I’m a 25+ year owner of a 86’ Bronco XLT, black with red interior, 302 efi. It was a substantial burden as a young adult but worth every penny in the joy and freedom it gave me. I had girlfriends in the back seat, the top off in the summer, camping trips, spent my last $20 at the pump or the last $100 at the auto parts store. I love that damn truck.

I had a super clean 1996 Bronco XLT that my wife bought as a gift for me, the last year of production. It had everything an Eddie Bauer had minus leather and the captains chairs had arm rests. I loved that thing and swore I'd never sell it. I ended up losing it in my divorce...😭

Those Ford truck commercials are some of the most iconic American commercials ever. I guess that's needless to say since everyone has heard "built Ford tough". But I distinctly remember seeing those commercials of the 4x4s just like this one in real time as they appeared on TV and they left me with an impression about full size trucks that remains to this day.

Love that you are featuring some classic SUVs. I know some might raise an eyebrow, but there is some real history to capture there!

I'm a retired Paramedic and during the 80s had the honor of using two Broncos as medic units. Boy, they were tough....but again, most of the time were high mileage vehicles but smooth as silk, important when you and your partner needed to go back and forth with them 12 hours a day! And they hardly ever broke down!😊

In 1984 (I was 11 years old) my uncle bought a new '84 Bronco XLT. Months later, my other uncle bought a pre-owned '82 Bronco XLT. I got plenty of ride around time in these, and I can still remember the specific Ford plastic interior smell of that era.

A buddy of mine worked at the local Mercury/Lincoln dealer as a parts man and the area rep had the use of a loaded 1978 Bronco XLT which my buddy bought when the rep got a new one. It was a very nice truck. It had the captain's seats and every other available option.

My dad kept the back green velour bench seat from one of his bullnose econoline vans. Its still in my garage as an extra place to relax and admire my 96 eddie bauer f150. Most comfy place to sit lol

Had 1980 with 6 cylinder and granny 4 speed one of the best trucks I’ve ever owned

I'm restoring my dad's 82 Bronco XLT Lariat right now. It had all the creature comforts of a contemporary Lincoln: Power windows and door locks, AC, Stereo Cassette, Cruise Control and a special rosewood fake wood trim. I cannot tell you the years spent on ebay sourcing a complete set of that!

My dad had an ‘88 EB Bronco in Alpine Green. Such a good truck. He kept it for over 30 years. Was a 5-speed manual making it very rare.

I was new truck shopping in 1985 and I drove a fuel injected 5.0 F150 and it was very nice and peppy and I drove a 5.8 HO 4 barrel F150 and that baby MOVED,,,, for real,,, there was a definite power difference.. I wound up buying a used 82' F150 Explorer single cab long bed with the straight 6 and that was the best "thing" of any "thing" I've ever owned.. When I sold it in 1996 it had 260000 miles on it and 98% of everything under the hood was original...

Dad had an 85 F150 XLT Lariat and he still says it was the most comfortable pickup he owned. I currently have my grandpas 81 F100 that im planning to do a mechanical restoration on, Bullnoses forever!

I had an Eddie Bauer back in '89. It came with a luggage set that was sent to my house. I still have the luggage today but the Bronco is long gone. I wish I had it today had a very upright ride and could see over traffic. Great truck and pulled the camper just fine.

Had a '76 and a '96 Bronco. Both of them were awesome and 4 wheeled in both of them!! Had a blast!! Miss both of them immensely!!

The Aerostar with the "tree" chairs!!! Years ago, I was at an auto wrecker yard and it started raining torrentially, and I took refuge in an Aerostar that was nearby. I could not believe how cool the interior was. I really liked the seats. Funny enough, the auto transmission shifter was snapped off by the floor, which these vans were apparently notorious for.

The frame holes were dropped midway through 1981. I was in the frame and suspension business back then and so many people talked about a friends friend or ex brother in law who apparently collapsed the frame basically doing nothing. In truth I only ever saw bent frames on these after a severe accident. We had 3 of these including a long wheel base Super Cab and we carried a lot of over loads without incident. But yes, nobody like holes in the frames so it definitely was not a good sales tool. My personal favourite is the 76 for sure but I wouldn’t shy from any bull nose.

The first Broncos I drove were 1986 models operated by the Border Patrol. The IFS made them handle rough terrain better than a beam axle but worked against them cause as they could tackle rough trails at higher speeds without bouncing the occupants all over the place, they got beat pretty good. They were sort of “flexible” though and suffered stress cracks in the cowl and floor boards. A Rancho suspension would have prevented that, but the Patrol wasn’t so enlightened at the time. They had 302s with AODs. While the rest of the truck would be in pretty rough shape, they’d still have the original motor and transmission. Exhaust systems would fall off and get replaced with Cherry Bomb glass packs. The BP Broncos were pretty stripped but had AC - which didn’t work after 4-5 years in service. The sliding tw gate windows and been removed and replaced with some homemade fiberglass lift gate, but the window tracks and motors didn’t hold up to heavy dust. I miss them though.

I bought a new , base Bronco in 1984 and loved It. Red and white like shown here with a 302 V8,manual trans four speed, handling package, AC, power steering and brakes, AM radio , sliding back windows.😮

In the late '80s as teenagers, my brother and I had a 1982 Bronco XLT Lariat and that truck had all of the buttons! We would take the top off for the entire summer and if it rained we would just back it under the carport. Wished we would have never gotten rid of that truck!!

I have an 86 Bronco xlt. Has a 4” lift with 35’s (Fully Loaded) Its my 5th Bronco. 74, 77, 78, 84 now the 86. I did punch out the 5.0 to a 347. It currently puts out 450HP. I absolutely love it! And have no intention on ever getting rid of it.

I had a 96'.. It wasn't loaded, and it had a split bench. Oddly enough. That was 'the' most comfortable vehicle seat I've ever used. Maybe better than any couch I've ever sat in.

I had the 1992 white XLT version V8 that I purchased in 2002 for $4500 cash as an extra “beater” car. It had just about 100,000 miles on it and was a Southern California car with zero rust. I sold it in 2012 for $4,900. It’s the car I regret selling the most. Great car, it had a couple dents and scratches here and there but was very dependable and always fun to drive. It was at that point that I needed to put some $ into and only had about 125,000 miles on it by then…I wish I had decided to put the $ into it…oh well.

I had no idea about the frames on the '80-'81's...great truck, awesome feature. Great job!

I am old school, I prefer manual locking hubs. Yeah, I have to get out in the nasty potentially, but if I may also be airing down the tires for extra traction, then I will be outside anyway. And after helping a friend replace manual locking hubs on his 1986 Dodge Ramcharger, it was surprisingly easy and fast.

We got these in Australia too - locally assembled (ckd body) with a fair amount of local content (seats, steering column & wheel from the local Falcon). The dashboard was a mirror flip of the US one - canted towards the driver. We had the 250ci i6 and 351 options in the early 80s. They also used the same era F100 for ambulances and police vehicles in my state (and some others). The police ones had a cage on the back and a canvas tarp over it, to transport criminals. They were given the name “bull wagon” because of that bull nose. Other brands were simply called paddy wagons or caged trucks. When used for ambulances in the mid 80s they put 3 Scheel sports seats in the cab.

Nice video! I had a 1980 Bronco XLT in high school with a 429 interceptor engine swap. It was crazy powerful. It had the blue cloth captains chairs and came with an after market cd player which was really cool in 1988. I wrecked it twice and rebuilt it then sold it when I went off to college. I got a 1995 White OJ bronco as a project a couple years ago but didn't make much progress because I had to sell it due to moving. I still have the 302 (5 liter) engine in my shop.

I had a buddy that bought a 1981 F150 in Oregon. It was a special deal called the Northwest Special. 300 six, 4WD, 4 speed tranny. A base model for sure and he used his for some off roading and to transport his dirt bike to the woods. Not long after he got it, he needed to jack up the tail end at the left rear - using a farm jack. When he let it back down, the Barden bumper stayed up - just barely touching the painted surface. The frame horn was bent. He climbed up into the bed a couple of times and jumped onto the bumper ... got it pretty close to straight. Then, he loaded his dirt bike into the bed and started lashing it down with ratchet straps. He kept toggling the ratchet more and more, but it wasn't snugging up. He looked, and the sides of the truck bed were bowing in. He sold the truck. Must have had one of those swiss-cheese frames.

I had an 82 for a while, really nice and clean truck. Had been repainted and it wasn't the best, but rust free. Just an XL though, no AC and vinyl seats. I sold it for like $4500 a few years ago 😭😭 because I needed the money at the time. It would probably be worth double right now. I even called the guy I sold it to like two years later wanting to see if he'd sell it back but he gave it to his daughter who turned it into a "mud truck" and then sold it. So it's probably trashed.

The 80s F and E series were awesome I had an 89 van and a 91 explorer Loved them They were tanks and super reliable And drove smooth as silk

Had an '85 XLT blue and silver. Beautiful blue interior with the Captians Chairs. Manuel locking hubs that I left locked all winter. Maybe burned an extra gallon or two per tank. Truck rode smooth, never had any problems with the front end. Sold it long ago, it was in mint condition. If I knew what it would be worth today, I would have never sold it!

I remember when Car and Driver Magazine had one of these on the Cover with the text, "When the going gets though, the tough turn on the Air Conditioner, Cruise Control and Stereo"

Great show Adam ! I would buy this 80s Broncos over any crossovers that are made today . 😊

My mom had one.. I loved the passenger pop up seat

Thank you Adam. You are right about the interiors of the models after 1986. They did lose something. The Bronco went down in a blaze of glory in the 1990's and rose like a phoenix from the ashes in recent years. The new one is more closely related to the orginial Bronco concept of the 1960's and 1970's. This would be closer to an Expedition now. I guess in a way it paved the way for luxury suv's but I watched a video yesterday from other channel that feels the Oldsmobile Bravada started the trend for luxury suv's in the 1990's. I am sure many will debate that, but the video was still interesting for the content. You are also right about the trims and prices of the new luxury suvs. They cost as much as a house.

I guess I didn't realize back in the day what a looker this 80's Bronco is. Wow, nice. Great feature 👍

I've got experience with a few of these, and I agree: all were great vehicles. In particular, a friend had a special edition all-black/taupe leather interior '96 with the 351 -- what a hot rod for the day! It was also very well made, having a high-quality feel overall that was impressive for what is really a truck. And, it's great to see you feature a truck once in a while.

Comfy looking seats.

Awesome video Adam and gotta love the old Ford Broncos as well as the old Ford Trucks. I have a 1996 Ford F150 with a 5.0L (302) Windsor V8 in it with 210,000 miles and still going strong. The only things I replaced on my truck was the starter, the rear fuel pump, and the power steering megunisum but other than that mostly was just simple maintenance, took out the transmission fluid just to get rid of the shuttering it was making and it hasn't had a problem ever since.

My favorite vintage of this body style is the last run right around 1990, like the OJ's Bronco...

Nice memories of better times... Thanks, as always.

Having owned early 80s Fords, all I see is interior plastic ready to start crumbling in the Florida sun. Only maybe an OBS Bronco in O.J. white tickles my fancy. For me, I'd be more likely to spend that silly money on a square body k5 Blazer. Yes, much more truck like inside, but wow - so much more like a blank canvas. A suspension that is so much easier to live with or dial in however you want. So much more aftermarket support - plus it seems like GM is all about interchangeable parts - easy to mix and match.

I worked at a ford dealership in ‘90 and we had a “Nite” version. The bumpers had plastic covers to match the body. It had a 4X4 button and the 5.0. I took it to upstate New York in the winter. What a beast, not good on gas. Very nice ride though.

My parents bought a new Bronco in 1984. It was the owner of the dealership’s demo that he just gotten and it had maybe 3or 400 miles on it and he didn’t really want to sell it. My Dad had an 1981 C/10 Silverado that I had kept its Black and Silver paint looking brand new and it was loaded to the max. I guess the great trade-in and my Dad reminding them that there was about 5 or 6 Ford dealers within a 30 mile radius so they decided to let it go. It was truly a good looking Bronco and huge and comfortable and being the dealership owners demo it had all the bells and whistles. I ran across a picture of it that I had taken of it with my new at that time Canon SLR camera. Thanks for a great video. My favorite Bronco was my Dad’s 1974 with Detroit Locker’s front and rear and about the size of a CJ-5 Jeep. No where as comfortable as the 1983 but it would truly go anywhere it would fit.

I had the exact brown 1986 Bronco XLT with the 5.0 motor that's in the thumbnail. Haven't seen one like it since I wrecked mine. That truck was one of my favorite vehicles I've owned. I thought the brown and tan looked sharp. I miss that thing.

Nice!, brings back memories! They were known as "utility vehicles". If you can get one with the EFI 302, 4 speed manual transmission and the indestructible 9" rear differential you'd have the best of what Ford offered in that generation. The only downside was the independent front suspension. I've owned my share of these and Chevy K5 Blazers and wish I had all of them back!

I've always LOVED this generation of Bronco.

I had a very nice '93 Bronco XLT with the 5.8 351, it was white and was very very similar to OJ's LOL. Got a ton of looks in that vehicle. It was a classic, wish I'd kept it now as I look back on things.

Ooh the 90's broncos are cool tool...

Love my 86' Eddie Bauer. The Ford 5.0 got real EFI ten years before the GM trucks. Used to park in the small car only spots underground. I'd back in, letting the Honda Civic's front end stick out a foot past the Bronco's nose. These things will do a U turn inside two lanes. Even my Austin Mini couldn't do that. Did some exhaust and ignition mods and my mileage went from 11/14 to 18/26mpgs. With the HUGE tank my range was unbelieveable. I could go two weeks without filling up. Took mine to Baffin Island for two years, never got it stuck. Shipped it back down, put all new sheet metal, all the way around, for peanuts, and resprayed it. Love these years of Bronco.

I had 1981 and a brand new 1986. My father worked at the St. Paul Assembly Plant. So, I got employee pricing. I think I paid 14k for the 1986 red/white, like the brochure picture in the video. I loved both of these. What he didn't mention is they go through the snow better than any vehicle I have ever driven. 10 or 11 mpg. Never got the best 14 mpg as advertised.

Im glad you made this video this was my era....

My mom had an extended Eddie Bauer Aerostar 4wd back in the day!

Just a general comment from a long-time subscriber. Love the videos...keep up the great content! I would love to see an updated video on quirky electronic features in 70s American cars.

I sold Fords in the mid 90s and had the opportunity to buy a Bronco and I kick myself for not buying it. I have a good friend who has a 96 and he put in the carpet in it in several places and put in some sound deading below the carpet and really helped with the sound. The other thing he did after repainting the entire vehicle, he went so far as to remove the body and powder coating the frame. My buddy ddid something to the front end I don’t remember what, but he went through the Moyer and put a Holly Sniper on the fuel system that really made a difference.

Loved that you think the Aerostars are cool... me too! I had a '92 with the 4 liter... great vehicle!

I've never had a problem with any of my twin I-beam suspension trucks. I've owned and still own many. I am happy that you compared the cheapness of the Chevy. We should do a door opening and closing comparison between them.

Just magnificent !!!!! TY

These were super cool.

I had an 89 XLT two tone. Blue/white. Really nice looking. Big and comfy. Some mechanical issues, Paint liked to fall off for fun.

Nice, my mom had one, 86 two tone blue xlt, blue interior and 5,8. Was a cool car then and it still is today.

Great video, great channel. Looking forward for that Aerostar video. Greetings from Argentina (still plenty of these bull-noses around here, working hard!)

I’d love to have one now as my daily driver. Also love the full size, two door Chevy Tahoe.

These vehicles I feel like slapped GM across the face and said “hah your stuff looks OLD” These I agree are amongst the most beautiful pickup trucks of the 1980s. Some years had beautiful woodgrain inserts around the speaker and window switches on the doors. The very beautiful “square” shapes and themes were so on time and en vogue for 1980s these just made the CK and D trucks look painfully out of style and dated.

Those are AWESOME vehicles. My dad had a white one, just like OJ's.

I worked at a Ford dealership and a couple of the guys had been there since the 70’s. It wasn’t just the Broncos, it was all Fords in the 80’s. One guy had an 85 Thunderbird come of the truck from factory with a palm sized rust patch in the middle of the drivers door

I was surprised to see black wiper/headlight controls on this Bronco. I figured for sure they would be chrome.

Ford nailed it on the looks, maybe not so much on the early models, but an un-mistakable shape and style....

My friend’s dad owned an ‘86 F150 XLT Lariat with that identical red velour interior and door panels/window switches. Even the instrument panel is identical to the F150…simple but ergonomically friendly. Agree that the ‘87 redesign cheapened the interior some, including the end of that nice velour cloth on the Lariat.

All well and good, my father had one of those XLT Bronco's, but without question the Make/Model that MADE the luxury SUV market [and dare I say the SUV market as a whole?] has to go to the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. I had an 85 GW, it could haul a house, had leather interior and rode like a dream and the Quadratrac 4WD was years ahead of what anyone else offering 4WD had to offer.

Very nice specimens shown and they are nice. That brown/tan is sweet. I will take the contrarian view that the GM K5 was the top dog and remains more collectable today. I can't get over the twin-I beam and those pseudo west coast mirrors. Always a great and educational from Adam.

Definitely one of the best-looking SUV's produced, Adam😊👏

I remember that dashboard well. My parents bought a 1980 F150 single cab long bed manual with no power anything. Even the AC was a dealer installed option (a necessary thing for Texas summers). I spent a lot of time sitting in the middle of the vinyl bench trying hard not to get my knees knocked when my mom shifted.

I seem to remember a version of the Ford ad where the Ford had a Ram sitting on the bed while towing a Chevy up that cinder block mountain.

Thank you Adam.

Do a video on the Dodge ramcharger 😊

These type of vehicles were sold to people that needed them, you had Forest rangers, police officers, fire departments things like that would buy these many times. Then you started getting the XLT and the Eddie Bauer packages and people would get those for families. Now you have to understand the mindset back in those days people didn't have a lot of money I mean a very expensive house in 1980 or 85 was like $60,000 and that was a really expensive house. And people didn't have multiple vehicles a lot of times, but generally when these SUVs started coming out they were for people that needed them for their four-wheel drive or something like that. But I'm going to tell you that was some of the best times I ever lived I was a kid back then and my uncle was a GMC dealer and I remember when he brought the first full size GMC Jimmy to our house I think it was like maybe 78 or 79 I can't remember the year but he would always have the newest GMC trucks or GM cars like Buick. And remember this was the time period when car dealerships were in their heyday I mean you went into a car dealership and there were hundreds of brand new cars and the dealerships were gigantic I love going and looking at cars, Now you go to a dealership and they might have five or six new cars on the lot and then a bunch of used ones and no one to help you or anything. I went to a Toyota dealer the other day and they don't even have a car in the showroom not a single car in the showroom they said they weren't allowed to bring the vehicles in the showroom any longer because of fire code well let down

It occured to be the other day that luxury SUVs and pickups have become so popular because there is still a desire for large, comfortable, V8, vehicles. However, full size SUVs and Pickups are the only way to get that now without going for full size German luxury cars.

Regarding the ad at the end of the video...Is it just me or is there noticeable frame twist on the truck climbing that mountain of cinder blocks? I'm not hating on Fords (I'm a fan of all vehicles) I'm just surprised the marketing department let that go out to the public.

Owner of a 1980 Bronco Ranger XLT, 331 stroker, manual, LSD front / rear.

The Bronco might have been a bit more luxurious than the K5 Blazer, but they didn't ride as well. I had both in the 80s and my 87 Blazer with factory front quad shocks handled much better than my 84 Bronco. These short wheel base trucks tend to "porpoise" a lot, especially when towing. The quad shocks in the Blazer really helped that. The Chevy 350cid with quad port fuel injection was better than the 5 liter Ford, too. Would still love to have either of them back, though. I've seen the new Broncos, and they're nice, but under the hood, they are a nightmare!

Captains chair recall...or maybe just a TSB, I don't remember. Cracked floor boards and a reinforcement kit consisting of a shaped steel plate and about 60 rivets to lock it into place...blech! They did have their little flaws.

Worked on lots of those back in the day. Always thought that woodgrain on the dash was one of the worst attempts by any manufacturer. The plastics were extra cheapo as well and deteriorated quickly. And the rust... They did look pretty nice, though...

The dome light in that 86 Bronco looks just like the one that was in my 72 Gran Torino!

The 2nd and 3rd gen Broncos are my favorites.

I'd go with the GM K5 Blazer/Jimmy if I were shopping for an 86. These Broncos popularity took off like a rocket when they revamped it for 87.

I thought the best looking SUV of all times. Love two doors.

Good vehicles overall. Repairable with minimal expense for the most part. The constant camber change with that front end was always an issue.

@5:02 yeah those 300/6s were nice engines, remind me alot of the 7.3s, slow and steady but you will get there haha. The best engines are the ones that won't quit not the fastest lol.

I wish I could've been able to hold onto my 1983 XLT (with 351); an appreciating in value vehicle. I would have had my hands full with the electrical gremlins when I let it go, but it would run very well. The cruise control would surge, and the gauges would occasionally peg back and forth. IDT anything with the engine was electrical, unless the ignition was, but that was unaffected by the gremlins, which seemed to be isolated to the interior. LOL now I own the much maligned 5.4 3V in a 2004 FX4 crew, exactly the opposite direction in valuation

Very nice Bronco, however, the Jeep Grand Wagoneer gets the kudos for the first and most luxurious SUV imo. I have an 86 XLT Lariat 460 with all the bells and whistles. Lovely truck but my 88 Grand Wagoneer leather and corduroy seats are more upmarket. Both great vehicles though.

I had an 87 or 88, with the flush headlights, yes, those captains chairs were comfy. 5.0 with the push button 4x4, got 13mpg no matter what. Unstoppable in the snow. But the undercarriage was so so rusty, working on anything was a pain. Sold with the intention of eventually getting a nicer one, as I really liked the vehicle, but never did get around to it. If you can find a clean one....go for it.

My '86 Bronco was an Eddie Bauer, it was a genuinely pretty nice interior. Mine had a later 351 Police Interceptor engine and an older 4-speed, it ran fairly well and went pretty well in the dirt. I was a kid, dunno what 4-speed it was, but it had a REALLY low 1st. I'm guessing it was an NP-435. The cruise control worked somehow, and it had the same steering wheel as our 1978 F-150 Ranger farm truck.

Amazing, I do remember those commercials. But so many offroad conditions are far worse than a pile of cinderblocks.

Boy, that Bronco Ad at the end of the video was pretty impressive. I wonder if that would void the tire warranty.......

My 86 f150 was an XLT lariat with that interior, and it spoiled me, even though it was a tired old machine by the time my family owned it. I miss that truck. A day doesn't go by that I don't think about it.

i had 1986 ford f250 xlt lariat had power windows & locks & ac which was same colors as the bronco your showing.

My first vehicle was an 85 XLT with those captains chairs and a 351W. I have to say while it felt like an indestructible tank, it was a total pig that would rust faster than it could move. I got 12MPG on a good day. As valuable as these are today, it was not an easy vehicle to own, always something nickel and diming me.

I hope you do a video on the Bronco II’s. I always wanted one. Well the 1991 and later version.

When they switched to the 5.0 MPI and later 5.8 MPI, they were really great trucks. You got all the gauges on the higher end models and the manual 4wd was really bulletproof. IMO even though I detest King Pin front ends, these trucks rode much better on road than the Blazer and Ram Charger did, unless those trucks were 2wd. IMO, Ford started the status symbol full sized SUV craze that lasted many yrs with those Eddie Bauer editions and it was a brilliant idea, so much so that Ford offered them on everything from full sized custom vans, to Bronco II's. Chevy and Dodge took many yrs to follow suit, and Dodge kinda stuck to the 'sport' theme while Chevy landed somewhere inbetween. Rust was and still is an issue. If you intend to drive them as they were designed, Fluid Film EVERYTHING every year!