Noob Needs Help on What a Bronco is Worth

[BushBasher]

Always been a fan of the first generation, but I've never been serious enough to plunk down some change on one, till I saw this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Sport-/290870561446?forcev4exp=true

It's north of 15,000 right now and in Arizona, so I don't know what my chances are (I'm in CA), but some info to use as a reference next time I see something this (seemingly) nice would be useful.

I hope I've come to the right place, looks like a great forum with a ton of information.

Thanks, in advance. I look forward to being part of the community (maybe even as an owner, soon)

(BTW the username is not a political stance - it's the noun form of what off-roading is referred to in parts of Australia - I hear )

 

[broncodriver99]

I see some areas underneath where it looks like there was some rust that just got rattle canned over. The body looks decent, but no telling what is under that paint. I am always leery of anything sold by a broker. I would ask for more detailed pics.

 

[broncodriver99]

Rear spring looks a little scary. There is definitely some heavy pitting on that frame and underside of the body as well as the inner rear floor and wheel tubs. The gas tank skid plate has rusted through and looks rough. The cowl under the windshield looks to have some rust damage. I would highly doubt that was a "garage kept" Bronco. Muffler shows spray bomb overspray and the spray bomb job is not even or consistent. Engine has been spray bombed.

Not trying to pick it apart just pointing out what looks wrong for that kind of money. Good luck on the hunt. I would suggest being patient and looking for something within travel distance that you can look at in person.

 

[BushBasher]

Thanks, Broncodriver. Yeah the whole sight-unseen thing when it comes to cars is a bit scary. I thought it kinda looked too good to be true, especially that engine compartment.

I've read that rust and trying to cover it up is one of the first things to look for and based on what you're saying that seems to be the case. I've only looked at contemporary vehicles when buying. It gets a little trickier with older vehicles especially ones that have been painted anyway. Short of comparing a paint job and a cover-up next to something untouched, what's the best way to determine if something is covering up oxidation?

 

[Oakland Bronco]

Where is the coolant overflow tank, and the windshield washer reservoir? Looks like the PO just connected the two washer nozzles together with hose. These aren't big deals, but when a PO cuts small corners when doing a resto, it just makes me wonder what bigger issues the PO didn't address.

At the following link, after the section on the history of the Ford Bronco, there is a section about what to look for in terms of rust, body damage, etc.

http://www.bcbroncos.com/buyertips08.html

Good luck on the hunt!

 

[AZ73]

I'm happy to go look at it in person and give you my opinion if you're serious. I was at their warehouse about a year ago looking at a restomod camaro. It's down the street from me.

 

[half cab]

They put the rear bumper upside down looks like to me....

 

[AZ73]

Well, I don't think I can get there in the 3 hours that are left, but if it doesn't hit it's reserve and comes up again, PM me. In the meantime I kind of agree with Broncodriver 99

 

[BushBasher]

Thanks, AZ. Think I'll pass on this one. A few too many contradictions from what's in the ad. I may not know as much as I should, but I know that when buying a vehicle sight-unseen that's not a good thing.

What's your opinion of the business/these guys in general? They seem to do a bit of business in old cars along with some happy previous customers - but maybe ignorance is bliss.

Thanks for the link, Oak.

 

[half cab]

BTW welcome to the site and you came to the right place first....Good luck with the Bronco hunt.

 

[Fireball05]

Well, it's at 15,300 right now. It might be worth that, but I certainly wouldn't pay more.

Rear bumper is upside down! The paint job was pretty bad, they sprayed the gauge cluster surround and the door retaining hardware, so they probably sprayed the dash as well. If those little things weren't done right, who knows what else they didn't do correctly.

Missing firewall insulation, overspray on the muffler and underside is scary, and that soft top is ugly, but i guess that's just an opinion and could be changed!

After looking over the pictures a 2nd time, I take back my above comment! $15k could be better spent elsewhere. That being said, restoring these things properly takes a lot of $$$$$$, especially if you want to do it right.

 

[AZ73]

Thanks, AZ. Think I'll pass on this one. A few too many contradictions from what's in the ad. I may not know as much as I should, but I know that when buying a vehicle sight-unseen that's not a good thing.

What's your opinion of the business/these guys in general? They seem to do a bit of business in old cars along with some happy previous customers - but maybe ignorance is bliss.

Thanks for the link, Oak.

Well, it's an interesting operation. They usually buy cars in good shape, clean them, then flip them, although personally I think their prices are high. But this is the land of Barret Jackson so people overpay for cars here all the time. Their sellers are typically rich guys looking to unload something for cash fast so these guys get them for a good price, then mark them up and look for a buyer. You can negotiate. The car I was looking at came down 15%, but I passed because for the price I wanted EVERYTHING I wanted. They have a full time staff and will usually fix the mechanics and minor blemishes, but they're not really building the cars so I suspect he looks for cars that need minimum work. While their descriptions are good, they typically rely on the seller. When I went to look at the 68 there were some things on it that any Camaro guy would know, but they didn't. I don't peg them as trying to purposely hide something. I peg them as flippers of cars that are in good shape, but they're mostly fixing cosmetic stuff and are selling cars that someone else has done the work on. Thus, I recommend due diligence simply because I doubt they know every detail.