That mythical Jeep in a crate

War History Online has an article about something World War Two junkies dream of:

During World War Two, Ford and Willys produced over six hundred thousand Jeeps as light utility vehicles. The bulk of these, nearly four hundred thousand units, were Willys MB models
No one disputes the legendary origins of the Jeep. The versatile 4×4 helped change the tide of the war, and won the affections of GI’s and civilians everywhere. By the time World War Two ended, more than six hundred thousand Willys MB’s and Ford GPW’s had been built. The Jeep accounted for over fifteen percent of \ total wartime military vehicle production.
Before the first GI’s were shipped home, Willys began looking for way to capitalize on the popularity of the Jeep. They began by offering the first CJ (Civilian Jeep) in 1946 as the CJ2A. The quarter-ton 4×4 was designed as the go anywhere & do anything vehicle: it was a tractor, it was a truck, it was a power plant, it was a wagon. Soon others looked to capitalize of the phenomenon. Ads began popping up in magazines like Popular Science and Boy’s Life, advertising Jeeps in a Crate for as little as fifty bucks.
Like most surplus ads run today, scammers sought to take advantage of consumers by promising them great deals like fifty dollar Jeeps in exchange for twenty dollars and a self-addressed stamped envelop. The advertisers, of course, were selling free public information concerning government auctions. The truth is that, even though thousands of MB’s and parts were auctioned off, the vast majority were scrapped following the war.
The “cheap surplus Army jeep” story was reinforced by ads that ran for decades in the back of Popular Mechanics and other magazines. They promised to tell you, for a fee, how to buy government surplus. The ads usually featured a headline reading: Jeeps $50 over a stock drawing of an Army jeep. The text said the publication would open the door on fabulous surplus bargains, including jeeps, trucks, power tools, and other desirable goods.
If you actually sent in your money and bought their publication, it was just a copy of a pamphlet— available for free from the government— that explained how to bid on surplus property; basically, it was a scam that preyed on people’s lack of knowledge.
Near the end of World War Two, Popular Science ran a contest in their March of 1945 issue. The public was asked to write in with their ideas on How I’ll Use Surplus War Goods. While everything from Quonset huts and B-29 fuselages to carbines and chain saws were mentioned, the humble Jeep was the number one item on everyone’s mind. Fully one-third of all the letters received by Popular Science listed the Jeep, many from farmers and ranchers who saw immediate utility in the small vehicle long before the civilian recreational 4×4 was dreamed of. In an article published in Popular Science in October of 1945, reviewing their surplus contest, they said:

And jeeps, of course, are still at the very top of the list, both among men still in the service and among civilians.

Later in the same article they caution:

... most of the surplus jeeps will have taken a beating and will be in considerably less than first-class condition.

No one was discouraged by the warning. 

Jeeps were produced and packed in crates for shipment to US forces, and countries like England and the Soviet Union, who the US supplied during World War Two. At the Ford Motor Company assembly plant in Richmond, California, about seventy percent of production was crated, due to their close proximity to the port of San Francisco.
Crating up a jeep was expensive and time consuming, so it was only done when absolutely necessary. Jeeps that were crated were complete vehicles, not a box of parts; windshields were folded, wheels taken off, and a few other things done to minimize the cubeage. Very few, if any, of these crated jeeps remained in the United States, even during the war. After more than sixty years, there are probably none left. Several organizations and dealers have had a substantial reward offered for years for anyone who can produce one and no one has claimed the money.

Rico says he wouldn't want one, but knows why others would...