MY History with Jeeps. What's your first Jeep story?

[NotSo Bright White]

Great story. CJ-8s are awesome.

I wish I never sold it! Actually I feel the same way about the LJ!

Sponsored

 

[NotSo Bright White]

Wore "70" for Sam Huff...(you'll have to Google him) Both were cut from similar cloth. Watched an old-school NFL documentary "The Violent World of Sam Huff" in 7th grade; quickly became my idol.

If that is the name of his documentary, there is no doubt about his badassness!

 

[NC_Overland]

I wish I never sold it! Actually I feel the same way about the LJ!

I have always thought that “LJs” are highly overrated. I put LJ in quotes for a reason. I’ll die on that hill.

 

[Billyj7175]

I took my driver's test in my folks 1976 Wagoneer. It had a 360, auto, quadratrac. A short wheelbase and lots of visibility, it was a breeze to parallel park. We had lots of good memories in that Jeep. We pulled a camper trailer took it to Colorado about every summer. One year it jumped time at the top of Raton Pass. We limped in to Trinidad and the dealership worked the weekend to put a new timing set it in. Good times.

 

[ChrisNLA]

As a little kid I was around 4x4's often. Mostly square body Chevy's but the occasional Jeep as well. As a teenager I had some old car catalogs and would flip through and look at the YJ and TJ parts and thought they were cool (early 2000's).

Around 2015 I had sports cars, but with my new girlfriend at the time, we needed something to take camping, kayaking, etc but still wanted something cool - so I bought a 2016 JK Willys (2 door) to finally scratch that Jeep itch from years prior. Drove that until 2022 when I ordered my Gladiator as I really needed a back seat and a truck. That's the short of it.

 

[JTdiRtyD]

My dad was a Jeep fan. He had a (unsure of year) Comanche when I was young, like 2 or 3 years old. I think I have a very faint memory of riding in the Jeep when my dad picked up my mom for a visit. I'm not sure if it's a real memory, or a fabricated one from hearing stories about it.

Fast forward to my early teens, my dad owned a HVAC company and did some work for a guy in exchange for a 1962 Willys milk wagon. It needed a little work but was solid and ran good. It would do about 50mph max on the highway because of the gearing, but it was a workhorse and had a ton of torque. This was the vehicle that taught me what torque was. It would pull a stump out of the ground without hesitation and without needing to touch the throttle. I remember it had one of those mini calendars with topless girls stuck to the dash, so me being a boy in his early teens I found that pretty cool. My dads plan was to restore it as best he could, but that never ended up happening. I don't recall if he sold it, or traded it for something else. If I could afford one, I'd love to have one today.

When I was 15 or so my dad came home with a white YJ Renegade with a 5spd (he might have even traded the Willys for it, not sure). He has always said he wanted a Wrangler, but he had always talked about a CJ. I remember my mom wasn't thrilled about the Renegade, but my dad went through vehicles like crazy so she just accepted it. This was the first vehicle I drove with my dad.

My dad and I were in the Renegade and decided to have a little fun on our hunting land trails. They weren't anything difficult, but usually had some good puddles and to a 15 yr old getting muddy was always fun. Once we were back on dirt roads he told me to drive. Outside of driving around my grandpas fields in an old 1970s something Ford, or moving my dads diesel plow truck in the driveway at home, I had never driven a clutch on public roads. I actually think this was the first time ever driving on public roads. I remember 1st through 4th gear I was fine, I had moved the plow truck enough that operating a clutch was fairly easy for me, but I was so nervous to shift into 5th gear for some reason that I stayed in 4th and drove like 50mph the first 15 miles it took to get home. After a while I tried to put it in 5th, which went fine, but I still stayed at 50mph. My dad was calm about it, but I'm sure it was driving him up a wall. Like all vehicles, he eventually got rid of it for the next thing.

Fast forward to my late teens, I decided I wanted to get a Jeep so I bought a 1992 YJ 5spd 4cyl. It was in decent shape, black, and freezing cold in the winter. Ran that for a couple years and traded it for a 2000 TJ 5sd 4cyl. Nicer than the YJ, still cold as shit in the winter. I put a hockey puck lift and 31's on it, but the 4cyl left a lot to be desired, so after a couple years I traded it on a 2001 TJ Sport, 4in lift, 33's. I had that Jeep for a few years before making a complete 180 and trading it for a 2003 Infiniti G35 coupe. I then spent quite a few years heavy with the car show and racing community, and left the Jeeps behind.

Fast forward to my early 30s, during the years I had dove into hiking and backpacking pretty heavily and was wanting to get back to more remote trailheads, which lead into overlanding. I had a 2016 BMW X5 diesel that I had installed a lift and 31's, and was trying to design a roof rack that would support the weight of a tent, but it just wasn't working out and the platform really wasn't ideal for the places I wanted to get to, so I started looking at trucks. It was between a Tacoma or a Gladiator. I ended up going with a Tacoma after reading all the complaints about Gladiators. That was a mistake, I hated that truck. It was boring, it was gutless, especially after coming from a diesel, and I absolutely hated the auto transmission in it. Utter garbage transmission. After 10 months of powering through and trying to like the truck, I decided it just wasn't for me and started looking at diesel Gladiators.

My dad passed in January 2024. He passed right before I bought the Tacoma. I'm sure he would have thought the Tacoma was an alright truck, but we are a Jeep family. My mom loves her Grand Cherokees, my sister is on her 2nd or 3rd Cherokee, and my dad really liked Jeep. He was the whole reason I like Jeep. So I traded the Taco my for JTRD. I'm much happier, I feel at home in it. I wish I could have taken my dad out exploring remote places, I know he would have enjoyed it, so my Gladiator is my way of bringing him with and keeping a little piece of him with me.

 

[Stan H]

My dad was a Jeep fan. He had a (unsure of year) Comanche when I was young, like 2 or 3 years old. I think I have a very faint memory of riding in the Jeep when my dad picked up my mom for a visit. I'm not sure if it's a real memory, or a fabricated one from hearing stories about it.

Fast forward to my early teens, my dad owned a HVAC company and did some work for a guy in exchange for a 1962 Willys milk wagon. It needed a little work but was solid and ran good. It would do about 50mph max on the highway because of the gearing, but it was a workhorse and had a ton of torque. This was the vehicle that taught me what torque was. It would pull a stump out of the ground without hesitation and without needing to touch the throttle. I remember it had one of those mini calendars with topless girls stuck to the dash, so me being a boy in his early teens I found that pretty cool. My dads plan was to restore it as best he could, but that never ended up happening. I don't recall if he sold it, or traded it for something else. If I could afford one, I'd love to have one today.

When I was 15 or so my dad came home with a white YJ Renegade with a 5spd (he might have even traded the Willys for it, not sure). He has always said he wanted a Wrangler, but he had always talked about a CJ. I remember my mom wasn't thrilled about the Renegade, but my dad went through vehicles like crazy so she just accepted it. This was the first vehicle I drove with my dad.

My dad and I were in the Renegade and decided to have a little fun on our hunting land trails. They weren't anything difficult, but usually had some good puddles and to a 15 yr old getting muddy was always fun. Once we were back on dirt roads he told me to drive. Outside of driving around my grandpas fields in an old 1970s something Ford, or moving my dads diesel plow truck in the driveway at home, I had never driven a clutch on public roads. I actually think this was the first time ever driving on public roads. I remember 1st through 4th gear I was fine, I had moved the plow truck enough that operating a clutch was fairly easy for me, but I was so nervous to shift into 5th gear for some reason that I stayed in 4th and drove like 50mph the first 15 miles it took to get home. After a while I tried to put it in 5th, which went fine, but I still stayed at 50mph. My dad was calm about it, but I'm sure it was driving him up a wall. Like all vehicles, he eventually got rid of it for the next thing.

Fast forward to my late teens, I decided I wanted to get a Jeep so I bought a 1992 YJ 5spd 4cyl. It was in decent shape, black, and freezing cold in the winter. Ran that for a couple years and traded it for a 2000 TJ 5sd 4cyl. Nicer than the YJ, still cold as shit in the winter. I put a hockey puck lift and 31's on it, but the 4cyl left a lot to be desired, so after a couple years I traded it on a 2001 TJ Sport, 4in lift, 33's. I had that Jeep for a few years before making a complete 180 and trading it for a 2003 Infiniti G35 coupe. I then spent quite a few years heavy with the car show and racing community, and left the Jeeps behind.

Fast forward to my early 30s, during the years I had dove into hiking and backpacking pretty heavily and was wanting to get back to more remote trailheads, which lead into overlanding. I had a 2016 BMW X5 diesel that I had installed a lift and 31's, and was trying to design a roof rack that would support the weight of a tent, but it just wasn't working out and the platform really wasn't ideal for the places I wanted to get to, so I started looking at trucks. It was between a Tacoma or a Gladiator. I ended up going with a Tacoma after reading all the complaints about Gladiators. That was a mistake, I hated that truck. It was boring, it was gutless, especially after coming from a diesel, and I absolutely hated the auto transmission in it. Utter garbage transmission. After 10 months of powering through and trying to like the truck, I decided it just wasn't for me and started looking at diesel Gladiators.

My dad passed in January 2024. He passed right before I bought the Tacoma. I'm sure he would have thought the Tacoma was an alright truck, but we are a Jeep family. My mom loves her Grand Cherokees, my sister is on her 2nd or 3rd Cherokee, and my dad really liked Jeep. He was the whole reason I like Jeep. So I traded the Taco my for JTRD. I'm much happier, I feel at home in it. I wish I could have taken my dad out exploring remote places, I know he would have enjoyed it, so my Gladiator is my way of bringing him with and keeping a little piece of him with me.

I feel the same with my Dad and Grandpa and both being gone now.
It is like coming home and having them with you.
I know this may seem strange but when I'm in this Jeep is when I think most often about both of them.
I really like your post.

 

[SamO.5]

Great story, yours. Great stories on here, everybody.

I dont have a great story. First time Jeep owner. I have been around Jeeps all my life. When a teenager in the late 70's, a friend had one, and we went muddin' more than once. My older brother owned a CJ-5?, that was his daily driver. Every Spring, he would take two weeks off, and drive out west somewhere, and come back with great stories. He made the drive from his home in Tallapoosa, Ga. to Alaska a few times. Myself, I fell in love with the JT when I started looking for a new truck. For years, I owned nothing but old Volvo cars. Find an old one, rebuild the interior, because the engines last forever, drive it, sell it or give it away, repeat, until I got my first truck. 04 GMC Sierra. New from the showroom floor, till she had almost 300K.

 

[Oldguy19]

As a kid Dad had a 43 MB, 59 willys pick up, 62 FC-170,64 willys jeep station wagon for mom,66 gladiator. Bought my self-new 74 CJ5 304 then this happen. 

 

[Geoarch]

I have been around Jeeps as long as I can remember. In the late 60's early 70's, my Dad would always drag home a Jeep, one that "was a deal" that he planned on fixing up. Mostly early CJ-5's. Some barely ran, some never ran. None were road worthy. They became pivotal fixtures with me and my friends when we played Army in the back yard. We were the Rat Patrol, protecting our section of Long Island....

When I was 14, (1975, yeah, I'm old) he brought home a 1954 Willys M38A1, still in full U.S. Army setup; semi-gloss OD green, stars, registrations numbers on the hood, etc. The registration numbers and U.S. Army were hastily rattle-canned over with black paint. I painstakingly removed that black paint to reveal the original numbers. Under the windshield glass, some G.I. painted Mud Pie.

I was super excited. My Dad brought home a REAL ARMY JEEP !!! As I sat in the drivers seat shaking the steering wheel back and forth, my Dad in the passenger seat, I asked, "Um.....does it run ?". My Dad let's out a snort then says, "Yeah, this one does. But it needs work before it can be driven on the road." "Cool !!" I respond. After a few minutes, he goes, "Tell you what. If you can get this running right AND it passes inspection before you get your learners permit. it's yours." Excited, I screamed, "For real ?!?!" "Yep. BUT, if you don't, any money you spent on it stays and the Willys is mine again." "OK !!" "Let's shake on it like real men.". We shook hands. "Oh," he added, "you pay for everything, don't come to me looking for handouts." "No problem !!"

I had an off-the-books job with a landscaping company, mowing lawns after school, weekends and all summer long. Very common back then. In the winter, I roamed the streets shoveling driveways. I spent every dime and every waking moment working on that Willys.

When I first popped the hood, the engine looked like none I have ever seen. Waterproof 24 volt engine. Snorkel kit. I had no repair manual. My Dad helped me, he sourced a brand new 24 volt military battery instead of putting two 12 volts in, the Willys could take either. I found the waterproof spark plugs, at a whopping 2 bucks a plug, VERY expensive for plugs at the time, but it was in upstate NY. We took a trip, my Dad wanted to see what else they had. My Dad threw a new shifter boot, transfer case boot and military canvas doors and side curtains on the counter. He helped me throughout, even though he said he wouldn't. He was a great Dad.

I got it running. He couldn't do the traditional "handing of the keys" because military vehicles don't have keys. Flip lever on the dash, starter button on the floorboard. I wasn't old enough to drive yet, so my Dad drove us to the beach down the street. He taught me how to shift, how to use the 2 lever transfer case. I practiced driving at home circling the house. I wore a literal ring around the house, my Dad didn't care.

On my 16th birthday, I didn't want presents, I didn't want cake. I wanted a ride to the DMV. My school offered Driver's Ed, my Dad said HE would teach me to drive. He was strict. One of the things I had to master was shifting without using the clutch, "if you listen to the engine, you can shift it without grinding gears. Know your engine.". Took a while, but I mastered it. I was ready for my Jr. License. I don't know if they still issue those, but after you pass your written and road test, a Jr. License allows you drive without a licensed driver until 9 pm until you turn 18.

The driving instructor oogles the Willys. Does a safety check. "Step on the brakes." I do. Nothing happens. I go, "Oh wait..." and I turn on the brake lights, I was nervous and forgot. He goes, "What'd you do ?" "I forgot to turn them on." "Do what ?" and he walks up to me. I show him the multi-function levers on the light assembly. "This unlocks it, this one you turn to Brakes, or Tail and Brakes, this is for headlights, this is for blackout lights.". He goes, "WHAT ?? Is that legal ?" I said, "This is a real Army Jeep.". He shakes his head and gets in. Looks for seat belts. I say, "1954. Seat belts weren't issued until 1968.". Again, head shake. "Let's go. Go to the corner and make a right turn." I stop at the stop sign and extend my left arm, held out at 90 degrees. "Where's your turn signal ?" he asks. I nervously say, "Army Jeeps don't have turn signals, hand signals only. It's legal.". He harrumphs then says, "Go.". I go. Before the next turn, it begins to drizzle. No top on. I can hear the rain splattering on his clip board. I know I failed.

We get back to the starting point, my Dad is there smiling, total disregard for the rain. "How'd you do ?" he asks. I shrug my shoulders and look at the instructor. He goes, "He passed." I do a little happy dance, my Dad shakes my hand. The instructor said, "The test is over. Now, tell me all about this Jeep. It's awesome !!". My Dad is bragging on me, pointing out everything I did. I just wanted to DRIVE, dammit, stop talking !!

We go back to the house, he climbs out and says, "Be careful. Have fun. You're not going to waste time to put the top on, are you ?". I smile and shake my head. "I'm already wet." He waves me off. I rode around the neighborhood for hours, picked up all my friends.

Been addicted to Jeeping ever since.

Rant over....

In my last year of high school and first year of college, I bought a 1953 M38-A1 surplus jeep and dropped a small block Buick V-6 in it and attached an overdrive behind the trans. It was the first round hood jeep and had the lowest gearing of any jeep I've had since. I took it all over southeastern California, northern Baja Calfornia, and western Arizona and never had a problem until one day the brake sending unit on the front of the brake unit popped out (the brake cylinder was underneath the jeep!). This was in the Laguna Mountains of east San Diego County mid-winter - suddenly no brakes and brake fluid all over the ground. I stopped at an old auto shop and amazingly, the guy had one in one of his pile of parts. My brother and I bled the brakes and we were on our way.

The image is in 1970 on leave after Vietnam. Since then I've had a 1973 CJ-5 I bought in that year for $3400.00!, and two Gladiators: a 2022 JTR MT, and a 2024 JTR auto.

 

[Troop]

I have been around Jeeps as long as I can remember. In the late 60's early 70's, my Dad would always drag home a Jeep, one that "was a deal" that he planned on fixing up. Mostly early CJ-5's. Some barely ran, some never ran. None were road worthy. They became pivotal fixtures with me and my friends when we played Army in the back yard. We were the Rat Patrol, protecting our section of Long Island....

When I was 14, (1975, yeah, I'm old) he brought home a 1954 Willys M38A1, still in full U.S. Army setup; semi-gloss OD green, stars, registrations numbers on the hood, etc. The registration numbers and U.S. Army were hastily rattle-canned over with black paint. I painstakingly removed that black paint to reveal the original numbers. Under the windshield glass, some G.I. painted Mud Pie.

I was super excited. My Dad brought home a REAL ARMY JEEP !!! As I sat in the drivers seat shaking the steering wheel back and forth, my Dad in the passenger seat, I asked, "Um.....does it run ?". My Dad let's out a snort then says, "Yeah, this one does. But it needs work before it can be driven on the road." "Cool !!" I respond. After a few minutes, he goes, "Tell you what. If you can get this running right AND it passes inspection before you get your learners permit. it's yours." Excited, I screamed, "For real ?!?!" "Yep. BUT, if you don't, any money you spent on it stays and the Willys is mine again." "OK !!" "Let's shake on it like real men.". We shook hands. "Oh," he added, "you pay for everything, don't come to me looking for handouts." "No problem !!"

I had an off-the-books job with a landscaping company, mowing lawns after school, weekends and all summer long. Very common back then. In the winter, I roamed the streets shoveling driveways. I spent every dime and every waking moment working on that Willys.

When I first popped the hood, the engine looked like none I have ever seen. Waterproof 24 volt engine. Snorkel kit. I had no repair manual. My Dad helped me, he sourced a brand new 24 volt military battery instead of putting two 12 volts in, the Willys could take either. I found the waterproof spark plugs, at a whopping 2 bucks a plug, VERY expensive for plugs at the time, but it was in upstate NY. We took a trip, my Dad wanted to see what else they had. My Dad threw a new shifter boot, transfer case boot and military canvas doors and side curtains on the counter. He helped me throughout, even though he said he wouldn't. He was a great Dad.

I got it running. He couldn't do the traditional "handing of the keys" because military vehicles don't have keys. Flip lever on the dash, starter button on the floorboard. I wasn't old enough to drive yet, so my Dad drove us to the beach down the street. He taught me how to shift, how to use the 2 lever transfer case. I practiced driving at home circling the house. I wore a literal ring around the house, my Dad didn't care.

On my 16th birthday, I didn't want presents, I didn't want cake. I wanted a ride to the DMV. My school offered Driver's Ed, my Dad said HE would teach me to drive. He was strict. One of the things I had to master was shifting without using the clutch, "if you listen to the engine, you can shift it without grinding gears. Know your engine.". Took a while, but I mastered it. I was ready for my Jr. License. I don't know if they still issue those, but after you pass your written and road test, a Jr. License allows you drive without a licensed driver until 9 pm until you turn 18.

The driving instructor oogles the Willys. Does a safety check. "Step on the brakes." I do. Nothing happens. I go, "Oh wait..." and I turn on the brake lights, I was nervous and forgot. He goes, "What'd you do ?" "I forgot to turn them on." "Do what ?" and he walks up to me. I show him the multi-function levers on the light assembly. "This unlocks it, this one you turn to Brakes, or Tail and Brakes, this is for headlights, this is for blackout lights.". He goes, "WHAT ?? Is that legal ?" I said, "This is a real Army Jeep.". He shakes his head and gets in. Looks for seat belts. I say, "1954. Seat belts weren't issued until 1968.". Again, head shake. "Let's go. Go to the corner and make a right turn." I stop at the stop sign and extend my left arm, held out at 90 degrees. "Where's your turn signal ?" he asks. I nervously say, "Army Jeeps don't have turn signals, hand signals only. It's legal.". He harrumphs then says, "Go.". I go. Before the next turn, it begins to drizzle. No top on. I can hear the rain splattering on his clip board. I know I failed.

We get back to the starting point, my Dad is there smiling, total disregard for the rain. "How'd you do ?" he asks. I shrug my shoulders and look at the instructor. He goes, "He passed." I do a little happy dance, my Dad shakes my hand. The instructor said, "The test is over. Now, tell me all about this Jeep. It's awesome !!". My Dad is bragging on me, pointing out everything I did. I just wanted to DRIVE, dammit, stop talking !!

We go back to the house, he climbs out and says, "Be careful. Have fun. You're not going to waste time to put the top on, are you ?". I smile and shake my head. "I'm already wet." He waves me off. I rode around the neighborhood for hours, picked up all my friends.

Been addicted to Jeeping ever since.

Rant over....

Great story! I actually spent a few years in my early 20's as a driver trainer and used my first Jeep, a TJ, to teach students in. The students loved it, especially with the top down.

After I moved on from driver trainer to the IT world, I kept that TJ and went on my first Jeep Jamboree event. I was blown away by what my little Jeep was capable of doing off-road and that along with learning about the Jeeps heroic past is what fuelled my passion/addiction of Jeeps. Seven Jeeps later I still love these things and hope to one day buy and old Willys or CJ.

 

[Mud Pie]

Here is the 1953 Willys that my Dad bought while I was in the Corps. (79-83) The previous owner bought it new, used it on his ranch and for some reason he painted it white with a paint brush. In the late 90's we began restoring it. He passed in 2003, I dragged it to my house with plans on finishing it. I'm retiring next week, and all those years of buying parts is about to pay off; I will finally have the time to work on it. My Dad's intention was to make it look like an M38. Before anyone asks....that 1919 is a replica made with some real parts....my Dad was cray like that......I miss him.

 

[YGBSM]

Best thread ever! Thanks so much @Mud Pie

 

[biplaneguy]

I certainly can't match the OP's story, but... I didn't grow up around Jeeps. My first Jeep experience was when I was around 8th grade, my sister's boyfriend had a 1949 Willys when they were in college, took me for a ride. Tried to do the "overland route" but couldn't get over a snowbank so we took the road. Still left an impression, as did her previous boyfriend's MGB. For a long while my fun cars were sportscars, a 280Z, three Fiat Spiders, even a Fiero at one point.

Later one of my college buddies got into offroading and I went along a lot, he and his brother owned Samurais, others in the group had old Landcruisers and pickups, don't recall a Jeep.

My first Jeep was a DJ-5 (postal Jeep, but normal left hand driver). Bought it the same afternoon that I wrecked my first Fiat. A friend had bought it from the Post Office for $500 but needed money. As he Army (special forces), he painted it olive drab. I added a hand cranked boat winch to the front bumper and three Fiat seats (it only came with the drivers seat), and drove it into all sorts of places where I shouldn't have. Only got stuck needing rescue once, unfortunately it was on the way to work, I got laid off a few days later. It finally died when I waited too long to add antifreeze one fall, it had a coolant leak so I was just adding water. I wish I had a picture of it, but I don't... it was before digital cameras.

After one more Fiat, I finally got my first "real" Jeep, a mildly built CJ-5 with a fiberglass tub. I drove that everywhere, on road and off, it was my daily driver. Replaced it with a Toyota pickup when I started driving 100 miles to our new cabin every weekend and need to haul material, the CJ5 was a real drag on the interstate. But I still miss that thing.

(Pic on Old Florida Road in MA, my daughters (around age 11-12) are with me. My wife opted to stay at the campground.)

Then a Dodge Ram which I needed to tow a big trailer for my ultralight plane, then a bone stock Cherokee, than a Liberty (which was better than I expected), and finally another "real" Jeep, my Gladiator.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

My first was an 06 LJ Rubicon around 2009. I looked at Jeeps for months prior to finding a used one a few hours away in Phoenix. It was on the trail, in the water, getting stuck in sand with paper plates in it. Loved that Jeep. It went to a better home when my family got bigger and I figured someone else could get it on the trail more regularly than I could.
Now I’m in a Gladiator Sport that’s fairly well built from a Honda dealer. Again I traveled about 3 hours up to LA to get it after looking for a few months and testing a few looking for the “right” one. I’m loving it and I’m keeping it. Come hell, high water, or a blown up 3.6 this is my Jeep.

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