Hey all, I have been looking into getting a bronco as a second car and wanted some expert opinion on what I've found. I'm only looking to spend about 1500 bucks, so I'm not looking for anything nice. I have a serious problem with spending money on cars (2 built up mustangs) so I'm hoping I won't dump money in a truck that doesn't look too good. I've come up with a couple trucks in my area, with 2 standouts.

The first is an 86 XLT with 119k on it. 4.9, 4 spd manual. Interior was nice, only problem was cruise broken and problems with the rear window. Windows/Locks were manual. The body of this truck was pretty beat. Paint was shot, rust on the hood, fenders, and tailgate. I've seen this is normal, and it wasn't really all that bad, but there was visible rust on the frame. The guy had reciepts for the clutch, new head, axle, radiator, and a bunch of other stuff.

The second is an 88 with the 5.0/AOD combo. Only owner, friend of a friend. Used as a commuter to the city, has about 250k on the body. 70k on engine, 30k on tranny, the transaxle and suspension were pretty much brand new. He had pretty much replaced everything on the truck. Paint looks pretty good, body was in much better shape than the 86. It had been repainted, but it was bubbling on the fenders and tailgate. Window was also busted. Exhaust was shot, the tailpipes were rusted through after the muffler.

Wow this is long...ok, to the point. Given the above novel, which truck do you think would be the best bet? Is high mileage worse than rusted chassis, or do all the new parts make up for it??

Thanks,

Adam

 

I would get the 88 since it has the larger motor and it seems like there is less work to do to it.

 

88 for sure! They don't call rust "cancer" for nothin'. I have heard some terrible stories about the frame rusting. Just making a cut on a frame in the wrong place can have significant side effects on the frames overall strength and rigidity, much less rust.