An immediate family member took delivery on a new Ford Bronco Outer Banks Advanced Edition yesterday. He ended up paying a lot less than I thought because one his employees dad owns a Ford dealership and ended paying nearly $12k less than what people are pay for this model and trim.
It’s still above MSRP which is too rich for my blood but I have to admit, thats an amazing looking, driving vehicle.

I’ve always been partial to fords and in particular broncos. My dad had a 67’ old school Bronco that my brothers and I loved. Unfortunately a lady ran a light and wrecked into my dad and destroyed it beyond repair. My brothers and were still young kids, I believe I was 8 at the the time. The memories I have from that Bronco are great.

A few years later dad ended up finding a 78’ Bronco XLT Blue body, white top with a 400 (6.6L) engine. The body itself along with interior were in awesome condition. This was 94’ when he bought this one. He ended up taking the 400 out because it had issues and put a rebuilt 351 Cleveland in it. A year later on the way home from work he saw a 79’ Bronco that was baby shite green with the white too and ended up buying it for next to nothing. Transmission was bad and the owner couldn’t afford to have another put in and couldn’t do it himself because he wasn’t very mechanically inclined. This one had a 351 in it and it was a standard.

The 78-79s were the big boxy looking versions which I personally love. We used them as camp vehicles, recreation, mud riding and when my brothers and I got our driver’s license we’d drive them to school. On a nice we’d take the roofs off. Some of my best memories involved those broncos. We’d cut up mud riding in that gumbo mud in soybeans, corn and cotton fields in Tensas where we hunt. We did some pretty serious mud riding. I know most of you are thinking trashy but this was just my brothers, dad and a couple friends who’d cut up in them. It’s not like all these mud riding festivals like they have these days. My brothers and I would get bored in between hunts and jump in the broncos and play. It was nearly impossible to get them stuck. The blue one got stuck one time because I was playing in 2wd and underestimated the mud and lack of bottom there was and I buried it. Had to get a huge trackhoe to get out because dad had to use the boom to lift the rear end in the air to get it to come out. It was literally like a suction cup. A dozer couldn’t even get it out. It could have but would’ve likely pulled the body off the frame. Good times.

Anyway, back to this new Bronco a sibling just purchased. Seeing pictures doesn’t do them justice. The outer banks advanced edition is the best looking SUV 4WD in years, IMO. I thought about getting one but I gotta have a truck and I like the truck I have. I am thinking about possibly ordering me a new Bronco base model outer banks, not the advanced. They’re still a little high so I’m going to play it by ear and maybe wait a couple years.

Sorry for the disgustingly long post. Made me think about my dad who passed several years ago. I miss that man. We had great times. Oh, we actually still have the 78’ Blue/ White Bronco. We just need to do a little work on it and put some new tires on and it would be ready ride. My brothers and I keep saying some day soon when we have time we’ll work on it. That’s been 6 years. Need to do it before it’s too late.

ETA: Have any of you purchased one of the new Broncos (not sport model) and how do y’all like it? Any of you ever owned one of the 78-79 Broncos?

INB4 Blazers were better. GM did make great engines. Almost as good as 60s- early 70s MOPAR engines. Fords have always had great rear ends

This post was edited on 4/27/22 at 9:36 pm