1996 Ford Bronco Eddie Bauer Edition
*Update*
I sold the Bronco on 7/25/2010. The Bronco has been one of my most reliable vehicles and was still going strong despite 147,000 miles. The tranny and engine were in great shape. That said, it still
required some attention from time to time. With Nikki trading in her Mazda 3 for a Ford Edge with a trailer hitch, I didn't have that much need for the Bronco any more. With the trailer and the Edge
we can do most of what we used to do with the Bronco. Granted the Edge's 3,000 lb towing capacity is no where near the Bronco's 7,000 lb capacity but it should be enough for us.
With the Bronco sold I can focus more of my time on my other vehciles.
Bronco, thank you for being a dependable truck that was a pleasure to own. I hope that truck continues well in to the 200,000 mile range proving that Ford can build a kick butt reliable vehicle.
Background
As a little kid my family owned a Chevrolet K-5 Blazer. I was too young to really remember much about it except that I loved going for rides in that beast. It had lots of room to play in and it had a pretty rough ride (the kind a little kid would love). Those fond memories never faded as I grew up, they were just tucked away at the back of my mind.
That is until my Contour burned up and I needed a new vehicle. It was then I started thinking about what my ideal vehicle would be like. Nikki already had a smaller car that gets good gas mileage so I did not have to worry about gas so much. Instead I thought I should get something with some space for all the things an active homeowner needs to move, like drywall and old carpet.
A minivan was out of the question and I am not a big fan of pickups. So what does that leave? Obviously the only vehicle left is the Chevy Blazer and Ford Bronco. Of course I have a preference for Fords over Chevys so the choice was clear. What wasn't clear was what year and model to get. After doing some looking around I decided to stay in the 93-96 range. This was the last version of the Bronco and therefore they had many creature comforts we take for granted today like power windows and locks.
After spending about a week on the internet learning all about Broncos it was time to start tracking one down in my area. It seems that the Bronco is not too popular in Maryland. Perhaps this is because the area is typically urban, though I am just guessing. Whatever the reason, a quick search in Pennsylvania turned up lots of prospective vehicles, 16 to be exact. All of them were the right year with under 125k miles. After seeing a few in person I finally decided on a 96 Eddie Bauer edition.
The outside of the vehicle is in very descent shape for its age. There is no signs of rust on the body, though there is some on the spare tire rack. The paint is a maroon / tan two tone only available on the Eddie Bauers. The interior is what really impressed me. It has a super clean tan leather interior with lots of room for computers and stereo equipment, no wait I mean it has room for groceries and home remolding items. Okay I doubt its a secret that I plan to put a computer in the Bronco just like I had in the contour but that is besides the point for now.
The vehicle drove great on our test drive, it didn't leak anything, and every thing I could think to test passed no problem. One thing lead to another and the Bronco is now sitting in my driveway. I think my property value went up 10% since the Bronco looks so good in the driveway.
Vital Stats
1996 Ford Bronco
Eddie Bauer Edition
Power Locks
Power Windows
Keyless entry
Security System
Towing Package
5.8 Liter V8 (210 hp, 328 ft/lbs torque)
Driver side air bag
Leather interior
Compass and Digital Thermometer
Auto Dimming Rear-View Mirror
Tape Player Complete With 1 Blown Speaker
Mileage at Date of Purchase: 114k miles
Work Done To Date
Useful Resources
| Stats |
A page that lists all the technical information about the Bronco |
Pictures
| Photos |
Check out all the photos here |
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