1980-’86 Ford Bronco
The vintage Ford Bronco market has been galloping along for several years, but the release of the 2021 Bronco and Bronco Sport seems to have spurred the nameplate’s popularity to new heights.
Broncos from every generation are still plentiful today, but values vary from the lofty prices commanded by pristine 1966-’77 rigs to the more affordable second-, third-, and fourth-generation trucks. The 1980-’86 third-gen Broncos are among the most budget friendly of the bunch and are interesting because of their transitional design that incorporated innovations like independent front suspension and port fuel injection.
The 1980 Bronco might not have looked remarkably different than the truck it replaced, but it was a ground-up redo. The need for this redesign was driven by a one-two punch of stricter government standards and consumer demand for more car-like road manners.
For some perspective on these trucks, we talked to Todd Zuercher, a Bronco enthusiast, author of the 2019 book, , and a contributor to magazine. Todd maintains that the earliest of the
