Have been somewhat considering the purchase of an old Willy's. It interests me beyond a way too overpriced UTV.

Would love any input y'all can offer.

Sold my Jeep (73 CJ5) very soon after buying quads.
Quads / UTV's are way more comfortable.
A day off road in a jeep, (or pickup, for that matter) is a long dang day.

they can nickle and dime ya to death. but neat little vehicles. check it over real careful.

I went with a Suzuki Samurai, parts are everywhere and they are easy to work on if anything does happen. So far mine has been very reliable.


I had an old Willy's Jeep and so did my papaw, uncomfortable and it was constantly something to work on.

We had a 79 Jeep CJ5 that we bought new in 1978. Sold it a couple years ago. In 2008 we bought a 4WD John Deere Gator and rarely used the Jeep after that. Like mcmurphrjk said the Gator is much more comfortable riding and easier to get in and out. Back in the day the Jeep was a great vehicle for getting into rough country. Today there are better options in my opinion.

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This! ^^^^^ I sold my 1942 Ford GPW about 3 years ago with no regrets!! It was about 90% restored. But pretty combat ready! Had a M1919 MG mount and bustle basket in place. Was fun while it lasted!!!

Found a pic. Texas Military Forces weekend at Camp Mabry Tx. . About 2009. Me on radio in passenger seat.

Bob, my nephew you met does the Military Reenactment there at Camp Mabry with that group of Reenacters. He got to drive the Tank at their last gig. He was on really excited about the Tank drive!
I've been there the last couple of years for their big yearly show they put on and it's well worth seeing for those who have never attended. It's free to the Public and they have a great little Museum there that's really nice too.

I remember that kid, Neal! Fine young man. He used to come by and see me at the shop. I see Jeff Hunt, museum curator has a new book out on the 15 days after Gettysburg.

My one and only Jeep was a '50 CJ3A. I rebuilt the flathead motor and replaced the clutch. I drove it for 4 or 5 years before trading it for a 4x4 that didn't have to be towed to the hills. It was pretty dinged up but I sprayed it with gray primer and it improved the looks 200%. Darn thing would go into a lot of places and amazingly, it always came back out again, too. I wish I had some pics of it.

One time 3 of us were sage hen hunting. My BIL was shotgun and a friend was in the back seat. We went down a short steep hill to a creek crossing. I pushed on the brake and it just squished to the floor. I barely had time to yell 'hang on!' before we hit the creek. The guy in back came over the roll bar and was hanging upside down between us in the front seat. It had the old single brake cylinder and had blown a brake line. When 1 went, they all went.

Sounds like I may be better off with the Honda Pioneer 1000 I've been pining for. Holy cow, they cost a lot!

When I showed up in my desert hunting zone, the older guys with highly modified Jeeps were envious of my 2000 Wrangler in spite of it's standard tires and suspension. It seems they had learned the hard way that a harsh ride while off roading is very tiresome. The Wranglers don't have that problem. E

I've had several Jeeps. Current one is a '64 CJ5. I am the second owner and I paid $3,500 for it. Way cheaper than the new side by sides. But, it is slower, and the ride is WAY rougher. Just gotta go slow and it will get you out of anything you can get into. I had to rebuild my carb in elk camp this year (keep a spare rebuild kit in the tool box) because the dang ethanol gas ate up the carb. But, other than that, I haven't had any issues with this one.

I've got a Honda Pioneer and a John Deere SxS at work, and I really like them. But, I'm not going to get rid of my old Jeep any time soon. But, that's mainly because I'm too cheap to pay the kind of money that the new SxS's are going for.

I changed the wipers from vacuum to electric, put on new alternator and a hi-torque starter. A place called Kaiserwillys.com has pretty much all of the parts you might need for one.

That must be some impressive Willy if it needs its own Jeep.

So, what changed to make such a difference in suspension?

That's 1 thing that makes the UTV's so popular. They have a very long suspension travel and those 7lb low pressure tires. They ride far better than any Jeep ever did. You can drive one all day on very rough roads and enjoy it all.

Probably referring to the change from leaf springs to coil springs (happened when the TJ was introduced in '97). Does provide a softer ride, but still no comparison to the UTV's.

This has been very enlightening. I am glad I asked and very thankful for the input.

UTV's are expensive, to be sure. However, by the time you add front and rear lockers, etc. to a Jeep, you might be getting close to the price of one. They come from the factory with all that stuff. However, you can't really make a UTV street legal, even with lights and a horn. It can't be street legal unless it passes all the safety and emission tests. Old Jeeps are exempt because of their age.

If you do buy one check the floor board area everywhere for pinhole rust issues. The carb on the stock one I had years ago was prone to being unusable.

I had a 47, they are fun. It will need work I’m sure. They are geared low.

A used Jeep will depreciate very little the same can't be said for a new side by side. The samurai is the modern equivalent of an old Jeep and an awesome off-road vehicle. They use very low geared axles and an overdrive in the transfer case for highway speed yet give you great low range tons of accessories available and once again little depreciation as it's already used when you buy it. 2 years ago everyone in their side-by-side was either covered in mud or couldn't see out the windows during elk season doors with roll-up windows and windshield washers and wipers are a big Plus

This^^

Bought a 1997 TJ Sport new for around $17,000. Just sold it last month (20 years old) for $9,000 cash to the first guy that looked at it.

My jeep is a 1986 CJ7 and have thought about selling it many times for a UTV but something always stops me.