on a vehicle as hot as the Bronco will be few and far between.
There is something that might help a lot of potential Bronco owners: Ford's X-Plan. Lots of automakers toss around employee pricing deals, but the X-Plan is a pretty wide-ranging friends-and-family discount Ford offers year-round. With it, you could likely score a 2021 Bronco just under MSRP without worrying about dealer markups.
Motor Trend first detailed the X-Plan route for the new SUV on Wednesday, and the magazine included some not-so-well-known ways to nab the X-Plan. Of course, the simplest option is to be a Ford employee, or have a Ford employee as your spouse. Ford-approved supplier and fleet companies also have access to the X-Plan, and each person can generate four X-Plan PINs per year. That's essentially how this discount runs all year. You just have to know someone... or know someone who knows someone.
The most intriguing workaround for getting an X-Plan discount that you may not know about is the shareholder option. If you own at least 100 shares of Ford and hang onto them for six months, Ford will allow you access the X-Plan discount and give you one PIN per year. Another out-there option is to enroll in one of the various groups Ford endorses, such as the Mustang Club of America. Membership to the club costs $25 per year, and after 60 days, you'll have the ability to generate an X-Plan PIN, too.
So, it might pay to ask around when it comes time to actually place an order for a 2021 Bronco. There are a lot of good dealers out there, but almost certainly, some will ask big bucks to offload some of the first Broncos shipped out.
