Spectacular Survivor! 1976 Jeep Wagoneer
The Wagoneer had its genesis in the Willys Jeep Station Wagon, built starting in 1946. The Station Wagon was Willys’ family offering, sold alongside the Utility Wagon. By the early 1960s, Willys (then owned by Kaiser) wanted to move into the luxury “family mover” segment; thus the Wagoneer was born. The first version – penned by Brooks Stevens of Studebaker fame – was shown in late 1962 and sold for the 1963 model year. Built on a pickup chassis, its body was car-like with a low stance and easy ingress, and its trim and interior appointments were decidedly luxurious. These features set it apart from its competition, spurring sales. By the 1970s, AMC had purchased Jeep. Changes included AMC’s 360 cu. in. motor offered as standard and the Quadra-Trac full-time four-wheel drive system – which eliminated shift levers and manually locking hubs. Here on eBay is a 1976 Jeep Wagoneer for sale, currently bid to $6,564.64, with no apparent reserve. The Wagoneer is located in Lakewood, Washington. The seller has had this vehicle for three years and uses it for weekend driving. Mileage is quoted at 12,905.
This truck could go to a “cars and coffee” just as it is – it’s that clean. Equipped with an automatic transmission, the AMC 360 cu. in. motor and two-barrel carburetor, this Wagoneer’s horsepower rating is about 140 bhp, so it’s not going to light up the pavement but it’s a charmer nonetheless. It has newer brakes and new tires. The seller indicates it starts every time and runs great. The under-hood insulation is still hanging in there!
The interior is nearly perfect with black vinyl bucket seats in front. The rear seats look great too, and the headliner is mostly intact if a bit dirty. The Wagoneer comes with its original owner’s manual, a minor miracle. Its Saxon Yellow paint looks to be in good driver condition and the “woodgrain” insert trim is clean all around. Someone added a few extra lights to the front end, and it has after-market auxiliary brake lights up by the roof line.
Underneath, no surprises. This Jeep has obviously had caring owners all along its journey. I can’t really find a flaw; my only questions would be – are there maintenance records available, and do all the electrical items work. Other than that, this Wagoneer is tough to fault. Love to have it in my garage, except it’s not needy enough! What do you think?
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Comments
I love everything about this vehicle. So period correct and clean. Even like the color. I wonder if the family that owned it called it the bus when they needed to shuttle the kids to practice and other school events. Couple items that could make ownership a burden is the lack of A/C and the full time 4X4. They are not easy on gas. Both issues could be resolved and it wouldn’t be a deal breaker if I was looking to own one.
It does have A/C.
There is a under dash mounted unit but I don’t see any compressor or lines in the engine compartment. No mention of A/C in the description.
Wow! I would love to make this a ski vehicle as a counterpoint to all the yuppie suvs I see. But it would be a shame to do that to the clean looking underside.
Looks just like the car in “What About Bob”
Beautiful example. Sunshine Yellow is a great color for these 70’s Wags! My last Wagoneer was a 76 in Mocha Brown that was ordered fully decked out with a 401, Sidewinder winch (dealer installed), CB radio (ha). It was owned by a Dr here in CO that needed something that could get him around in the winters when he did house calls…remember those?…
These rusted horribly in the rear quarters and doglegs. It’s nice to see one that hasn’t succumbed to the tin worm! And yeah, as Alphasud says no AC makes it tough in these, especially without power windows…it’s quite a reach across that front seat to roll down the passenger window! Also, these non-vented fill necks mean you have to fill the tank slowwwwwly or you can end up getting a gas bath with our modern pumps. Another interesting thing…1976 was the last year for non-cat FSJ Jeeps, but 1975 was the last year for the rest of the Jeep line. One day I’ll tell you about the TWO DAY affair getting my 76 through Colorado emissions because they insisted it was supposed to have a cat.
The QuadraTrac was a great AWD system. It used a chain in the transfer case (a first in the 4wd market) but also utilized a clutch pack to balance the torque distribution. It was a very advanced system for the day. I remember reading somewhere that it was originally design for military use but can’t remember exactly where.
I’d like it a lot better if it had Lo Range, but a Wagoneer this pretty is probably not one you’d want to thrash about among the trees.
Overall, A very nice looking survivor. I am guessing the mileage is really 112,905 given the engine compartment and chassis appearance, but at least it appears rust-free. I am sure the bidding will push this gem upwards of $30k. I don’t see the a/c hookup under the hood.
I had a 69, they were still more basic truck like than car like. Had the Factory Buick 350, automatic, P/S. Two-way Meyers plow. Great in the snow and in the woods! Unfortunately it rusted to death!!!