Hey guys, new to the Bronco section but not new to Ford. I have been looking for a Bronco for a few years now to fix up for my mom, she had an 88 they bought brand new and drove it for 12 year and 200k. They sold to buy an expedition but she had always missed the Bronco. I found their EXACT Bronco out in PA and I jumped on it. Its an 88 Eddie Bauer blue with tan top and the 5.8. It has 105k (maybe 205k but highly doubtful based on condition). The interior is in amazing shape and the body has the usually issues. My dad and I are working on (with the help of some pros) and plan to give to my mom for Christmas. Here is what we have planned, some of it is done already. new tires, shocks, core support, water pump, brake lines, all fluids, exhaust (flowmaster), plugs, cap, all steering components, oil pan gasket. Its at the mechanic now and should be complete this week then it goes to body guy for new quarters & a paint job. I already purchased all new stuff for the body, grill, bumpers, headlight assemblies, mirrors, etc. I also had a piece of stainless made up for the tailgate rust, slips right behind the brushed aluminum and looks like its from the factory.

Here are my questions. How did I make out on the original price, it was 2k and talked him down to $1,500. It fired right up and drove nicely when I bought it, I am doing all this to make it safe and super nice for my mom. Also, when we finish, will post pics, what do you think a Bronco like this will be worth? I will keep everyone updated on the progress. I can't figure out how to post pictures, but when I do i'll throw one up of the day I purchased it.

 

It's worth what you can get for it when you sell it,
but you're not going to sell it.

 

for the combo i think you did well.

 

If mom's happy - the world is happy ? Doesn't matter what it cost you.

 

For $1500, it sounds like you did real well. You won't get the money out of it that you put in it, though. Not even close. It's hard to say what a vehicle is worth because a lot of it depends on where you live.

 

Well my parents had an 88 F-150 that my brothers and I drove going to school and whatnot a while back. That truck wasn't very well maintained, and had various problems weekly. I wasn't mechanically inclined back then, so we always had to bring it into the shop. After the head gaskets blew, we had that fixed and ended up selling it for 1500.

The interior was in okay shape, but had a bench seat and all manual options (lower value in my opinion), the clear coat was completely gone and they gray paint was all faded, and the AC didn't work.

I don't remember the mileage it had, but for the condition our truck was in compared to that bronco, I say you did really well. Like everyone else is saying though, you won't get much out of it trying to sell it, and those plans you have will add up in price fast. However, if your mom loves it and you guys can afford it, I would have no hesitation in doing the same thing.

 

For $1500 on a complete mostly clean good running Eddie Bauer you did good. As for resale value, well you wont ever get your money invested back out of it but odds are your mom will love it and never want to let it go. Real hard to gauge a resale price just cause different regions value vehicles differently.

Example, my mother in law lives in Arkansas and drives a VW Beetle, she HAS to pay high insurance prices since its a "sports car" in that state. 110 hp sports car lol my 302 Bronco spinning 31's outruns it but lower insurance rates

 

Generally speaking you never get outta any vehicle what you spend ON it, but it sure sounds like a nice truck already. Remember the golden rule, if moms not happy NOBODYS happy.

 

Sound like a good deal on the purchase price. As for resale price, you'll never get what its worth( to you anyway ).

 

As long as your mom likes it, it probably shouldn't matter how well you did on the price but here is another way to look at it. You say it was 'clean' and you got it for $1500 but then it needs 1/4 panels, paint, tires, exhaust,brake lines, steering rebuilt, new bumpers, ect....

Add up what all of those parts cost, put a dollar amount on your labor for your work plus what the other work cost, then add that to the purchase price. Where are you at for a total cost, 5-6K, maybe more? Now look at the Broncos you could have purchased for that price, are they in the same condition as your rebuilt truck? Maybe, maybe not- it's up to you to decide if your effort was worth it.

 

I bought my 96 for $1000.. i only have about $550 in it with a tow for $210..
Interior was mint!!!.. the guy say he had an offer of $600 for the interior and $100 for the motor.. he said he was gonna scrap it.. i went out there to look.. quarters werent in bad shape at all.. been replaced at one time.. lower parts by the gas tank and running board were starting to rot already.. but thats an easy fix..
i bet anyone on FTE i could resell it for 2000+
but good find..

 

Why do you think it only has 105k? at 105k it should be like new..

only saying this because I thought the same about mine, 111k, no way it could be 211k! Well, checked the vin and sure enough it was 211k. I've done a lot of work on mine, but I can guarantee it would still drive fine today if I hadn't. These are damn strong vehicles!

 

Wanted to update everyone. We are picking the bronco up from the mechanic this week and delivering it to the body guy (they only live a few miles apart). I got hooked up with an AWESOME mechanic and he took care of the Bronco 100%. Here are the new parts on her: brake lines, brake hardware, water pump, e-brake components, gas tank, core support, plugs, cap, wires, battery, oil pan gasket, tranny pan gasket, all 4 axle seals, differentials serviced, bushings, shocks, & a few other odds and ends. He said engine and transmission looked great (he was shocked at how good the tranny looked). I am heading over there tomorrow to attack everything with a wire brush and spray paint the undercarriage. Body guy now has 8 weeks to do new quarters and a full paint job, hopefully this gets done in time. Will keep everyone posted, and will add some pictures when she is done.

 

Say he takes about 6 hours for both quarters and another 10 or 12 hours body work..
He wouldn't take that long..
Good find for 1500!!!
If moms happy everyone is happy.. bronco is priceless then

 

good God that is a ton of work in one stop, bet it feels like an entirely new vehicle. Doing the water pump I would have hoped he did the timing chain. I had a double roller and still it was stretched pretty good when I replaced it.
Always the first internal component I recommend gets changed when someone gets a Bronco with any kind of miles on it.

and that stupid oil pan gasket is a big one, i still haven't done mine yet because I'm sooo not looking forward to it. Must have cost you an arm and a leg for that work.. or you have a really good mechanic. I'm jealous of your mom, gonna be near resto quality by the time it's done by the sound of it.

Make sure you get pictures, especially before and after!