UPDATE: Some updated information and ads.
Coast Cities Motor Sales announced the opening of the Jeep dealership in a December 10, 1948, article in the Pascagoula, Mississippi, Chronicle Star. Subsequently, for eleven months, from December 1948 through October 1949 they published ads in the same paper.
Later, In May of 1950, a new seller, Jackson County Motor Company, appeared. Perhaps, not coincidently, Jackson County Motors launches on the same highway (HWY 90) as Coast Cities Motor Sales had been located.
Prior to Coast Cities Motors Sales. jeep dealer Caver-Wiggins advertised from July 1946 to November 1947 in the Chronicle Star. Subsequently, in a corporate restructuring, Runnel-Wiggins became the main seller/advertiser. Runnel-Wiggins ran ads from November of 1947 through April of 1948. No additional information appeared in the Chronicle Star about Runnel-Wiggins.
After April, the next Jeep ad for 1948 was the December 10th, 1948 ad by Coast Cities Motors. Whether Coast Cities Motor Sales was related to the previous dealer isn’t clear, as they were located in a different places.
Below are some Coast Cities Motor Sales ad example:
December 17, 1948 & January 07, 1949: Pascagoula’s New Dealer For The World’s Most Useful Vehicles
(The ad shown is actually the January 07 ad. The December 17, 1948, ad has only minor text differences from the January ad. This is a long one-column ad, so it’s been chopped to better fit the page)
January 14, 1949: Announcing … Another Home for the World’s Most Useful Vehicles
January 24, 1949: Launch of Coast Cities Motor Sales
February 11, 1949: One Farm Vehicle You Can Count on in Any Weather
February 11, 1949: Willys Jeep Station Wagon
February 18, 1949: The Universal Jeep
February 25, 1949: Designed to Cut Delivery Costs THE ‘Jeep’ Panel Delivery:
March 04, 1949 The Universal Jeep:
March 04, 1949: “now, at last … a gay, carefree car to help you re-discover the fun of motoring … it’s the Jeepster”
March 25, 1949 Reduced Prices:
April 02, 1949 The Universal Jeep:
May 06, 1949: America’s top Sport Car Buy!
May 20, 1949: The Car That Gives You More For Your Money
May 20, 1949: America’s Top Buy in Sports Cars is the Jeepster
June 24, 1949: ‘Jeep’ Trucks Now Cost Less to Buy — Cut Hauling Costs Every Mile
July 01, 1949: Costs Less to Buy — Costs Less to Run
July 08, 1949: Buy Yourself a Package of Power:
July 22, 1949 America’s Best Service
September 02, 1949 Costs Less … Saves More!
September 09, 1949: Get Two Cars in One!
October 28, 1949 Costs Less to Run:
October 28, 1949 41/2 to 7 More Miles per Gallon:
November 25, 1949 Get the Car That Gets You There (note this has the Jeep badge):
