Employees at work in one of Myanmar’s many jeep manufacturing plants.

THE number of local factories now churning out jeeps has seen many car owners make the switch from a sedan, persuaded by their colourful looks and reasonable price tag.

While some car buyers still shy away from splashing out on a locally-made jeep, many are also attracted by its diesel engine, said a car manufacturer from Mawlamyine industrial zone.

Jeeps have also become popular with the well-off as an extra vehicle to be used for tough jobs, especially in rural areas, he said.

The main selling point of the jeep though is that it’s the cheapest car on the market.

“Not that many people really like jeeps but because they are cheap, many people buy them to use for tough jobs,” said the car manufacturer.

A jeep can be purchased for as little as K8 million. This compares very favourably with the price of a Sunny pickup, which is about K13 million – no comparable vehicle is cheaper than the diesel-run jeep.

Jeeps are particularly suited to off-road driving as their diesel engine makes it possible to cover long distances; refuelling is easy, as diesel for is always readily available – unlike gasoline and CNG.

But there are some negative aspects to owning a jeep, an experienced car dealer said, particularly the lack of solid roof.

“While many people are attracted by the jeep’s appearance, it’s not really practical in heavy rain. It’s also not really safe to leave the car outside at night because things might be stolen from inside the vehicle,” he said.

Another noticeable trend among jeep owners is the popularity of decorating vehicles with stickers and decals.

“Many jeep owners decorate their car with stickers and other decorations but this does not have a huge effect on the value of the jeep,” he said.

However, some modifications can add value to a jeep, he said.

“Some owners change the wheels to aluminum and zinc alloy, others seal the roofing to put in an air conditioner. Another popular thing is to put in some woofers, and have roof racks on top of the vehicle – not really for luggage but just for aesthetics,” said the dealer.

One car manufacturer said to decorate the jeeps he applied a simple decal of a red line on a yellow colour base.

“I don’t like really complicated stickers or designs on my jeep and I think yellow is not often used by other jeep owners, so I have it on mine,” he said.

Aung Lay, 24, has his jeep decorated with stickers from his favourite rock bands.

“I have Iron Cross stickers on my jeep and other rock-style stickers. I think it’s a bit boring to have just a simple design,” he says. “Of course, I like to attract attention with my car – I love it when people look at my jeep.”