One of the lessons I’ve learned the hard way over the years of buying and selling old cars is that my fellow enthusiasts really do place an emphasis on originality. The closer a vehicle is to its factory condition the better, whether it’s the paint job, the drivetrain, the interior – or, ideally, all three. This 1981 Ford Bronco is said to be a highly original example with factory paint, and it’s listed here on eBay with bids to $3,659 and no reserve.
The seller is located in Assonet, Massachusetts, but the seller is wise to point out that the Bronco was shipped in from California two years ago. Therefore, in addition to having original paint, the truck is also said to be rust-free. One of my favorite details is the interior – check out those bucket seats and that period-correct factory upholstery. Brown on brown is about as correct as it gets for a 70s rig. Incredibly, the dash doesn’t appear to be cracked.
The 5.8L V8 is said to be a strong runner, and the listing also notes that this Bronco is a Trailer Special. That means it got a variety of heavy-duty upgrades from the factory, which was not unlike a sedan equipped with police-spec equipment. Higher towing ratings, external oil coolers, beefed up radiator – certainly, the potential is high that some of those components have gone missing over the years, but the seller claims the only major deviations from stock are an aftermarket carburetor and upgraded tires.
Overall, I’m shocked to see bidding as low as it is. The truck certainly looks like the survivor he describes to be, but this is also one of those purchases no one needs to make right now unless the vehicle in question happens to be geographically convenient to inspect and pick up. A few months ago, I would have anticipated this Bronco already being over $10,000, but today is a much different environment than even earlier this year.
Pretty decent Bronco. But it suffers from being this generation model, which for whatever reason hasn’t caught fire as much as the previous generation Broncos. This example looks a bit rough around the edges— note the body damage around the left headlight. The brown theme probably doesn’t help either. Has the market changed dramatically this year? At its current bid, I’d say it is a bargain.
Smart analysis, as always, Bob! The 3rd gen (bullnose) Broncos haven’t caught on as much as the others yet and the earliest ones are the least desirable due to smog-choked engines, the swiss-cheese frames, etc. That said – the interior on this one has survived very well since ’81. They’re rare to find in this condition.
I have looked at this bronco, the owner has no title, or pink slip from California, and the truck may be “rust free” but it has an inoperable rear window as well as rust in the tailgate, water has been sitting in there for a while, as well as rust on the rear corners of the cab in front of the wheel wells, rust on the hood, and the floor boards are quite thin a light tap of a pick went through it. It as well has water/coolant in the oil which the owner said he thinks is headgaskets, and there were a few other things I cannot remember as we looked at the vehicle over a month ago.
After reading the ebay listing he must have been able to secure a title since I saw the vehicle
Strange Carfax mileage inconsistency…183k, 165k, 156k in that order. Suddenly goes to 90k in 2000…cause for concern regarding 97k original miles. Just sayin’