We all know how hard it is to keep an old car in running condition. Often, when age and infirmity set in, such vehicles are put in the back of the garage or barn in hopes that the tide of life will turn.  Sadly, that is often just a hope and doesn’t become reality.  That old car will sit, be attacked by vermin and the elements, and sooner or later heirs must dispose of them.  While not specifically mentioned in the ad, that is probably the case for these former stylish Jeepsters.  The good news is that there is an opportunity or two for every tragedy.  Do you like convertible Jeeps and legal entanglements?  If so, this pair of 1948 Willys Jeepsters for sale on Facebook Marketplace in Tom’s River, New Jersey are waiting for your rescue.  With no titles and left at the back of a garage for who knows how long, this pair of pioneering Jeeps can be yours for $2,500 each.  Do you think that price is reasonable given the baggage these Jeepsters carry?  Thanks to Zappenduster for the double Jeepster tip!

So, what is a Jeepster?  The story starts in 1908 with the founding of Willys-Overland Motor Company.  Once the second largest automobile manufacturer behind Ford, the prewar years became progressively more difficult for the company to navigate.  The brand eventually found its niche building economy cars in a market that was growing difficult for an independent automaker to navigate.  When the US Army’s light reconnaissance car project needed the manufacturing ability of an automaker far larger than American Bantam, Willys-Overland and Ford answered the call.  By the time the war ended, Willys-Overland had produced 362,841 of the vehicles that everyone called “Jeeps.”

When the war ended, nearly every established American automobile manufacturer returned to the production of their prewar models.  For Willys, that just wouldn’t work.  The company emerged from the war in possession of both the Jeep trademarks and the tooling to continue production.  So, due to their limited means, Willys began to produce the CJ (Civilian Jeep) and market it to sportsmen, farmers, and companies who needed the vehicle’s unique abilities.  Over the next few years, Willys added wagon and pickup variants on a stretched chassis with the same Jeep styling.  The company wanted to dive into the very lucrative (at the time) passenger car market and commissioned Brooks Stevens to come up with a design that was easy to produce and utilized as much of their parts bin as possible.

What emerged was a slab-sided convertible version of the Jeep with a suitably derivative name of “Jeepster.”  Stevens envisioned that this would be a “sports car” for the veterans of World War II.  While this may have been a bit of a stretch, the Jeepster was mildly popular as a cheap, fun to drive convertible.  Many of them were painted in festive two-tone paint and marketed as a fun convertible at an affordable cost.  The company sold them from 1948 through 1950, with a few leftovers sold in 1951.  Willys re-entered the passenger car market with the Willys Aero in 1952.  The next year, Willys was purchased by Kaiser Motors.  Believe it or not, the Jeepster body style re-emerged in 1967 as the Jeep Commando and enjoyed a six-year production run.

76 years later, we see two Jeepsters that have found themselves sitting partially abandoned in the back of a garage.  Advertised as both being 1948 models, these forlorn Jeepsters are in outwardly rough condition and lack the proper titles needed for the new owner to easily register them.  While a lawyer and some folding money will remedy that situation, a close look at these Jeepsters shows that they are likely restorable.   The outside panels are all in repairable condition, all of the parts seem to be there, and it can surely be assumed that being in that garage helped protect them from the elements for a long time.

The ad gives us little to go on besides a few words and some pictures.  It would be nice to get a larger percentage of clear pictures of each vehicle and be told some of the important details like if the engine turns over, if there were spare parts, etc.  I know that would be a lot to ask, so perhaps one of our readers could venture out to Tom’s River, New Jersey to take a look at these Jeepsters.  They might end up being perfect project cars for a beginning restorer due to their simple construction, available parts, and completeness.

Hopefully, someone will come along and return these neat Jeep variants to the road.  It was a neat concept then, and I am surprised that Jeep hasn’t revisited it considering all of the variants currently being marketed.  It’s not like every Jeep owner goes off-road anymore.  A convertible would also make it easy to put a duck on the dash.

Do you think these would be good restoration prospects?  Is the price fair, given the title situation?  Would you like to see a new version of the Jeepster?  Please share your thoughts in the comments.