1988 Ford Bronco

Macdaddy4738

Macdaddy4738

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2005
Yet another car I went to look at today :driver:

anyways, what is the general consensus on these things? Good cars? Bad cars?

Its the 5.0L V8, 170k miles (quite alot, but it IS an 88!) Eddie Bower (Bauer?) Edition. Automatic. Underside looks pretty good, the interior isnt bad (definatly needs a good cleaning.

How do they perform off road (stock)? From what I can tell, the ground clearence on these is rediculous!

I went looking for a 91 Toyota 4runner SR5 too, but couldnt find it! Good thing though, apparently its got 200k miles on the odometer now.
 
200k on a yota is way better than 170k on a ford. heck the trans I'm gettin' ready to put in mine is a 200k trans and my truck only has 160k. (and it's an '84)
 
X2 on the Yoter. I do not specifically mean avoid the Bronco (don't know 'em).
But do not let the odometer on thsi truck deter you from even looking at it.
For all you know right now it may have a rebuilt motor and tranny w/ 13 miles on it.
 
RatLabGuy said:
X2 on the Yoter. I do not specifically mean avoid the Bronco (don't know 'em).
But do not let the odometer on thsi truck deter you from even looking at it.
For all you know right now it may have a rebuilt motor and tranny w/ 13 miles on it.
Click to expand...

The thing is, I couldnt FIND the truck! I drove around the dealer for 15 minutes, no sign of the danged thing :confused:

Its listed in Autotrader, but no sign of it at the dealer. I called and no one anwsered, and I didnt want to go inside for fear of being mobbed by some slezeballs!
 
At 170k, you're looking at a bunch of PM stuff on that Ford. If it hasn't been done yet, it'll need doing in the next 50k miles. It really depends on what you want to do with it, and how much you want to work on it.

I'd say that 302 is definitely near the end of its lifespan. You can get 200k or better on one, sure. But don't count on it. If you're really interested, check the hot idle oil pressure and compression. That will give you some clues as to the condition of the motor.

Find out what has been done to the front suspension. If nothing has been touched, plan on replacing the radius arm bushings and pivot arm bushings. Check the tie rod ends for play. Check the steering box sector shaft for side to side movement (if it's leaking, it's moving).

The transmission is an AOD. Not a bad unit, if slightly sloppy shifting and light-duty in stock configuration. At 170k, I doubt it's original. Could be, but probably not.

Aside from that, check the rust at the tailgate, at the rear fenders, at the base of the B-pillar, and check the cracks at the top of the B-pillar, near the end of the rain gutter.

Again, how you plan on using it will factor in. If you're going to beat it, you probably don't care about the body, etc. If you're going to wheel it.... find another truck. There are better, cheaper alternatives out there.
 
From a Bronco owner and Toyota owner, buy the Toy, Unless you have some sick intention of wanting to destroy all the sheetmetal and replace EVERYTHING from the frame down. Then by all means, proceed.
 
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