at age 14, Victoria got a Jeep Wagoneer Limited to fix up, and by her 17th birthday, had it fixed and painted!

It was hers, a $2,500 gift from her dad. Her first car. 

"She had no clue. When she asked what that was sitting in the driveway I said, 'That's your new Jeep!' She didn't really say much, not for a while," her dad recalled.

Lol, she thought dad was going to hook her up with a newer stylish Wrangler 

"I figured maybe I'd get a Jeep Wrangler, but when I saw this, I really thought it was something he was fixing up to sell. I guess I expected one ..." she paused, "not so old."

Her dad fine-tuned the 360 V8 engine and replaced the suspension, brakes and steering system. He installed a six-inch lift kit and 33-inch tires mounted on the original wheels.

Mann figures he's got $10,000 invested in the 40-year-old Wagoneer. He said it drives smooth and "will go straight down the road smooth at 80 miles an hour."

Victoria got her driver's license and has been proudly driving her Jeep for about a year. At 17, her opinion of the relic has shifted since the day she first saw it.

"My friends think it's awesome, and they can hear me coming because they know the sound it makes," she said, describing the loud V8 roar.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/cars/news/2025/10/11/restored-1983-jeep-wagoneer/86646102007/