Jeep Wagoneer
Just to warn you, this post will be a good bit more maudlin and personal than usual. If you're not in the mood for that, I'd advise you to check back tomorrow for the normal dose of automotive irrelevancy usual in this space. If you want to stick with this, just bear with me--I'll get to the Wagoneer eventually.
My maternal grandfather died in 2006. It was one of those situations where everybody agreed that it was for the best, because his quality of life had deteriorated somewhat in the final year or so, but yet we all knew it wasn't for the best for us, because we had lost a great man who we all loved.
My grandfather was one of those rare people who bring absolute decency to every moment of their lives. He was polite without being weak; thoughtful without putting on airs; earnest without being boring; and funny without being loud or hurtful. He could dissolve a room in laughter with his bone-dry quips (often exchanged in rapid fire with my VW Rabbit-ice racing uncle), but he was never thoughtless and abhorred flashy loudmouths. He read Louis L'Amour books and was both as taciturn and as mentally strong as any L'Amour hero. Everything about my grandfather was substance. For a young boy growing up, trying to learn how to be a good man, he was a fantastic role model.
My grandfather found his perfect automotive analogue in the straightforward, honest, and capable Jeep Wagoneer. He was a Wagoneer guy through and through. He owned at least five, possibly six, different Wagoneers over the course of several decades. Inspired by his example, my parents owned one, my uncle owned one, and my paternal grandmother owned two.
The Wagoneer was produced with remarkably few revisions from 1963 to 1991, through four separate decades and three different corporate parents (Willys/Kaiser, AMC, and Chrysler). Most agree that it was the original SUV.
Like today's SUVs, the Wagoneer had a five-door configuration and could carry a family in relative comfort, as well as cargo in abundance. However, in stark contrast to today's posh car-based SUVs, the Wagoneer was a demon off-road, tough as nails, and so solid that it was seemingly hewn from granite. It was so tough that my parents skipped out of their high school homecoming dance to go snowdrift-busting during a blizzard in one of my grandfather's early Wagoneers. Evidently this is what passed for fun in 1968 South Dakota.
I like my trucks unashamed of their truckishness; the Wagoneer is tough, stylish in a bluff, straightforward way, and eminently useful, with no pretensions of being a car. It was perfect for my grandfather.
Obviously, Wagoneers are near and dear to me; I would love to own one. On my grandfather's passing, I wanted to purchase his Wagoneer, but I ran into some difficulties. Namely, I ran into a sinister cabal made up of my grandmother, my mother, and my wife, who all agreed that the Wagoneer was too unreliable and too expensive for my young family.
Too unreliable? Too inexpensive to maintain? They made the Wagoneer sound like an incredibly dangerous vehicle, carved haphazardly from plutonium by mental patients, and with high explosives strapped under each seat.
Compared to a Toyota Camry, perhaps that's true, but I'm on record as lusting after Citroens, Fiats, MGs, Saabs, Renaults, and Alfa Romeos. In that context, the Wagoneer runs like an atomic clock. However, the cabal swatted that argument down with many words of one syllable apiece, delivered with incredible force and authority. So, unfortunately, my pursuit of a Wagoneer with which I can carry on the family tradition will need to wait for another time.
Wagoneers do have a cult following and are still fairly common in places where rugged strength and traction are necessary--primarily in cold-weather areas, and close to the wilderness. Many have been worked hard and been harshly treated, but there are companies that refit, refinish, and restore Wagoneers to sell as basically brand new vehicles.
A few years ago when I was noodling around looking for a nice used Wagoneer to buy, I stumbled across Wagonmasters, which completely refits and sells Jeep wagons. At first the prices took my breath away--$30,000 for a 20-year-old used Jeep?--but the Wagoneers they sell really do look and run like they are brand new. GrandWagoneer.com seems to offer a similar service, with a similarly obsessive attention to detail. Evidently I'm not the only loon out here with a passion for Wagoneers.
Most people seem to prefer the last Grand Wagoneers made, with wood side trim and power windows and locks. I think the most attractive Wagoneers are those from the 1970s and 1980s, just because the lines are so clean and uncluttered. Really, though, the Wagoneer changed so little in its 28-year run that if you like one of them, you'll probably like all of them.
The top pictures here are from a particularly pretty red '86 Wagonmaster woodie that is the spitting image of my grandfather's last Wagoneer. The remaining woodie photos are example photos from GrandWagoneer.com, and the bottom wagon is actually a '77 Wagonmaster Cherokee that is as representative of anything I could find of an older Wagoneer.
--Chris H.
Bigrig on March 04, 2008 at 04:19 PM
Firstly, my condolences on your loss. Secondly I remember these,a good friend of mine's father had one. It was the first time I was introduced to a "luxury" SUV. It was copper brown and had every option available.It rode nice and didn't lack power.As a kid thought, it looked like a "Tonka Truck" that you could drive.
Chris Hafner on March 04, 2008 at 05:12 PM
Bigrig: "Firstly, my condolences on your loss."
Thanks. I didn't really mean to make that big a deal of it, but, well, there's a reason I like Wagoneers so much and he was a big part of it.
Rob on March 04, 2008 at 08:50 PM
This is the one of the ONLY SUVs I would ever want to own, followed by the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Everything else is poser/luxury/snobbish crap. Also, Chris, do the other editors do anything? You seem to be the only contributor to this place. Not that it's a bad thing, I look forward to each and every one of your posts, and apart from the horrible Z24 Cavalier, I love about every single vehicle you've mentioned. You have great taste in vehicles, and in the future I look forward to awesome posts about Conquest TSIs, Omni GLHs, Subaru Justys, Alfa 164s, and all sorts of other oddball vehicles.
The Luke on March 04, 2008 at 11:34 PM
This is the best blog on Amazon, hands-down. Good work. Keep it up.
Steaming Pile on March 05, 2008 at 06:39 AM
@Rob - I always wondered why anyone would shell out large $$$ for a Cadillac SUV or pickup truck. Seriously, when you tart up a Chevy Tahoe with leather seats and every conceivable luxury feature and charge $60,000 for it, the last thing people want to do with it is go boulder climbing. So what use is it? You might as well get yourself a real car - sixty grand will still get you a really, really nice Mercedes - if all you're going to do is baby it and fuss over it and fret over the neighbor's cat getting muddy paw prints on the hood.
If I really needed a SUV, I'd get something I wouldn't be afraid to get dirty, like a Wagoneer or an old Suburban or an original Range Rover, something bulletproof that looks good with mud in the wheel wells. Unfortunately, somebody in Detroit decided one day it would be just swell if they could get lots of people to buy 50's technology at super-premium prices, and it worked - for awhile. The result? The cheap gas that helped spawn the SUV craze is long gone, and every used car lot in America is crammed full of trucks nobody needs or wants.
Chris Hafner on March 05, 2008 at 09:33 AM
Rob: "Also, Chris, do the other editors do anything? You seem to be the only contributor to this place."
We're working on that. You see a few posts here and there from Darren, and Bernard is new to our team; both of those guys have to get their real jobs done first before they post. Of course, so do I, but ...
"You have great taste in vehicles, and in the future I look forward to awesome posts about Conquest TSIs, Omni GLHs, Subaru Justys, Alfa 164s, and all sorts of other oddball vehicles."
Thanks! I can say with confidence that you'll see all of those (if I don't forget them) at some point. In fact, the GLH-S is already done:
http://www.carlustblog.com/2007/10/dodge-omni-glh.html
Chris Hafner on March 05, 2008 at 09:37 AM
The Luke: "This is the best blog on Amazon, hands-down. Good work. Keep it up."
Thanks, The Luke. That means a lot, since the other blogs are quite good.
Actually, thinking about fast Omnis and the other Amazon blogs make me think - perhaps our sister blog Omnivoracious.com (books) should use the most voracious Omni of all, the GLH-S, as their logo? I can't think of anything more appropriate.
Mochi Mochi on March 05, 2008 at 11:37 AM
Chris, this was a great post. And your Grandfather truly sounds like a great man. I'm sure we would all have enjoyed his wit and humor. My guess is that his legacy of intellect and humor lives on and we get to enjoy part of that legacy here in the pages of CarLust.
As for the Wagoneer... I have made no bones about my contempt for SUVs. I think they are a repellant growth in our society - a marketing vehicle steeped in excess and dishonesty. BUT the Wagoneer is a completely different vehicle. It is a TRUCK! And a very real, very honest truck. These days a lot of things that pass for trucks are morphing into luxury SUV territory. But a real truck is steeped in honesty and utility. I have tremendous admiration for good old, tough as nails, trucks like the Wagoneer.
We all need reminders of the solidity and honesty of designs that excelled in their utility and simple grace. Thanks for a great article.
Mailman on March 05, 2008 at 02:56 PM
I wonder how different Jeep's fortunes would be had they re-introduced the Wagoneer instead of the massive disappointment that was the Commander? They could have really anti-blinged one up for the NAIAS with the wood paneling et al for the introduction. Makes you wonder who is making these decisions over at DaimlerChryslerCerberus HQ. Like cancelling the simple yet popular Cherokee Sport and replacing it with the Liberty. It didn't sell, so now the re-designed Liberty looks like...an updated Cherokee Sport.
Kevin Bartlett on March 06, 2008 at 12:33 PM
speaking of simple, honest, rugged designs, does anyone else remember the International Harvester Scout - More of a farm inplement than a SUV.
Jim C. on March 06, 2008 at 12:39 PM
In the mid 70's Car and Driver had a great article about the rally run through the upper plains states that was won by the Wagoneer at least three times. They really like the way the Wagoneer handled the rough country at great rates of speed. I also lusted after one, but couldn't swing it. So, I just kept on driving my Datsun 510.
Johnny Yuma on March 06, 2008 at 12:42 PM
I've owned a 1967. 1980. 1987. Wonderful trucks. Tough as nails, roomy enough for my 6'2" frame, built like American transportation instead of either a Euro/Asian idea, or a neo-GangBanging upscale in the hood "ride". If I ever get the money, I'd love to get mid-late 70s plain Wagoneer and go to town rebuilding it frame up with all new everything. It was simply the right geometry between height, length, track, wheelbase and frame ... maybe a Troy Trepanier version!
Yellowstone on March 06, 2008 at 12:51 PM
Your posts are hitting close to home for me. I drive my late grandfather's Jeepster Commando, another oddball Jeep with a cult following. My wife drives a Dodge Magnum, trading in an Audi A6 for it (one stab at the throttle and it was, "I'll take it"). In college I drove a Mercury Capri, another post of yours about a great car. Get the Wagoneer. There is nothing like driving Granpa's rig and thinking about him.
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater on March 06, 2008 at 01:06 PM
Another legit offroader (besides Jeep and * Rover)... The International Harvester Scout.
rkb on March 06, 2008 at 01:06 PM
I second that - this is one case where the wimmen folks are wrong. Buy it, set it aside and work on it / ride it as you have time.
My husband took his father's 40 yr old Porsche 912 when Dad died. Car needs some work and its 4 cylinder engine was certainly outpowered by the replacement 6 cylinder 911. But it's a sweet little car, gets 27 mpg, corners like a dream on the local mountain roads and has lots and lots of memories built in. Plus it's one of the few with the zippered plastic window. Better than any newer more powerful (or quieter, or catalytic-converter-equipped) sportscar, to us.
Rob, agreed on the Grand Cherokee. We've had ours for 10 years and 155,000 miles so far. We did do the leather seats - because they last better than cloth and we have dogs. Yes, it's been off-road. It's also pulled our snowplowing service's Ford250 out of the ditch alongside our driveway once or twice. ;-)
zombyboy on March 06, 2008 at 01:13 PM
Brilliant trucks. I've wanted one since I was a boy--my fiance looks at me funny when I tell her how much I still want one, unfortunately. Of course, you should see the look on her face when I talk about how much I liked the late model AMC Eagle that I learned to drive on and that my family had until my last year of high school.
That car was bulletproof (but, sadly, not t-bone proof; it was destroyed when a big Chevy truck rammed into its side in a parking lot) and was utterly dependable in the snow. It's hard to explain how something so ugly can somehow be handsome in my eyes--and she really doesn't get it.
I'd have to second that "best blog on Amazon" vote. In fact, it's the only one that I read with any regularity and I love the fact that you've brought back memories of so many cars that I wanted, too.
unclebryan on March 06, 2008 at 01:40 PM
The Scout is sure a good truck. However, a better comparison would be to the awesome International Harvester Travelall. Like a gymnasium inside - and 100% truck.
Fiat 124 Spider anyone?
Tinian on March 06, 2008 at 02:02 PM
It was a good vehicle for its time, but who really wants to stop and lock hubs from the outside?
BobG on March 06, 2008 at 02:41 PM
Great article. My Dad, an otherwise sane man, bought a brand new 1979 Wagoneer when I was 15. We lived in Roanoke VA, and when school would close for snow days, he let me take the Wagoneer and two or three buddies and head to Snowshoe WV (154 miles of bad road) for a day trip skiing. More than once or twice we did this. Did some great off-roading too. It came with a book that tought you how to drive in any condition - I memorized it and tried it all. Swear by 'em to this day, and from the tailgate window that was prone to drop off its track we had few problems with it.
The IH Scout was of the same ilk but certainly more basic... but they also rusted very badly, and very quickly. Even in Virginia!
zeus on March 06, 2008 at 02:45 PM
You are a genius, And I salute you.
Seriously, You are the best blog on amazon.
Actually, you are the only reason I ever go on an amazon site!
unclebryan on March 06, 2008 at 05:40 PM
My Fiat had the rare "U-Lock-a-inside-a-da-car" hubs. Never ever broke a nail with that highly desirable option.
cheeseball on March 06, 2008 at 06:33 PM
Your article made me remember my Grandfather and his tan-metalic 4 door '61 Chevy. He loved that car and you couldn't find a speck of dust on it if you tried. When he died in '83 I had a 2 year old and a six month year old which required every penny of my earnings. I wanted to buy the car from what small estate he had, but I couldn't swing it. Also he lived 1300 miles from me and I didn't know if the car could make it back to Illinois. Over 20 years later I still miss him and that Chevy.
Regarding all of your family members owning Wagoneers, at one point in the early 70's my Dad drove a '68 red AMC Javelin, my Mom drove a '71 white AMC Javelin, and I drove a '72 yellow Javelin. I loved those cars. Better ride that Camaro/Mustang and dependable as all get out.
ToddA on March 06, 2008 at 07:00 PM
This post hit pretty close to home for me too. My father, who passed away in 2006, was a former Jeep executive during the '70's and early '80's. We had company cars all throughout my childhood, usually an AMC sedan for Mom and a Wagoneer for Dad. Year after year. I can't tell you how many memories I have tied up with summer vacations and a Jeep Wagoneer. When we drove to Kansas and back for my grandmother's funeral in 1980 or so, we had Dad, Mom, my brother and his wife, and I rode in the "trunk" behind the rear seat with the luggage, and I had plenty of room! The Wagoneer rode great, looked tough, and was great to travel in. If I ever have 30 grand to burn and room for a spare vehicle, a Wagoneer would be the only SUV I would want. If someone at Chrysler was smart and saved the major tooling, they could produce the Grand Wagoneer as a limited or anniversary edition and I bet that they would sell every one.
dizzle on March 06, 2008 at 11:46 PM
My first and only car has been a white '89 Wagoneer with the wood panels that I bought used with my parents help, and everytime someone asks me about getting a "new" or "different" car I just laugh and tell them they wouldn't understand. That's my car and I'll keep driving it/putting money into it until it literally won't budge. They're not just a car, they're an attitude and a way of life, every time I drive my car I have a smile I just can't wipe off my face. May every Wagoneer you see bring a smile to your face and be a reminder of your Grandpa, may he rest in peace.
Rob Long on March 06, 2008 at 11:54 PM
This kills me. My 1988 Grand Wagoneer, blue, wood sides, slight tear in the front passenger seat, but still gorgeous, still purring (after a throaty start) was stolen, right off the street, last week. I'm crushed. My insurance company is trying to figure out what it was worth. What it was worth??! How about: priceless. How about: trips to the beach, with my dog, wet and sandy and drinking a cold beer on the tailgate. How about: driving barefoot in the summer, classic AM rock blasting from the original radio. How about: the smell of grocery bags, the sound your shoes make when you tap them on the open door frame to knock off the snow, the smell of a hot car in the summer, a cold car in the winter. What's it worth? Everything. The look of the car, right after you've washed it, sitting there, chrome shiny and sparkling. Grinning at you. The car grinned at you. Where are we going next? I'm ready.
And they stole it right off the street, sometime between 11PM and 7AM.