Frequently
Asked Questions:
1.
How many Jeeps do you have in stock?
2.
Do you have a stock list?
3.
Do you have photo's of current stock?
4.
Can you deliver vehicles?
5.
What about insurance?
6.
What about spare parts?
7.
Will you prepare a Jeep to my specification?
8.
Do you pay for road tax?
9. Do they run on
unleaded?
10. Can you get
a diesel/auto/right hand drive Jeep?
11.
I’m 8ft. 6 in. tall and weigh 25
stone. Will I fit in the Jeep?
12.
How long have you owned a Jeep?
13.
How much?: Which type of Jeep should I
buy?: Are they a good investment?
14. What makes it
original?
15.
Why restore or buy a good Jeep?
Frequently
Answered Questions:
1.
How many Jeeps do you have in stock?
We always stock
around 20, but often have only 10 to view
as too much choice causes confusion.
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2.
Do you have a stock list?
We do not have a stock list to send out.
We sell a lot of Jeeps and have found
a stock list would have to be changed
weekly. We are only a small business and
find that the time and expense involved
in producing a list that is always out
of date causes more trouble than it does
good. After all 20 Jeeps on a list all
sound similar.
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3.
Do you have photos of current stock?
Photos always make a vehicle appear to
look good, whether it is or isn’t.
We all know what a good Jeep looks like.
Come and look for real. The only time
photos do a good service is for either
non-standard vehicles or restoration projects
in these cases we will send out pictures.
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4.
Can you deliver vehicles?
No problem anywhere in Europe! In the
UK if you buy a Jeep from us, we will
deliver for £1 a laden mile, e.g.
London is 150 miles from us so £150
plus vat is the charge. We can move up
to 4 at a time, so bring friends with
you because we only charge per trip not
per Jeep.
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5.
What about insurance?
This is very inexpensive
if done through a specialist insurer and
we have proposal forms. In some cases
it can be done there and then, so you
can drive away.
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6.
What about spare parts?
You can still build
a Jeep from spare parts! So no problem,
we carry exchange units and service parts
and although we are not Jeep spare parts
retailers we always will look after customers
who have bought a Jeep from us. We will
also advise you of parts retailers so
you can have the choice. Parts prices
are low compared to the price of current
car spare prices.
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7.
Will you prepare a Jeep to my specification?
Of course within reason. E.g. Choice of
colours, choice of stencils, choice of
tyre types, choice of extra accessories
i.e. axe/shovel/aerial/siren etc, choice
of canvas or vinyl trim. If you want it
and we can do it, we will.
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8.
Do you pay for road tax?
No, tax is free
but you still have to display a disc.
It doesn’t cost anything.
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9.
Do they run on unleaded?
Yes they do. I could be technical but
this would take pages. If valve seat recession
took place, this would take thousands
of miles and the ultimate cost of cure
would only match the cost of prevention.
So don’t worry.
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10.
Can you get a diesel/auto/right hand drive
jeep?
All WW2 type flat
fender jeeps we sell come LHD, petrol
and manual, and before you ask 20 or more
mpg.
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11.
I’m 8ft. 6 in. tall and weigh 25
stone. Will I fit in the Jeep?
We can adapt a Jeep
to fit almost anyone! (We think.)
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12.
How long have you owned a Jeep?
I had
my first Jeep in 1977 and rebuilt it over
a period of time and sold it in 1990.
However I have never been without one.
I buy and sell Jeeps because I like the
vehicles. As opposed to just because it
puts food on the table. Myself and my
staff all own and run our own Jeeps. So
we practise what we preach and can answer
your questions from both sides of the
fence.
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13.
How much?: Which type of Jeep should I
buy?: Are they a good investment?
Types: Willys MB,
Ford GPW, Hotchkiss M201
We have
a stock of all of the above types. All
variants look the same to the untrained
eye. However in reality all have detail
differences. To further complicate things,
during army repairs and latterly most
jeeps tend to be a mixture. Unlike the
pedigree classic car, these vehicles were
built for commercial usage. Both Ford
and Hotchkiss were built under licence
to the original Willys design and parts
had to be interchangeable, (Hotchkiss
having some exceptions).
Values:
Most buyers
simply just want a Jeep. Bona fide wartime
production jeeps tend to command a higher
price than a Hotchkiss. If like conditions
are taken into account however, most Hotchkiss
jeeps tend to be in better condition than
WW2 models. So therefore, price variations
tend not to be noticed.
Why are
Hotchkiss Jeeps in better condition than
original WW2 Jeeps?
1. In
many cases they have only recently been
released from military service.
2. Hotchkiss Jeeps have been maintained
on a no expense spared basis by French
military.
3. Mileage tends to be low, and war usage
has not occurred.
4. Quality of parts tends to be higher
than original, due to superior modern
materials and more accurate manufacturing
techniques.
5. Most WW2 jeeps in England have been
out of military hands since the 1950s
or 60s, and then used commercially as
a workhorse until they dropped. Then they
have stood derelict until restored. Restoration
in most cases done by the enthusiast to
a budget does not match army rebuild standard.
(Remember the starting point is usually
very poor.)
Prices:
Rebuild
projects start at around £2500,
for a basket case example up to around
£4500 for a running/driving example
requiring a lighter restoration. Restoration
projects do not tend to be a cheap option
and we would advise that in many cases,
cost of restoration exceeds the resale
value of the Jeep.
On the
road examples:
This price
range runs from around £5000 to
£8000, with exception at both ends
of the scale.
For £5000
you could expect a Hotchkiss recently
released from the French army, registered
and MOT’d but requiring some body
repair and a repaint. It probably would
not have canvas trim or hood and it would
be in as released condition bearing any
MOT work carried out.
If a WW2
example, expect an older restoration carried
out to a budget and showing obvious signs
of its age.
For £6000,
you could expect a WW2 Jeep in a better
condition, but still having several grey
areas e.g. poor underside body repairs,
non original features such as wiring,
wheels, etc and mechanically being up
together, but not just rebuilt. For a
similar price, expect a Hotchkiss to be
in very good condition. For example, we
will supply a Hotchkiss that is army rebuilt
and preserved as released (i.e. not on
the road, but what value for a Jeep that
has had a major army rebuild.
Or expect
a good Hotchkiss on the road with very
good body and mechanics/electric, ready
to drive away and use with peace of mind.
Prices
above £6000 are commanded for top
Jeeps. E.g. Come and choose and ex French
army rebuilt Jeep. Have it de-preserved,
repainted and stencilled. Have new canvas
hood, seat cushions, new bar grip tyres,
new batteries, new brake cylinders etc
price £7000/7500 depending on specification
and accessories required. For an excellent
WW2 Jeep, expect to pay around £1000/£1500
more than for a similar Hotchkiss.
Please
remember, prices vary because no two Jeeps
are ever quite the same. Everyone asks
how much is a good Jeep? Our advice is
have a look at a few and gauge what you
require. We have and can restore any Jeep
to your required specification. Not a
cheap option, but a sure way of getting
the product you require.
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14.
What makes it original?
Willys or Ford,
both jeeps were produced during WW2 to
the Willys design specification (Ford
using their greater manufacturing resources
to produce jeeps under licence).
Hotchkiss
produced in the 50s and 60s under licence
to Willys (called Hotchkiss Willys overland
France).
Comments
Example
1
1943 Willys
Jeep, new body (made in the Philippines),
chassis welded up because rust got the
better of it in the past. New wiring loom
(made in Australia), new tyres (made in
India), new canvas (made in UK), new instruments
because originals were broken, gearbox/transfer
case and axles rebuilt (bearings from
Japan, and other parts from around the
globe), new French engine block because
original was frost damaged etc, etc, etc,
etc, but this is an original jeep!
Example
2
1955 ex-French
army Hotchkiss jeep having been rebuilt
by the army, all army specification spare
parts used. Chassis damaged prior to rebuild
so spare original WW2 chassis fitted,
body rebuilt using front end of Willys
tub and back end Recon Ford, axle one
Willys axle etc, etc. This is a Hotchkiss!
I could
go on forever, but the real comment is
try to be aware of what you are paying
for?
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15.
Why restore or buy a good Jeep?
Why restore?
1. For
fun.
2. Because
you will know what you have got in the
end.
3. Because
you have the facilities and help at hand.
4. It
is a way of getting a jeep, without having
to lay out all the money at once.
5. Because
you thought you had bought a good one
and found you had made a mistake.
Why should
you buy a good Jeep?
1. Because
the best is normally the cheapest, even
if the purchase price seems high.
2. Jump
in it and enjoy it from the start.
3. Peace
of mind.
4. You
do not have the knowledge/skill/time etc
etc
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