We are New members, here's our Jeep!

Here's my story - it's a bit long, but it will remind you of the "Great America" we live in and her people from a time when this 1946 Jeep was made.  I love being an American.  I love our flag.  I think that's why I love my Willys' Jeep so much.  It reminds me of why America is great and how we take pride in the things we make and how we expect them to last. 

I joined this site a couple of weeks ago and have already had a couple of tech questions answered. Thanks.  I have always had a love of Jeeps especially the Willys' Flat Fenders.  I have conducted countless searches on the internet for just that "right" jeep and believe it or not I got the deal of the Century! 

When I was younger I collected military style rifles, nothing special, just your average semi-auto AR15, AK47, and etc.  As I got older, married and had a child, my priorities changed. 

Now these "cool" guns laid in a safe, never seeing light, and some were even brand new.   I was looking for a more family oriented activity.  We live in the country in Florida.  The small city we live in has a classic car show once a month.  This fueled my passion for a Willys Jeep even more, so again countless hours were spent looking for that perfect Jeep!  But here's the dilemma as most people with children know, there is no extra cash for dad's toys now :)  I was "gun rich" and "cash poor" and selling the guns would have only brought in a percentage of their value.  So I began the hunt for that perfect Jeep and the right owner who would trade it for a weapons arsenal.

I had located several Jeeps and presented my offer several times with no luck.  Everyone was in need of cold hard cash, not steel.  I came close to closing the deal with a great rebuilt Jeep in Georgia, but the deal fell through as the couple owning the Jeep where going to resell the guns to a friend who owned a gun shop.  Unfortunately they backed out after they decided the guns looked too scary!

So again my search continued.  One late night I came across a Craig's list ad "1946 Willys CJ2A" total rebuilt with new replacement body $5,500.  I viewed the pictures and this little Jeep was a beauty.  It was to good a deal to still be available, I thought to myself, but I emailed my offer again as I had in the past so many other times.

A couple of days later there was a response stating, "we are interested, can you please send pictures of the guns?" I quickly ran to my safe pulled out the guns, took pictures, and emailed them out.  A day or so later I got an email back saying we have a deal if I would also include $1K.  This was almost the deal breaker, because cash was extremely tight at this point.  I shot back an email with a counter offer of $500 cash, some ammo and accessories.  They countered with, "let's spilt the difference $750 cash, guns, ammo and accessories."  I couldn't say YES fast enough! I rounded up $750 cash, cashing in a 30 year old bond, sold some miscellaneous stuff, and called the couple to arrange the trade and pick up. 

They lived about two hours away and were going out of town.  My work schedule didn't allow me make it over there until two weeks when I could get a truck and trailer to tow the Jeep back.  I called them and told them my new dilemma and offered to send $100 or so to hold the Jeep and asked them to consider it sold, sight unseen.  This was very scary for me, for two reasons: I only had seen the Jeep in photos and was going on their word as to it being rebuilt as "new", and the biggest reason, my wife was not happy about the Jeep idea.  Seeing I'm not mechanically inclined, she was afraid it would be a sour 64 year old lemon!

Well a good friend and myself loaded up his truck with the weapons and drove across the state of Florida, thinking the Police will never believe us if we get stopped, also hoping we weren't going to get robbed, in all scenes of the word!

Two hours later and $100 dollars in gas we arrived at our destination.  I knocked on the door of a small house with a one car garage, just minutes from the Atlantic ocean. The door opened and we met two of the nicest people, Carolyn and Bob.  After some small talk they took me over to their one car garage and opened the door.  It was like unwrapping a present Christmas morning as the door slowly rose.  There sat a bright red shine Willys CJ2A, looking brand new!  I couldn't believe my eyes. We put her in neutral and pushed her out into the driveway. Bob said "get in!"  "I'll start her up and take you around the block so you can hear her run." She fired right up and off we went.  Bob explained how to drive her, seeing I barely knew how to drive stick.  After a drive around the block we returned, Bob jumped out and said I could take her out with my friend and talk it over.  As I drove off with my friend Troy who knows about mechanics, I asked him what he thought.  Troy said if you don't take this jeep, I will!  Now get back and make the trade before they change their minds.  He joked I should feel guilty, saying I was stealing this Jeep from them.

We pulled back into the driveway with big smiles on our faces and shook hands and said deal.  Next we went through the trade piece by piece and exchanged the guns, ammo, accessories, and cash. We completed the tedious paper work because we were dealing with firearms.  The Jeep was loaded on the trailer and off we went. 

But before we left, Carolyn explained the Jeep was Bob's father who had passed away the previous year. She loved the Jeep so much Bob's father had willed it to her.   Unfortunately it was a sad reminder of Bobs dad's passing. She explained they also had a 1951 Willys M38 on their property in central Florida and they were avid hunters, target shooters and gun collectors. She also stated their son had just moved back home and they needed the garage space.  She explained the Jeep was too nice to take to the property and they didn't have time to go to car shows.  Carolyn said they had put the Jeep in several papers and magazines a year ago for $12K and got an offer of $10K, but decided to wait because at that time they really didn't want to sell it and at that time they were not in a hurry to get rid of it.  But they finally decided it was time to let it go and they desperately needed the space and put it back up for sale at $5,500 for a fast sale.  Carolyn said they just put up the ad on Craig's list ad when they got my email and they loved the idea, of me and my family spending time together going to car shows with the Jeep as a family activity.  They felt it was a proper life for their Jeep and her husband and older son already fell in love with my gun collection.  Carolyn also stated the guy who had offered them $10K the year before came over their house with $5,500 cash and said I'll take the Jeep.  She told the guy the Jeep was already sold and the guy said I will give you $6K cash right now, but she still turned him away, saying if our first deal falls through you can have the Jeep.

Well, needless to say, the Jeep is ours now and my wife and one year old daughter love it! My daughter points to the Jeep and says, "Vroom Vroom."  Letting us know she wants to go for a ride.  My family and I have been to several car shows now and we always have a blast.  Can't wait for the next one. Yesterday when I took these photos we were going for a ride up and down our dead end street.  Please enjoy the photos and the story.  This has reminded me that America is still Great and it is still filled with honest, trustworthy people, just like the time when this Jeep was made.

Remember one man's junk is another's treasure!