Is anyone driving one of those '70's right hand drive postal jeeps? I see a lot of them for sale and was considering one for a second car just for commuting. They're supposed to have a six in them. I'm not looking to soup it up or anything just a reliable commuter that gets good gas mileage.

 

> just a reliable commuter that gets good gas mileage.

Then it is not for you because it is neither.

Maybe a Honda Accord, 90s Ford Escort, VW Rabbit.

 

I have to agree. They are far from dependable and get very poor milage. Some had 4's and some had 6's but about 75% of them are not even what I would consider safe to be on the road.

 

Oh, be nice to the little DJ's. They may be basic, but the 4.2L 6 is a good engine. It has always been plagued by carb issues, but if it's a 70's model, then it won't have the computer crap that the later ones did. Lots of aftermarket out there to support it, too. But why buy a postal Jeep (DJ) that drives on the wrong side and (in most cases) is only 2WD? For about the same money you can pick up and old CJ5 or -7 and have 4WD instead. Check Ebay for CJ's and you'll find all kinds of good deals. Beware of buying a Jeep, though. Just like with Ford Trucks, once you buy one, you will be hooked, and there is no cure.

However, Jeeps are far from economical. With a 6 cyl., you can expect around 11 mpg in city driving, and maybe (maybe) 15 mpg on the highway. The 4 cyl gets better milage, but because these Jeeps were tasked with hauling around tons of paper their whole working lives, these engines will have been worked VERY hard.

If you are looking for economy, find an old Honda Civic. They go forever, and you can feel comfortable buying a high milage Honda and knowing it will keep going.

 

My neighbor has one and my dad used to drive one (both for delivering mail). He said they were dangerous and would roll over way too easy. Last time I was at the junkyard, I saw one upside down on a pile of other cars, and I noticed that it had drum brakes on all 4 wheels, which seemed really outdated not to have disc brakes on the front.

 

Hey, thanks for all the replies! I was looking at the DJ's instead of the 4wd Jeeps because of the price. I have several in my area that are going from $800-1200 and I haven't seen a jeep for less than $3000. As for the brakes, my F-100 has 4 wheel drum brakes and their manual no power booster. Why such poor mileage I always thought these things were light and they have a small six in them.

 

800-1200 is WAY too much for these things. They spent most of there life at idle so there is a lot more time on the motor than shows up on the odometer. They are just plain worn out. If you don't mind putting a LOT of money into them to rebuild one then that's another story. The Post Office didn't put any more money into them than they had to to keep them running. They all have worn out spring bushings, worn out steering boxes, and if you find one up north, you'll be lucky if it comes with a floor. The motors were the best part. I wouldn't spend more than 300 for one.( but I'm biased)

 

Ha. A friend of mine puts it this way:

You're driving a square box with a pup tent on top, and you expect good gas milage? LOL. Seriously, Jeeps have about the worst possible aerodynamics possible. Even my newer Wrangler TJ only gets 13 mpg on a good day, with a tailwind, downhill. That's with the 4.0 6 with fuel injection.

Jeeps are notorious for bad gas milage, and yes, they can roll easier. Its all in understanding that you're driving a vehicle with a different center of gravity. It pays to pay attention to your driving. If you try to drive it like a car, it will roll. Same issue as with Explode....er...Explorers.

Plus, those things are geared really low, so they wind up really fast. They're fun, though. I wouldn't pay $1200 for one, though.

 

A friend of mine got one for $200 dollars and chopped the top off, painted it olive green, 4 in lift, and put a big white star on the hood. To get it on the road, he had gas tank leak fixed, rewired back brake lights and some headlight and engine stuff.He got some goofy looks driving it around. You'd be surpried how many idiots thought it was a real ****** jeep. haha. Last I heard he had it sitting out back because the tranny was going out. Good while it lasted. -BBB

 

I wish the rual mail carriers would invest in a right hand drive vehicle of some sort. Seeing them drive from the passenger seat of a cavalier is pretty scary.

 

....or they could all just get one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...472934062&rd=1

 

I own a mail jeep my wife drives it every day on her mail route. These things are great on gas and easy to work on.I payed 900.00 for mine with a rebuilt motor in it. All parts are easy to still get. Mine is made by AM General it has a chevy 4 banger dana 44 rear and ford brakes and a weber carb 2 barrel. All around good jeep.

 

First of all, the AMC I-6 IS ONE OF THE MOST DEPENDABLE MOTORS EVER BUILT NEXT TO THE FORD 300. 2nd of all, the one you buy used will more than likely be worn out with a million miles and there not 4-wheel drive. I started to buy one once, but was afraid I would go postal and shot everyone in the post office ha ha. A new one would be one thing, but the used ones are welll used, thats why they get rid of them. There's better choices out there and some may even have 4x4 for winter like a bronco II, S-10 blazer or XJ cherokeee, or a front wheel drive car like an escort or something.

 

Postal Jeep...

These are known by the Post Office as ZIP Vans.

ZIP's were also made by Studebaker (1962/64), and Ford.

Body parts are hard to find, and these vehicles tend to rust out.

The Studebaker ZIP's used an OHV 170 6 banger, that the cylinder head is notoriously famous for cracking. The transmission is a 2 speed Flash-O-Matic, which is the same trans as a Ford-O-Matic.

The Ford ZIP's used 240 I-6's with C4 Cruise-O-Matic. The steering wheel, horn button and dash ***** are the same as used on 1971/72 F100/350's.

 

You can always get a modern one.