In the past I've owned two Bronco II's. Both were 1987 models. One was a 5sp with manual locking hubs the other a Automatic with auto locking hubs. Both were exellent vehicles. They got very good mileage (mid 20's hwy, low 20's city). Tight turning radius due to the short wheel base and they have full frames. They are a bear to work on with the V-6. Changing spark plugs, wires and cap is very challenging. My first had 170,000 when I traded it in, the second had 121,000 when I sold it. The person who bought the second one still has it. They use 15 inch tires, so you won't go broke in that area. They last made them in 1990, so they are getting old now.
I have a Ranger extended cab now. Very stiff suspension and appears to be very rugged. Good ground clearance and the approach and departure angle is decent for a truck. The ground clearance helps in this area. Plent of power with the 4.0 V-6. I've not used it off-road. Has auto-locking hubs.
You may want to consider a Jeep Cherokee's. It seems they can take a beating when properly maintained. I've read that the "spider" gears seems to be the weak link, but can still take a lot of abuse. They made these things since the early 80's and the 4.0 straight six is pretty straight forward and makes a lot of power. There is a 4 cyl version. I work with a guy who has one. He says is runs like a top, but is underpowered. He has over 130,000 on his. The station wagon design offers a lot of room. There is enough of them out there that you should be able to find one in just about any price range.
My wife has a jeep Liberty. Its nice and is very road worthy. She won't let me take it off road, but reports from the periodicals indicate it will hold its own off road. My feelings are that if Ford were to build a modern version of the Bronco II, it would be the Liberty. Its now available with a diesel.
A bit long winded, but I hope this helps.
EVOC ONE
