I have been in Pensacola, FL for over a year and a half and recently received orders to my next duty station: Yuma, AZ starting this summer. I am really happy to be heading out west again even if it is a bit more heat and desert than snow and mountains. Bonus is the job should be awesome too.
As situations change, so do the goals. While the Cross-Preza would get us around, the sheer volume of off road options is having us thinking about getting a 4x4 shortly after arriving in Arizona. In the past I have considered 2nd gen Nissan Xterras, Land Cruisers/Lexus LX, V8 4th gen 4Runners, the Lexus GX 470 and a 5th gen Ford Bronco. The nostalgia and proximity to outdoor fun are leading me toward the Bronco.
I want to stick with the 5th Gen from the 90s. The major questions revolve around the 5.0 vs 5.8, OBDI vs OBDII, and stock vs modified. The 5.8 seems to be the stronger motor than the 5.0, but the 5.0 appears to be easier to work on and modify. A stock Bronco would do a lot of what I would try to tackle and I would be able to modify exactly to my taste, but you get a discount buying one already modified if you can find one that is close to what you want. As for the OBDII, I think it limits to the last two model years for CA trucks or final year for all others. But I have no clue if that is really something to worry about.
In the meantime I’m going to keep reading about them and start pre-planning trips!