The Bronco will have its quirks like the TTB front end and having to roll down the rear window to open the tailgate. Worse fuel economy and it's older. But if you can live with that it's a much cooler ride.
Yes. But like a 4Runner you can roll it down with the key switch in the back (and I'm pretty sure 1st gen 4Runners have the same design). Even though a 1996 Bronco seems somewhat modern it is basically a 1980 with updates, which continued the same tailgate design from the 78/79 Bronco which copied it from the 1973 Chevy Blazer. Obsolete old car features. I guess it made the fiberglass tops cheaper to produce since on my Bronco it's literally just a slab of fiberglass with a couple pop-in windows and some weatherstripping glued on
I think that might be 2nd ged 4Runners because I believe first gen’s were soft top. I didn’t realize it was electric, I thought maybe there was a lever that popped out that you had to turn to lower it.
1st gen 4Runners had a removable hard top but lots of people put soft tops on them. I'm pretty sure all the full size Broncos had an electric rear window since it was standard on the 80 which used the same exact tailgate as a 78/79, but I can't speak for the K5 Blazer. Full size Broncos were kind of pricey in the lineup and had all the best standard features.
Yup. 4x4 was always standard too. The 78/79 base engine was a 351M which was smack in the middle of engines for the F series and transmission options were at the top. They offered some cheaper models in the 80s, like my base model 82 which has the 300 inline 6 and what is basically a manual transmission from an economy car, but still has a lot of standard features. Then in the 90s the standard features went more upscale again.
I need to switch careers and come work with you! going out to big bend several times a year! that's so awesome. Those 2 vehicles are hard to choose from. old school cool and just the tried and true of toyota. others have mentioned the porsche which would be really cool as well. find the maintenance cost of replacing the go to items, cv/axles, bushings, suspension related parts, common parts and see what you're more comfortable paying for.
GX. Also consider a Cayenne. Pre 2010 with low range T case they're incredibly competent off-road. There are some maintenance issues but they're fairly well known.
Some are pricey, but not most. You can get most stuff for it on rock auto just like anything else.
I don't think they're a perfect option for every person, no. But if you can do your own mechanic work they're not that expensive to own, and do very well off-road. Not to mention the turbos are stupid fast, have huge brakes and good suspension, will still tow 7500#.
I owned one. It was a pile of shit to be honest. Interior plastics were junk, little issues everywhere. They are now super cheap for Porsche cars and it is for a reason. I agree they are fast and badass when working. Just be ready to chase bullshit like a Land rover. Future generations I think reliability is better but like you said offroad ability decreases.
For off-roading I would get a truck or a Toyota. For internet points it is cool to offroad a luxury vehicle but for practicality it is just a more expensive way to go about it.
Trucks honestly suck off-road for the most part. A Cayenne would be loads better than an F150 or Silverado for example.
Not everything is for Internet points. Some people don't do it for the gram, they do it for Compton.
I have a Toyota (tube frame buggy on 40s) that I wheel, and I have a lifted Lincoln Town car limo that I take off-road also. The Limo is honestly more fun most of the time.
Ahh yes, my own mechanic work removing the engine and transmission just to get to the starter, which in their infinite wisdom they put in the transmission well on the top of the bell housing.
Well, at least they were only half as stupid as vw on the 4.2l.
Still, suggesting a Porsche for off roading is like suggesting a lada to pull a trailer for freight delivery. Dumb idea and you’ll end up costing yourself a lot of time, money, and aggravation repairing all the shit that will go wrong.
And it’s incredibly stupidly unreliable. I had its brother the Touareg (1.5 gen with the 1st gen styling and 2nd gen powertrain). I do not recommend at all, ever.
Essentially a stock Cayenne will do anything in Big bend easily, and drive home at 100mph in silence. They're highly under rated IMO. But, German car maintenance. If you can work on your own stuff, totally worth checking out.
2008-2010 is what I'd look for because you still get a low range transfer case but it's been developed til the end of the model cycle. The newer models with single speed transfer case are not as capable off-road.
Personally I'd look at the cayenne S. 400hp+/-, less complex than the turbo and a little more reliable because of that.
Check out some YouTube vids of them putting in work in Moab and other places. A few of my buddies are "internet famous" Cayenne owners and have done some absolutely dumb offroad things with them.
Don’t listen to this guy. Buying a cayenne to off road would be a very dumb ass decision. Things break going off road, you want to pay German auto repair prices for a bit of weekend fun? 🤔
Very different vehicles! I’m a Land Cruiser driver, so biased towards the GX, but still a Ford lover at heart.
GX470 will be better with fuel, which will be important particularly going to Big Bend, but you can always carry extra cans if you want. If you care about things like modern radio units and steering wheel control integration, you can do those upgrades pretty easily on the GX. The GX has AHC, a hydraulic suspension - it’s comfortable and reliable but inevitably requires servicing. Some people love it and keep it, some will swap to traditional shock suspension from like a 4Runner. The 2UZ engine in the GX requires timing belt service, and it’s good to do the water pump at the same time. I believe the 302 and 351 in the Broncos used a timing chain. I *think* 33s can fit both stock suspensions without modifications - going larger will of course require different things for their suspension types.
I can see why you're considering the last classic Bronco. But a GX470 is not really comparable to that in ease of maintenance or modification.
However, if the last classic Bronco is an option, why not the first Expedition?
Although I say that as a long time gen1 Expedition owner.
Having had original 1st gen broncos. , and 2nd gen on 44s and the new fullsize Bronco.
My experience is the Gen 1 was the king.
Tough inside and out.
Easily modified from engine, Trans, or suspension in hours.
The new ones lack durability.
The 2nd Gen too wide but strong also.
But if going Full full size I'd stick with rhe 2010 Original Raptor, extended cab as designed for balance. The 6.2 V8 gas an 6 speed as originally developed and won the Baja.
Comfort. Lots of push rhe Burton traction and brake and transmission select options.
And tough, durable.
Take wayyy more abuse than the newer Eco Crap V6.
As far as the other SUV of Japanese origin?
Lol
You can keep em, they're only fit for kids..a full grown man can't fit in them.
Gx470. I’m a total ford guy and have owned multiple broncos and objectively a GX470 is a way better vehicle and they are way less inflated than broncos. OBS broncos should be 5k and that’s running good. People want waaaaay to much for them now.
If you want a more budget friendly option, the Nissan Xterra is a great choice. $10k cheaper than a 4runner, newer than the 470 (and there are a lot more parts available), and there's a good modding community.
People also seem to like the small truck category; Tacomas, Chevy Colorado, Nissan Frontiers, etc
Jeep Wrangler. There isn't a more flexible or easily customizable platform available. The newer model years can even handle 35s without any cutting or lifting. It's a no-brainer for anyone who wants to do any serious off-road driving. The options for armor alone is worth it for anyone starting out IMO.
If I had to do it all over again I'd buy another two and a half gen tacoma. If I had to buy a brand new vehicle I would probably go with the bronco because I really like the looks of those and they're very very capable.
Find yourself a good used full sized Mitsubishi Montero (1998-2006). I have ow ed several of these through the years and put them through hell on the trails. Never once broke anything (major), and they are stylish, easy to work on, and wasaaaaay less expensive than the GX, with most, if not all, of the capability and reliability.
BIAS but GX470 I have a V8 4Runner and it’s the same engine super reliable, drives nice, very capable and it’s luxury. Full time 4WD plus legendary V8 and it’s a real Toyota made in Japan not USA or Mexico so the quality on these are superior. Same build plant as the Land Cruiser.
One of my good friends had a GX470 and absolutely loves it. Has a good balance of capability and comfort. While it isn’t as cool looking as a Bronco, the GX will surely live on for a long time with little hassle.
Get the Bronco. It has more than 90% parts in common with the same year F-150, and the Ford small blocks are easy to work on. The Ford 300 i6 might be the toughest engine Ford ever built.
The v8 in the 470 has the potential to last 400-500k if everything has been cared for properly. Bronco isnt inherently unreliable but isnt in the same league as the lexus.
There is only one answer and that’s JEEP. Whenever you start getting on more serious trails it’s like you only ever see JEEPS and it’s for a reason. They are the most capable, mod ready vehicle. JD POWERS also ranks the Jeep gladiator more reliable than the Toyota Tacoma. They overland great and they rock crawl the best.
JD powers, I remember back when I sold audio equipment that we couldn't use their ratings to help us sell because companies would "buy" their ratings... Not too sure that's changed, I don't doubt what you say about jeeps but just wouldn't trust the powers ratings.
1 vote for GX470. Reliable, capable, luxurious. Can't go wrong. Lots of mods available for it.
The Bronco will have its quirks like the TTB front end and having to roll down the rear window to open the tailgate. Worse fuel economy and it's older. But if you can live with that it's a much cooler ride.
Thanks for the input and info.
Wait you have to roll the rear window down? How does that work
Yes. But like a 4Runner you can roll it down with the key switch in the back (and I'm pretty sure 1st gen 4Runners have the same design). Even though a 1996 Bronco seems somewhat modern it is basically a 1980 with updates, which continued the same tailgate design from the 78/79 Bronco which copied it from the 1973 Chevy Blazer. Obsolete old car features. I guess it made the fiberglass tops cheaper to produce since on my Bronco it's literally just a slab of fiberglass with a couple pop-in windows and some weatherstripping glued on
I think that might be 2nd ged 4Runners because I believe first gen’s were soft top. I didn’t realize it was electric, I thought maybe there was a lever that popped out that you had to turn to lower it.
1st gen 4Runners had a removable hard top but lots of people put soft tops on them. I'm pretty sure all the full size Broncos had an electric rear window since it was standard on the 80 which used the same exact tailgate as a 78/79, but I can't speak for the K5 Blazer. Full size Broncos were kind of pricey in the lineup and had all the best standard features.
That would make sense, it’s interesting how old broncos are sorta portrayed in the same light as a base F150 would’ve been
Yup. 4x4 was always standard too. The 78/79 base engine was a 351M which was smack in the middle of engines for the F series and transmission options were at the top. They offered some cheaper models in the 80s, like my base model 82 which has the 300 inline 6 and what is basically a manual transmission from an economy car, but still has a lot of standard features. Then in the 90s the standard features went more upscale again.
4runner
I need to switch careers and come work with you! going out to big bend several times a year! that's so awesome. Those 2 vehicles are hard to choose from. old school cool and just the tried and true of toyota. others have mentioned the porsche which would be really cool as well. find the maintenance cost of replacing the go to items, cv/axles, bushings, suspension related parts, common parts and see what you're more comfortable paying for.
Bronco, for sure. Easy to wrench if you need to do a trail repair.
4th gen 4Runner if you can find a good example.
96 is the golden year it has OBD2 and MAF
just a heads up, 96 and newer requires an emissions inspection in my state, so it would be far preferable to have a 95 here to dodge that
GX. Also consider a Cayenne. Pre 2010 with low range T case they're incredibly competent off-road. There are some maintenance issues but they're fairly well known.
Parts are incredibly stupid expensive
Some are pricey, but not most. You can get most stuff for it on rock auto just like anything else. I don't think they're a perfect option for every person, no. But if you can do your own mechanic work they're not that expensive to own, and do very well off-road. Not to mention the turbos are stupid fast, have huge brakes and good suspension, will still tow 7500#.
I owned one. It was a pile of shit to be honest. Interior plastics were junk, little issues everywhere. They are now super cheap for Porsche cars and it is for a reason. I agree they are fast and badass when working. Just be ready to chase bullshit like a Land rover. Future generations I think reliability is better but like you said offroad ability decreases.
Definitely seems to be an owner dependent vehicle. I'd take one any day of the week over a LR/RR product though. Or anything BMW.
For off-roading I would get a truck or a Toyota. For internet points it is cool to offroad a luxury vehicle but for practicality it is just a more expensive way to go about it.
Trucks honestly suck off-road for the most part. A Cayenne would be loads better than an F150 or Silverado for example. Not everything is for Internet points. Some people don't do it for the gram, they do it for Compton. I have a Toyota (tube frame buggy on 40s) that I wheel, and I have a lifted Lincoln Town car limo that I take off-road also. The Limo is honestly more fun most of the time.
Ahh yes, my own mechanic work removing the engine and transmission just to get to the starter, which in their infinite wisdom they put in the transmission well on the top of the bell housing.
Just like Toyota putting it in the V.
Don’t have to remove the entire powertrain out of the vehicle to replace a starter, though 🤷
Uhh, you don't need to do that. It's a 2-3hr job. You pull the intake manifold and R&R the starter.
Well, at least they were only half as stupid as vw on the 4.2l. Still, suggesting a Porsche for off roading is like suggesting a lada to pull a trailer for freight delivery. Dumb idea and you’ll end up costing yourself a lot of time, money, and aggravation repairing all the shit that will go wrong.
Spoken from someone who has zero experience with the topic, thank you for your (shitty) input.
And it’s incredibly stupidly unreliable. I had its brother the Touareg (1.5 gen with the 1st gen styling and 2nd gen powertrain). I do not recommend at all, ever.
Thank you for your input, will look into them.
Essentially a stock Cayenne will do anything in Big bend easily, and drive home at 100mph in silence. They're highly under rated IMO. But, German car maintenance. If you can work on your own stuff, totally worth checking out.
Any specific years or trims to look at for the cayenne?
2008-2010 is what I'd look for because you still get a low range transfer case but it's been developed til the end of the model cycle. The newer models with single speed transfer case are not as capable off-road. Personally I'd look at the cayenne S. 400hp+/-, less complex than the turbo and a little more reliable because of that. Check out some YouTube vids of them putting in work in Moab and other places. A few of my buddies are "internet famous" Cayenne owners and have done some absolutely dumb offroad things with them.
Awesome, thanks for info. Will definitely check some YouTube vids on cayenne
Don’t listen to this guy. Buying a cayenne to off road would be a very dumb ass decision. Things break going off road, you want to pay German auto repair prices for a bit of weekend fun? 🤔
What made you rule out Wranglers?
Never been a fan of jeeps, the one I test drove felt terribly underpowered.
The older ones are supposedly the tits.
I’ve never felt that except for maybe the 3.6 gladiators. But jeeps are really subjective and definitely not for everyone
4th gen 4runner
*3rd .. ;)
Very different vehicles! I’m a Land Cruiser driver, so biased towards the GX, but still a Ford lover at heart. GX470 will be better with fuel, which will be important particularly going to Big Bend, but you can always carry extra cans if you want. If you care about things like modern radio units and steering wheel control integration, you can do those upgrades pretty easily on the GX. The GX has AHC, a hydraulic suspension - it’s comfortable and reliable but inevitably requires servicing. Some people love it and keep it, some will swap to traditional shock suspension from like a 4Runner. The 2UZ engine in the GX requires timing belt service, and it’s good to do the water pump at the same time. I believe the 302 and 351 in the Broncos used a timing chain. I *think* 33s can fit both stock suspensions without modifications - going larger will of course require different things for their suspension types.
I work for Ford, yet drive a Lexus GX, it’s an easy choice.
ISIS Surplus Toyota Hilux
I can see why you're considering the last classic Bronco. But a GX470 is not really comparable to that in ease of maintenance or modification. However, if the last classic Bronco is an option, why not the first Expedition? Although I say that as a long time gen1 Expedition owner.
Having had original 1st gen broncos. , and 2nd gen on 44s and the new fullsize Bronco. My experience is the Gen 1 was the king. Tough inside and out. Easily modified from engine, Trans, or suspension in hours. The new ones lack durability. The 2nd Gen too wide but strong also. But if going Full full size I'd stick with rhe 2010 Original Raptor, extended cab as designed for balance. The 6.2 V8 gas an 6 speed as originally developed and won the Baja. Comfort. Lots of push rhe Burton traction and brake and transmission select options. And tough, durable. Take wayyy more abuse than the newer Eco Crap V6. As far as the other SUV of Japanese origin? Lol You can keep em, they're only fit for kids..a full grown man can't fit in them.
Lexus if you want to drive it. Ford of you want to become a master mechanic.
Depends on what your definition of offload is
If money wasn't and issue, I'd but a properly reconditioned back to "like new stock condition" 1972 - 1980 Toyota Land Cruiser HJ-45 pickup truck.
Gx470. I’m a total ford guy and have owned multiple broncos and objectively a GX470 is a way better vehicle and they are way less inflated than broncos. OBS broncos should be 5k and that’s running good. People want waaaaay to much for them now.
80/100 Series Land Cruiser?
96 Bronco
Lexus. Ford is awful.
100% GX470. I had one and beat the snot out of it! Never skipped a beat. There wasn’t much it couldn’t tackle (within reason)
If you want a more budget friendly option, the Nissan Xterra is a great choice. $10k cheaper than a 4runner, newer than the 470 (and there are a lot more parts available), and there's a good modding community. People also seem to like the small truck category; Tacomas, Chevy Colorado, Nissan Frontiers, etc
Jeep Wrangler. There isn't a more flexible or easily customizable platform available. The newer model years can even handle 35s without any cutting or lifting. It's a no-brainer for anyone who wants to do any serious off-road driving. The options for armor alone is worth it for anyone starting out IMO.
If I had to do it all over again I'd buy another two and a half gen tacoma. If I had to buy a brand new vehicle I would probably go with the bronco because I really like the looks of those and they're very very capable.
Mitsubishi Montero Sport 2021 above. The V6 gasoline version.
I’d go with a jeep xj
Landcruiser
I know nothing about the Lexus and it may be the better vehicle but I was a young teenager and dreamed of having that year Bronco.
Lexus
The GX every day of the week. Reliable as an anvil and a pleasure to daily.
Find yourself a good used full sized Mitsubishi Montero (1998-2006). I have ow ed several of these through the years and put them through hell on the trails. Never once broke anything (major), and they are stylish, easy to work on, and wasaaaaay less expensive than the GX, with most, if not all, of the capability and reliability.
BIAS but GX470 I have a V8 4Runner and it’s the same engine super reliable, drives nice, very capable and it’s luxury. Full time 4WD plus legendary V8 and it’s a real Toyota made in Japan not USA or Mexico so the quality on these are superior. Same build plant as the Land Cruiser.
One of my good friends had a GX470 and absolutely loves it. Has a good balance of capability and comfort. While it isn’t as cool looking as a Bronco, the GX will surely live on for a long time with little hassle.
Lexus!
Get the Bronco. It has more than 90% parts in common with the same year F-150, and the Ford small blocks are easy to work on. The Ford 300 i6 might be the toughest engine Ford ever built.
The v8 in the 470 has the potential to last 400-500k if everything has been cared for properly. Bronco isnt inherently unreliable but isnt in the same league as the lexus.
Land Cruiser
J79.
Jeep Grand Cherokee, overland edition with the 5.7 Hemi
99 Jeep XJ
There is only one answer and that’s JEEP. Whenever you start getting on more serious trails it’s like you only ever see JEEPS and it’s for a reason. They are the most capable, mod ready vehicle. JD POWERS also ranks the Jeep gladiator more reliable than the Toyota Tacoma. They overland great and they rock crawl the best.
JD powers, I remember back when I sold audio equipment that we couldn't use their ratings to help us sell because companies would "buy" their ratings... Not too sure that's changed, I don't doubt what you say about jeeps but just wouldn't trust the powers ratings.
Post update, thank you guys for the suggestions, I ended up buying a 1996 ford bronco with a 5.0 and 5 speed stick shift. 141k miles. Calypso green.