This 1988 Ford Bronco 4×4 has been listed by the father of the owner who apparently snagged it via an online auction a few years back and hasn’t done much with it since then. It certainly looks like a clean specimen and it’s equipped with the 5.8L V8. The seller claims it was purchased out of Utah from the second owner who kept it in tidy shape; not much has happened with the Bronco since then and his son is tired of paying to park a truck he apparently doesn’t use. That said, they’re not giving it away, either, so check it out here on craigslist in Irvine, California for $15,500 if you’re in the market.
The yellow pinstripe is an odd feature – can anyone guess what that is and why it’s on this blue and white Bronco? I’ll be honest, I keep coming back to it as I wonder if it’s some sort of protective strip against door dings. Regardless, the rest of the Bronco’s bodywork is in fine shape, with sharp paint and good chrome. The polished decor panel on the back gate looks like it has a ding in it from the spare tire mount, but that could be an optical illusion. The fact that the Utah license plates are still attached tells you that the son truly has barely spent any time with the Bronco, to the point of not even registering it in California.
The interior is bone stock with some evidence of cosmetic faults, such as a crack in the dash and a split in the upholstery on the passenger bucket. Neither of these are a big deal and provides strong evidence that this is an unrestored Bronco that isn’t a total rustbucket, a combination that is getting hard to find. The light navy blue cloth is clean, as are the carpets. The Bronco has power windows and door locks but the seller notes the driver’s door lock is unresponsive. The radio also doesn’t work and the A/C is not blowing cold (or functioning at all – I can’t tell by the seller’s description.) Overall, it’s presentable and comes across as being quite honest.
Mileage is listed as 73,000 and the seller reports that the Bronco drives well, with no issues from the automatic transmission or the four-wheel-drive system. For California shoppers, this Bronco did get smogged when it arrived in the state but the seller speculates that registration info is no longer current given how little the Bronco has been used. While I don’t know the intricacies of registering a vehicle in California, I find it curious the owner was able to bring it in for smogging purposes while still wearing the plates belonging to the previous owner. Regardless, square body trucks will always be in demand, and this Bronco looks like a very clean foundation for a basic refresh before enjoying it far more than the current owner has.
Yellow stripe yells West Coast 💛 ✨️ 👌
I’d be tempted on this beauty if i had the room. These are very comfortable plow trucks, short wheelbase and great visibility. Nice to see the transfer case lever in there too.
Don’t think it’s worth the asking price with not air conditioning, radio, etc… my 88 bronco had a blue stripe where this one has the yellow one, but mine was dark blue with silver .
The trouble with 4WD is they are usually set up too high for comfortable entrance and exit.
I’d be wary buying anything off Craiglist especially if you hundreds to thousands of miles from the vehicle. As they say let the buyer beware.
Looks pretty good, but yeah, it’s got some needs (AC fix will be $$) so I’d negotiate for a lower price if possible. Since it’s a 5.8, it will also have the C6, which is a stout transmission, but no OD on the highway will get pretty old pretty quickly.
The yellow stripe, and the rest of the paint job, in my opinion, is just someone’s tastes for a repaint in years past.