1982 Jeep CJ5

Description

Jeeps are on the upswing thanks to a reinvigorated brand image that focuses on off-road power instead of cute girly 4x4s. However, finding a clean CJ5 like this is no easy task today, so if you're a fan of the old iron, you should sit up and pay attention to this with its oversized rolling stock, awesome black paint, and butch off-roading credentials.

Remember all those CJs that you saw slowly rusting away from within? This isn't one of them. It's a lifelong southern vehicle that's never seen anything colder than a garden hose, and from the looks of things, someone went the extra mile when they were applying that black paint. With the flat sides, it should be easy to get the bodywork straight, but that's where you have to watch out because flat is flat and curved is curved, and making a flat panel look as good as they do on this Jeep takes some skill. There are also a few splashes of chrome, just to break things up a bit, from the tubular bumpers to the mirrors, to the steps, and those molded rubber fender flares give it a wide track look. Out back there's a matching fifth wheel and tire setup (expensive!), and the whole combination looks tough enough to conquer Death Valley.

Speaking of basic, the interior is a great update on the classic Jeep look. Fresh red leather seat covers on the high-back buckets look sporty rather than plain, and the back seat has its own matching cover for a pair of friends. The color combination is awesome and finding such high-quality materials in a Jeep is extraordinarily rare. There's a comprehensive array of instruments watching the engine, some stock and some not, and all of them clustered in the middle of the dash in traditional Jeep fashion. A trick center console offers locking, protected storage for your gear and a matching padded armrest on top. The entire interior was covered in spray-on bedliner material, so it's still low-maintenance and ready to play. Removable doors and top are part of the Jeep experience, and it's a brand new setup from Bestop that seals up well when you need it most.

Jeep's famously rugged 258 cubic inch inline-six still lives under the hood, and given the CJ5's light curb weight, it's plenty powerful. We believe it's the original engine and it's been fitted with a new carburetor and distributor, making it run incredibly smoothly. It appears to be mostly stock, which means that it has great reliability when you need it most, and the engine bay is clean enough to suggest that it hasn't been spending its weekends in the mud. The 4-speed manual is linked to a 2-speed transfer case for serious rock crawling and with a mild 2-inch lift on the suspension, it's easy to imagine yourself out on the trails. A new single exhaust system has just the right combination of power and sound, and the undercarriage, while mostly original, doesn't look like it's been abused off-road. Super cool 18-inch XD aluminum wheels were powdercoated black to great effect and wear 285/65/18 Nitto Grappler M/T off-road meats.

Go ahead, price vintage CJs and you'll find that they're all basket cases, cut up into some kind of wild off-roader, or, very rarely, clean drivers like this. Don't miss another chance, take this one home today!