They sure did have a following, but I didn't get why.
We had one as a company car where I worked in college, and that thing was a rattle trap and wandered all over the road. It was in the top 3 worst cars I've ever driven. Ride, handling, steering, and comfort were dismal. But at least it was expensive and guzzled gas!
My dad's Olds Custom Cruiser wagon was not a great car but it was a whole lot better.
That's not a "Jeep" - that's a station wagon made by Jeep. :shades: I bet the purists complained about them too, not to mention losing the Jeepster fender overhangs.
This '95 Wrangler has square lights and a crimp in the grill. Sort of looks like a Fantasy Island shuttle though.
My dad's Olds Custom Cruiser wagon was not a great car but it was a whole lot better.
Try to take Dad's Custom Cruiser off-roading, or chain it to a tree stump and keep it in low to pull it up, and you'll see the advantage of the Wagoneer.
My uncle had a '76 Jeep pickup, built on the same platform as the Wagoneer, and that thing was tough! Yeah, it squeaked and rattled, and the bed rusted out. But it made most modern pickups back then (this was the early 90's that he had it) and today look like pretty princess poseurs in comparison.
What was the biggest engine you could get in one of those Jeeps, anyway? IIRC, AMC never had a true big block. Instead, I think they had one basic engine that spanned across something like 290, 304, 343, 360, 390, and 401 CID? Sorta like how the Olds "smallblock" ranged from 260 to 403 CID?
My uncle's '76 Jeep had an AMC 360 and a 4-speed stick. Dunno what kind of economy it got, as he rarely drove it long distances.
Remember, those "Grand Cherokees" of 'back then' (nee 'Wagoneer') came out in the 1963 model year!
Hard to compare with anything later, but even my wife always loved them. There used to be a guy who advertised in Hemmings called 'the Jeepsterman" who bought, sold, and refurbished Wagoneers up to Grand Cherokees. He was in Texas I think. I'll have to look at the latest Hemmings I've bought to see if he still is in there.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
Remember, those "Grand Cherokees" of 'back then' (nee 'Wagoneer') came out in the 1963 model year!
Yeah, and because of that, those Wagoneers, and the pickup truck versions, were smaller than their competition in the 70's, when trucks got larger. For instance, I could tell that Granddad's '85 Silverado (which dated to 1973) was notably bigger inside than my uncle's '76 Jeep pickup. But, that Jeep just had a ruggedness about it that the Silverado lacked.
They originally ('60's) called those Wagoneer-based pickups the "Gladiator" (which I like), but I think later they started calling them J-2000's or something like that. I know, that sounds like an '82 Pontiac version of the Cavalier, so I might have it wrong.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
I liked the old "Gladiator" Jeep trucks too. I think they just called them "Jeep trucks" after that but you could order custom trim options that were probably just decals and minor trim.
Scroll down this page of Jeep pics tagged 1978 to see Jeep trucks trimmed in "Honcho," "Golden Eagle," and "10-4" trim. I wonder if the 10-4 version came with a CB radio and a 102" steel whip!
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
Yes -a Volvo 544 B18 - and Fintail is right - it is registered in Iceland, although the plate could technically be for a British registration, as that series of plates was issued in the 1900's in Britain (in Stafford actually). This one is from a place called Akranes in Iceland which is where it was taken last summer.
These became a big deal when they were adopted as the carriage du jour by the moneyed horse owner set. These folks had access to plenty of nice cars for grocery getting and commuting duties but it wouldn't do to hook your hose trailer to your Benz or what have you. When the GW was phased out they gloomed on to Suburbans and Tahoes and the Wannabes followed.
It's the same set that made Range Rovers popular in Europe and I guess didn't care that they weren't very well made either.
Easy way to tell---a PV444 has a split front windshield and the motor is a B16--not a very good engine. (3 main bearing crankshaft--whipped around like a piece of licorice--and usually broke).
You ain't kidding. I had that engine is a '62 122S that I got in '67. Despite having been lovingly maintained for five years by the most incompetent owner/mechanic in creation it was still going strong (unlike the suspension and brakes, which had pretty much succumbed to the malpractice by the time I got it.) My father also had that engine in his '67 122S (a great car), my sister had it in her '68 144S (kind of a dog, only because the car was too heavy for the engine), and my father had it in his '68 144S automatic (a major dog for the same reason and also because the engine was totally unsuited for a slush box). Finally, I had a '69 142S (the dealer offered me $900 for the '62 described above, which was at least 3 times what it was worth) with the B20 variant, and it was a great engine as well.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
when I was 9 my parents got a '69 144S (4 speed) with the B20, and that was the car they still had when I learned to drive. Had some recurring issues (carbs and mufflers I believe) but I loved that car.
Still how I remember how to convert litres into CI.
It wasn't the mufflers--what happened is that the rubber doughnuts that held up the exhaust system were defective and when they broke the exhaust hung down, and if you didn't fix it right away, the weight of the muffler broke off the header pipe.
I have never, EVER seen a B18 engine with a thrown rod.
I've seen plenty of B16s with broken cranks however.
The B18s only weaknesses were fiber timing gears and soft camshafts.
The 444 is rare and many that you do see carry B18 engines. The B16 is really not suitable for use in America. It's based on an old tractor design I believe---you know, low RPM puttin' around the barnyard.
Bit late, but an Austin A40 Countryman. For a long time I assumed that the model was "Austin of England" because that was the nameplate on the side of the bonnet.
When I was small, my now brother in law's family had a grey one, into which they would cram their six children and travel far and wide. The back had bench seats along each side and was remarkably uncomfortable. However, it lasted for a long time, probably reflecting the lean times when you have six kids!
Comments
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
(I won't even mention those wipers...oops)
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Screwy lights don't seem to hurt Juke sales. :confuse:
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
People forget that some Jeeps have had square lights before though - one of the CJ/YJ flavors iirc.
(The whole "Jeep" thang begs the other question - many people didn't think the Liberty was a "real" Jeep either).
This new Jeep won't be cheap. I guess they're targeting rich blind folks.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
We had one as a company car where I worked in college, and that thing was a rattle trap and wandered all over the road. It was in the top 3 worst cars I've ever driven. Ride, handling, steering, and comfort were dismal. But at least it was expensive and guzzled gas!
My dad's Olds Custom Cruiser wagon was not a great car but it was a whole lot better.
This '95 Wrangler has square lights and a crimp in the grill. Sort of looks like a Fantasy Island shuttle though.
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee First Drive
Try to take Dad's Custom Cruiser off-roading, or chain it to a tree stump and keep it in low to pull it up, and you'll see the advantage of the Wagoneer.
My uncle had a '76 Jeep pickup, built on the same platform as the Wagoneer, and that thing was tough! Yeah, it squeaked and rattled, and the bed rusted out. But it made most modern pickups back then (this was the early 90's that he had it) and today look like pretty princess poseurs in comparison.
My uncle's '76 Jeep had an AMC 360 and a 4-speed stick. Dunno what kind of economy it got, as he rarely drove it long distances.
Bonus point for guessing where it is registered.
No clue on the car, other than we called similar body styles "whale cars" when I was growing up.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Hard to compare with anything later, but even my wife always loved them. There used to be a guy who advertised in Hemmings called 'the Jeepsterman" who bought, sold, and refurbished Wagoneers up to Grand Cherokees. He was in Texas I think. I'll have to look at the latest Hemmings I've bought to see if he still is in there.
I am 99% certain that's a license plate from Iceland.
Looks Austin A40 based.
Yeah, and because of that, those Wagoneers, and the pickup truck versions, were smaller than their competition in the 70's, when trucks got larger. For instance, I could tell that Granddad's '85 Silverado (which dated to 1973) was notably bigger inside than my uncle's '76 Jeep pickup. But, that Jeep just had a ruggedness about it that the Silverado lacked.
Scroll down this page of Jeep pics tagged 1978 to see Jeep trucks trimmed in "Honcho," "Golden Eagle," and "10-4" trim. I wonder if the 10-4 version came with a CB radio and a 102" steel whip!
it is a 1950 Austin A40 countryman.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
horse owner set. These folks had access to plenty of nice cars for grocery getting and commuting duties but it wouldn't do to hook your hose trailer to your Benz or what have you. When the GW
was phased out they gloomed on to Suburbans and Tahoes and the Wannabes followed.
It's the same set that made Range Rovers popular in Europe and I guess didn't care that they weren't very well made either.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
B18 was a great engine!
You ain't kidding. I had that engine is a '62 122S that I got in '67. Despite having been lovingly maintained for five years by the most incompetent owner/mechanic in creation it was still going strong (unlike the suspension and brakes, which had pretty much succumbed to the malpractice by the time I got it.) My father also had that engine in his '67 122S (a great car), my sister had it in her '68 144S (kind of a dog, only because the car was too heavy for the engine), and my father had it in his '68 144S automatic (a major dog for the same reason and also because the engine was totally unsuited for a slush box). Finally, I had a '69 142S (the dealer offered me $900 for the '62 described above, which was at least 3 times what it was worth) with the B20 variant, and it was a great engine as well.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
Still how I remember how to convert litres into CI.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I have never, EVER seen a B18 engine with a thrown rod.
I've seen plenty of B16s with broken cranks however.
The B18s only weaknesses were fiber timing gears and soft camshafts.
Bit late, but an Austin A40 Countryman. For a long time I assumed that the model was "Austin of England" because that was the nameplate on the side of the bonnet.
When I was small, my now brother in law's family had a grey one, into which they would cram their six children and travel far and wide. The back had bench seats along each side and was remarkably uncomfortable. However, it lasted for a long time, probably reflecting the lean times when you have six kids!
Cheers
Graham