Any experience with Ford "Limited Availability" when ordering new?

[newbury]

As I've written before VW is repossessing my '09 Jetta TDI Sportwagen because of "dieselgate" by September or December 2018. I should be well compensated but we will still require a replacement vehicle for SWMBO to drive on occasion.

SWMBO has some mandatory, non negotiable requirements.
It's GOT to be a Ford, they are the only dealer in town (Fulton, MS)
It's got to be a minivan type - short wheelbase, easy to turn and park, but still have a lot of inside capacity for her craft projects.
It's got to be automatic.

So we had settled on a Short Wheelbase (SWB) Transit Connect with a bunch of options I chose. That it will be standard with diesel is just serendipity to me.

BUT Ford says the 2019 SWB wagon will be "Limited Availability". The one dealer who acknowledged the SWB wagon was going be diesel by default couldn't tell me if that meant probable delivery by when - January? May? August?

I faced the same thing when I bought my Sportwagen and then many people waited 6 months for delivery.

So does anyone have real world experience dealing with Fords "Limited Availability"?

 

[mrmikey]

We had a Transit Connect at work for a parts van. IMHO a tinny, gutless, noisy POS. The visibility out of that boat anchor was terrible, just my thoughts..............Mike

 

[Oaktree]

SWMBO has some mandatory, non negotiable requirements.
It's GOT to be a Ford, they are the only dealer in town (Fulton, MS)
It's got to be a minivan type - short wheelbase, easy to turn and park, but still have a lot of inside capacity for her craft projects.
It's got to be automatic.

Ford seems to make several vehicles broadly described as "SUV"s (don't get me going on that!)...maybe an Edge, Escape or Explorer will do the job? Any of the above should have at least as much room as the VW.
Automatic shouldn't be a problem...would be more of a challenge to find a stick shift these days!

Is there a reason you're pushing for a diesel? I don't see that they have many advantages these days, especially in a passenger vehicle.