What finally made you opt to pull the trigger and buy a Bronco? (And don't hand us that "I got a great deal!" line.) If you bought your Bronco because it was the cheapest thing you could find, I doubt your sincerity as a Ford Truck Enthusiast. So, what did it? Not going to limit responses by posting a poll. Just want to see what drives the typical Ford Enthusiast to opt for the venerable Bronco. Maybe you needed the cargo space, the 4WD, or the towing capacity. Maybe it "spoke" to you. Maybe it gets you attention from the ladies... or the men. Maybe you always wanted one like Dad or uncle so-and-so. Whatever your reasons, let's hear 'em.

For me, it was a compromise I made as s result of pressure from friends who all own "early" Broncos (1966-1977). I have never driven small vehicles. (Learned to drive on a '78 LTD and my first car was a '65 Cadillac) so I opted for the full-size and never looked back. I don't regret a minute of it.

 

Becauze I wants to be like OJ

 

I have always wanted one since I was a kid. Now I have 2 and looking for more.

 

Get you an older one like mine.

 

I had a 66 Bronco, Years ago straight six, 3 speed, loved it for fishing etc. My DD is an 86 now, and my "project" is an 85. I like the low range for parking an RV,, I love the short turning radius. My project 85 (w/factory roll bar) will be topless, with a variety of options for keeping out the weather as well as special camping as time goes on. (in design)

Of course A short wb 4WD is good for those out-of the way camp sites. My wife will most likely drive the "85" for groceries..an of course can use the bed like a PU for garage sale finds (since it's topless)

The best reason is that "2" of these fit in my carport..and since mine are "bullnose" vintage, the electronics are minimal, and repairs fairly simple..and my "86" has seat-belts for "6" (a bench seat). so, I can have ALL of the grand-kids along in that one...the rowdy one (85) has buckets, but I still can leave the back in if desired and seat "5" if needed..

much more room than my Jeep JK....more comfortable too

 

I have owned 4 ford 4x4's since 1978 but never had a Bronco. I just decided it was time to buy 1 since I had wanted 1. I looked at several early Broncos but they were either too much $$, or too far gone to use as daily driver while being restored. I also looked at some early 80's models but wanted a solid front axle, so steered clear of them. There was a 77 K-5 blazer in good shape at a good price for sale locally but I am a Ford man all the way. Besides they ride like a freight car. When I saw my 78 for sell in Pensacola on craigslist I called about it, he had it advertised for $5,000 and it looked good in pics. This was in Nov of 2011. We talked on phone for about 3 weeks b4 I decided to go look at it. By this time he had come down to 4 grand. I called a guy with a roll back that my Boss uses pretty regularly and he gave me a price of $200 to go with me to pick up the truck if I bought it. When we got there the p.o. had neglected to tell me the rear window was broken out,the power steering pump was non-functional,the tilt steering column worn out and he had recently re-painted it ( with a bad paint job using what I am sure is latex paint). He had also covered up years of rust without doing anything to keep it from coming back. Just typical fenderwell rust for a 35 year old truck.But the thing ran great and has a solid running gear.It has a .30over 351m with an erson r.v. cam,performer 400 intake and way too much carb(which I will change out) His dad bought the truck new in 78 in Montana and he told me it had been above the arctic circle in both Alaska and Canada. I offered him 2 grand ,we settled on $2,500 and loaded it on roll back. Since I have had it I've put brakes on it including everything except the booster. New alum. rad. new water pump,fuel pump,power steering pump,steering column,hoses,p.s. lines,2" phenolic carb spacer,new hubs, front wheel bearings,6 new monroe magnum shocks, refreshed the rear end, new rear drive shaft, replaced output shaft seal in transfer case, changed all fluids to synthetic, and done so much small stuff I cant remember it all. I am currently in the process of cutting out rust around the wheel wells in the rear. I'm not sure if I will buy patch panels or get some 20 ga sheet metal from an A.C. friend of mine and build them. Probably try to build some b4 I spend any $$. When I started grinding paint,bondo and fibreglass off I was pleasently surprised at how little rust I really encountered. The floor pans are in great shape, door jambs have very little rust that I have phospho'ed when I got the truck .

 

First and foremost I've always been a "Ford" man - just a better idea in my opinion!

My first 4x4 was a 1974 Bronco with a 289 cu.in., which I put a Holley aluminum intake manifold and Holley 600 cfm carburetor along with a set of Hooker Headers and dual pipes. It came from the factory with the 4:11 rear differential (and I believe a 4:10 front differential?). Had it painted all one color (green metallic) with the after-market rear wheel cut-outs. Really enjoyed driving this vehicle but my friend borrowed it and destroyed it in an accident. Fortunately, he was not injured.

Next 4x4 was a 1978 Bronco custom with one of those gas station 400M motors. Didn't do as much to this unit - just a paint job, aluminum wheels and a nice 4 barrel carburetor. Ended up selling it for $500 more than I paid for it!

Now I have a 1996 Eddie Bauer with the 5.8L engine (263,000 miles and counting). I would really like a good paint job on it but they are rather expensive now-a-days. I do try to keep on top of the maintenance on this vehicle and plan to keep her - regardless of whatever else I may buy.

I don't believe that FoMoCo has ever built an all around better vehicle than the Bronco - both the smaller and larger sizes. I do think I prefer the larger style though. I can remember the F150 pickup that graced the cover of 4Wheel Drive magazine (?), black with the multi-color stripping in 1976 (?) that Ford based their full size Bronco on!

The power-to-weight ratio, the wheelbase and everything else of the full size are the "selling" points for me. The only way I would purchase a new Bronco would be a six cylinder diesel equipped with the same characteristics as listed above.

 

I won't go into all the details, typing them all on my phone would be a pain. I got my bronco because my older step brother had an 84 back in highschool and I thought it was the coolest truck. Then he made the mistake of trading that along with a set of 38" mud tires for a POS jetta. He regrets that, I assure you. Eventually he got a 79 bronco and I absolutely loved the body style and decided I wanted one. After searching and waiting, I finally found TGM. I've done quite a bit of work to it so far and I don't want to ever get rid of it.

I love the unique styling of these trucks and the short wheel base is just an added plus. The interior space is nice, though a bit less than what I originally thought, I can still cram a queen sized box spring & mattress in the cab. It has a lot of its own issues from cancerous rust to crappy paint, and the motor not running the best but I love it all the same.

 

Before I could drive I always loved trucks, my aunt and uncle always had fords, mainly pick ups. My uncle had a lifted ranger and an old 88 extended cab long bed f250 and my cousin had an 86 Bronco with the straight six. He would always tell me stories of the times him and his friends had in it. I basically got sucked into looking for a 92-97 f250 or f350 but eventually went to looking for a Bronco, youtube was a bad influence to watching videos of Broncos I knew I had to have one. And I began my search and about 2 years later I drove by one for sale in New Hampshire and as soon as I saw it I told myself thats my truck. Bout a month later I saw it show up on craigslist and bought it when I went to look at it. So fords have always ran in the family just keeping the reputation up. I always read that people who sell them regret it, I don't plan on selling mine, I plan on driving it into the ground, if I have to put a new engine nd tranny in one day then I will. I'm hoping once I get a job in my field I plan on buying a pickup and setting the Bronco aside to put some more time into.
Whenever I come across Ford haters I tell them all the time you can hate on a Ford but not a Bronco, hate on a Bronco and your not a real truck enthusiast whether you prefer chevys or dodges.

Here my cousins old bronco


Now mine basically in the same spot that his is in the old picture

 

My family has also always been ford drivers for the most part but they liked the mustang more than anything. I got into the mustang scene and the members for that group... Well they weren't very nice people. I eventually gifted my stang to my older step brother who then got in a wreck with it and totalled it.

I had a small 2wd ranger after that, which I liked a lot but it was in bad shape and wasn't worth the time and money to fix. So I sold it for +$50 than I bought it for, and made a small profit. But I do kind of miss having a pickup and a 5speed, but that just means I will need to do a ZF swap in the future

 

I never originally intended on buying a Bronco. I was an assisstant scout master in our local boy scout troop, and was starting to take on a more serious role in the troop. The pride and joy of my life, my 1986 Ford Ranger, that I restored in High School was not the best vehicle for the job. It is two wheel drive, could only seat three people, and was not really up for towing the trailer that the troop uses.

So I set out to find a 4x4 F-150 that could hold the kids, and tow the trailer. I did not want an SUV because I felt that would make me look old, too many doors, and I am a hot headed young man. Hard to impresss the senoritia's with a car like their mom drives. I was having a hard time finding what I wanted, too many miles, or too beaten up seemed to be the norm. Durning my search I found a picture of my Grandfather, Uncle, and Father standing next to my Grandfather's old 79 Bronco. It was big, it was Red, It had two doors, and I fell in love. Not to long after that I found my Bronco. It is a 1995, Red on Red, 302 v8, E40d Automatic transmission, no rust (except for the tailgate, odd for an Ohio truck), 80,000 miles, for only 3 grand.

So I bought a Bronco, because it is a BA vehicle, my grandfather has one, it can do the job that I need it too do, the price was right, and of course it is a convertable, how could a truck get any cooler?

 

The Full Size Bronco (in my opinion) is one of the best Multipurpose vehicles ever built.

It's so adaptable to fit what ever you need. It has all of the comfy inside features available like electric windows and door locks with air-conditioning, cruise, tilt, plenty of room with comfortable seats for a family trip.

Or you can remove the back seat throw in a sleeping bag and cooler to go hunting or hitch up a boat to go fishing. You don't have to worry about getting off road with 4 wheel drive and great ground clearance with a V8 power. I personally use mine to go observing for the weekend with my 14.5" diameter telescope and sleep in the back.

It's short length makes it easy to drive in traffic, park, or maneuver through tight hunting trails.

They are late enough to have fuel injection but not overly complicated with computer controls. Parts a still available because they were popular and interchange with the Ford trucks.

After market accessories readily available like winches, oversize tires, racks, bumpers, lights.

They are cheap to purchase. Insurance is reasonable. Easy to work on. They are built Ford Tough.

Why would you NOT own one ?

 

Out of my 15 car/trucks.. 12 have been FORD.. 3 were GM..

69,67,65 Falcon
65 Galaxie 500 XL
69 Torino
92,96,2000,2003 Crown Vic
95 Mustang GT
93 F150
93 Bronco XLT..

My moms BF back in 78 had a new Bronco.. had the 351M.. and the plow stuff.. was red and white combo.. went to FL and back and to NY and back in that as a kid (I was 8 in 78).. thought it was neat and beefy and kewl..

The 1993 I just bought in January seemed neat and needed some TLC and I was thinking of using when I get out to my TX property (I have 11 acres and a small cabin).. & for $1200 I figured why not.. I knew going in it was going to need about $1k to get it up to snuff.. currently at like $1200 into it and that with the 4 new tires.. so far I am happy with it..

Just a Ford guy by heart..

 

OldGrayMare pretty much described my reasons, but I have to add that this truck has been in the family since new, and I've been in love with it since then, even more as my father took me to it (I was 12 back then) and told me: "this will be your ride". I don't plan to sell it for the time being (probably never if I can get away with it), just love the old gal. Just last week the E4OD auto was replaced with a rebuilt/upgraded one and I got it done for $660, ATF and labor included, try to do that with a new car/truck.

For me the Bronco can be described in one word: Versatile.

Why?
- Fast and agile enough to keep up with modern traffic.
- Big enough to carry an average family or a bunch of friends.
- Truck enough to carry your stuff around.
- You can take her top off... and who doesn't like a topless girl?.
- Even stock it's considered a great off-roader (I've proven this time and again on my trips).
- Cheap to maintain and reliable.
- Not overly complicated to work on, it has the advantages of PCM and EFI driven trucks yet it's a simple enough system, and usually these electronics survive harsh enviroments without problem.
- Comfortable, even by today's standards, and upgradeable.
- Long range fuel tank (33 gallons).
- Keep it in fair state and even girls with no clue about trucks/cars will like to ride in it (chick magnet).
- I could keep going, but you guys get the idea...

 

Dad had one when I was a little guy. Lifted Bronco's are the coolest things when you're only 5 years old. Made an ever lasting impression on me. He ended up scrapping out his 80 for reasons I don't know. Flash forward to when I was roughly 14-15 years old, dad got another Bronco. All stock, wore out engine, wore out stock suspension, but I fell in love with Bronco's all over again. So when I turned 16 me and dad restored his old F150 he had. Shortly after it's restoration, I found my Bronco. Wouldn't run, but was all there. 150,000 miles on it, had the typical fenderwell rust, and the 302 (I much prefer the 351) but for $500 I couldn't pass it up. The day I got it was the day we got it running. Only one cylinder banks injectors were firing, so we threw in a computer that we had laying around and I was driving it that night. I've been modding it and driving it ever since lol