Low Mileage = High Dollars: 1988 Jeep Wagoneer
A decade ago, an 80s vintage Jeep Wagoneer wasn’t worth much compared to some other classic SUV’s. Well, these trucks are now 30+ years old and have been climbing in value. An article titled “Why Now’s the Time to Buy a 1984-1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer” was published here on bloomberg.com in 2015. The article indicates the classic car insurer Hagerty saw a 164% increase in the number of classic Grand Wagoneers it insured from 2010 to 2015 and I’m sure the number has increased since then. This particular Grand Wagoneer is from 1988 and can be found here on eBay with a current bid of $12,600. The vintage Jeep wears the rare Buff Yellow paint color which appears anywhere between white to cream depending on the lighting. Located in Spokane, Washington, the seller says there is no rust and it is in remarkably original condition. Check it out!
The amazing exterior and interior condition of this ride is certainly the overwhelming impression you get by looking at the dozens of photos in the ad. Said to have 84,000 original miles the off-white exterior and wood paneling are complimented well by the tan interior. Even the rear portion of the big SUV seems to be pristine. This vintage of Wagoneers features a traditional drop-down tailgate, which some people will love.
The engine is a 5.9 liter 360 cubic inch V8 that is said to run and drive well. These AMC engines run well but can be a little more finicky than their Ford and Chevrolet counterparts. Hopefully, this one has been well maintained and the new owner will have years of trouble-free performance.
Overall, this is a great looking Wagoneer and will be a fun family adventure mobile for the new owner. What do you think of these vintage Jeeps? Are they retro-cool yet or do they need some more time? Let us know your thoughts.
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Comments
Cheaper than an old Bronco, go figure. My big brother had a nice one years ago untill the tail gate rusted off. Howard is pretty good at posting what they looked like in the rust belt. Hopefully he will see this one. This is one nice ride, not in the market but I will be watching.
Howard seems to have disappeared from this site. He does seem to be pretty active commenting on the Hemmings site though.
Howard Arbiture appears to be using his alter ego Rube Goldberg handle on this site again.
Busted,,,, a little history on Rube Goldberg. Legend has it, Rubin Goldberg was an enterprising individual, that found, he had many left over parts after a manufacturing endeavor, and realized, he could repurpose those parts to save money. So,,if you see something was cobbled together, the builder got the name Rube Goldberg, which has little, if anything to do with this truck. Probably the nicest example you’ll find, and to compare this with what I had, is strictly coincidental.
Hi Mike, Rube Goldberg gets less flack than Howard A. My ’78 rusted to pieces, and probably the cause of many of it’s malfunctions. When the rear leaf spring mount let go, sending the leaf through the already rusted floor, it was curtains for the old Cherokee.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rivibird/33502714313
Thanks Rube! Just what I was looking for! Take care, Mike.
There should be a medal for the owners that can keep a vehicle this well over 30 years. I think it cool and useful. You get a wagon, cargo hauler, trailer tow vehicle, off road vehicle, luxury vehicle. They fill so many roles. It looks great in white with the wood trim. It screams “Americana” and the owner must be a “Good Guy.” No villain would own this.
My family had three of these when I was growing up, including one from the late 60s when they were still made by Kaiser. Plus a ’74 Cherokee of the same body style, but 2 door. I’d love to get my hands on this one.
A Chrysler 5.9/360 “finicky?” Never mind the engine pictured is clearly an AMC unit! Mopar small blocks don’t have the distributor on the front!
Maybe the author meant to type “thirsty”? Hindsight is 20/20, but I’d like to believe that the Chrysler exec that signed the death notice for these vehicles is kicking himself.
The writeup states it’s an AMC 360….
It’s an AMC 360, not a Chrysler 360.
The writeup states it’s an AMC 360….
It’s been corrected.
I had a 78 cherokee with the 360 motor, I suspect it is a Ford truck motor. Mine had a Motorcraft carb on it.
Interesting that in ’88 AMC was still using the old gas-sucking York 2-cylinder AC compressor and paint shaker. :) Never noticed that before on these. The mid-1980s AMC Eagles that I’ve owned used a more efficient and smoother Sanden compressor, which was very popular in vehicles of that era.
I haven’t found AMC V8s to be particularly finicky. In the mid-1970s AMC did use a troublesome Prestolite electronic ignition system but that was long gone by the time this Wagoneer was built.
A decade and change ago the most I ever paid for a full sizer was $1500 and that was for a minty one. Times have certainly changed!
The AMC 360 of that era was for sure a finicky beast with miles of vacuum hoses, a half dozen CTO valves and of course, one of the last carbureted engines in the US auto manufacturer lines. AMC was struggling and stuck between the rock of stiff EPA rules and the hard place of a lack of any cash. Even when Chrysler eventually bought the failed company they did zero to bring the GW into the more mainstream automotive technology of the later 80’s/early 90’s When they were dialed in, they ran great though 10 or 11mpg was all you would get whether city or highway…because the faster you went, the more of an airplow these massive bricks became. Add to that a 15 gallon tank…I use to tell people that I never ever passed a gas station :)
That said, they had no equal in bad weather. The 4wd system would dig in hard in any snow or mud. And before the NP systems, the QuadraTrac had nothing to compare with. It was the granddaddy of the viscous coupler AWD systems.
And to do all of that while comfortably holding 6 adults and a cargo area full of gear, with a turning circle better than most cars, a relatively plush ride and power accessories that luxury cars of the 80’s generally had is what really made these so charming. Parts were relatively easy to find and strong online user groups meant there weren’t many quirks you couldn’t overcome. It’s great to see the level of appreciation coming up in the auto world these days.
I’m sure you’re right about all the emissions gadgetry! I have not dealt with AMC V8s from the late 1980s, though Eagles had a similar level of complex emission controls and I’ve owned and worked on those. These engines were just crying out for fuel injection. At least in the case of the Eagle, as long as everything is intact and you follow the factory procedures to dial it all in they run well enough. Problem is most people who owned them didn’t bother and would just butcher the systems in an attempt to keep things going.
I hated to see these come into the shop, working on cars that were daily drivers. I considered these a mutt, as they used components from everywhere, and between the Prestolite ignition system and the Motorola alternator you had a handful. Pain in the @$$ to work on. I’m not sure if the Dowgard Antifreeze disaster affected ones this late, but seems I remember having a few that had the cooling system corrosion problem from the Defective Dowgard. Couse I’m talking about everyday cars; Cuustomers who had AMC cars in the 70’s and 80’s swore by them and wouldn’t have anything else. I just swore at em. THis from a custy gray hair mekanik, no offense intended. I like all makes!
Cheers
GPC
Currently 15.400. I’ve seen nice once sell for $25k and the Wagoneer people charge twice that for a rebuilt one.
Never ever understood the facination with why people love this era Wagoneer.
To each their own I guess. Cherokee Chief, 1979 .. more my style.
My now ex-husband and I had a ’72 Wagoneer back in the mid to late 90s. Very “plain Jane” with the only power accessory being the power tailgate window, which was always a Godsend. Love the old wagons where the glass goes into the tailgate and the tailgate folds down.
Great four wheel drive and tow vehicles. Unfortunately, very prone to rust. Ours had severe rust on the quarters and tailgate. Sold it to some guy who was gonna take it to Texas and restore it.
Hope he did.
I had several of these , all had the 360 v8 , loved gas , but would go any where in the ice and snow , I know I drove the snowplow and used these to get to and from work ,never stuck or broke down , cant say the same for the two blazers I had , or the Ford Bronco !!
now drive a Dodge Nitro great little vehicle !!
Ended: Jul 01, 2019 , 10:45PM
Winning bid:US $17,101.00
[ 67 bids ]