I am sure that most of us old car followers have a few cars on our want lists that we somehow know we will never get around to owning. I’ve wanted to own an early Ford Bronco for as long as I can remember. When they were just used trucks, I just never happened to find one I liked enough to buy, and now they are desirable and the good ones are either too expensive for me to buy or too fancied up for my tastes.

For some reason, I have this feeling I am just not destined to ever own one of these little four wheel drive trucks, but I always enjoy seeing and fantasizing about them when I run across original unmodified examples, like this one here on eBay advertised for sale by a seller in Cumberland, Maryland, another great vehicle found for us by intrepid Barn Finds reader, Jim S.

As a one owner, unmodified example, even though it’s a non-runner equipped with a six cylinder and a column mounted three speed tranny, and clearly has rust issues, there are 32 bids on this no reserve listing and with four days to go, the price is at $3,550, and likely headed much higher.

The seller, who is doubtless not the original owner, says it had one owner from new, and comes with a considerable amount of original paperwork and documentation. There are some good pictures showing the various areas where rust is visible.

Given the truck’s age and the known propensity for these trucks to rust in all sorts of hidden places, it seems likely that there will be a lot of work to be done to ensure this vehicle can be driven safely on the road.

While the seller says he has provided photos that document his Bronco’s condition, there are no photos of the interior, nor of the underside of the truck, or the engine compartment. I would want to know a lot more about this vehicle before imagining trying to buy it.

One line in the seller’s description was confusing to me – “The bronco will be sold with standard wheels and hubcaps.” I’ve looked around online and found a few pictures of 1969 Broncos with what at least appear to be the same hubcaps that are shown on this Bronco. Maybe one of our readers who knows these trucks better than I do can explain whether the hubcaps on this truck are original or not.

The seller also says the tires leak and suggests a buyer should bring new ones along when taking the truck. Hmmm. If it’s going home on a flatbed, I am not sure why you would care if the tires are losing air, but maybe I am missing something here.

Also available, according to the seller, is a rebuilt six cylinder engine for this truck, but that will be a separate negotiation. If I were buying this, I might prefer to install a small block V-8 and a four speed transmission anyway, so this part of the deal may not be appealing to most buyers.

Anyway, this does look like a potentially solid truck to serve as basis for a stock restoration or a built off roader. On the other hand, if the rust issues are really significant, I have to wonder if it wouldn’t make more sense to wait for a dry southwestern or western example, even if the price ends up being a bit higher. Maybe it’s just my bias showing, but with 47 years of east coast weather and salted roads behind it, I’m worried about the rust I can’t see in the photos provided here. Or does the truck’s originality and mostly original state overcome the rust concerns? Ford made 18,639 of these wagons in 1969. How many unmodified, uncut examples are still out there?