Guess I missed a notification here somewhere...
TL;DR: I took the Bronco off my list.
Still considering options, but one of them is a stripped down Jeep JLU (space for my bike inside). The idea of having a much simpler vehicle appeals to me. No turbo, no power windows, solid axle, etc. Millions of parts you can buy for them if I want to change things later if I really want to. Port injection is nice too. This vehicle purchase will be for a do all utility vehicle, not necessarily a trail rig which is why it's also competing with a Subaru Crosstrek. I wish Subaru had more manual options, also wish the Ridgeline had a manual option.
As for oil, the Fiesta didn't burn a drop with 10,000 mile oil changes. My ex's F150 has 200,000+ miles on the 4.6 with 5w-20 and we beat that thing well (the mirror is still taped on after a cow broke it off). I'm not worried about out smarting people with PhD after their names (tends to be the dumbest people who think they can) who design all this stuff.
As for "maintenance", in my mind that is stuff that you would find listed under "maintenance" in your manual. When you open your owners manual there is a whole list of stuff for you to maintain and how and when to do it. I just did the glow plugs and up pipes in my 7.3 Powerstroke van (that sucked), those are technically not maintenance items so I wasn't concerned with that. But the belt is and that's a pretty simple swap. Likewise, timing belts are a maintenance item and on the Fiesta it was easy, on the PT Loser my ex had it was easier to pull the engine to change the belt, which is rediculous. So, DIY maintenance is stuff you normally need to do to keep your vehicle running, repairs are a separate category.
Old turbos were known for "coking" the bearings. After driving hard the turbine would be hot and the sudden stop in oil flow would break down the oil in the bearings from heat soak. It was mostly solved by installing a coolant passage around the bearing to help manage temperatures better. Even still, I never hot shut down my Powerstroke, I always do a cool down if I was doing highway driving. But at 300,000+ miles who knows how badly it was abused and I don't have the resources right now to pull the body off to rebuild the engine, as I am homeless. I'm not worried about the engine failing any time soon though so I just have to keep up with random failures as I find them, most of which I can do anywhere.
Still undecided, I am trying to convince myself to wait for my final settlement before purchasing anything, but I probably won't wait as I want to dig into my van more and will need another vehicle for getting me out on the trails for running and biking (ultra distance runner and race MTB as a pro). I've decided I don't need a horse trailer tow vehicle as my horse is too old now to travel with, he's just a big dog now.
Unfortunately, the options for vehicles with a manual transmission are limited, and it sucks. Hoping this next buy will be my last (and only second) new vehicle. Alternatively, I could buy a beater and dump an ass load of money into my van...