By Tom Precious
ALBANY – Turns out Gov. Andrew Cuomo was negotiating a couple transactions in December: billions in federal aid to help New York pay for Hurricane Sandy damage and the purchase of a 17-year-old used car for one of his daughters.
The Kingston Freeman reported this morning that Cuomo purchased a 1996 Ford Bronco from an Ulster County car dealership. The dealer reported a man -– who did not identify himself –- called in early December after he posted an ad for the SUV on eBay. Cuomo later told the dealer who he was dealing with, and the two struck the final terms after some more calls and text messages and a test drive by the governor in early December.
It is not certain which Bronco model Cuomo bought for his 16-year-old daughter or what safety features are included in the vehicle. The dealer did not disclose the price, but the paper reported a mint condition model of a 1996 Bronco would, according to Kelley Blue Book, be worth nearly $9,000. Josh Vlasto, a Cuomo spokesman, declined to provide the price Cuomo paid for the vehicle, but said there was no haggling over the dollar amount between the governor and the dealer located in Saugerties.
The Ford Bronco, famous in earlier models for rollover problems, was the vehicle O.J. Simpson was a passenger in during his low-speed chase in Los Angeles.
