New Member looking for opinions on this Wagon

[DKs62]

Hello all. I'm a new member who's a long time fan of the Willys Utility. I find myself in need of a 4x4 and decided it might be time to quit being a poser and actually get a Wagon. I went to take a look at one today near Denver and was looking for some opinions before I took the plunge. It is all stock with a claimed 87,000 miles, the Super Hurricane and a PTO winch. The winch in a HUGE Ramsey (not the Koenig) on a homemade winch mount. The Willys got an amateur resto complete with Maaco paint job about 12 years ago. There was not a lot of body prep done and they basically painted over the dings and dents and the body was not well cleaned so there are a few rust bubbles and about a 3x3 inch rust through spot on the passenger side wheel arch. The drip rail on the drivers side is a little wavy over the middle windows, there is some bondo on the passenger door and body panel which both seem a little bumpy, and it's tough to tell what condition the bottom of the tailgate is in (top seems solid with a pretty major dent along the top edge). The engine runs smooth and the interior is nicely done, floor pans look good and the transfer case, trans and PTO all work. The brakes from master cylinder to the hubs were replaced. Comes with some extra parts including the small seat for the back, a service manual and the gas can hangers for the cowl. Underside is pretty greasy, but he only drives it occasionally. Anyway, he wants $5,500 for it and I was wondering what the experts here thought. I checked a couple of price guides and I would unofficially rate it a low 3 to 4 on the 1-6 scale. This would be the vehicle getting me to work when 4x4 is required. I know it's not easy rating something based on a description and a few pics, but knowledge is power and you guys have it. If you want to take a look at it you can search the denver craigslist for 62 Willy (dropped the s).

Anything else I should be looking for -- good or bad?

Thanks in advance and I hope to join soon and not be a one hit wonder here.

[Jcmjr1959]

Hello, I'm not a expert and not very good at restoring my 1970 jeepster but I must say I get a lot of joy from working on it and driving it is such a great feeling of satisfaction ...so I would say buy it and have fun ....good luck on you decision ....

[1948 Cal Willys Pickup]

Welcome...it sounds like a cool vehicle but there would be some things that concern me. You may have a diamond in the rough but more likely a stone in the quarry. All the hidden gems you were talking about under the quality paint job would worry me. Do you have the tools and skills necessary to do the body work or have the money to get the work done? The good thing about most Willys is they are solid sheetmetal and can be worked fairly easy if you have all the right stuff. Another concern for me would be the Super Hurricane. Its hard to find parts and when you do you will pay. Not sure about the winch and the PTO...a cool add on that you dont find on a lot of trucks nowadays. If you have a need for the PTO or just like the nostalgia then its worth a second look. Also are you restoring or rebuilding? Either way what ever your decision I would not consider more than 3K myself. If a 4x4 is all you are really worried about then jump across the border and find yourself a decent Cali car. Usually they are more rust free and believe it or not fairly easy to come by. Good luck on a tough decision.

[DKs62]

Thanks for the inputs. I'm a decent shadetree and fairly well equipped, so the work itself doesn't scare me off. But, it will be my regular driver to work when snows, so I don't want something that is going to crap out frequently. It wouldn't get any major work done on it until my Chrysler project is finished. Basically, I wanted something to get me to work that would be a fun resto/rebuild project later.

I thought the asking price might have been a little much for what it was and I appreciate the opinion on that as well. I didn't realize parts for the 226 were so tough to come by. I think I'll pass on this one and either look at some C101s in the area or wait for a better wagon to come along.