The first Jeep Wagoneer appeared on American streets in 1963, years before American Motors devoured the Kaiser Jeep car Corporation, and it still a large truck, body on frame since 1983. For the year 1984, the old Wagoneer platform SJ became the Grand Wagoneer and Wagoneer the name became Top trim level for the brand new monolithic Jeep Cherokee. Here’s one of the Cherokee-based Wagoneer, a ’87 Limited fitted with a very nice faux wood found recently in a Denver-area vineyard.
This is the most expensive member of XJ Cherokee your household could buy new in 1987, with an MSRP of $20,503 (or about $54,605 in inflation-adjusted 2022). That year’s cheapest Cherokee, with two-door and two-wheel drive, started at just $10,949 (about $29,160 today).
Wagoneer Limited had a luxurious interior in 1987 truck standard, although today we consider it cramped and noisy.
Early buyers of Cherokees and Wagoneers often Wanted Manual transmission in their trucks, which seems hard to believe. A four-speed automatic was base equipment on the 1987 Wagoneer, so the original buyer of this one tried to get his hands on a trio of pedals.
As you can see from the angle of the engine mount here, a number of second-hand shoppers bought the transmission (and paddle shifters) before I arrived. It should have been a Peugeot-derived 5-speed, but there might have been a way to four on the good old floor in this truck. XJ Experts please advise.
That engine is the version specified by the figures of the early 1960s-classic American Motors straight-six enginethat you might remember from the golden hits of the 1970s like Pacer and Gremlin. Technology 4.0 proved to be the most loved of all AMC engines, in the long run and remained in production throughout 2006 (when it powered Wranglers).
This one was rated at 173 hp when new.
Chrysler purchased AMC in the spring of 1987 (mainly to acquire the valuable Jeep brand, with the secondary motivation of buying back all the expensive stuff) Renault technique has come in Eagle Premier). Thus, this truck still shows the AMC brand on the goods label according to regulations. It’s a “49-state” truck, so it’s likely that it was originally sold in Colorado (or possibly Wyoming or Utah).
It looks like it has been traveling around the Centennial State during its entire life.
The final mileage figure is just over 200,000 miles, which is pretty good for a 1980s American Motors product.
Features like power windows and air conditioning were still considered a bit of a luxury by many truck buyers in 1987, but that attitude will soon change.
Lighter, softer, absolutely luxurious.
