What Im comparing is a 96 ford bronco xlt 5.8 4x4 to a 96 chevy tahoe 5.7 2-door 4x4. Im In favor of the Bronco but hear good things about the Tahoe to. What SuV is better in terms of reliability,durability,Trail capability, power, fuel economy, ext. Like to hear personal experiances with both vechiles. I myself would luv a all black 2 tone tan with tan interior bronco xlt with lift and 35's with the 5.8, one day...

 

THe Bronco should be reliable but it will suck down the gas.The TTB suspension offers a decent ride, good travel, and is easy to lift. Some love it some hate it. I like it.

Can't comment on the Tahoe though, sorry.

 

Bronco- all the way across the board, at least in everything that counts in that type of SUV. More durable, reliable, better off-road handling... what else is there?

The Tahoe has a better on pavement ride, and more power, but that's still in the bad old days of GM transmissions, the first year of GM's OBD II (fair number of issues with that 1st year out). For reliability and durability, the '95 Tahoe (last year of the non-vortec 350) is a better shot. I'd still take a Bronco though, without thinking twice.

 

I can comment on a 95 Tahoe. My cousin has a 95 2 door 4x4 with a 5.7L and it's a pile. She has a 6 inch lift on it. It has no guts whatsoever. It's rated stock at 12city/15 highway. I had to replace the wheel bearings, u-joints, exhaust, control arm bushing, and the leather seats were torn beyond belief. A few dash lights also went out, which really stinks because you can't just buy the bulb like a normal vehicle, you have to get the bulb and assembly from a dealer. The window motors work when they want to. The front windshield wiper washer has a short somewhere in the circuit (doesn't work, already changed the motor and tested voltage).

 

As far as the Motor, my grandfather has one in his P/U 2wd though. He's blown the head gasket, intake gasket, and tranny had to be completley replaced. Also the Tahoe doesn't have a removable top. IMO the last good Chevy 4x4 was the K5 Blazier with the removable top.

 

How in the heck do you guys do this stuff- I've never seen or heard of a 350 with a blown headgasket. Plenty of intake gaskets, mind you, but not a head gasket. Overheated, maybe?

73Fastbackv10 One rule with Tahoes and Suburbans- do not lift 'em. As in, never. Most folks go the cheap route- to do it right you need to spend a small fortune on brackets, bearings, new drivelines, etc- and hardly anyone does it the right way.

 

Bronco all the way, and I am not necessarily a die hard "Ford Only" person.

To add to Polarbear's comments, In my short life, the only blown head gaskets I have ever encountered/heard of in a small block Chevy were due to overheating. Coincindently I got to do a head gasket replacement on a GMC with a 305 in our fleet because the driver overheated it, and continued on for a fair distance.

 

I would pick the Bronco in all areas except gas mileage. I would prefer a 400 over the 351.

 

It had an explorer procomp lift that was installed at a 4x4 shop (they're loaded--my uncle owns his own pharmacy, so price wasn't an issue)

 

Ford had OBD II in 1996 as well. I think this one comes down to which do you like better, Ford or Chevy? They are both good trucks.

 

73Fastbackv10 well, you're right about one thing- that is the good stuff (that's what we install in our shop).

Louisville Joe I genuinely know both of those trucks like the back of my hand. To say I'm intimately familiar with them wouldn't be completely accurate. I think I can still recite the order and paint codes for both of 'em. I think just about everyone around here knows I do the Bowtie and the Blue Oval thing, and both have their strong and weak points. I'd still take the Bronco....if it didn't have that stoopid push-button 4X4 option.

 

My 100% biased opinion is go for the Bronco. Change out the Auto-lock hubs for Warn hubs, make sure the Cruise Control Recall has been done, see if/when the E4OD has been rebuilt, be ready to smile big!!

Don't maximize any negatives you may read about the Bronco, minimize 'em because Broncos are durable!

 

Believe me, my grandfather babies that truck. Its a 92 with less than 60000 on it. He rarely gets on it, and if there is heavy work to be done, they use the shop truck. It just blew the head gasket. He would never go over 3000 or 3 months without an oil change, or let it overheat. Sorry, Chevies just don't do well in my family, I usually blow them up.

 

And looks, my friend, looks. The 92-96 Fords are some of the best looking trucks around. Way better looking than their year-equivalent Chevys and GMC's...... Which is what I've been trying to get ahold of polarbear about. I'm gonna pm you, buddy.

 

I had an 86 Bronco it was the best vehicle I ever owned. Great ride, OK gas mileage, and they are much better looking than the Tahoe. Seriously though I never had a problem with that truch. Unfortunatly I am a dumb a** and sold it becuase is was "an offer I could not refuse." $2500 over blue book. I have regretted it every day since.