Latest News
Volvo: Safety Beyond the Star RatingsThis Jeep Renegade Will Stoke Your 80s Nostalgia
This vintage 1980s Jeep Renegade is a blast from the past with its rad decals and beefy off-road tires.
Off-Road 80s Styling
1982 Jeep CJ-7 – carsforsale.com | Shop 1982 Jeep CJ-7 on Carsforsale.com
Knee-high tube socks, mullets, cassette mixtapes, men and women alike wearing blazers with giant shoulder pads. The 1980s are getting just distant enough in the past for those old enough to remember them to feel nostalgia and those young enough to influence modern taste to bring back that decade’s now “retro” styling. In the automotive world this means cars like the BMW E36 and Camaro IROC-Z are cool not despite their dated styling but because of it.
And that brings us to our 1982 CJ-7 Jeep. Sure, you could buy yourself a nice, modern Wrangler with its infotainment touchscreen and modern amenities, but for classic Jeep styling and a classic Jeep off-road experience, it’s hard to beat the CJ-7. Today, where highlighting a 1982 Jeep Renegade in white with orange decals. While many Jeeps of this vintage can give you knobby tires and four-wheel drive, few come looking as distinctly 80s as this one.
MB to CJ
The Jeep, that rugged WWII-winning, go-anywhere, off-roader, holds a special place in automotive history. Not only did the original Willys-Overland MB carry the Allies to victory in two theaters of war, but it also sparked the creation of two additional legendary off-road nameplates, the Land Rover and the Land Cruiser. That military capability made the Jeep the original utility vehicle when it transitioned to peace time as the CJ (Civilian Jeep).
Willys, the maker of the CJ, was bought by Kaiser Motors in 1953 and the company released the new CJ-5 a year later. The CJ-5 was adapted from the Willys MD Jeep used in the Korean War. As such, the CJ-5 was about as rough and ready as anything you could buy, making it ideal for farming, forestry, and about any other application that called for durability and four-wheel drive.
The Jeep brand was sold again in 1970, this time to American Motors Corporation (AMC). The CJ-5 was indeed a capable vehicle, but it was getting long in the tooth by the mid-1970s. Age and a barebones design meant the Jeep was utilitarian to the last, lacking the creature comforts many car buyer had come to expect.
The next-generation CJ-7, introduced in 1976, was a major step forward for the Jeep. It stretched the wheelbase by 10 inches, from 83.5 to 93.5 inches, and updated the suspension for a smoother, less bouncy on-road experience. The extra length allowed for squared doors, now available in metal, and more interior space. A plastic hardtop roof was another new option as were air-conditioning and a three-speed automatic. This was also the first generation to offer a V8 engine in the Jeep.
Just as today’s Jeep offers a panoply of various special editions and trim packages, so did the CJ-7. The Golden Eagle and Golden Hawk were two different V8-only versions, while the Loredo offered the most luxurious amenities. The Jamboree Commemorative Edition celebrated the US bicentennial. And then there was the Renegade, with multiple engine options and its own distinctive decal scheme.
Buy This Classic CJ-7 Renegade
1982 Jeep CJ-7 – carsforsale.com | Shop 1982 Jeep CJ-7 on Carsforsale.com
Our featured listing is a 1982 Jeep Renegade. The Renegade package offered four different engine options, a 2.4L diesel, a 2.5L inline-four, a 4.2L straight-six, or the AMC 304 V8. This example runs the 4.2L six-cylinder mated to a four-speed manual transmission. You’ll note that this Jeep was optioned with metal doors and the removable hardtop. It rides on a raised suspension and gnarly off-road tires, with a full-size spare included. Undeniably best of all, this Jeeps very 80s white paint job with orange decals on the hood and side panels and Renegade spelled out along the hood’s side cowling. Sure, you could dust off that leisure suit and pop in that tape of Huey Lewis and the News into your boombox to inject some 80s into your day, but we’d recommend just buying this Jeep.
