Jeep Wagoneer SJ Grand Wagoneer

Before the Range Rover got posh and long before the Escalade existed, there was the Grand Wagoneer. The full-size SJ Wagoneer had been around since 1963, but in its final Grand Wagoneer form from 1984 to 1991 it was rocking fake wood down the sides, thick leather inside, and a burbly AMC 360 V8 up front... all riding on a chassis that had barely changed in a generation.

That stubbornness is exactly the charm. While rivals chased aerodynamics and fuel economy, the Grand Wagoneer just kept being a warm, woody, surprisingly cool way to haul a family up a snowy driveway. In pop culture, its shown up in Breaking Bad (as Skyler's daily) & in my mind is the official car of all small, New England towns in Fall.

Values have climbed hard as collectors and restomod shops rediscovered just how special these are. A clean, un-rotted Grand Wagoneer with its woodgrain intact is now a genuine collector's piece, and one of the most charming ways to arrive anywhere on four wheels.