You May Not Realize Just How Much Values Have Risen For First-Gen Ford Broncos

This won't come as much of a surprise to enthusiasts who are tuned into this sort of thing, but if you haven't been paying attention, first-generation Ford Broncos have become bona fide collector's items in recent years, and values have exploded accordingly. At the top end of the market, three restomod Broncos crossed the Barrett-Jackson auction block in Scottsdale last year, trading hands for $257,000, $340,000, and $400,000, with the latter two ending up in the top six highest-grossing lots at the whole event. Even stepping down from high-dollar restomods, and before the new one reintroduced the name to a whole new generation, first-gen Bronco appreciation has been bubbling for years.

Hagerty reported back in 2020 an average "good" condition price of about $40,100, while most subsequent generations held average used values in the $10,000s. And indeed, a cursory glance at nice, first-gen Broncos sold on Bring a Trailer over the past two years shows prices that rarely dip below that of a brand new one, while clean, desirable, restored examples regularly trade for six figures.

What's more, the Bronco craze seems to have reached a new peak recently, particularly among a specific demographic of women. The Wall Street Journal ran a feature back in June with the headline "The Expensive Accessory Every 'Hot Girl' Wants: An Old, Loud SUV," rocking a hero image of a green 1976 Bronco that had been acquired by its young, affluent female owner for about $125,000. Naturally, Kim Kardashian made car website headlines a few weeks ago after splashing $285,000 on a Velocity restomod '73 Bronco with a Coyote V8, and she's hardly the first or only celebrity to have a vintage Bronco in their collection.

The first-gen Ford Bronco's appeal is similar to the appeal of pretty much any other classic car. That simple, boxy, timeless shape is so iconic that Ford couldn't help but draw heavy inspiration from it when designing the current one. It's nostalgic, it's simple, and — it must be said — an antidote to modern cars that have long grown a bit too heavy, insulated, and connected to the internet.

Throw in the simple fact that OG Broncos are relatively rare, Ford obviously isn't building them anymore, and the surge in resale value was inevitable. Supply is low, and demand has grown, so prices naturally explode. There's also the notion that collectibility begets collectibility. Once something gets flagged as a potential investment, values go up even more as word spreads and people who perhaps otherwise wouldn't be interested in a 60-year-old Ford try to get their hands on one to pad their retirement fund and have something to tell everyone about at dinner parties.

An old Ford Bronco, then, has become to off-roading what the air-cooled Porsche 911 is to performance (or performative) driving. You'd be hard-pressed to find either in the extreme environment for which it was originally made, but it's become the standard-issue classic car for those looking to relive simpler, more analog times. And like what feels like all nice things in life, it's getting harder and harder to get into unless you've got deep pockets.