should i get a bronco?

[dmb2187]

hey ya'll
im 17 years old and i was lookin at ebay autos the other day when i stumbled across the early series broncos. i have always liked the later broncos, but when i saw these, i fell in love. but the rules of the family say that parents will pay for part, meaning they have to agree on the choice as well. my problem is, my dad has reservations about buying anything 20+ years old. being young and in love, i of course assume everything will be perfect. if i were to get one, it would not be a "project." id be looking for something where id have to spend little of my limited funds. my question to all of you is...am i being impractical? should i have concerns about buying something so old? should i expect to have problems every other week? i need opinions, either to convince me or my dad, so all are welcome. thank ya'll

 

[JFX]

I went through the same thing. I was lusting after a '65 Mustang convertible. We got it in my Junior year of HS ('85).

It would help greatly if you had an understanding of the mechanics. I didn't at the time, and they will nickel and dime you. It is worth it, as it furthers the hobby....and it saves yet another teen from the whole ricer thing. ;D


Good Luck,


JFX

 

[66horse]

Tough question. Your dads reservations are realistic.

The first 2 years we had ours, I cannot remember having any problems. I did not doing any modifications to it during that time.

Other people on here have bought them and had problems from day 1.

It really depends on the condition of the one you get. these things are pretty simple. Not much to them.

In the last 2 years I have done all kinds of works and it has been out of commission a lot. Mainly becaue I decide to change something. And then run into problems that I do not anticipate.

The price range you have will effect the answer to this question somewhat.

Good luck either way and welcome to the board.

 

[2badrotties]

Everyone should own a early Bronco. They are 30 years old and just about anything 30 years old is going to have some problems. BUT, there are some that are just about as modern as a brand new truck. They are reasonably safe with disc brakes on them. They don't get 30 mpg. They do attract chicks and maybe a guy or two. They most likely will NEVER be worth less than you paid for it. If you look around I'm sure you could find a nice , safe , reliable , Bronco but there are some junkers out there too.

 

[77BroncoWag]

figure it this way the more you spend the more you get(new parts, motor tranny etc etc) A 2500 dollar baby will get you around but it woun't be very reliable unless you find someone in a bind. Mine 3+yrs ago was 5k it had a newer engine and tranny but still needed tires and wheels + a few minor things that still add up. How much $$ do you have? Obviously a EB that has been gone thru a restoration would be a better choice for u if u don't want to keep spending $$$ but those could cost as little as 9 grand to 30 grand.

Good Luck;D

 

[4x4Alaska]

First of all, what's your budget...that would determine whether or not you could get one that would be reliable or not. I've had 6 different vehicles and they were ALL from the 70's and ALL Fords. When something breaks, you can more than likely fix it yourself and not have to spend $$ to take it to the shop. Plus, that's great father and son bonding....out working on the Bronco...brings back some great memories....good luck

 

[dmb2187]

thanks for the help

my price range is anything below 14000. from what ive read and seen, that should be able to get me a nice, restored bronco (...right?) i also wouldnt mind getting involved mechanically with the small things, but with school and sports and sometimes a job my biggest problem with that is time constraints. so i guess basically my question is how will a fully restored bronco compare to say a 98-00 explorer? it will have to be a dd, and i plan on keeping it through college. i need all pros and cons...insurance rates, gas milage, price for repairs, everything.

dont hold back, just cause i dont get one now doesnt mean i wont ever have one ;D

 

[J-DUB]

Take a look at this Bronco for sale in NC:
http://www.classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37018

 

[2badrotties]

$14,000 , I can see the vulchers circling now ;D . Yes, you can get a very reliable Bronco for $10,000
Insurance isn't bad - gas milage isn't good - repairs are very reasonable, there are not a lot of computers and crap on a early Bronco.
The way things are going you will NEVER lose money on one UNLESS you get robbed to begin with.
If you find something , don't be afraid to come back and ask questions. We have members all over the place and maybe someone with experience near you. The guys here are very nice and I would imagine someone would take a look at one for you.

 

[66horse]

For 14,000 grand you can get a pretty nice reliable one.

here are some options you will want to get. Power Steering, Power Brakes, Front discs, roll bar.

Those are all safety issues that will help you get to similar safe level as an explorer.

Insurance - I cannot tell ya, my wife handles that kind of stuff but should be similar to something of equal value (I think). Th eonly problem is some insurance companies do not like to insure older cars.

Repairs - Usually cheap. Very few repairs take more than a day or two. And you can almost do all of it yourself saving the labor at shops.

You can tr to actually use the repair thing as an advantage with your parents. there is nothing on here the guys wont help you out with if you have a problem and they are easier to work on than a newer car.

Routine maintanence is going to be similar for explorer and bronco. Oil changes, brake pads, spark plugs, etc...

Bottom line, if you get a reliable one there is much less to go wrong than on a newer vehicle like an explorer.

 

[66horse]

2bad makes a good point. The value of these things seems to keep going up whereas the value of a used explorer jsut keeps going down.

 

[JaxLax]

just to comment, i actually have a '97 Exploder for a DD. oh yes, let me tell you how much better the 2wd 4.0 SOHC is compared to my 4wd 302ci V8....
For practical reasons, yeah if your commute is 50+ miles then an explorer is probably a better choice. But my 9-13 mpg in the Bronco is respectable.
As for reliability, toss up. You can get a diamond or a lemon in both situtations.
But overall, I love my Bronco too much. It's just fun to drive.
And as stated above w/ $14K...that can buy a lot of Bronco....

 

[supermottl]

I will add this: Exloder pros:
The exploder will have modern nicknacks, better drivability, better milage, safer with ABS, airbags, all that BS. I think it will be more reliable, but more $$ if it breaks. More cargo than an EB, I think. Less road noise at hiway
Bad: everyone and they bro has one. Boring truck IMHO, suck on the beach, IFS, 6 cyl lacks power.


I dunno. to each they own right? Just don't be stupid with any vehicle you get, like let it get broken into, or use it for malace, or drive drunk...

 

[dmb2187]

i love ya'll so much. thanks for all of the help, and please keep the opinions coming!

i plan on using ya'll as support for my side of the argument, hope you dont mind!

the things i can see him jumping on the most are gas milage and distance to travel to pick it up...but i guess if it can make the trip home, it should be ok, right?

so the only big thing is gas milage...is 9-13 mpg the typical range? lets take the bronco in that link, for instance. if i read right it has a 3 1/2 inch lift with 35's. i know neither the lift nor the tires help with milage, but does anyone know around what the milage would be?

 

[66horse]

9-13 is about right regardless of setup.

What is the milage on an explorer? My 97 expedition gets about 14 and my 92 F150 got 14. Is the explorer that much better?

And remember what you pay in extra gas you are making up for in appreciation. The extra gas costs less than the depreciation of the explorer.

At the end of college you will have a cool vehicle with a lot of value (that you will end up keeping) as opposed to an explorer worth next to nothing at that point. It is no fun to need to buy a new car right out of college. With a bronco you wont have to.

 

[JFX]

One thing that I failed to mention.....but that you've already figured out is the sense of comraderie here (and the Bronco community). Everyone that I have come into contact with has been extremely helpful.

The Bronco will get you and your Family outdoors, you can spend quality time with Pop going to gatherings/shows/trail rides. Mine have become part of the Family.

Who knows, you might get him to purchase his own one day. 8)


JFX

 

[dmb2187]

an explorer gets 15-16. i just talked to my mom, and her concerns were exactly what you adressed, 66horse. my siblings were givin cars with the expectation of having it last them through college and a little after (5 years or so, since they both got the cars when they were seniors).

i think the fact that there hasnt been a person who recommends not getting the bronco should help. i plan on buying part of it myself, so hopefully ill be able to get it before senior year. ya'll seem to think it will last, so ill take my argument to my dad.

thanks again for all the help. and please keep responding, the more the merrier!

 

[huged29]

I bought my bronco when I was 18 in almost your same situation. I sold my previous car and needed a new one and decided on a bronco. I bought mine pretty cheap for $4K and the last 2 years have put another $6-$7K in it and it is almost how I want it. In the 2 years that I owned it, it only broke down once and that was when my fan belt ripped in half. They can be made into very reliable trucks if you take care of them.

For 14000 you should be able to buy a very good bronco. Also if you are worried about reliability you might want to look into one that was converted to fuel injection.

 

[komodo72]

For 14 grand if you use your head and be patient, you should be able to get one heck of a bronco. We've all seen rigs with $20,000-45,000 in them go for around that price, even less (owners were desparate though) hience the be patient part.

 

[Grandfunkfan]

I am 18 and got my Bronco when I was 15. It was in good condition when I got it and really didn't give me any trouble until I started tricking it out. I would advise you to get one that already has what you want on it, especially if you are in school. I wanted one really bad so I convinced my dad to buy basically the first one we seriously looked into. It was completely stock, and I have spend tons of money and time turning it into a more modified truck. I wish I had waited a while and got one that already had the stuff done to it, it would have been much cheaper in the long run and saved me many headaches. However, they are awesome trucks that are fun to work on and attract lots of attention. I've found that girls really like them too. For 14K you'll be able to get a great Bronco.
Good luck