You meet the nicest people standing outside their one-owner 1988 Ford Bronco II XLT 4×4 5-speed, to paraphrase an old Honda motorcycle ad. Don’t they look like nice people? And this Bronco II looks like a gem from what we see in the photos. These nice original owners have this 5-speed 4×4 posted here on craigslist in West Linn, Oregon, and they’re asking $6,500 or best offer. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Barney for the tip!
I shouldn’t mention the word “Honda” during Sturgis week, now that I think about it. A Bronco II would most likely be more welcome there than a Honda, but I could be wrong. And this is the Bronco II I’d want. What a great vehicle, in Bright Regatta Blue Metallic and Silver Metallic two-tone paint, a $191 option. I don’t see any rust, but there is a small dark spot at the bottom of the passenger door, maybe it’s a little ding or just dirt? In case you clicked on the “Here is the original listing” link, and I always hope you do, you noticed that the sellers raised the price from $5,900, when I saved that screenshot, up to $6,500.
The sellers don’t say anything about rust at all, but this Bronco II had 162,000 miles on it, so it’s been around the block a few times. The Bronco II was made in one generation, from 1984 through 1990, and it only came in this two-door body style. But, what if they had made a four-door version, hmm… The Bronco II was a nice-sized SUV, at least from my perspective. Everything is so bloated and huge these days. I don’t understand the love of huge vehicles; is it to feel safer? This Bronco II was $16,942 in 1999, which equates to $46,038 today.
We don’t see the driver’s seat fabric, but I hope it’s as nice as the rest of the interior appears to be. A detailing job would have come in handy in the nooks and crannies, but it looks very nice overall inside. I’m guessing the steering wheel is dirty rather than worn or discolored, but we don’t know. We don’t get to see the underside, and there are no photos showing the rear cargo area, other than in a couple of photos showing the back seat, with one of them folded down and a lot of random stuff tossed back there. This is another case where a couple of hours of cleaning and detailing would have made a huge difference in the presentation.
Sadly, they didn’t pop the hood to show the engine or engine compartment, that’s always disappointing. But here’s the 5-speed shifter, with the knob turned about 180 degrees for some reason. The engine is Ford’s 2.9-liter fuel-injected V6, the only engine choice by this time. It had 140 horsepower, and it sent power to the 5-speed manual and a 2-speed transfer case to all four wheels as needed. The seller says it drives great, and it sure looks nice to me, even at its higher asking price. Any thoughts on this Bronco II?
Thanks Scotty. I agree, Mom and Dad sure look happy. I had an 85 Eddie Bauer, which I liked. This one looks used but not abused. The 5-speed helps, they didn’t have a ton of power. Maybe spruce it up and call it good.
$15,520 is about $42,000 today…. the price of a low-end new Explorer.
Speaking of Explorer, your four-door photoshop looks good. I figure by this time the designers had the Explorer in the planning stage, which followed this line of thought (to great success, which continues today… look at the proliferation of compact and mid-size four-door SUV’s).
Scotty, I have about 1 minute and 43 second left of my coffee break. I love this thing. If I ordered one new……. Yep you guessed it, including this color. Wish there was an underhood photo but hey we can’t have it all. I totally agree about a detail job. The shift knob, this was common on Fords of this generation for them to pop off. Not a big deal. And your 4 door??? Looks great, kind of like an early Explorer……. Hmmmmm….. Where did I hear that before……… ( sound of fingers tapping on a table) Oh…. Hi Bob!!! Lol. Great write up Scotty. And great find here Barney, I enjoyed it!!! Now back to work……
That four door on the puny wheels for some reason reminded me of a vehicle from a communist country back in the day lol.
Stan…… That was hilarious!!!!
Lada i had one great suv easy to fix. I also had this BroncoII mine was an 89 red 2.9 5 speed i came too enjoy it until some crack head stole it and drove it into the side of a winn dixie. Mine had typical broken key slot so i just bent the tab and thats how you started it. Same as my 89 f250 idi 5 speed.
Boy they want all the Money for this don’t they? The OG listing price is fair but $6500 is too much, detail the car if you want that much!
Otherwise tho it is a great color! I drove one of these for a weekend trip to NYC from SYR and on the way home the shift linkage failed near Scranton. Good time!
SYR?
syracuse
I had a 1984 about 20years ago it had a 4spd These had a large frame for their size I Think it was fully boxed but I don’t remember for sure
Hey Scotty, your 4 door version looks like a same year Jeep Cherokee.
Buddy gave up buying Toyota p/ups and bought one of these new. We went on our yearly bear hunt to Lycoming co PA. First day he closed his door with his hip, put a dent right in it. Then we went off road, immediately cracked the rear diff on a rock, somehow he got them to repair it under warranty, then he immediately traded it for a toyota. Not near as tough as my XJ Cherokee
We tested one of these at GMPG back in ’87. The 2.9 seemed to have a lot more snap than the chevy 2.8. Nice driver but I never warmed up to the cornering on the door handles feel.
Dad bought a new 1985 Bronco II in Toledo, different color but otherwise identical. Funny thing, in those days, up north, AC was seriously an option. Didn’t do much good when he and Mom relocated to far west Texas shortly thereafter. But I loved driving it whenever I could! Oh, if I only had the $$$ and the space in my driveway…
And many didn’t corner on the door handles. They rolled over instead. Not enough wheelbase/width for the height. I used to stock roof panels in the parts department because of the often need. I also don’t think that the front “I beam” type suspension helped any. These were the correct size, but not the correct height /suspension set-up in my opinion. I actually have one of these that will end up on a 2wd chassis some day. THEN, it will be the proper height for the size and wheelbase.
This V-6 engine is notorious for spinning cam bearings, a fatal engine failure, and I’d not consider this vehicle at any price.
Cologne V6 had lots of valve train/cylinder head issues as well. If well cared for they can sometimes reach about the miles that are on this rig. 5.0 swap isn’t too tough, and is a considerable upgrade.
I had an 88-Ranger 4×4 bought new, same setup as this, drove it for 5yrs & over 100K, never had any issues, only sold it for something bigger.
Bunky, the head issues didn’t start until the 2.9 engine. The 2.8s (although a little short on torque) were very reliable if someone kept up on the valve adjustments. The 2.9s were better in drivability and quieter because of the fuel injection and hydraulic lifters. But did not seem to last as long because of the head issues. A friend installed an aftermarket throttle body on his 2.8 and what a difference it made! Smooth operation and an increase of 5 mpg.
No thanks on a 4-door version. Broncos and Jeeps should never have them. Fords current Bronco was ruined by the 4-door design and the lack of a V8. You want a 4 door, buy a sedan.
You know that they make a 2 door new Bronco, right? I have one. Lives up to the Bronco name in its appearance. Do I ever see another one on the road? Rarely. No one wants a 2 door anything anymore, so it won’t be long until they phase them out.
Also, who needs a V8 anymore when the 4 makes 300HP, the 6 makes 330 and the 6 in the Raptor makes 418?
Things aren’t like they used to be 30 years ago.
Fully aware of 2 door models and all variations of Broncos. As far as the available engines, not impressed. Test drove them both and was disappointed with the lack of performance and I don’t care for turbo charged engines. Owners will be shocked when they are hit with the repair bills that these engines require. And yes, it’s ashamed that things aren’t like they were 30 years ago, much better quality and choices. I guarantee my 96 Bronco will outlast the current generation and be worth more in value.
I had 1 of these what a dog could get out of its own way and it was top heavy when I rolled it on its side it went faster than on its wheels of the orse I’m sure the few man pops after work didn’t help
Cool cars. Had an 89 we drove 200,000 miles (pretty hard sometimes) then it sort of “died” :-( . Great 4WD and pretty comfortable. With all their “hoopla” and “stuff” IMHO the new ones just don’t compare. Wish I needed one. :-(
GONE.
And why wouldn’t it be? Bronco fever is hitting every model.