[Guest]

Hi! I'm new to this board and Broncos in general and have some questions. My current car (92 Camaro) is on its last legs. I love the car to death, but I've always wanted a truck, more specifically, a Bronco. Could you all tell me why I should get one over, say, a late model Blazer, or a Jeep. I already like Broncos, but I'm sure you know more than I ever will about them. Also, any suggestions like years to avoid, good engines, accessories would be greatly appreaciated. Oh, and my pricerange is somewhere around 7,000, but I could probably swing a little more if i had to. Thanks in advance for all the great advice. ~Bob

 

[Guest]

Your decision to get a Bronco over another truck has a lot to do with how you plan to use it. I personally do not like Jeeps because they are far to weak in there stock form and require too many upgrades and misc. swaps to make them perform well. The difference between a Blazer and Bronco is the Blue oval and the Bowtie. Brand loyalty is usually what would make the decision between the two, as they are fairly comparable. As far as what years to get, it depends on what you want. If you get a newer bronco you will have more electronic crap like EFI, electronically controlled transmisions, and ABS, all of which are a double edged sword as electronics and off-roading tend to be enemys. If you were to get an older one like an early 80's you would have the simplicity of carbueration and vacuum controlled trannys, as well as stock manual locking hubs. So it ultimately depends on what you want it to do.

 

[974]

If I had to do it all over I would have started with a 78/79 Bronco because it comes stock with a solid axle D44. You could buy one of these cheap and still have money left over for lift, tires, gears, lockers, for 7k. If you are looking for an onroad cruiser then all of the above suck in the gas mileage so don't be looking for fuel economy in a fullsize truck. I like Chevy's steering components as they are heavier duty than both Ford and Dodge. Solution? Buy the 78/79 with the solid D44 up front and convert to Chevy 8 lug knuckles and calipers (Way bigger brakes and hubs) Then convert the rear to the 8 lug axle of your choice. Rear D60s have great ground clearance and can sport up to 38" tires easy. I realize this is probably wayyy more than what you were looking for so I'll just shut up now.

 

[Guest]

From your post, it appears this will be a daily driver and you did mention "late model", so I'm assuming you dont have alot of time to upgrade or replace so will stay in the 90's series: The vast majority of folks on here who have experience with the 302 will tell you it does not have enough power as compared to the 351 which were the stock choices from about 92 onwards. I have no experience with the I-6 and as I recall from the 80's the big 460 (cant remem exact size) wasnt exactly fuel efficient. The E4OD is not my choice of transmissions, as I've had 3 in my Bronco, altho Ford did a factory replacement the last time around and it has been more reliable than the first two. If you can find a manual it will likely have the M5 in it, but the ZF's I've seen in fleet use are practically indestructable. If the previous owner hasnt changed the auto locking hubs, you will want to change out to manual hubs, as the autos are unpredictable and tend to break when needed the most. If you can avoid the on dash, push button transfer case engagement, do so...the electric motors tend to freeze in icy weather. I never had an issue with manual engagement shifters and altho I'm not certain, you might get 2 Lo with those...the electronic selector gives you only 2Hi (default), 4Lo and 4 Hi. If you need large tires, 32's are about all you are going to stick under there in stock form without rubbing on serious adventures (this gets debated constantly, so do a search...different years, et al). Personally, I stuck a two inch lift under mine and could use 33's with no issues and still have excellent road manners (for a Bronco, anyways) and ability to reach hiway speeds. Gearing will be another issue, as most in the 90's came with 3.55 or 3.73 (I'd avoid 3.08 unless you know you will change them out). If you are sticking with 31/32 inch tires, you'll find the stock gearing adequate for must uses. Also factor that the most recent Bronco you will find will be 8 years old and to some extent you are going to have luck of the draw finding exactly what you want and in decent shape. As compared to the 2 dr 8 cyl. Tahoe Sport (most comparable to Bronco), you have to factor that theres going to be alot more GM late models out there simply to having more recent production - this is all about brand, and the Tahoe is not a bad vehicle (Vortech!). I'm with the comments on Jeeps....stock strength issues and inability to pull anything, not to mention space constraints, but this really comes down to what you are going to use it for. For 7k and some patience, you could likely score a nice 95-96 Bronco and for a little more, the Tahoe Sport. For what its worth, thats my 2 cents.

 

[Guest]

Would you all recommend a Tahoe Sport over a Bronco? And yes, this will also be a daily driver, so it needs to last. Thanks alot you guys!

 

[Guest]

I would get a Bronco over a Tahoe because I am a Ford guy, but there is nothing wrong with the Tahoe. You would be able to find a newere Tahoe because the Bronco was discontinued in 96, so you could get a Tahoe with less mileage and in better shape. Its up to you...