This full size Ford Bronco has been my fathers daily driver for the last 22 years. Original owner, 95k miles, with a big 5.8L V8 that sorta made this the Porsche Macan of its day. Short wheel base, quad front shocks, and beefy sway bars makes this 5000lb truck pretty damn nimble. No traction or stability control either; no electronic nannies here (except ABS, but we like that). 90's cars are unique blend of simplistic straight edged design and generally good build quality. This Bronco does have its creaks and rattles, but its all part of the charm. The interior/exterior has held up extremely well over the years, and I absolutely love this Truck!
I helped my dad shop for this Bronco when I was a kid. We went to various dealerships, test drove different models and I freaking loved it! My dad didn't though. Most of the salesman we dealt with used the typical hard sell and pushy car selling techniques. My dad hated it, and just wanted to find the car he wanted. It was so different buying a car per-internet days. You pretty much had to deal with just your local dealers and didn't have near as much negotiating power as we all do now.
One salesman told my father he could only afford a Ford Explorer Sport with is budget. Not just a Ford Explorer, but the base model Sport version?!? Another salesman tried to give us the run around on a base model Ford Bronco that had a promotion in the news paper. Total "bait and switch" techniques when my dad is literally sitting there with a check trying to buy a new Bronco for the price advertised.
Finally he found the Bronco he's always wanted at our local dealership. He happened to drop by the dealership in the middle of the day after his dentist appointment. The place was a ghost town, no salesman, it was his dream! He ran into the sales manager while the rest of the staff was in a meeting. They had the dealership to themselves and my he was dealing with the boss...finally. My dad said he wanted to spend $20-25k on a new full size Bronco, can he do that. The manager said, "sure, we can definitely make that work. We have two that just arrived a white one and a dark green one."
My father, dumbfounded how easy this is, walks outside to take a look at both Bronco's. Both were nearly identical spec: 5.8L V8, push button 4WD, suspension and towing packages. The dark green one had grey leather, and the white one had a blue stripe with blue interior. Initially my dad wasn't sure about the blue interior, but he was positive he didn't want leather. He bought the white one on the spot, and drove it home. I was disappointed he bought it without me, but super happy he finally got it!
It's been a great truck, and I've enjoyed driving it over the years myself. He was generous enough to let me drive it as soon as I turned 16, although not too often. This after all was basically my dad's dream truck. He is very frugal, doesn't make rash purchases, and keeps cars for at least 10 years. So when he finally bought this Bronco, it was awesome to see him finally obtain something he's wanted for so long. It's a lesson on waiting and how desiring something for a while before having it can be a good thing. Such a simple concept that seems so foreign in today's time of Amazon Prime style instant gratification.
Thanks for reading/watching, have a Wheelie Cool day!!
-Stu