It's a Jeep Thing......

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I've always felt that since we've got to drive something , at least drive something that trips your trigger, makes you proud, makes you smile.  Life is too short for soccer mom vans, smart cars, station wagons, or any other vehicle that makes one cringe just looking at it, much less riding in them.   Whether one's fetish is for sports cars, muscle cars, big trucks or fast rice burners, pursue what trips your trigger.  For me , the last three decades it's been .............  JEEPs

As I'm taking this journey to the next level, I find myself thinking about how it began... how this got into my blood , made me a Jeep fanatic.    My earliest memories are sitting in a real deal Jeep, in the Mojave Desert on an Army Installation.   We did the mandatory pics for the family, but hell, I was also on the Tanks and behind the Howitzers and they aren't in my driveway so I doubt that's when it really began. But I remember it well, and, I got the pic to prove it!

Go Army!

When I was in the USAF Security Police , one of our guys had a Levi Edition CJ5.  My buddy Jim who drove that was a level headed, big guy , and to be honest, he looked bad ass driving that thing.  He'd take off into the Black Hills with his girl friend for the weekend in that thing and they had a blast.  Whenever he had the top down, that Jeep always caught my eye. I'd considered this, wondered what it'd like to have one but money was tight and to honest, a soft top Jeep in brutal South Dakota winters, didn't seem like the smartest choice? Around this time, I'd heard the rumors of Jeeps being dangerous because they didn't handle well, etc.  In any case,  I was wanting a fast car and didn't go down this path.

Late 70's CJ5 Levi Edition

Soon, I had a '67 Camaro and my brain was wired into the Muscle Car scene; Jeeps were now the last thing on my mind. After the Camaro I had a '78 Dodge Magnum that had a cool factor to it. So, a few years later, I'm retraining into Electronic Warfare, and stationed in San Angelo Texas.   I remember one warm summer evening leaving a bar, a few of us jumped into a guy's Golden Eagle,

Golden Eagle CJ7

top off, tearing off down the road with us standing up in the rear seat area holding on to that roll bar. We drove around for what seemed like hours, experiencing 'Freedom'!  Looking back on it, probably not the smartest thing I've ever done, but we survived it and had a blast cruising around that night ( early morning?).   Again, I'm thinking about Jeeps but for whatever reason, it didn't seem practical to me.  Not sure why.  One could argue they are one of the most practical options out there.  In this same time frame , I bought my first motorcycle.  Guess that was practical?

What I think really did it for me , to get the Jeep fever, was my buddy Steve's Toyota Land Cruiser.  I'm in Omaha NE at this point, around early '85.   I know , I know it's not a Jeep . But, it had larger mudders on it  (31s or 33s ) , a Chevy V8 stuffed in there and when he'd take the top off, we'd have a blast in it.  Hell, I remember him dropping that clutch in parking lots, while it's in 4 wheel drive,  and smoking all four tires.  Now, common sense says, it was probably only two of them ( on up front, one out back ), but I swear that sucker was trying to melt all four!  He called it Rollo' ..  guessing for rollover.  Good news is , we never tested it, never verified it...

Reminds me of Steve's FJ

It's 1985/86 and I'm seeing jeeps everywhere.  I've spent the last year rooming with Steve , many hours and miles out in his FJ, and my brain is wired up for a soft top vehicle.  I had an assignment to Greece, sold the Dodge Magnum, but that assignment got canceled, and now I'm without a vehicle that's got 4 wheels (thought still had my KZ1000).   The more I think about it, the more I wanted one.   I'm seeing '86 CJ7s on numerous lots all over, for $9999.00.  I've seen some used ones around for good prices, but if you buy a new one, you're in with minimal down payment and you can stretch out the payments ( Car Sales 101 ). Well, long story short, I end up waiting too long and the 86's are off the lots.  The '87s aren't CJs, they are now .. YJs.   You know, the butt ugly ones with the square headlights and screwed up dash?  I'm thinking I've blown it; waited too long.  But, I came across an '85 CJ7 w/ hardtop ( soon to be sold off the hard top and doors in favor of a soft top!), loaded up with all the goodies like a Laredo, a lil' on the high $ide, but it was the only one I could find new,  so I jumped on it.  Man that sucker was nice.   I drove it w/o the top on whenever possible.  Hell , had it down to an art form , ripping that top off  or putting it on when necessary.

My first Jeep!  1985 CJ7

While up in MN visiting family, I came across a red CJ7 sitting in someones driveway.  I slammed the brakes to go check it out.  It was setup .... perfect.    It's had  36.5 x 14 Grand Prix RVT Mudders on 10" wheels.  They had flipped the springs, giving it about 6" of lift.  I was mesmerized.  I took notes.  I wanted this setup , badly!   So when I got back to Nebraska , I researched the tires , the wheels and found a suspension shop to do it all for me.   Now, in retrospect I should have gone up to North Omaha and had a 4 wheel drive shop do it all, but I was new to all this at the time.  Why did it matter?  Because I never felt that the 'pumpkins' were lined up correctly to alleviate the drive line stress with the U Joints. And the steering arm was custom bent.  Simple as that.  Also, I should have installed lower differential gears,  but since it was a 5 speed, I was able to compensate no problem.  Just, never used fifth gear! One thing I remember well about this was it's handling overall.  When I was done putting it in the air, the roll bar sat 7' in from the ground to the top of it.   You'd assume this thing would be a death wish going around corners, on the highway, .. whatever.  BUT, it was the exact opposite.  It was more stable then it was stock.   Why?  Because I'd gone up a foot in height, but I'd gone 'out' 14" in width, plus had a tighter suspension.  Hell, the house I bought in '86 was 'picked' , because I could just sneak this into the garage with an inch to spare. It was that tall!  This thing was amazing on the road, whipping it into U Turns , or whatever else you wanted to do.  Besides the suspension, overall it was pretty stock but I'd been to  Okinawa Japan and picked up a Kenwood 300 watt amp ,  Kenwood Stereo for the dash, and found some 6x9s local.   My god that thing would crank up the music!   I blew the speakers about every 3 or 4 months, but I'd purchased a one year warranty on them.  They replaced them every single time, no questions asked.  Go Figure. You know we all hate those punks nowadays that roll around with their music cranked, subwoofers shaking the windows, annoying as hell?  Yep, I was that guy. The other thing thing this jeep had me doing; I could park or drive, anywhere I wanted to.  That patch over there in front of the store.  I'll park there.  That spot in front of the bar with the low bushes planted; I'll park there.  Traffic jam, but a ditch down the side; shortcut.   Yep, yep... I was that asswipe.  But, damned I loved that Jeep and had a blast.
 

1985 CJ7

 After driving the CJ7 for a year, I got an overseas assignment.   Now, I had decisions to make.   I was making payments over $300, was eating U Joints, and I wanted to get my finances in line.  So I did the unthinkable.  I sold it.   You know , there are those vehicles we had when we were younger you wish you still had today?  Yep, this is one of them.  Hell, this is THE ONE.  But, I sold it and went looking for something to bring to the tropics with me. But, timing is everything.  I missed out on a great deal.  My buddy Steve was selling his Land Cruiser, and he was selling it cheap.  Hell, when I heard for how much I was scrambling.  But, he'd already done the deal.   I offered him more... a lot more... but he's a man of his word and stuck with it.  Damned I'd have loved to have that thing where I was heading, but it wasn't meant to be. My sister in law had a '77 CJ5 that I tried to talk her out of but due to extenuating circumstances, she wouldn't let it go.  Eventually,  I found an Olds' Cutlass and off we went. When we got to the tropics, one of my neighbors had a red CJ5 few inches of lift , 33's on stock wheels and I now had to watch the bastard play in that thing for the next three years. For three years, I wished I'd brought a Jeep to Panama.   I had three years of watching, scheming, and planning.   After those three years , we transferred back to Nebraska. Our home we'd left and rented out in La Vista, was waiting for us.  And I was on the hunt for a Jeep.

We're back, out of debt , stationed back in Nebraska and I've got the itch.  I don't want to spend too much, but I'm missing my old Jeep.  But now, the circumstances my sis n' law was dealing with are no longer an issue.  She's willing to sell me her CJ5 and I'm .. in!   Now, this ain't my old CJ7.   The CJ5s I soon realize , feel much smaller.  Well, they are .  Shorter wheel base.  The steering wheel in right up on me ( and this was when I was lean!). But, it's got a 304 V8 in it along with a 3 speed tranny.   It's spent a few years in Hawaii and it's taken it's toll.   A big toll; complete rust bucket.

1977 CJ5

And, I loved it! Lots of Power!  First thing we did was fix the steering to tighten it up , put some extended  shackles on the springs,  and found some low cost 10" wheels to mount some 33" rubber on.  Put some headers on it , some glass packs, eventually a new clutch.  I'm back in the game!  Put a basic stereo in there with some 6x9s, and it's game on.   As before , when the sun was out, top was off.  If the temps were above freezing, I'd sometime pull that top off knowing it was going to warm up a lil during the day.  I remember many a morning when I was finishing my degree on the weekends, rolling in to school with a Parka on and the top off.  Better than a cup of coffee.  Well sort of, I was in search of hot coffee when I got to class! Eventually I made the decision to let the CJ5 go.  It was a hard one, but I wanted to fix it up and we had two problems.  First , I really wanted a CJ7 so I could get more room. Secondly, with all that rust I didn't want to throw money into the wind.  So, I gave a guy a great deal and he was off to enjoy the good times in it.

Several years later we moved to Texas, I'm driving a vehicle that ain't tripping my trigger when my Dad does something awesome.    A year or two earlier , he'd come across a CJ5 Laredo , V8 w/ 4 speed and picked it up for my mom.  To say I was 'jealous' was an understatement! She'd drive it around their 80 acres, sometimes to town but got to where she wouldn't anymore because the front end would wander on it.  And trust me , when that happens it can be scary.  Dad knows I'm a Jeep fanatic and after many visits and many cold ones, eventually offers me up the Jeep.  I jumped on it!  Problem is, Mom ain't on board. Lets just say  .. mama wasn't happy.  Momma was pissed.  Pissed at him , and not happy with me. But,  I got the Jeep and she busted my balls for years later, whenever the subject came up.  And yes, it was worth it!   And, I know she loved the fact that I had it.   She just chose not to tell me that piece of info?

1980 CJ5 Laredo

I drove that CJ5 for quite a few years.  I tightened up the front end to minimize the issues, but never solved them entirely.   Put on some 33"s with Chrome 10" wheels.   Put on a Holley Carb. And , basically had a blast with it.   I had the itch to take to the next level, but I'm back at square one.  It's a CJ5, not a CJ7.  I love it , but not enough to throw excessive funds at it.   Deep down, I'm wishing it was a CJ7. They have a longer wheelbase.   The seating in a CJ7 is just more.. .comfortable.  Had it been, it'd still be with me.  But now that I've accepted it's not a Jeep I'm keeping forever, I began looking at options.  As luck would have it, a friend of ours wanted a Jeep , I needed a Gazebo, so we bartered.  He built us one ( that is still looking good, 15 years later) and I handed him the keys.  It was hard to do; that Jeep and I had some good times together!

1980 CJ5 Laredo pulling the ol' 18.5" Bayliner

The Sahara.  Let's be honest; that Laredo CJ5 was mine.   Leanne wasn't a fan of the way it handled.  Her ankle had been acting up and she couldn't drive via the clutch for the most part.  And, the Jeep is a beast.  I've just retired from the USAF and we've got a couple of extra bucks, so she twists my arm to go look at a new TJ Sahara.  I have to admit, it was sharp.  Handled awesome. Had an automatic ( blasphemy! ) .  She wanted it.  So , we go it.   We still had the Laredo CJ5, but this thing was classy and comfortable.   Hell, maybe this is part of the reason I traded off the Laredo.   In any case, we had this one now.   We had it for several years, but for some reason it was never really our go to vehicle.  One issue we had is she liked it more 'stock' and I wanted it modified.  We settled on some aggressive tires , but otherwise, was bone stock.  I don't even remember why we sold it.  Why we moved on.   I remember not being completely attached to it, because well....was too 'stock' for me.   So , after after a few years we traded it off.   Would I have kept it , if I did it all over again?  Of course. Would have looked great with 33s?

2000 Jeep Wrangler "TJ" Sahara

Fast forward a few years and we've got the itch again.  But this time, we've agreed on what we're going to do with it.   So search is on and we've found a lightly used TJ with 11k miles in Dallas, bone stock.   The first thing we did was have a 3" lift installed and slapped some 33's on it ( seems to be my favorite size?).   I wanted to go larger but we needed to compromise. Upgraded the stereo in it, I installed some fender flares , side bars and new bumper .. and we were done!   Quick and Simple!  Kicker was , for some reason this thing would jump around once in awhile. I noticed it when we first bought it, but didn't think much of it at the time.  Not sure what was going on.  So, I installed some Steering stabilizers and it helped, but never seemed 100% right to me as it should, but we lived with it.    At some point we joked about selling it and moving on, then said no, then said yes.....well, we waffled on it for awhile.  I had it on Craigslist for top dollar, and after a few months we decided to keep it. But I didn't delete the CL listing. A gal out of Tyler stumbled across the listing.  I told her it was no longer for sale.  She asked if she could just come out and see it.  Told her she was wasting her time, but she wanted to see it.   Got to tell you, that girl was more persuasive than I myself can be.   She talked me out of it.   Not out of any money; she paid the asking price.  But she almost had to steal the keys from me and probably would of!   Bottom line is , she left with it and Leanne was looking at me with that look and saying " I thought we weren't selling!?"    Did I mention, I really liked that one?  Looking back, if it'd handled 'correctly' as I felt it should, I probably wouldn't have sold it.   Deep down I wondered if something had happened to it before we'd bought it and we exasperated the issue, with the lift and larger tires.   In any case, it was in new hands....

2005 TJ Wrangler

I usually go forwards, but I took a step backwards, with the next TJ.  It's been a year or so since the gal stole .. I mean I sold, my TJ and I'm missing it.   But, it is what it is.   However around this time frame our daughter has made the decision to move to NYC.   While in college down in Austin, she drove a '06 Mustang GT which we now had back in our possession.  But, she drove the piss out of that poor car.  Some friends of ours wanted to buy it, and we were going down that path but after I test drove it, I couldn't.  I couldn't' sell this thing to a friend.  The interior was rough.  The body on it was rough (had been in various body shops , several times).  And the suspension felt like she'd been driving it down railroad tracks the last several years , or doing movie style stunts with it?  So we were in a quandary what to do.  Hell, I thought of taking it to the drag strip as a toy, pure fun vehicle, until I saw a TJ for sale at a dealer, for a  fair price.   I do the book value math on both ( it's got about 70k miles on it ) , so we're about even. So we jump in the car and head to Dallas.  To get the Jeep saleable to the public, they basically took the Jeep, slapped some 33s on it, a cheap kit to lift it an inch or two, and put in up for sale 'looking good.'.   We rolled in with the Mustang GT, offered up an even swap and after some bantering back and forth, they took it.  Hell, the Mustang was technically worth more and had lower miles, but that interior..... lets just say, it wasn't pretty ( cigarette burns, etc).

2004 TJ Wrangler

 So, we swapped titles and keys and away we went. One thing that was a change for me was since they didn't do a quality aftermarket lift kit, this one actually drove/handled,  pretty good  with a smooth ride. Felt stock..   And it had a hard top which was against my religion, but we got used to it.  From there , I put my personal touch on it.   Swapped out the fender flares, put a new bumper on it, off road lights and 'nerf bars' on the sides.   Good to go!  This became our go to fun toy. We drove this one for a few years, but began to notice a few things, here and there.  I had the transmission worked on.  The motor was starting to make some top end noise as it got close to 90k miles.  Simple things such as cruise control, were missing from this vehicle.  It wasn't one I wanted to put a lot more miles on.  Wasn't enjoyable to drive long distances, say to the Galveston area. So one night when we were out and about, I pulled onto the Jeep dealer lot in Rockwall, TX and began to look around.  Convincing myself to keep it.  Hell, I was considering dropping a V8 into it.   But I needed to make sure this was the right jeep.  It was looking that way.  Nothing on the lot appealed to me.   I'm glad we stopped in, just so I can make sure.   We're ready to leave so I go inside the dealership lobby are , to find a restroom.  and.........

There it is.   It suddenly feels like 1986 again, back when I had a silver CJ7.  I'm looking at a turn key JK with 4" lift, 10" wheel and 35" of mud grabbing rubber in the middle of the showroom floor.   A quick look at the sticker on the window makes me wince, but at this second I know it's going home with me.  The only question is , what are they going to give me for the TJ we drove up in, and how low can I get them down?   Fast forward two hours and we're driving home in it!   I'm smiling, rides awesome, and I'm finally back in a jeep that has a serious lift on it.  Finally has some serious tires on it.  But, we've got one small problem. When rolling down the road with the cruise on, it won't stay in overdrive.   After my first jeep with tires this size , I know immediately what the problem is.   Shame on me.  The sales guy asked me if I wanted to give it a test ride and I told him it wasn't necessary.   Told him it wasn't my first rodeo, or something like that (that'll teach me!).   Well had I , I might have noticed this.  So now I'm rolling home with a high dollar, brand new vehicle, that isn't geared right.  The next day I headed back to the dealer to discuss in person.  Technically, I'm in a 3 day window and can walk away from the deal. In I go, to solve the problem.  The sales guy is clueless, so he points me to the service department.  I tell the Service Manager what's happening and he says to me " so, there is a problem with the transmission?"  NO, I say, and tell him again what's happening.  "So, there's a problem with the cruise?" .. NO ... we go around again.  "So, there's a problem with the overdrive?"    Now, I'm getting pissed.  Either this guy is the dumbest guy working in a service department for a Jeep dealer I've ever come across, or .... he's messing with me.  I'm convinced to this day, he was that stupid.  So, I find myself now in the office of the Sales Manager.   The guy has a brain.  Realizes where I'm going with all this immediately.  So, he gives me the sales 101 question : " What can I do to make this right?"    In the next few minutes, we decide his service department will install the gears, I'll purchase them, and we'll split the cost . I'm guessing he made out in the 'deal' but my whole point is I'd have paid for them initially if they'd done it correctly out the gate and slapped the cost on the window sticker, added up with all the other goodies.  Anyways, a week later, I'm rolling down the road with new 5:13 gears in it, and it's now driving exactly how it would if it was stock.   Success.  

So, I'm now rolling in my first new JK.  With a hardtop (which I've always hated).  Now the cool thing  here is with the new ones, there is a soft top mounted simultaneously so if you yank the hard top , you're soft top is ready to go.  Additionally, the hard tops are a  3-piece unit on the 4 doors.   You can open up JUST the panel above the drivers head, or also the passenger panel.  Sort of like the ol' T-tops on cars back in the day, except, this aint' a T-Top .. just a large opening above.  Perfect.  Life is good, for the next half decade.   I had this jeep for about five years, but never did any serious mud time with it. If fact the only time I actually truly went off road with it, I'm was petrified with fear I'd scratch the hell out of it.  But, a nephew and I were up in Arkansas, sipping a stupid amount of whiskey, on my Dad's property ( 80 acres ) and we were grieving ( lost a family member).  We had a helluva night and the good news is ...   after all creeks and fields and embankments and trails...    someway , somehow, ... .not a scratch.  .   I know , I know.  But damned it's a beautiful jeep.   In fact , I never did put a single scratch on it...... But hey, it did pound the pavement pretty good though.

2011 Wrangler JK Unlimited

What seems like a ages ago now, we purchased a beach home down in Galveston , TX.   When we first began thinking about this, we wanted to put a Jeep down there, so we could cruise 'topless' throughout the year in the area.  We didn't want anything too old, to make sure we didn't have a problem vehicle.   As we began looking at newer ones, we realized we were going to have to open up the wallet.  The good news about Jeeps is they retain their value!  Sucks, if you're looking for a cheap one though; they are rare.  So, we found this one at a local dealer with the smaller wheels and tires.  I think it was running 225s or 235s. Looked like crap.

I found some complete takeoffs (265s)up in Dallas for about $500.00, swapped them out with the lil' ones it came with, sold the lil ones for $400.00 and ..   looked acceptable!  Top off, life is good. We had the Jeep down there for about six months when we noticed the salt air was starting to cause problems.  In fact, we brought it to a dealer, Jeep is exactly one year old and they swapped out the entire brake setup on the left side, under warranty.  The Service manager asked me if we were parking it , left side only, in the ocean?  And, he was serious.  That's how bad it was!  Well, after that we brought it back to Greenville permanently.  So now it's my airport transportation and our daughter drives it whenever she's home visiting.  It's been promised to her if/when, she ever moves out of NYC, it's hers.   And the way things are looking , this will be hers in '18.  However, she has asked for one small thing.   Well, not small... bigger things.  She's asking for some larger tires on this thing.  She's got the bug!   So, in the next month or so, I'll probably put some 305x17s on these OEM wheels, and maybe put a back spacer on the wheels to keep 'em from rubbing.  And , maybe some spring spacers to give it an inch or so of extra clearance as well as level off the front end for looks.   Tires first , then we'll see what happens. Want to do this one 'on a budget!"

2013 Wrangler JK 2dr

A couple of years ago I was asked by one of my nephews if I'd sell the '11 JK.    At first I sort of pushed back.  I really didn't' want to sell it , but I have to admit I wasn't putting many miles on it.  In fact after five years, it had less than 10k miles on it.  I loved driving it, but just seemed like I was always in the SUV on our road trips, or on a motorcycle, or taking the red one to the airport.  Leanne was having RA issues and was having trouble getting in and out of it, so it sat.  And sat.  And my nephew , smartly so, asked a few more times if I'd part with it.  Leanne prodded me to seriously consider it.  He wanted it badly.  I wasn't driving it. So, I gave in eventually.

Have to admit, felt good seeing Paul drive off with it, smiling.   I knew I was doing the right thing.   Seeing him doing modifications, riding the Mississippi coast line in it ( pics on FB ), I knew I'd done the right thing.  He was and is, loving it.  He's got the a new rear bumper mounted.  New front bumper.  Winch. Butt load of LEDs front and back.   Game on!  But seeing it rolling with the top off, was teasing me.   Early last year, I passed some Jeeps down near the Hill Country of TX at a Jeep Jamboree which had me gawking and dreaming.  Saw them again this year.  And last year I became aware of a "topless" Jeep oriented event down near Galveston on the Bolivar Peninsula.  So, what to do?  We discussed getting a little radical with the red Jeep, but Leanne wanted another 4 door. We bounced the idea back and forth. We started slowly looking around.  Comparing notes on what we wanted.  Hell, last year we almost opted for an AEV modified Jeep that had a Hemi V8 swapped into it. Hell, if they'd had one at the State Fair where we saw the dealer for them, that was for sale and setup the way we wanted, we probably would have came home with one that day.  But, we backed off and kept looking.  We're aware of a place out in Wylie TX that does a lot of upgrades to them.   Checked out their web pages once in awhile.   But we could never quite agree on the Jeep.   One concern was her RA, but its been in a remission of sorts lately.  She's able to get in and out of the '11 Silver one okay now, so we knew we could go that route again if we chose to.   Interestingly the biggest road block was the color! We never could agree.  We saw a new white JK last month with a lift and it caught our attention.   So, we finally agreed on that; white it is.  But, most we saw didn't draw us in.  Didn't have the look.   Hard to explain.  Then a couple of weeks ago, I stumbled across 'the one' on the Internet.  It was located 70 miles away; not too far.   What really caught my attention was it had 37's but only a 3.5" high-end lift and the tires were mounted on 12" vs 10" rims, so they were wider, more 'squatty'.   Looked good.  Had the beefy look I wanted , but wasn't sky high. One other thing jumped at me and initially I wasn't sure, but it works.  Works for me, works for her.  Blue accents.  On the bumper, on the lights, on the interior.  Not too gaudy, but just enough make it pop.  Stand out.   And the icing on the cake ( pun intended ) was the White Kevlar exterior.  No more waxing for this boy.   That rough finish changes it up.  Looks great.   There's a dozen other things about it as well, and we were sold.   Checked it out, took it for a test drive and then, here we go again!   The gears hadn't been upgraded.  It had the Rubicon 3:73 gears in  it.   With an automatic, that's unacceptable . Deja Vu.  So, the negotiations began. Week later, the gears have been installed and she's in Greenville, TX finally.   Now, I need to drive the damned thing.  Put some miles on it.   Have some fun it it.  Keep the cobwebs off it, that I've been guilty of in the past.  I've never been the kind of guy to find the deepest mud-hole, crazy rocky areas to climb over, but this one needs to get used ( not abused ).   She's a beauty.  And, I'm back in the mix with a JK Jeep .  This is my last one.   Honest .......................

2017 Rubicon JK Unlimited

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Note: Sometimes, you have to go 'civilized' ....hence the Grand Cherokee.  When I first retired, I got a '00 model for work.   Went the value path, instead of getting what I really wanted.  Should have gotten that with a V8  and Leather.   Lesson learned.   More than a decade later, got an Overland version with a Hemi, leather, etc.   Now we're talking.  We even ripped out the exhaust and went aftermarket.  Damned that things sounded bad ass.  Well, if we're driving by you it was.  Inside on trips, that constant deep sound wore my ass out!   For several reasons, we switched it up after just three years and got a white one, Summit model.  I wanted the SRT model , but the wheels and a few other things, didn't work for us.  So, the Summit it was.  Gotta tell you; something about a Luxury Jeep.  Its our trip car.  Our workhorse.  But, if you have to have go that route, do it right.  As I said in the beginning of this rant,  "Life is too short for soccer mom vans, smart cars, station wagons, or any other vehicle that makes one cringe just looking at it, much less riding in them.   Whether one's fetish is for sports cars, muscle cars, big trucks or fast rice burners, pursue what trips your trigger.  For me , the last thirty decades it's been .............  JEEPs"

2000

2013

2017