Jeep’s classic Grand Wagoneer seems to be losing no ground as a celebrated icon of the vintage 4×4. To this day, clean examples that haven’t been abused remain attractive to collectors and hobbyists alike. This example is part of a larger collection of vehicles and the seller claims he is looking to liquidate, and that this example is the “…last really perfect all original paint Waggy I have left.” Find it here on eBay with a Buy-It-Now of $15,500 and the reserve unmet.
While I’ve never personally gotten into the Grand Wagoneer scene, I do find its value trajectory fascinating. Bad ones are really, really cheap and somewhat needy to restore, while good examples haven’t seem to have lost a step value-wise in several years. I recall a time period where low-mileage survivors were commanding silly money and I believe those days are done; $15K seems like a more reasonable number for one in excellent condition. The original paint and woodgrain trim still look quite nice on this example.
The seller speaks highly of the interior, and while it is holding up nicely, the front edges of the leather seats show some wear. Still, with untorn cloth inserts and what appears to be an uncracked dashboard, there’s not much to complain about for a truck of this vintage. Mileage isn’t crazy low at 117K but it’s clear those were gentle miles. The seller likely knows a good one when he sees it, as he also references having seven additional Grand Wagoneer parts trucks in his stash.
Another reassuring aspect of this listing is the seller’s location in New Mexico. That helps explain the dry, rust-free cosmetics on display, while I appreciate the interior a bit more knowing it’s survived that well in desert-like conditions. These early SUVs will provide years of dutiful service and most parts are likely still fairly cheap. While not restoring if in basketcase condition, I’d say you’re safe with an example like this to either gently improve or simply enjoy without taking a hit when it comes time to sell.
Looks like a good starting point for Mr. Grand Wagoneer – http://www.grandwagoneer.com/
I’ve never lost money on a Wagoneer. Every one of the three I’ve owned has sold for more than I’ve paid (in total, including purchase and repairs/restoration).
Love these trucks, on my 3rd one. I p/u new ones back in the day and delivered back to the dealerships after our sunroof shop installed them. Luxury and tough trucks.
Check out the 1986 XJ Wagoneer on the Ft Myers Fl Craigslist. Stick shift,red interior, fake wood and 89k. its been for sale for months along with 34 other cars. Must sell; but the price is firm. $7000
With 89,000 I might even pay 7k for that piece of manually shifted luxury.
Vehicle in Ft Myers is very clean, but it’s a Cherokee based truck, 5 speed with 6 cylinder engine.
Wheeler Dealers did a great job on theirs
I can’t get past the seller calling it a “Waggy”! Nice truck, though.
Too many miles for The Wagonmaster, but a really nice truck! An ’85 with the old-school dash is a Bucket List vehicle for me. Nice ones are tough to find.
It really is a nice, clean Grand Wagoneer! After sitting for over 4 years, it’s going to need a few things to start driving it though. Sounds like it needs new tires too. The front seats could be dyed I suppose, just where the leather has faded. With 117,000 miles, I’d think you’d be looking at things like a new timing chain, maybe a bit of a rebuild for peace of mind. Same with transmission. At least new gaskets. Seems a little high in price for what it’ll probably need, although I could totally be wrong. I had a 78 Wagoneer back in the early 90’s, and it was a hell of a truck! Loved it. Amazing that clean examples with lower mileage, and perfected by someone like WagonMaster, go for $25,000+ !!
I bought a blue one 3 years ago. A really nice 58000 one in excellent shape. They are pretty nice, but lots of little maintenance issues to really keep them in top shape. I also added fuel injection so my wife likes driving it.
I didn’t think Wagonmaster “perfected” any of the vehicles they sold, I thought they just did an intensive detailing for the most part. Do they replace gaskets, seals, worn parts, etc.?
That’s what I used to think too. But outside of meticulously detailing them and supplying a detailed history of their vehicles, their website says:
SECOND WIND
Extensive mechanical upgrades performed by our own team. “Reborn” with the benefits of Wagonmaster renewal for selective buyers.
So they guarantee that you receive it in “like new” condition. I see on their website they have a couple for sale at $79k and like $65k. Crazy big bucks!
had one of these and loved it ,would go any where ,any time I should know I drove the snow plow in the northeast and some days getting to the plow were a challenge , always made with my Jeep , not so much with some other 4wds .
I drive an ’85 everyday and have for 10 years. It has never broken down, super comfortable, excellent visibility, solid and people seem to love seeing it on the road. Down side: windows tracts drag/break often, some cheap plastic interior parts, wood side strips warp, and of course 6 miles to the gallon. Overall, great vehicles and I’d gladly pay $70,000 for a new one if it was styled like the original, but it isn’t.
Paid a little over $10K for ours (1990 / 130K) this past January. We’ve put around 3500 miles on it since then with very little drama, even when towing a 4K lb. Airstream. Everything is wonderful except the prehistoric drivetrain, so we’ll likely do an LS swap in order to TRIPLE our fuel efficiency. And I mean that literally – we’ve seen as little as 6 mpg while towing.