This beats any nature show, hands down.
Everyone has a childhood fantasy vehicle, or maybe a few. There’s that one car you saw at a young age which was so undeniably cool, all these years later you’re still dreaming about it. For Tom Wilmer the 1958 Willys Jeep Station Wagon in the video below was it. His grandfather drove such vehicles when he was small, so understandably he associates the rugged ride with good times. Watching him drive it around the Arizona wilderness is most definitely inspiring.
Like so many people, this journey toward ownership of a boyhood fantasy Jeep came about by simply looking at the cars for sale online. He already had a motive, thanks to positive memories generated with grandpa. Wilmer obviously had the financial means to acquire such a vehicle. And finally, he had the opportunity when one was available online. It’s like the perfect classic car crime.
This is actually more of a habit for Wilmer at this point. In the video he admits to owning four Willys wagons, so he’s definitely an addict to these classic Jeeps. The man obviously knows what he likes and is comfortable with admitting that, whatever the consequence of such actions may be. You have to admire such a thing.
Old cars are great, but there’s been a general lack of appreciation for the ones which can really take you places. There are of course exceptions, like the Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser and first-generation Ford Broncos, but for the most part vintage Jeeps and other off-roaders haven’t become red-hot collector’s items.
That’s not all bad, because taking a vehicle worth $60,000 on a trail where it might get scratched, dinged, dented, or worse can be a stomach-churning experience you might not repeat. Wilmer says he takes his Jeeps through dry riverbeds, crawling over large boulders and such, so he doesn’t shy away from really pushing his vintage machines. Classic off-roaders can make a great way to get into classic car collecting since they don’t require as much of an investment up front.
