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Garage Find: 1986 Jeep Grand Wagoneer

When you consider how many Jeep Grand Wagoneers still pop up for sale, evidently hidden in garages or barns, it’s truly amazing how many of these early SUVs Jeep must have sold back in the day. These things are everywhere! But despite an abundance of supply, that hasn’t stopped them from becoming immensely collectible today and the targets of buyers everywhere looking for one to restore either as their personal beach vehicle or for flipping down the line. This example on Cape Cod doesn’t run and has some rust, but seems like it’s not too far off from being a summer runner once again. Find it here on Facebook Marketplace with an asking price of $5,000.

Well, that assessment depends on just how bad the rust is. If it’s contained to the surface, that’s manageable. And there’s plenty of vehicles in this neck of the wood that bears the visible scars of years of outdoor storage but doesn’t translate to rotten frames and floors. Still, you have to ask the question with this Grand Wagoneer, as plenty of them were used as daily drivers and pushed through the worst winter had to offer before becoming a collector’s item. The wood applique going down the sides of the Grand Wagoneer appears decent, not great, and it seems likely this Jeep did end up outside for at least some length of time.

The seller doesn’t go into much detail about what’s prompted him to sell the Grand Wagoneer, but there’s a sense of urgency in his description. Given the stash of new parts that comes with it, it seems like he had grand plans to put it back on the road. The list of needs it has is fairly standard tune-up / deferred maintenance items for any vehicle that’s been off the road for a spell. The seller specifies in the listing that it will need carburetor work, and attention given to the ignition system, brakes, and suspension. The good news is in the two photos of the interior taken from the outside of the truck, the seats look to be in good order.

The interior isn’t entirely good news, however, as it appears the headliner has been removed. There are a few issues with this truck that would prevent me from giving a full-throated endorsement of it as a home run project for someone looking to buy a Grand Wagoneer on the cheap. There are also lots of questions as to its history, how it was stored, and whether rust has punctured the underside of the vehicle. Assuming there’s some wiggle room on the price, all of this is manageable, especially for a vehicle that’s quite useful beyond just being a piece of static garage art. Would you restore a Wagoneer in this kind of condition?

Comments

  1. Nevada1/2rack Nevadahalfrack Member

    A friend of mine recently bought a non-running 360ci ‘76 in very similar condition for $2k and asked me to drag it home for him. We got to the warehouse with truck, trailer, 5 gallon gas can and a fuel filter. Changed the filter poured in the gas and drove it up on the trailer. Cleaned the interior with Woolite and a shop vac the next day, at which time he drove it to the local gas station to fill it up. A guy with a heavy foreign accent asked him if it was for sale; the guy bought it for $4k, drove it home and the next day he had it for sale on Craigslist for $8.5k.

    This one looks like a whole lot of work for the price. I personally wouldn’t want to take it on with the issues at hand but then again the only Wagoneer I ever flipped was one I was driving on a backroad out on the Black Rock Desert-double flip, I suppose as bought it for $50 where I rolled it (first flip) then sold it at the junkyard for $78 (second flip)..

    Like 2
  2. Colin Carnegie

    Worst vehicle I ever owned. Everything broke at least two times. This is the only vehicle for some reason I purchased extra warranty coverage. Boy did I get my money’s worth? Problems included the engine, transmission, AC, power windows the list could go on but I think you get the picture.

    Like 6
    • Eric B

      These look great, but I always wondered if they were actually any good. Would probably be amazing if you transferred everything over from an XJ with a bulletproof 4.0

      Like 1
  3. Billy

    Had a 1973 Wagoneer for my high school car. Dad had special ordered it in 1973 as a farm vehicle. It had a 401 and a 3 on the floor with the heaviest clutch I’ve ever driven to this day. It’s more about how it wasn’t equipped than how it was. No power windows, no radio, no carpet, no cloth or leather seats, no quadratrak, no AC, no wood trim, no nothing that most folks think of when they think of a Grand Wagoneer like this one. As Colin mentioned, everything broke at least twice. I will say that I owe most of my mechanical knowledge to my later teen years spent wrenching on this vehicle!

    Like 0

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