Blog Posts

Earlier this month, Jeep's official Super Bowl LIV commercial became a smash hit. "Groundhog Day", starring the one and only Bill Murray, aired during the Big Game and was soon voted as its best commercial. So far on YouTube, it has garnered over 50 million views and counting. Despite the fact that Jeep Gladiator sales have stumbled a bit in recent months, most likely due to its high price tag, the long-awaited pickup truck remains popular. It was a wise move for Jeep to feature it in the commercial.

And speaking of which, whatever happened to the actual orange Jeep Gladiator Bill Murray and his furry groundhog friend drove for their return to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania? It turns out it's up for sale at a Jeep dealership in Michigan, according to Tuscola Today. The price? $57,350, though it's a nearly fully-equipped model.

The dealership in question is Moore Motor Sales, located in Caro, Michigan. The Gladiator was loaned to the production team for the commercial's shoot following a request from FCA's advertising department. It was all done at nearly the last minute because Murray only agreed to do the commercial in January, only weeks before game day. He was first approached by FCA with the idea last summer. This Gladiator Rubicon, along with another similarly-equipped one from a dealership in Wisconsin, were shipped to Woodstock, Illinois where filming took place.

"So they had to scramble," said Moore Motors internet sales manager Denny King. "They used two Jeeps in the ad, this one and another they brought down from Wisconsin. The scenes with the groundhog in it where Bill is driving around town, and the bike scene - where Bill puts a little helmet on (the groundhog) and the Jeep is in the background - that's our Jeep."

The dealership was also quite surprised when FCA called asking for a loaner vehicle. "It just came out of the blue," said Moore Motors owner Brad Moore. "We weren't really expecting it. When the advertising department at (FCA) called us and said 'we need this vehicle,' I said 'Anything to help them out.' I think they put 20 miles on it, they took real good care of it." Not surprisingly, local residents have been stopping by the dealership to take selfies with the orange Jeep, knowing full well its famous driver and occupant.