Some people shopping for a vehicle for less than $1000 bucks aren’t always looking for just a car. This profile is for those who are looking for an off-road vehicle they can buy on the cheap.
Profile: Ford Bronco II
The Bronco II debuted in 1984 and was one of the first vehicles offered to the public that gave the type of capabilities that larger truck and SUV’s had in a much smaller size. The bronco II was based on the Ranger chassis and is completely identical in many ways. Engine choices varied between a 2.8 liter V6 and a 2.9 liter fuel-injected V6. Neither of which offered a huge amount of power, but torque tends to be more important in a smaller truck like this. The Bronco II was available in 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive versions, this could be engaged manually or in the XLT Eddie Bauer editions the 4-wheel drive was electronic. A particular note is that the front axle on four wheel drive models was actually a semi-independent type as opposed to a full solid axle like the full-size Bronco. Bronco II’s also came with lockable front hubs and an available auto or 5spd. manual transmission.
Now this wouldn’t be a proper profile if we didn’t discuss the reputation of the Bronco II. This truck caught a ton of bad press for being prone to flipping over. Now for those of you reading who might fear this I would suggest to take a step back and use some common sense. This is an SUV with a high center of gravity so its no real surprise that yes a roll over could be a possibility. After personally owning one I never felt that it really had any tendency to roll hard, but I think its obvious that if you push a vehicle like this beyond its handling limits just like any other SUV a roll over could happen.
Now that we got that out of the way lets talk about what makes this truck an All-Star. First off the price, Bronco II’s and their Ranger counterparts can be found all day long for under $1000 bucks. These trucks are cheap, simple to work on, and plentiful in available replacement parts. As far as off-road capability these small trucks have quite a bit of potential and the aftermarket upgrades are there to help turn these things into mud-slinging beasts. If you plan on buying one things to look out for are electronics (80’s ford switches and ignition modules tend to go out from time to time, but are always a cheap fix) and keep in mind that most of the bronco II’s had recalls for problem cylinder heads that caused coolant leaks.
Overall I believe that these vehicles can provide a lot of reliable fun, and as long as you keep an eye out for the known problems anyone can easily get a lot of bang for their buck with an old Bronco II.
AUTOPOST by BEDEWY VISIT GAHZLY
