One more point - if you’re buying, you choose, if he’s buying, he chooses. And don’t overlook insurance costs.
I agree. A few months ago I read in the paper of a fatal accident near here. My first thought was that if the kid’s parents had really taught her how to drive, she would have hit the dog. Instead, she swerved and 1/3 of the vehicle occupants died. (The car came to rest bottom-up in the water.)
Most people on the road probably don’t know how to drive by those standards, however, so how are they supposed to be teaching others how to drive safely? Recently, I was in a car with two reasonably intelligent people driving in some very slippery snow. I know that the driver has not experienced anti-lock brakes. When I suggested that the driver should put on the brakes hard to see how it feel, both of them thought I was crazy.
I think the driving ability and judgment of your son is an important factor in making this decision. When my son was a sophomore in college, he was on an Appalachian studies semester. One thing he had to do was transport children in a 15 passenger van on treacherous mountain roads. We visited him once and I rode with him while he was transporting the children. My son wouldn’t start the engine until he was certain every child had his/her seatbelt buckled. I was really impressed with how competently he handled this Ford E-350. On the other hand, my institution got rid of the 15 passenger vans. One student driver flipped the van and caused the death of another student. When I told my son about this tragedy, he said that the van wasn’t the problem and that one has to understand the limitations of the vehicle and the conditions and drive accordingly. If your son understands the limits of the Bronco as far as its handling and has a mature attitude, the Bronco may be o.k. It isn’t the best choice in my opinion.
I think they quit making the Bronco II in 1989 or 1990. Thanks God.
They’re as reliable as any vehicle on the road and it’s my opinion that in most cases of SUV rollovers the driver is at fault in some way.
In the hands of a driver who is not doing something stupid it’s perfectly safe. Every time the local news here reports about an accident involving an SUV it’s always portrayed as the SUV being at fault rather than the person behind the wheel.
You know your son better than any of us do but your comment about his being distracted by Ipods and cell phones kind of raises a red flag. (see above comment)
Can I come to the defense of the Bronco II? My ‘85 has 239k and runs great. I get 17 mpg with the 2.8 v-6 , aod trans , and 4.11 gears. As for handling, stock is scary. I put on heavy duty shocks and am running 225-70-15’s on 15x7 front and 15x8’ rims in the back. This stretches out the sidewall and eliminates the flex. It stays pretty flat when I swerve but there are limits. Also I agree. Hit the dog,squirrel whatever and tell your kid to put down the toys and pay attention to driving. That works regardless of what he drives.
You’d be the only one to support these trucks. My sister purchased one as a brand new very cheap truck, since it sat on the car lot for over a year. But, she realized the mistake soon afterwards, and traded it in as soon as she turned the loan upside down. She grew to really hate that truck. And this from a woman that found peace driving a Suzuki Slamauri.
It’s safe enough for Al Cowlings.
My next door neighbor used to have a Bronco II and he liked it quite a bit. It was an everyday driver and during the summer he used it to tow a 22 foot ski boat on 130 mile round trips just about every weekend with no problems.
He moved a year or so ago and I think at that time he had around a 1/4 million miles on it.