1980 Jeep Cherokee

NO RESERVE !!!

PRIVATE SALE

Jeep is located in Calgary. Alberta. Canada.

(3 hours directly north of Montana)

Will sell anywhere in the USA. or worldwide.  

Vehicle is exempt of any travel restrictions (Domestic USA build. plus antique status). and.

title can be transferred anywhere you are.

  ***  Determined seller ***
Oh. should mention. My wife has become pretty great at arranging delivery.   She has established excellent shipping contacts. and will be happy to help arrange delivery. Whatever your shipping quote is. she can maybe get it for almost HALF from a Canadian company!!!

 

1980 Jeep Cherokee Chief 4x4

a. k. a. The "MYSTERY JEEP"

Here we go everyone.   The "Mystery Jeep" is up for sale.
20. 00 miles???  (Good question.   Please read on. )

History and background:
Last year I sold our beloved '72 Jeep truck "Jethro" (see awesome feedback!).   Our family grew and it didn't really suit it's intended purpose any longer.   It was meant as a fun vintage vehicle. with that great classic look. to take us for occasional weekend trips to the cabin and back.   We revelled in that great Eddie Bauer-ish vibe.   Was great to pack the plaid cooler. fill the thermos with coffee (& Bailey's). put on the lumberjack jacket. and hit the road to the foothills.   Problem was. we now needed something larger than a single cab pickup. with more seating.   No sooner than I sold "Jethro". I came across this Jeep Cherokee Chief at an estate sale.   I wasn't even there knowing there'd be a Jeep for sale!  It was pure happenchance.   Unfortunately. nobody could supply any information. or knew a thing about it.   Hence.   The "Mystery Jeep".  

When I arrived at the estate sale. the Jeep wasn't even for sale yet.   Because nobody had any information about it. no one knew quite how to proceed.   It was parked at the back of one of the barns. buried amongst. and behind. mountains of boxes and various items.   I made the estate representative an offer. and could hardly await a call back.   That evening. I received a phone call confirming that it was accepted. and the next day. I met with the people and exchanged some dollars.   I was simply ecstatic!  2 days following that. they informed me that they had made a path for it to be pulled out of the barn.   I couldn't wait to take a better look at it.   It's been a long time since I seen one of these.   First place I trailered it was home. where it was anxiously met with my trusty pressure-washer.

The Jeep was a MESS.   There were layers of dust. dirt. and grime.   I washed away.   Underneath everything. I discovered something VERY INTERESTING.  

The odometer read 30. 00 kilometres.   That is the equivalent of 20. 00 miles.   No big deal. I thought; probably 130. 00 and it's turned over once.   Then I noted that the pedals had zero wear.   What the heck. I thought.   absolutely zero wear.   Yep. Zero.   Zip. zilch. nada.   Nothing.   Right away my eyes darted to the seats.   The seats had no wear at all either.   Now my curiosity was definitely piqued.   I investigated further.   What I didn't immediately notice is that the Jeep was wearing it's original tires.   Holy smokes!  Could this be???  The tires were aged but. only had approximately 20. 00 miles worth of wear.   Could this really be an original 30. 00 kilometre (20. 00 mile) Jeep Cherokee Chief? 

As I cleaned further. the more I found.   It kept going and unravelling.   Matter of fact. it was like pulling a loose thread on a sweater.   Eventually I determined that my suspicions were more-than-likely true.  

Old paperwork and such indicated that the last time the Mystery Jeep was on the road would have been in 1984.   It would have been 4 years old.   The original owner's name. that was on the papers I discovered. sounded ethnic and vaguely familiar to me.   I asked my dad.   Well. wildest thing.   My dad knew the fellow.   Some of his closest friends from back in the "old-country" were his closest friends from even back in the "old-country".   Story amongst the 80+ year-olds is that the Jeep was bought for a hunting/fishing truck. and that's what it was used for until a heart condition prevented him from doing such.   Nobody recalls seeing the Jeep or hearing anything about it since it was near new.   Well. that was nearly all I needed to confirm my suspicions.  

So. is it 20. 00 miles?  Well. I can't for-sure say.   I do not have any real information 1st-hand. or even any maintenance logs. receipts. or old invoices.   With that said. Here's some more clues.   We decided to fully re-gasket the engine before attempting to start it.   Once it was sitting on a stand. I had a mechanic open it up.   He marvelled at what he found. stating (in his exact words) that "this this is brand f-----g new!!!"  I had him replace everything that sitting for a very prolonged period of time would have deteriorated.   Nearly the entire engine was re-gasketed.   The carburator was rebuilt.   All the belts and hoses were replaced.   The brakes were changed too.   By the time the smoke cleared. hours had really accumulated and the repair bill was many thousands.   BUT. It was worth it.   Opening the engine revealed that it had wear commensurate with approx. 20. 00 miles.   Still. can I definitely say that it's 20. 00 miles?  Nope but.   Getting really close!

So. after that. I took the Jeep to a detail shop. run by a close friend.   There. they fully removed the interior; all of it  Everything was cleaned. including under the dash. and even inside of the doors and rear panels!!!  A rust inhibitor was applied in every nook and crevice.   I ordered a new carpet. and it was installed.   This was a FULL carpet kit and the highest quality that I'm told is offered.   I thought the original black carpet was too dark and drab.   We'd special ordered the kit in light silver-grey.   It really brightens it up. and looks pretty marvelous.

After the interior was attended to. the detail shop moved onto the exterior.   They removed the old decals that were lightly cracked and starting to peel. and wetsanded the paint smooth.   It was finished by a 3-day long multiple stage polishing.   I'm told it was the longest and most intense detailing job anyone's ever had done there.   I opted to save the original "patina" instead of touching anything up.   I'm a stout believer that any survivor vehicle's pedigree is evident in it's original finish.   There are small dings. chips. and even scratches throughout.   I have no idea what went on in that barn but. it wasn't kind to the paint.   Instead of blending touch-up paints. I accentuated the imperfections up.   We polished them through further.   It looks vintage and it's just fabulous/amazing.

When I got the Jeep. the air-conditioning pump was missing.   I had another one sourced. and everything hooked up.   Another expense (err. investment -- as I told the Mrs. )

It doesn't stop there.   I took the Jeep to a local body shop. where I had a talented painter coat the lower part of the body and the flares in a super-durable truck bedliner material called Rhino.   He also did the inner portion of the tailgate. and underside of the hood.   This was on my old Jeep truck (Jethro) and am a great fan of the process and product.   It's fairly costly (likely 1/2 to 2/3's the price of an average paint job) but. an amazing product and awesome rugged look that enhances this vehicle perfectly.

From Phoenix Graphics. we ordered a factory Jeep stripe kit.   I took the Jeep to a local stripe shop and had them professionally install the factory "Cherokee Chief" graphics package.   They had suggested adding a couple highlights in white. along with a reverse cut-out of the letters in a lighter silver background.   Once again. it was a fabulous improvement.   The Jeep looked amazing.

Last thing I did was order some brand new wheels.   Although I like the factory white-ranger rims. I much prefer to accentuate anything chrome with polished billet aluminum.   We wrapped them in classic white-letter BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires.

There was LOTS else but. this is getting very long.   I'll condense and jump forward.

That brings me to today.   After everything I've done.   I'm done.   Much more money was spent than anticipated.   My wallet hemorrhaged dollar bills for nearly a year.   And. it's still not quite complete.   I'll detail a few items:  Spare tire carrier should be reinstalled (included).   Rear arm rests should be reinstalled (included).   Windshield has a crack.   Needs new wiper blades.   Rear seat belts need larger washers.   Maybe actually that's about it.   Could be some more. likely is some more. nbsp;but all I can think of.   For these reasons. I will call this Jeep a "project".   In the end. and after many dollars invested. several factors are pushing us towards selling the 'Ol Mystery Jeep.   We are toying with selling the family cabin (far far far too much maintenance). downsizing to a more reasonable sized-home (building about to take place right now). and requiring some more room.   I've sold nearly all our collector cars. nbsp;plus our fully restored & never used '68 Jeepster Commando (teeny tiny. narrow. and just not a great family highway rig) just 3 weeks ago. and this is our last vintage Jeep.   I've told myself that whatever proceeds come from the Big 'Ol Mystery Jeep will go towards a new wakeboard boat.

Shipping/delivery

I'd say that. in our experience. most (maybe 75%) American destinations fall between the 15-hundred to 2-thousand dollar range.   To play safe. please budget for at least that amount.   We are running an unreserved auction so. nbsp;the savings should help offset any shipping/delivery costs.   Please note: My wife has become pretty adept at making all the arrangements and she'll be happy to help out by taking care of things for you after the sale to make sure you get your car quickly as can be.    

  Titling and/or registrationEverything is perfectly transferrable and will be signed over and taken care of for you immediately following the sale.  This Jeep is (obviously) domestically built (US) and considered antique status.   It is free to travel without restriction.   The only extra cost is a $120-150 customs brokerage fee.   My wife has everything ready to go for the Jeep. and will only need your information filled in. once the sale is completed. to finalize the ownership transfer.  

     UNRESERVED UNRESERVED UNRESERVED UNRESERVED UNRESERVED UNRESERVED UNRESERVED


I'm happy to answer any inquiries so please feel free to write. I welcome and encourage anyone's questions.   Also. if  you'd like to speak over the phone. please let me know and we'll arrange a call.  Good communication is pivotal to a happy transaction.   If you prefer to email me directly. please write to bravohomes@rocketmail. com.  

And. there you have it kids.   Don't wait. telling yourself that another will come along.   I think it would be amazing if there were a nicer one out there; surprised in fact.   Plus.   I've put it up for sale UNRESERVED.   That's right gang. NO RESERVE.   It sells for whatever it sells for.   I'm not even going to bother boring you with what I've got into it. or what it was appraised for.   Somebody's just going to get a great deal.

Also published at eBay.com

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