Craigslist link w/photos

I am selling my beloved 1995 Ford Bronco XL. It was supposed to be my four-year-old son's when he turned 16, but his mother has taken him across the country so I am having to sell it and everything else I have of value to raise money for a lawyer to try and keep him here. It doesn't do me any good if he's not here to enjoy it. My loss is your gain as this is a good truck that deserves a good owner. However I don't want to sell it, so forgive me if I'm not filling you full of BS about it.

This is not a new truck, so don't expect it to look like one. I don't even know all where it's been. The paint is starting to wear off, it rattles, squeaks, shudders, and does everything an old Ford with 160k miles would do. I know it started its life painted a weird teal color that was all the rage in the 90's. It was first bought in south Texas near the border. Somewhere along the line, it was moved to Austin where someone painted it white-ish and the fiberglass top a God-awful shade of burnt orange and put longhorn stickers all over it. It was then purchased by a family member (who regretfully is a longhorn fan) who kept it looking that way.

When I bought it looking like that and immediately painted the top in black bedliner and bought new wheels and tires and scraped all the bevo stuff off. The tires are 31x10.50 BFG All Terrain T/As, and have about 80% tread. The front springs were sagging, so I Jerry-rigged some 2x4's in the front coils so the tires don't rub on the bumper. Oh yeah, the front bumper is bent a little because of the aforementioned rubbing. There is a rattle in an exhaust coupling that needs to be tightened. I haven't done this as the nuts are seized pretty well and it's a mild annoyance at worst. The windshield is cracked, but not getting bigger. The plastic dash bezel is cracked (great idea Ford, make the interior out of plastic that fades, oxidizes, and gets brittle.) The ignition is worn out (but works) and you can pull the key out after starting -- which I happen to like so I can leave the AC running when I go inside a store in the summer . It leaks a tiny bit of oil and other various fluids, but they are minimal and if you maintain your vehicle correctly, not an issue.

This is an XL, and so for those of you whom aren't familiar with that term, means it is the poor-people stripped out version. Vinyl seats, vinyl floor, vinyl as far as the eye can see. It has manual windows AND door locks so to get in you actually have to stick the key in the door and turn it. I know, right? Then, if you want to let a lady friend in, you have to lean nine feet across the truck and pull the door handle up, which makes a sexy "kathunk" sound guaranteed to get you laid. It does not have cup holders so you have to keep your Busch Light tall boy between your legs. The upside to having a stripped out XL is that there is less electronic crap to fail on you.

The 4WD works, but the hubs do not. The only upgrade this truck had from the factory was automatic locking hubs which generally quit working within a week of buying the vehicle. New hubs are not expensive, and pretty easy to replace if you have the slightest mechanical inclination (which you should if you are going to buy this truck). Slap some WARN manual lockers in there for $100 and you're good to go.

Now, for what works -- the AC! Yep, blows ice cold. It may or may not have a very small leak so each spring you might want to throw a bottle of r134a in there to charge it. It's not hard and I can show you how. The electric back glass works as well and actually has a new motor. The defroster and the windshield sprayers work too, which is nice. There are no warning lights on. It does NOT burn oil. The vinyl bucket seats are in good shape, except for a small rip on the side of the driver's seat. It has a fancy-pants Bluetooth stereo I put in about a year ago that doubles as a phone receiver, but let's be honest, it's so loud inside no one can hear you anyway. It has a new starter, fuel filter (which is a ***** to change), radiator, plug wires, spark pugs, ignition cap & rotor, and a new gauge cluster. The old gauge cluster died and apparently that somehow tells the transmission when to shift and other such things. That's why there is a 30k mile discrepancy between the odometer and the actual mileage. It reads 130k miles but it's actually 160k. You're welcome. The body is straight. There is no filler or Bondo that I'm aware of. It has a receiver hitch and the light harness works. The headliner is NOT falling down, which is uncommon.

It has the 302 ci (5.0 liter) V8 and seems to get about 12-13 mpg no matter how you drive it. It is a dinosaur from the days of Pearl Jam and Bill Clinton and no one cared about gas mileage. It will demolish a Prius if you hit one and your kids wouldn't even look up from their iPads. It has the aerodynamics of a barn and I tend to keep it below 65 on the freeway.

It was a daily driver for me for almost two years and it never left me stranded, however I don't recommend it as one now. You probably could, but I think it needs to be somebody's weekend truck. It's been a good vehicle and has earned a little rest. It needs some love, but gets compliments all the time. If you buy this, get ready for OJ comments.

I'm sad that my son won't get to learn to work on this truck and appreciate its simplicity. Most everything on it is repairable at home and the engine bay is almost big enough to sit in. This would be a great truck for him, but that is not meant to be. I hope whomever buys it loves it, takes care of it, and maybe even keeps it in their family as I had intended.

Do not ask me "what's the least you'll take" if you aren't willing to tell me the most you'll pay. If you lowball me, I will not respond and will think poorly of you.