Comments on: Jeep Grand Wagoneer, the Classic, Lives On

By: Victor G. Marchmon

Victor G. Marchmon — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:32:20 +0000

Please be aware that I own a 1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, which is very well preserved.
Mine is equipped with Front and Rear customized stainless steel bumpers, a 6,000 lb. Super-winch, an Alpine audio system, a sun-roof top and plenty of space.
Everyone admires the vehicle when they see it.
Anyone which is interested in assisting with converting my vehicle to a Fuel Injection, please contact me at 347-697-8821 Victor.
Moreover, anyone interested in purchase of my SUV is welcomed to contact me as well through phone or e-mail at victorgmarchmon@yahoo.com

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:27:00 +0000

Always will love the full size jeeps. My boyfriend and i, together, have all three. A 1967 Gladiator J300, a 1982 2-door Cherokee Laredo wide-track, and a 1984 Grand Wagoneer. Although the Grand Wagoneer sits at his hometown in Georgia, we are working on bringing two back to the street. My Laredo, and his Gladiator. All I have to say, is I hate Smog regulations here in California; it’s the only thing keeping my Laredo from driving legally.

The Gladiator spent a good chunk of it’s life in various services, from what we gather with the various layers of paint. He started as a white truck, was painted forest-service green, then cal-trans orange; all of which has been slowly disolving over the years into a patina-esque pattern along the truck. When we came upon it, it was being given away by someone who didn’t want to see the truck rot away year, by year, on the top of a mountain Observatory here in San Diego. It would seem that he is the stubborn one at the moment, with a 327 ci. V8 and all original chrome rhino grille, bumper, etc, in almost perfect condition; now he sits in our storage lot waiting on a solution to it’s fuel delivery problems; both previous-owner induced, and yearly snow induced. We don’t know much about it, but we will restore it.

The Cherokee is another story all together. Lots of previous owner fun there; but it does run, and drive. It just needs some steering column work and a rear fender fix. Sitting in an avacado grove for the better part of 10 years isn’t exactly good for keeping rust away… hah.

By: Garland Pollard

Garland Pollard — Sat, 29 May 2010 01:11:30 +0000

Michelle..thanks for your thoughts. I have never actually owned one, though every time I see one I say…I WANT THAT.

I somehow think Jeep might actually bring it back, but of course the replica is never as good as the real. That being said, if Jeep went back to the loyalists and saw what was alluring about the car, they might actually have something to sell.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Fri, 28 May 2010 16:46:21 +0000

While lamenting the recent sale of our ’91 GW and still torturing myself by reviewing sites dedicated to their history and restoration – which is exactly how I found your site here – I found a kindred spirit of sorts through Dobey’s well worded sentiments. For some inexplicable reason that Mr. Pollard obviously understands, there is a certain appeal that these “Woodies” have for some of us. But for all the luxurious and handsome a “brand” they remain, as Dobey stated they are expensive to maintain and drive. While Jeep created an iconic vehicle that is so classically beautiful to the eye and wonderful to sit in and drive (when they are driveable that is), mechanically they were not built for long term reliability…something was always breaking and usually quite costly to repair w/parts now quite spare to come by. Much of the original equipment is no longer available so one must rely upon refurbished or re-manufactured replacements. You find yourself spending hours on end, caught up in the web (no pun intended) of online research, looking for what you need and then being at the mercy of who is dealing out the parts. All the while your beloved GW sits idle. I am familiar w/the GW restorer that Mr. Pollard refers to; I have had the pleasure of speaking w/Norbert of GrandWagoneer more than once about my GW troubles – and he actually recreates a better built GW than what came off the Jeep/Chrysler manufacturing lines. I would have sent mine to him in a heartbeat if I could have afforded to, but his restoration process begins at $20T…not an inexpensive investment to make on a 20+ year old car. Nevertheless, I can always dream that there is a fully restored GW out there w/my name on it, and I hope that for Dobey as well. In the meantime I’ll take some comfort in knowing that there are others who can relate to the hold that these cars have on those of us who can no longer afford to keep one. Thank you for this opportunity to share my thoughts!

By: Dobey

Dobey — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:05:28 +0000

I miss the hell out of my Grand Wagoneers. I had two, a charcoal gray with maroon interior and the ultra-sexy navy with deep-tan interior (remember when gents wore rich deep-tan shoes with navy suits?). It was the last car I could actually work on. Make no mistake, these monsters were expensive to keep around. Terrible gas mileage, and costly upkeep. But damn, what a nice ride.