Act fast: M151A1 MUTT for sale on eBay, just in time for summer

Old Jeeps are great. Simple, solid, battle-tested, they look even better with a little bit of dirt and rust around the edges.

The only problem is that everyone seems to have one. From your friendly neighborhood WWII re-enactor to your friendly neighborhood Autoweek editor, there are no shortage of Willys owners around.

This 1966 M151A1 Military Utility Tactical Truck, or MUTT for short, is the quarter-ton surplus four-by-four of your non-conformist dreams. It's not better than a Willys, necessarily, but it does promise to fill your summer months with endless open-air fun and excitement. Sure, you might roll over unexpectedly, but solid-axle Willys Jeeps aren't without their quirks. At least the independent suspension on the MUTT renders death-wobble a thing of the past.

Plus, you can launch missiles at tanks and stuff from the back. That guy at the end of your block -- you know, the one who just bought 43 ex-NATO Land Rovers and has taken up with a bunch of grizzled Spetsnaz types -- won't stand a chance.

Compared to the venerable Willys, not many of these M151s made it into civilian hands. Finding one that hasn't been left to decay or heavily modified is a rare thing. And you can't beat the honesty of this seller's listing. "ITS A MILITARY JEEP FROM 1966," he says. "IT HAS DENTS!'

Sounds perfectly reasonable to us. We're sure he's planning on buying a new keyboard with the proceeds of the auction. Perhaps one without a stuck caps-lock key.

You really don't have much time to think about this one. The auction is ending soon, though we suppose there's always the chance that this particular MUTT might wander back onto the market if the buyer doesn't get an offer he likes. But why take that chance? Go and make an offer right now. It's probably reckless, but reckless, heat-of-the-moment decisions are often the most rewarding. Or, alternatively, the most financially devastating.

We could go on and on about this loveable bit of military hardware, but the clock is ticking. Head to eBay and place a bid on this bad boy right now!

By Graham Kozak