With the price of gas, will you drive your Willys???

mikec4193

mikec4193

Precision Fit
Jan 18, 2010
923
Mechanicville ny
First Name
Mike
Willys Model
  1. Other
Willys Year:
  1. Other
Hi Everyone.

I work 6 1/2 days a week, It seems like all I do is watch my watch to make sure I can make it to the next place I need to be. To top it all off everyday the price of gas is going up and up and up. As I write this in upstate NY regular gasoline is runing about $3.79 a gallon. It costs me to drive to my jobs for the week $50.00. I drive a 1999 S10 standard 5 speed trans. With the new ethanol gas we all have I am getting about 22 to 25 MPH. I have been told that my dear old Willys truck with all the stock stuff that Willys put on this truck in 1960, I may...if I am lucky get 10 mpg. With that said...I dont think I will even attempt to register it. It has been sitting in my side yard or my garage for almost 4 years now. It will be cheaper to let it sit in its happy retirement like it has been.

Are any of you folks thinking the same thoughts???? The way I look at it is to drive my Willys to work would run me over $100.00 a week in fuel costs.
Just a thought thats all.

MikeC
 
Mike, you sound absolutely depressed. I'll tell you what though, I will ABSOLUTELY drive mine. It's been holding the driveway in place for far too long. If I didn't have hopes of jumping back in to the driver seat, it'd be gone.
Steve
 
Mike,
Mine has taken it's home in the garage for the past 18 months. Been down to nothing and is still coming back. Regardless of how much gas is, it will get driven with the small gas tank and carb'd V8 under the hood. Don't really care. People that wanna gimme dirty looks can do just that. It won't matter after all the blood, sweat, banged knuckles, and choice 4 letter words used with it.

Eric
 
I can't wait to drive mine...even if it's only on a Saturday, I have to drive something. My Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4 diesel gets 24 mpg at 55 mph and it's $125.00 to fill ($3.80)...and I enjoy my truck. But I love my Willy's and will feel like I'm on a carnival ride everytime I get behind the wheel.
One must be practical when it comes to driving a vehicle to work however. That day in and day out drive sucks, but if you drive the Willy's once a month, what harm have ya done? Think of the gas price as a ticket to ride!
 
I agree,my pu isn't a daily driver but in good weather I drive it,guess it's the price you pay for the thing(s) you do to have some fun,there are far more costly hobbies,besides I can't stay awake long enough to make drinking and chasing women cost effective any more and I'm hopeless at playing checkers and poker.....Jim
 
Ok mine is still in progress but I still laugh a some idiots I know that parked or sold there rigs the last time the prices went up a bought an economy car. So the weekly gas cost dropped 50-60 a week but they added a 400 to 500 dollar a month car payment they didn't have earlier (you do the math).

Once its back together I will drive it to work 30 miles there and 30 miles back. The selling point of this build to the wife was no car payment on my end. Hell I just wanted the Willys!
 
Heck Yes I will drive it!! I work so much I don't care what the price of gas is. Right now the tank is full right up to the cap.
 
Nowhere is the price of gas as high as here in Serbia - however, I'm considering installing a LPG system (so called autogas), which is way cheaper than gas itself (half its price).
 
I won't use it as much as I had planed, but I will drive it oh maybe 20 miles a week on Saturdays to the local WAWA gas station, sad as it sounds, thats the big hang out for tire kickers & us retied guys here.
 
It's a hobby ,they cost money. Like buying a boat,trailer,tow vehicle, poles baits, pails ,nets, etc. Then drive miles to go fishing ,and bring nothing home. Or buying guns, clothes,a cabin, license to go hunting. The meat you get if any,costs about 20.00 a lb. I'll keep my jeeps.
 
Heck yes I'll drive my Willys!! It's not a daily driver, but I won't let the price of gas slow down my enjoyment. I don't golf, drink or spend my money on other expensive things, so the Willys is actually a bargain!!

When I had my own airplane we used to fly somewhere for the "$100.00 hamburger" pilots talk about. With the Willys it'll be a $50.00 burger so I'm still ahead!!

Also---I found this old ad that shows me how economical my wagon really is and the people who built it wouldn't lie---would they?

Old willy
 

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HELL YES, I'll keep driving my FIVE vehicles, especially my two Willys Trucks. I'm NOT a fan of these hybrid vehicles and electric cars either. Think about it... Those vehicle still take energy to run. Where do you think that energy comes from? Another power plant that takes more energy to make energy. Whatever floats people's boats... But I will drive a Real Vehicle... My Willys Trucks!
 
About six weeks ago I took out my newly registered 1960 Willys pick up (L6-226 motor) on its inaugural long run. I filled it up completely with gas but on the way home I ran out after about 130 miles and had to hitch a lift back to the closest servo. When I filled up the tank it took about 14 gallons. That is about 10 miles to the gallon. Somebody over there said that 12mpg was about the best you can expect. Added a bit of a surprise to the 25 foot turning circle, cruising speed speed of about 40, slipping out of gear and all the other things one has read about but not really appreciated until actually driving one.
Nonetheless I am commited with my wife (car no. 86) to a 7 day tour of Victoria, Australia in the company of 199 other 30 year old cars, plus nearly 700 odd miles each way from Sydney next week. I will be taking a couple of 10 litre jerry cans and refuelling at each opportunity. Willys is going in for a tune up (running too rich) to-morrow. Unfortunately the overdrive won't be arriving in time. Did you know that you have to pay for one when you order it (Kaiser Willys) and wait for it to be made? My conversions from litres and kilometres to US gallons and miles could be a bit sus.
But I am looking forward to GETTING A BIT OF ATTENTION and usual comments such as "Never seen one before" or a thoughtful, "I know where there is another one of these".
Aussie John
 
I try to drive mine, with a 5.7L V8@15 mpg average, 25 miles to work once a week. I check the weather channel for the wind speed forcast so it's easier to drive in a straight line. The rest of the time I drive my 27 mpg MX5.
 
My wife drove our 51 Willys pu to work on a daily basis last summer and up into October.It's got a fresh F head four now so she will start using it in a week or so. It's a 12 mile round trip to where she works 4 days a week and ocasional trip into town,about a 15 mile round trip.She never drives over 40 so maybe it gets 15 MPG? Her other vehicle is a 99 Cherokee that gets about 20 MPG...Not much difference for the driving she does.
 
Ok Guys

I have to say you overseas guys are a lot more hardcore than us United States side guys. We are spoiled I guess. my hats are off to you Jon Henning and Mladen. I remember going to Canada in the mid 1980s and seeing gasoline for .65 cents and thinking that was a deal. Come to find out it was .65 cents a liter. Our gas at the time was under a dollar a gallon. I learned quite quickly how well we really do have it here (in the US). I guess an old saying my dad told me years ago rings true here..."If you cant stand the heat, get out of the kitchen".

So how do you people keep these Willys trucks from putting you in the poor house???

MikeC
 
I don't but then again I have lived in the poor house my whole life so don't know any better and figured what the heck might as well enjoy being here since I'm stuck here anyway :D
 
So how do you people keep these Willys trucks from putting you in the poor house???

Hhhmmmm...there is a reason my wagon's been sitting for two years. :roll: :lol:
 
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