The third-generation Ford Bronco didn’t appear to be much different from the fourth and fifth-generation Broncos, it would be around 16 years of square-edged two-door Broncos before the line went away for a few decades. The seller has this 1985 Ford Bronco XLT listed here on eBay in historic El Paso, Texas, and the current bid is $7,600, but the reserve isn’t met.
I got off on another tangent, spending an hour making a Photoshop four-door Bronco, even though I knew that there was such a thing as a Centurian. An aftermarket company called Centurian Vehicles produced four-door based on a Bronco and Ford F-series four-door pickup and they always seemed a little clunky to me. I saw a few of them in person and they were unique at the time, at least until the Ford Expedition came out.
The third-gen Broncos were made from 1979 for the 1980 model year until 1986, and they were easier on fuel, lighter, more luxurious, and still competent off-road. But, they still only had two doors. The new Bronco is available in a two-door model but the overwhelming percentage of personal SUVs and pickups have four doors. This example is a one-owner vehicle, according to the seller, who says that it’s from the Texas desert and is all original and rust-free.
One thing the seller talks about is that this Bronco has new upholstery, which leads me to believe that the first 100,000 miles and that hot Texas sun may have each played a role in having to redo those seats. In any case, there are issues upon looking more closely at the photos. The driver’s door panel has some apparent damage and it looks like it’s been hit hard by the Texas sun that helped preserve the sheet metal. The back seat looks great as does the rear cargo area.
The engine is Ford’s 351-cu.in. OHV V8, which would have had 210 horsepower and they say that it can be used as a daily driver and it runs great. Hagerty is at $19,800 for a #3 good condition example, how much would you pay for this Bronco? Did any of you own a four-door Centurian or see one in person?
Just get finished commenting on an ‘84 and a real ‘85 shows up. If this was silver with black trim I would have to say that this is real deja-vu. I’ve always been partial to the full-sized Bronco. Back in my GM days I was so tempted to get a Bronco. I’ll always have a preference for them…
When I had my 1980, a neighbor had this exact truck. I’ve touted the accolades on every one, so no need for that. Simply, the best vehicle Ford ever made. I know, a hefty claim, but it was so popular, apparently, there was no need for a “Suburban” type, it wasn’t the crowd Ford was going after, like Chrysler with their dismal Trail Duster/Ramcharger series, as the author will agree.
One thing I will disagree with, is they used a lot of fuel. Just by design, it was never meant to win gas mileage contests, but get you home in the worst weather, within reason, of course, it didn’t get any better than this.
Again, a 4×4 in El Paso Tx? Seems a bit silly to me, and I bet that front axle innerds are like brand new,,,lockouts? What the heck are those? Not a heck of a lot of interest, which is alarming. One thing for sure, someone going to get a sweet truck.
Mine was actually pretty good, mileage wise. If you kept it under 65 it was always in the mid-teens. But take it up to 75 and you were in single digits. My ‘79 GMC K-1500 with 400 SBC liked 75, even with 3.73 gears (Bronco had 3.50) and it was consistent at 13-14. Overall cost per mile was almost identical for both trucks…
Happy 2023, everyone!
Dang, and I thought my winter beater getting 14 mpg was horrible, but maybe not. We got 8 mpg with the ’69 Ford F-250 2WD, but gas was only $0.35 a gallon back then. Although, when you do the math, that’s about $3 a gallon, which is what gas is today here in the Midwest.
And, the weird part is that most people don’t seem to even blink to pay $6 for a 12-oz foamy, sugary, non-coffee “coffee drink” at a coffee shop, but the world is ending if gas isn’t $1 a gallon?! I don’t understand humans. Maybe it will all make sense this year! (crickets)
I’ve never gotten better than 12 mpg with my 1988 with the 302 FI. Generally about 10 mph unless pulling my 16′ trailer with 2 tons of debris. But they were make for durability & 4 wheeling, not mpg.
Happy New Year to all of you!
Hey, Scotty, I guess if you were consuming a dozen specialty coffees in a day it might add up. Myself it’s a boring coffee: Black with a cup around it. Driving 25 miles a day just to go to work and back adds up at $3.00/gal. How about the Canucks with $5.00-$7.00/gal? But yes, back in the good old days when you could fill your tank for less than a ten-spot, no one really cared much about what gas cost.
I always thought this generation of Broncos was well-done. This example looks like it has seen more than its share of sunshine. I didn’t check, are the door panels reproduced? This isn’t a surprise, the plastics of the day faded and became brittle, even under good conditions. I like the two-tone, with the basket-handle look. The new upholstery looks good.
Scotty your Centurian photo shop looks good.
Hey, thanks, Bob! I never know if anyone clicks on those crazy Photoshop things or not.
I’ve never liked it when they put the key switch for
an alarm system on the body like that (on the left-
front fender).It’s like those riveted on side moldings –
you’d need to weld in the holes to get rid of any traces
of it.
78-79 broncos were only 2 years, then boxier ones came, love 78-79 much better, but engines were weak.
Nice Bronco. I wonder if one if those dent repair guys could fix the door panel. I have seen them put the texture in the repaired area.
Looks like it’s missing trim rings and center caps.
My brother had a similar ‘85, but navy blue and white two-tone over blue cloth XLT trim. Great truck that after a mild lift and some more aggressive tires was unstoppable in the South Florida swamps and Sand pits. The 351 was weak and thirsty but a barn burner compared with the Blazer’s 305. The next year Ford introduced the Fuel Injected 302 which was both more powerful and more efficient than the older 2 barrel 351 & 400 lumps. Best days were with the rear roof section off and the stereo blasting some Bob Seger or REO Speedwagon. Great trucks that bring back fond memories.
I had an ’80 Bronco, 351M & 4 speed manual with a “granny” low. First year for the 2.6:1 low range transfer case. That sucker would climb trees if it could get traction. What it wouldn’t do was pass a gas station-12 MPG.
Auction update: this one ended at $10,434 and no sale.
Hi! I wanted to give an update about this Bronco. It was re-listed on EBay and I won the auction today. I’d love to share more pics when it arrives here in Houston.