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To him, it’s “the greatest show of all time.” Automotive YouTuber and cofounder of the auction site Cars & Bids, Doug Demuro is a “Gilmore Girls” superfan. As a car guy, then, his heart is set on owning the Jeep featured in the show. But, as he just explained on his podcast, he can’t have it…yet, anyway.

Lorelai drives a Desert Sand Pearl Y2K Jeep Wrangler TJ in “Gilmore Girls”

Lorelai Gilmore, played by Lauren Graham, drives a Y2K Jeep Wrangler Sport in a limited-run color called Desert Sand Pearl. The TJ, a rag-topped two-door, appears throughout the show’s seven seasons.

Note: The Jeep pictured in the featured image above is a 1999 Wrangler Sport in Desert Sand Pearl. It has a black hard top, while the GG Wrangler Sport had a soft top. The GG version is reportedly a 2000.

Fans adored the “Gilmore Girls” Wrangler, even buying their own TJs after watching the hit show. The SUV also has its own Internet Movie Cars Database (IMCDB) page.

At one point late in production, Luke, the local diner’s owner and Lorelai’s love interest, shows her a brand-new Jeep after her now well-loved version breaks down. She refuses the upgrade and keeps hers.

What happened to it once the show ended?

The last “Gilmore Girls” episode aired on May 15, 2007. Afterward, the producers sold the Wrangler, reportedly at a charity auction.

Interestingly, the people who now call the Jeep theirs seem to have much in common with the Gilmore crew. The winning bid came from a small-town Connecticut family.

Demuro says he Googled the infamous Jeep a few years back. He eventually tracked down a family member’s email address. Hopeful, he let them know that he wanted the Jeep and was interested in buying it.

He got a response, which he calls sort of terse: “This is a family heirloom, and we’re not selling.”

The owners also allegedly daily drive the now vintage TJ…much to Doug Demuro’s suffering. “This thing’s got probably 100,000 miles on it now…Connecticut winters.”

Demuro insists that when the family is ready to sell, he’s the best buyer of the interested masses. Even if it’s got rust all over it, “I still want it,” he claims.

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Sarah Kennedy

Sarah Kennedy is the Editor-in-Chief of MotorBiscuit. She joined the team as Managing Editor in 2021 and has more than 20 years of automotive and operations expertise. She held ASE certifications as an Automotive Service Consultant and Parts Specialist and was a licensed car salesperson for many years. Sarah often focuses on helping drivers navigate used car buying and vehicle ownership. She created “Shop Smarts,” a column for MOTOR Magazine, and was a contributor there for eight years. Her work earned her a Gold Medalist award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors in 2014 and Bronze Medalist awards from the International Automotive Media Competition in 2014 and 2015. She attended the Automotive Management Institute and earned her bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University.