[Brooke]

Like a dummy I sold my 95 Bronco 2 years ago and have regretted it ever since. I'm going to look at another 95 with 131K on her. Give me a list of what to look for mechanically so I don't miss anything. It's feels good being back. Also, this one has dual exhaust. Will it pass Maryland Inspection with duals or is there a (it has to have the factory exhaust to pass) rule?

 

[Shane C.]

The obvious stuff:

Crawl under it and look for damage, leaks, check the frame in the standard areas (steering box, cross members etc) for cracks, pivot arm and other bushings.

Open the hood and look for leaks, hack jobs, vacuum lines, wiring issues etc., check the fluids for smell and color.

Drive it and feel for pull, listen for bad sounds, make sure it doesnt have death wobble issues, that the shocks arent shot, that the brakes dont pull, that the tranny shifts properly and that it does not slip.

Shift it into 4 wheel drive (not on pavement) and drive it that way. Do some figure 8s and see how it does. Does the 4 wheel drive engage. Does it feel like its in 4 wheel drive? Put it in reverse and drive it that way as well, and do the same in 4 lo.

Take some wire and pull codes. It might seem weird, but there are a lot of expensive sensors that you can have codes for that you will want to know about before you buy it. If it passes (1-1-1) cool. If not, you have a better foundation to make your decision with.

Ask about maintanence records....

 

[Brooke]

Just Back from the Test Drive Oil pressure was high

Everything looked good except I noticed the Oil Pressure was pinnned to HI. Any ideas why that might be. The truck needs serviced. I could tell the oil filter was old and the belts were pretty old and cracked. No rust anywhere and under the truck looked good. I opened the hood and there was the 5.8 instead of the 5.0 he said it had. Not true duel exhaust so MD inspection should be ok. Any idea on the oil pressure?

EDIT: I think I just read that it's not a real oil pressure guage. It's either on or off. If that is the case then the truck is great. It's an EB Edition 5.8 The guy wants $4k but will take $3500 Does that sound fair?

 

[96blkbeauty]

That's usually how it works...people sell...they regret it...and come crawling back. Haha, welcome back.

The truck sounds like it is an average buy. If it is in good shape, then 3500 is about right. Looks like Shane covered pretty much the extent of things. Check to see if it is the original E40D(tranny). These things tend to go out fast if not taken care of properly. See if it is the original, or if it has been replaced. They are expensive to repair/rebuild/replace.

Seems like you have the rust thing figured out and checked. Other then that sounds like a solid rig. But it is 12 years old with 131k on it. So dont be too suprised if something breaks fast. Mine has about 116000 on it now, and is still as strong as the day I bought it.