We recently had a V8 Jeep pass through our office—no, not like the one of the AutoHunter Picks mentioned below, but an honest-to-goodness 392-powered Rubicon. I took it home and eventually began to sneer at other Jeep drivers and their girly-man vehicles. I had a full command of the road as I was jacked up on 35-inch tires and Red Bull. I owned the road, even if no one else realized it at the time.
This was my first time driving a Jeep and, oh, what a Jeep it was for my first! Sure, Jeeps and other utilitarian vehicles have never been my thing, but I know they are someone else’s, so I hope you enjoy these picks from AutoHunter.
1965 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40
I never paid attention to any Jeep-like vehicle as a kid, though I do remember the commercial introducing the CJ-7 Scrambler. If I close my eyes and think about how Datsun produced several British-inspired sports cars that showed those Limeys reliability and engine technology could coexist with driving fun, would it be fair to think that Toyota did the same thing with vehicles like this 1965 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40?
I’ll guess it’s not quite the same but, nonetheless, the Land Cruiser helped develop a global reputation that continues to this day.
1977 Jeep CJ-5 4WD
Maybe you already knew that the Jeep CJs are often distinguished by wheelbase, but I didn’t. The CJ-5 started out with an 81-inch wheelbase for 1954, then increased it by 1½ inches for 1972-83. The CJ-6 added approximately 20 inches to that, though it’s not a Jeep often seen. The CJ-7 added approximately 10 inches to the CJ-5’s starting for 1976, and this is the Jeep that civilians truly embraced.
However, if you want the authentic Jeep experience, the CJ-5 is it. With an AMC 304 V8 and four-speed stick, I wonder if this is the prototypical version of the 392 Jeep I mentioned in my intro?
2006 AM General Humvee Military Custom
Only 11,818 civilian H1s were built through 2006, with 729 built in its swan song year, but this slantback is a different breed: a military-grade Humvee given the custom treatment. It is powered by a GM diesel with metallurgy that will withstand the rigors of war.
While you dodge rockets and mines, you’re being pampered by a custom black leather interior, eight-speaker Bluetooth stereo, and more. If you wish to live among the cockroaches the morning after, there’s no better vehicle than this.
1949 Dodge B1 Five-Window Pickup
If I bought this Dodge, I’d buy property that would have a long dirt road. I’ll bounce left and light in the cab while double-clutching the floor-mounted three-speed manual—that’s a sure-fire way to build testosterone that Andrew Tate could only dream about.
There’s no use in trying to outrun the cops in this thing considering it barely pushes 100 horsepower in the old way, but at least I can see them clearly through the three rear windows.
