Why?

[JeffP]

I learned to drive in a Jeep... flat fender military. Then we got a new M38-A1 and I drove that until I left home.
After the Vietnam War ended I bought a ‘76 CJ5 . It did OK but certainly wasn’t as rugged as the previous ones we had.
Decades passed & of being Jeepless until last year when I started a collection. My first is a 75. Just completed a frame up restoration with a AMC 304 - 4 spd. The 2nd was a true barn find. A ‘76 CJ5 , AMC 304 - 3 spd. 50k original miles! Then a 69 CJ5 that I couldn’t pass up. 100% original... Hurricane 4cyl - 4 spd with a dealer installed metal top. Runs perfectly! Since then a 74 CJ5 AMC 304 - 3 spd. And a 72 CJ5 AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l - 4spd. Both the 72 & 74 need complete restoration.
I’m in central AZ where old cars are plentiful... no rust etc.. But... older Jeeps worth buying are nearly impossible to buy! Of the CJ5 model alone there were over 620,000 made! Where are they? They didn’t die from mechanical breakdown. Parts are cheap & super easy to come by.
They are going extinct because of stupid people! I get asked almost daily... “have you taken it out rock crawling or muddin’ yet?” It’s not even funny anymore.
Now I totally get it... going places that few vehicles dare, if at all. Been there & plan on going back several more times. But... I won’t intentionally beat the hell out of it. What I can’t comprehend is why far too many abuse these great vehicles.
After the... “been muddin’ yet?” I hear the... “years ago I HAD a Jeep... wish I still had it.” There is a good reason they no longer have it and it isn’t difficult to figure out.
I’ve considered selling the ‘76 but it breaks my heart to know it will likely be destroyed the first day or following weekend at the latest. I’ll probably end up keeping it just to preserve it. Maybe when it becomes rare enough, someone will come along that respects it enough to drive it right.
Why do people beat these so bad?

 

[Belizean]

I've always wondered why people beat the out of their stuff also. Or bury the vehicle to the windshield in a huge mud hole. Was getting my hair cut several months back and was in my jeep and there was one of those ford pickups with huge tires out front and when I went inside a guy had seen me pull up in my jeep and asked if I had ever gone to a well known park famous for huge mud holes over in Mississippi. I said no I was not into deep mud. Then he went on telling me after that that he had spent most of the last weekend power washing the mud out of it. I learned my lesson almost 50 years ago with my first small motorcycle in some super sticky mud. It took hours to get that glued on mud, off, and I never went back to that area.

 

[mdeluca]

My recollections from childhood were in the Colorado rockies where we got hauled by someone's Dad into the back country on dirt paths to go camping... more of a 4WD utility vehicle... good in the snow too. It was always slow and steady.

I thought they were the coolest vehicle in the world... still do.

Don't think I'll be tearing mine apart anytime soon.

On the other hand, I've torn up a few dirt bikes and a baja bug. Had a helluva time.

 

[Scorzany]

No mud hole for my baby.

No

Way

Street Queen and love it!

 

[Lumpy Grits]

Have owned my '7', for almost 33 yrs.
I run it harder than most, and it's my biggest 'toy'.
Mine has a few scares and plenty of 'rock-rash' underneath. I bought this Jeep to 'play' and explore with. Have 'cut' many a trail with it.
It has served me well, especially with the mods I have done.
LG

 

[Posi]

Then a 69 CJ5 that I couldn’t pass up. 100% original... Hurricane 4cyl - 4 spd with a dealer installed metal top. Runs perfectly!

With all do respect.....I could only focus on this ^^^
Not too many T-98 were found in the early 5's, their out there, but not many.
The only thing that would trump that would be if it was behind a Perkins Diesel diesel and the year was between 61-68.
Good on you!

 

[Hedgehog]

There is a difference between running a jeep like a jeep and driving it to destruction. I've gotten in trouble for questioning some of the uses folks put their CJ's through. My CJ is made to go someplace, not to push to and beyond the breaking point. The places I want to go can be in rough country, but there is a destination in mind. I have said it before, I don't understand piling rocks up just to see if they can be driven over or going to some 4x4 park to drive in the mud or over logs or on rock piles. I simply don't understand that. I do understand building a machine specially for racing or rock crawling. Those vehicles are not really jeeps, they are very jeep like with huge articulation and big everything else. Those are sorta made to abuse, even destroy. I think that is where mistakes are made. Our street machines are simply not made for that kind of abuse. Run them even 1/2 as hard and they will break.

 

[jp360cj]

IMO, one of the great things about CJs is they can just at home on the trail, at the local cruise-in, cruising around the beach, or wherever. I enjoy trail riding and learning the capabilities and limitation of a vehicle, but I don't do anything too extreme. If my CJ would have been in better shape, I never would have even considered modifying it as much as I have. But they can still be enjoyed off road and not beaten up.

 

[PistolDave]

I would be willing to bet you that rust and neglect have killed a whole lot more CJ's than off road abuse ever has.

I have personally rescued 2 CJ's that would have otherwise been hauled to the scrap heap because they sat outside for 25 years in the weather and got rusty to the point that most folks aren't willing to mess with restoring them.

There are 2 CJ5 's in my area that I drive by frequently that have sat in the same spot for at least the last 15 years without moving. One has some kind of aftermarket hard top on it, the other has never had a top. One of these days when I get caught up on some of my other projects I plan on stopping by and chatting with the owners and maybe one of those rigs will get saved from the scrap pile as well.

Dave

 

[JeffP]

I would be willing to bet you that rust and neglect have killed a whole lot more CJ's than off road abuse ever has.
Dave

Dave, I can’t agree with you. It’s true that far too many were wasted because of rust but even here in AZ where rust doesn’t exist, CJ5s are nearly extinct. As far as rust goes CA isn’t too harsh for Jeeps either but good luck finding an older one.
I’m confident that anyone here who has owned one can testify to the design & construction of the early military & CJs that they never had a reputation for being fragile or proneto chronic mechanical issues. Of the 620,000 CJ5s made the vast majority died as a result of abuse & exposure to the elements.
Too bad they weren’t made of stainless steel! I’d be tempted to polish one.

 

[PistolDave]

Well, in my admittedly Limited personal experience, I don't know anyone among my motorhead friends that have destroyed any kind of vehicle by offroad abuse, but I know of quite a few that have been left out in fields to rot after some type of failure like a Transmission going out or such.

Having personally bought several vehicles from Albuquerque and Phoenix, I can assure you that one of the reasons there is a shortage of jeeps in AZ is because that is one of the main places that people from 'rusty' states go to buy classic vehicles, because they are usually rust free.

I know several people that have jeeps and regularly use them offroad, but they aren't beating on them like Ivan Stewart in the last 20 miles of the Baja1000. Maybe my most of my friends are just not knuckleheads? Who knows.....

One phenomenon that occurs here in Texas that claims a number of jeeps is their use as a 'hunting lease' vehicle. Once a jeep gets ratty enough around here that its not suitable for daily driver use, there is a good chance it will be purchased by hunters to leave on their hunting lease. Most of these jeeps do not survive this experience, mostly due to neglect. Just my experience.

 

[Hedgehog]

Given the age of our CJ's there are quite a few still out and about. How many '55 fords do you see on the streets? Not many. Why are there so many old military Willys's around? They didn't have the power more modern CJ's had. Big power will kill about any vehicle. Smooth and slow driving adds life to about any jeep.

 

[Belizean]

Given the age of our CJ's there are quite a few still out and about. How many '55 fords do you see on the streets? Not many. Why are there so many old military Willys's around? They didn't have the power more modern CJ's had. Big power will kill about any vehicle. Smooth and slow driving adds life to about any jeep.

Well said HH

 

[shum8]

Why do people beat these so bad?

I hear ya!! My neighbor walked over the other day when I turned mine around in the driveway - said he couldn't wait to go with me to do some heavy rock crawling. I told him we could go now, in his truck, cause the Jeep ain't going...... I have way too many hours into this thing to tear it up. Snow? Sure. Crossing creeks, crossing fields? Yup. Exploring a couple thousand acres we have available for "exploring"? Absolutely. I've had my fill of mud...... mine will be treated to light off-roading just to keep its attention LOL

 

[mdeluca]

I sang mine a lullaby just tonight...

 

[Belizean]

I sang mine a lullaby just tonight...

Wow. I was just out patting the hood. The dog was howling because he was jealous. He still hasn't gotten over that. The wife got over it a long time ago.

 

[mtnwhlr]

Given the age of our CJ's there are quite a few still out and about. How many '55 fords do you see on the streets? Not many. Why are there so many old military Willys's around? They didn't have the power more modern CJ's had. Big power will kill about any vehicle. Smooth and slow driving adds life to about any jeep.

When was the last time you say a AMC Gremlin or a old Charger my point is they are old and most have been wrecked or what ever and the ones that are left are sitting in someones garage. Case in point I was at a customers house last week and in their garage was a flat fender and a late '70s CJ5 that were very nice. I guess what I'm trying to say is it happens to everything that gets old not just Jeeps.

 

[mdeluca]

The wife got over it a long time ago.

LMAO...

 

[buzzardB]

I know of at least twelve CJ5 's in my county (20,000+-people, about 500 square miles). Three + my CJ5 are less than a mile from my house. I also see them passing through here often.

 

[Posi]

Same here, we have so many CJ's in my area along with the 6 other states in New England.
Colorado is loaded with CJ5 's for sale, even more under folks ownership.
I've purchased 2 CJ5 's in CO a 69, and 71, both in good condition.
I also wheeled both of those Jeeps in CO and New England on some mild to hard trails, both Jeeps were not harmed in any way, unless you call a few scraps on the skid plate beating it.
In New England the Jeeps that die come from rust and neglect.
I've been wheeling for awhile, and I've never seen anyone I've wheel with intentionally beat their CJ. Never!
If one rubs a tree they/we fix it.
On the flip side, you have folks installing lifts, larger tires, and T-18s to never go offroad.
Some folks would say their only getting half the enjoyment out of their multi-function Jeep.
If you ever look at some old 60s-70s Jeep CJ commercials their big selling point is taking the CJ offroad where the fun begins.
Chances are you won't find a CJ commercial that doesn't show some aggressive offroad driving, including getting the front tires in the air.
Jeeps offer each person something different, and "all" is fine!
Some folks want an ice cream getter, some want a mild wheeler, and other find more challenging opportunities. Again, "all" is fine!