Digestible Collectible: 1978 Jeep Renegade Levi's Edition

One day, two blue Jeep Renegades. I wonder which will be worth more in ten years. To be fair, I’m trying to compare apples to refrigerators here. The modern Renegade is a commuter appliance with some off-road pretense. The vintage truck here could be used for commuting, but is at home on the trails.

I can’t claim to be a Jeep fan. I live in Midwestern suburbia, where the most difficult terrain I’ll encounter is frost-heaved interstate in April. My weekends are spent hauling kids to sporting events, or occasionally, my golf clubs to the nearest cheap course, rather than hauling a big-tired rig to the forest. I’ve driven a Jeep exactly once, for about an hour, and I came away unimpressed with the on-road manners.

This Jeep, however, is special. Very few survive even ten years without serious modification, let alone thirty seven years. The seller claims this barn-find Renegade Levi’s Edition has never been modified, and by the photos, I can’t dispute that. That little red badge on the fenders might hold the key to collector value someday, too.

The denim seats are a bit cheesy, especially for a vehicle that is quite likely to see rain in the cabin. But unlike other “designer” cars of the Seventies — like the Bill Blass Lincoln or Oleg Cassini Matador — I can see this rolling across a stage at a big auction. I could even see myself owning it. The full-time all-wheel drive and automatic transmission, while less than ideal for hardcore off-road work, would make it palatable for my wife.

The automotive world is full of recycled nameplates, most of which fail to live up to their legendary predecessors. The Jeep legacy comes from decades of dependable service both in the military and for off-road enthusiasts. Modern commuter Jeeps trade on that legacy, and generally fail to live up to it.