Who Drives or Drove a Jeep

[SuperstitionGuy]

My first car was a 1946 Willys CJ2 Civilian Jeep that I got from my father in 1954. Just like the Military Jeeps of WWII but without the built-in appendages for combat arms and equipment. Like the rifle holders, the extra fuel cans and the axes and the shovels.

The military stopped production late in 1945 and started building for the civilian market by including a power take off in the rear of the Jeep. A column shift for the basic gears with the four-wheel drive and super low levers still on the floor.

There was a place on the dashboard for a key to unlock the ignition and start the engine! After all the Military Jeep did not have that feature because all the Military members were honest and would never ever steal a Jeep! Which meant the Jeep was the most often stolen item during the War.

The Army stole from the Navy and the Navy stole from the Army. The Marines stole from the Cost Guard, the Navy and the Army. To keep a Jeep from being stolen each Department of the Armed Services had to assign a permanent driver to each vehicle just to keep them from being stolen from another unit or branch of the service.

This caused a huge manpower shortage in the Military and so much so that it extended the War another year or two! This did not include Jeeps being stolen by friendly Allies and the enemy.

The Russians didn’t want the Jeep but we shipped them with the Lend/Lease equipment anyway. They loved them so much that they became the family sedan for most families after the War. You can still find pictures of them loaded up with family members going on picnics and what not.

When they Interrogated Prisoners of War after they had surrendered, the first question they asked them was why they gave up. Almost all of them answered because they wanted to drive a Jeep! And now I had one at the young age of 14 years old! My first car!

[Sredfield]

@SuperstitionGuy
My Dad had a 47 Jeep "truck," bigger than the military version but with some of the features you mention. The gear shift was on the floor, with another lever for 4WD and a third for Hi/Low range. We worked it to death many times, and my dad added a dump box which ran off the PTO. One fender had a pretty good ding in it that we could not pound out-it was made of thick steel. He had a blade for the front end to plow snow. Many memories of that vehicles, not all fond.

Thanks for the reminder.

[Pivo]

I have owned the venerable '57 Willys Jeep. It continued to run after the crankshaft broke.

[CannondaleKid]

My father's Jeep from the early 1950's in South Africa...

Through forests

And on rocky roads

For kicks I just had to include our first vehicle in South Africa, a 1932 Chevrolet. (Prior to the Jeep)

Zululand Hillbillies

Notice where the children ride, and the forced fake smiles on the faces of my older sister and brother... you'll note by the scowl on my face I didn't hide my feelings.

Our third vehicle in SA, a 1955 Chevy:

Chevy emulating a Jeep

[SpiderLegs]

I jokingly refer to my high school as a "prep school for working at the Jeep plant". Grew up about a mile away from Jeep HQ and had a girlfriend that lived on Willys Parkway.

[azlaurie]

I drive a Jeep and my license plate is Summet.
Am I part of the cool kid crowd now?

[chumley]

@azlaurie Yes, but the Jeep isn’t the reason why!

[LosDosSloFolks]

@azlaurie
Summet the Rap artist or the urban dictionary definition? The latter is not cool at all IMO.

[RedRoxx44]

I am one of the scorned hybrids--- I drive a highly modified Jeep AND an almost stock Toyota.

[Alston_Neal]

I have a couple of Japanese FB friends that are die hard U.S Army Jeep fans and they're always posting videos and restoration projects. It's like a cult over there and when I go to Kitasaku/Karuizawa I don't see many old cars, but I do see fully restored and lovingly cared for Army Jeeps.

[sneakySASQUATCH]

I towed one to cell service one time.

[cw50must]

I have/had 2 Chrysler Jeeps.

had a 1998 XJ for nearly 15 years, it was awesome.
Now I have a 2014 JK it is awesome as well.

[jonathanpatt]

I have a 2006 LJ with 104,000 miles. I'm replacing all the ball joints, tie rod ends, front axle bearings/hubs, and front axle u-joints this week and hope that will help tighten up the steering, which has gotten a bit looser recently. Will probably do control arms soon, too, as the bushings are visibly very dry and cracked.

[big_load]

I am one of the scorned hybrids--- I drive a highly modified Jeep AND an almost stock Toyota.

I figured if anyone successfully negotiated the mini-chasm on FR-95, it would have been you.

[Merianne]

I dove one of these when I was in the Army. The two in the pic were in my platoon. Once on a Reforger my transmission fell out and my first sgt stuck it back in using two bog sticks. Drove it for a week like that.

[Nighthiker]

78 CJ-7, 88 WJ, 93 XJ and currently 05-TJ and 2010 JK.

[markthurman53]

I had a 1966 Toyota land cruiser back in the 70's and 80's, Actually they called it a chevota, V8 chevy engine. Loved that vehicle but it was a rough ride. In 2016 I got a jeep JK and although it took a while for me to warm up to it and a month or two to drive it without a paper bag over my head, I have grown to like it. It gets me where I need to go.

[AZLumberjack]

When I was stationed in Germany during my stint with the US Army, I drove the M-38A1 (with the rounded fenders) and the M-151. The M-151 was considered a hazard because of its independent suspension and frequently rolled over when driving along a side hill.

[SuperstitionGuy]

@AZLumberjack
So the M-151 was considered a side-winder?

[azlaurie]

did you know about Jeep Easter Eggs? I have found 2 in mine.