Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Willys is the first civilian edition of the Jeep that helped win WWII. This being Memorial Day in the U.S., that seems fitting. We’ll have to decide if this bare-bones four-by-four’s price is equally fitting.
The start of a long weekend always puts people in a good mood. Last Friday wasn’t just the start of the long Memorial Day weekend, it also unofficially kicked off the all-important backyard barbecue and wearing matching white shoes and belts season. What a time to be alive! That happiness was reflected in both the comments and the voting on this past Friday’s contender, a slightly unpolished but still very nice 1986 Porsche 928 S. Prices on 928s are all over the place these days, but at $11,900, the seller of Friday’s car seemed to have hit a sweet spot, at least that’s the takeaway we took from the 79 percent Nice Price win it received.
Today is Memorial Day, which allows us to reflect on those who have given their lives so that we might enjoy our lives as best we can. To honor their sacrifice, today I put up my flag, and, after firing up the grille, I plan to spend the afternoon watching a couple of my favorite WWII movies — 12 O’Clock High and Empire of the Sun. I’m sure many of you have similar plans.
Before you do, however, we all need to take a look at this 1946 Willys-Overland CJ2A. This Jeep is a survivor from the early post-war era and represents one of the most stripped-down no-nonsense off-road capable trucks you could find.
The CJ2A was the first consumer market Jeep — hence the CJ or Civilian Jeep moniker. Despite the shift from wartime to civilian duty, the first CJ wasn’t civilized at all. This one evidences that plain and simple ethos to the hilt, and while there’s not much to it, there is a lot to like.
The bodywork looks straight — literally so. Aside from the rounded corners of the hood, every line and crease on the CJ2 looks like it was created in an Origami 101 class. There’s a bit of surface rust underneath, and plenty of pocking from previous attacks evident as well. Overall, though, the body and hefty frame both look to be solid citizens. The two seats (the passenger seat was originally an optional extra on the CJ2A) are as thinly padded as possible. That will prevent people from getting too comfortable and thinking about moving in.
You won’t have too much time to get comfortable either as you’ll be engrossed in figuring out what all those levers sprouting from the floorboards do. According to the ad, the Jeep has overdrive on its T-90 three-speed so highway driving might actually be possible. Helping achieve that too, the original Go-Devil flat-head has been replaced at some point with a later Hurricane F-head four. That puts out something like 75 horsepower and 115 lb-ft of torque.
The ad also says that the windshield was replaced along the way, but that the Jeep is otherwise all stock and original. The seller claims it to run “amazing,” saying that they “drive it all the time.” The title is clean and it wears California blue and gold plates which, while not period correct, are cool in their own right.
This CJ2A is cool too. The question, of course, is whether it is cool enough to meet its asking. That’s a cool $14,900, and it’s now time for you all to weigh in on that price. What do you think, is this Jeep worth that much cheddar? Or, is this just a bare-bones truck with a fancy-pants price?
You decide!
San Diego, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at rob@jalopnik.com and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.
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