OT: Irrationality

[Ti-Boy]

Since I was a young pup, I have always wanted a Jeep Wrangler. Now at middle age, I still do. They ride like crap, get lousy reviews, terrible gas mileage, will see nothing more rugged than the same chip and seal roads I ride my bikes on- yet still I want one. What to do?

[chuckroast]

Buy one, drive it as long as it is fun for you (maybe a long time, maybe not), then sell it to someone that has the same dream. No regrets.

[CNY rider]

I agree.
There are certain fascinations that occur in my life, that can only be satisfied through the actual experience.
I can know in my logical brain that they are stupid and inane, and fully realize that they will be a big let-down, yet just have to give them a try.
Examples would even include some of the bicycles I've owned!

Buy it, get what you want out of it, then sell it and take the loss like a man. You will be better off for the experience.

[Lifelover]

I'm in the same exact boat. HAve always wanted one but don't see it as being very practical at all.

If I have the cash, I may very well get a cheap used one and use my boys as an excuse. It seems like it would make a great ride for teenagers.

[avalonracing]

If you have to have one get an old, beat up one. A new one will be a piece of ***** within two years anyway. If you buy one that has already been heavily depreciated you'll get all the same fun of a crappy ride with much less of a cash outlay.

Better yet... Buy a motorcycle. That I can wholeheartedly support! :D

[Blue Jays]

Jeeps appear FAR cooler dented and splattered with mud.
If there was ever a vehicle perfectly suited to being purchased with a sound mechanical history and yet "no worries" about cosmetics, a Jeep is it.

[93legendti]

Since I was a young pup, I have always wanted a Jeep Wrangler. Now at middle age, I still do. They ride like crap, get lousy reviews, terrible gas mileage, will see nothing more rugged than the same chip and seal roads I ride my bikes on- yet still I want one. What to do?

Al Gore will be disappointed in you....don't do it.

[Blue Jays]

"...It seems like it would make a great ride for teenagers..."As long as an adult is tasked with doing the driving.
Jeeps are perfectly fine for experienced & restrained drivers, not so much for youthful & rookie ones.

[Ray]

If you have to have one get an old, beat up one. A new one will be a piece of ***** within two years anyway. If you buy one that has already been heavily depreciated you'll get all the same fun of a crappy ride with much less of a cash outlay.

Good advice. I had a similar problem when I was about 20. Had a good, functional Civic that worked for my day to day life, but I always wanted a Jeep. Found an old Toyota Land Cruiser for about $400 - the really funky old ones, with the removable top - nothing like today's SUVs. I drove the crap out of it, got all of my 4wd adventures out of my system. The last day I owned it, I climbed a hill that I had no business on and when it lost traction and started rolling backwards, the other guys that were with me jumped out and I was close to doing the same but managed to ride it all the way back down. We were waaaaay the eff out in the middle of nowhere waaaaay the eff before cell phones. It woulda been a long walk through the desert. The engine blew on the way back to town after that little mishap and I let one of the other guys have it and he rebuilt the engine and got another year or two out of it. Great times, but I never needed another four wheeler after that. Very little cash put out to get that one out of my system. Highly recommended.

-Ray

[johnnymossville]

I've always wanted one of those myself. The new 4-door wrangler really appeals to me. I say go for it. A Jeep is a Jeep, you can't compare it to just about anything else out there, and shouldn't.

[rounder]

Since I was a young pup, I have always wanted a Jeep Wrangler. Now at middle age, I still do. They ride like crap, get lousy reviews, terrible gas mileage, will see nothing more rugged than the same chip and seal roads I ride my bikes on- yet still I want one. What to do?

We were listening to click and clack on NPR a few weeks ago. Lady called in. She said that she had a crush on a car and wanted to know what to do. It was a jeep liberty. She went on about how she and her kids were sent by the car. After awhile...click or clack...asked whether she had come with a name for the car. She said...oh yes...Patrick Henry!! Give me liberty, or gice me death!! I think that cars...like bikes and guitars...are something that you can connect with. If you find one that you like, you should get it.

[ericspin]

Get it! We jeepers wave to each other just like cyclists......that get it.

I drive one every day because I love it. It is four years old and I have driven it 86,000 miles. I would have nothing else. As you mentioned, I do not use it for it's intended purpose but it is tough as nails. I have had to do nothing but routine maintenance.

It's a blast to drop the top and crank the stereo. The cool thing is that you can drive it ANYWHERE!

This is my second one. I tried to switch to a truck in between but came right back.

You will either love it or hate it.

I love mine.

[Ginger]

Go to some farm where one is parked in a shed.

Tow a couple other vehicles out of the way.

Take it.

no one else is using it right now, they won't miss it


(yeah, evidently there's a good chop/used market for them...my nephew's was stolen out of a shed on the farm. they had to work to get it...but it's gone.)

[andy mac]

i had the same crush about 10 years ago.

looked great, loud, very sluggish, used a ton of gas - the size of the tires didn't help...

when i sold it six moths later for a toyota 4runner i don't know was more excited, me or the pimply 16-year-old punk who purchased it.

:beer:

[cmg]

half the fun is discovering it's flaws and working a way to improve it. That's what after markets parts are for. Mechanical fuel pump fails 3 times in a year, leave it and set up an electric pump down line as an example.

[William]

I used to do a lot of wheeling with my dad when I was a kid. Mountain roads, logging roads, and old wagon trails through the Cascades. Fun times. That left me with a soft spot for good four wheelers. Over the years I’ve had a Jeep CJ (predecessor to the Wrangler) and Cherokee sport. Then I got an FJ40 Landcruiser (sounds like that’s what Ray had) which I kept for quite a while. Sold it when I moved out here and have been kicking myself ever since. So, I searched around and found an FJ60 in great shape and runs like a top. It’s an itch that needs scratching so I say if you got that itch….scratch it.




William

PS: I know they are not PC these days, and the gas mileage is not the best. But I like to get away every now and then to places you just can’t get in a car. Also, just so we are clear, I am a tread lightly kind of guy, no ripping up the area doing donuts in a mud field just for the heck of it. Get in and out leaving as little evidence as possible that I was ever there.

[Sandy]

Since I was a young pup, I have always wanted a Jeep Wrangler. Now at middle age, I still do. They ride like crap, get lousy reviews, terrible gas mileage, will see nothing more rugged than the same chip and seal roads I ride my bikes on- yet still I want one. What to do?


Purchase one. Better doing it at middle age, than to reach older age and regretting that you never did, or for some reason not be able to do it at all.


Father Time

PS- The above said with the qualification that doing such is not too great of a financial hardship or met with too much resistance by your SO.

[girlie]

I call then tents on wheels.

As a passenger..not a fan BUT all my friends who own them love them.
Until they get a passenger then they sell them.

Just So Ya Know:
My boss (and dear friend) stopped driving his when he got married and sold it when he had his first baby.
My oldest friend stopped driving his when he got a serious girlfriend and sold it when he was about to marry her.

TENT ON WHEELS:)

Hell go for it!

girlie

[Onno]

This thread needs an opposing voice. :)

Jeeps have always irritated me--they seem, well, dumb. They handle terribly on the road, and, especially in the Wrangler form, don't carry much either. There sole point seems to be to announce that you like to go off road--that is, to rip up trails that would otherwise be fun to walk or bike on. Older Cherokees look a little more functional, I guess, though the new ones are so ugly that I wouldn't want to be associated with them in any way (Hummer envy, I think).

Just my 2 cents. Not really trying to start an argument.

[flickwet]

Git out thar n git u one a dem ranglers, I've never owned one but have looked at them, I use a 4x4 for work and found the interior space and highway handling do not meet my needs, 5 Isuzu Troopers later I WANT A Wrangler Unlimited, you know the 4 door. If you don't transport alot of people or stuff (I do) the regular Wrangler would be cool, I do love rear mounted spare tires, they are what god intended bike racks to be mounted on. Get what you want and have fun. No excuses.

[Ken Robb]

[QUOTE=Lifel It seems like it would make a great ride for teenagers.[/QUOTE]

Only if you don't love them. Lousy brakes, tippy handling and little in the way of crash protection.

[Ginger]

half the fun is discovering it's flaws and working a way to improve it. That's what after markets parts are for. Mechanical fuel pump fails 3 times in a year, leave it and set up an electric pump down line as an example.

So not only does it drive like a tractor, it was poorly engineered too? :)

[Volant]

Same boat...I like the new Wrangler Unlimited, but, the rational side of my brain always coughs-up the realities with it: poor gas-mileage; poor ride; poor quality overall; poor trade-in; noisy; but, I'd still like to have one.
If money was no object and I didn't give a dang about the environment, I'd have one already.
Do what your heart desires. You're just getting older. (Of course, I'm listening to my head). :crap:

[Big Dan]

Don't buy junk.

[goonster]

My boss (and dear friend) stopped driving his when he got married and sold it when he had his first baby.
My oldest friend stopped driving his when he got a serious girlfriend and sold it when he was about to marry her.


Mrs. Goonster had to have a Wrangler, and drove it daily for two years. Then she grew to hate all the things she originally loved about it, and we got rid of it.

Only if you don't love them. Lousy brakes, tippy handling and little in the way of crash protection.

Not so tippy, actually, if you don't lift it or mess with the swaybars. They also have a tubular steel rollcage, which can be both good and bad, but generally offers real protection. We were once rear-ended by a minivan, which suffered major front-end damage, while our YJ suffered a slightly bent bumper rail.

Short wheelbase, RWD, leaf springs (pre-TJ) and super-stiff swaybars (to counter the Samurai rollover panic, probably) can result in swift throttle-induced oversteer on slippery surfaces. A Wrangler is the only vehicle I have ever spun unintentionally on the road.

They make great winter beaters, but the pre-TJ's are flat-out unsuitable for regular highway driving.

[Ti-Boy]

I think I'll look into a two year lease. If I love it; I'll buy it. If I hate it; I'll tolerate it and be done with it. Thanks for all the feedback.

[ericspin]

I think I'll look into a two year lease. If I love it; I'll buy it. If I hate it; I'll tolerate it and be done with it. Thanks for all the feedback.


There you go! As I said in my earlier post, my experience (which has been great) says you will either love it or hate (strong word, but it balances the sentence) it. As long as it isn't your only vehicle it really works.

I looooooove my Jeep and I love being able to hop in my wife's CRV when it's time to be _civilized_.

BTW, I'm bettin' your Westie will love it.

[William]

http://www.jeepwrangler.com/Images/white%20jeep%20wrangler%201.jpg

http://cache.jalopnik.com/cars/assets/resources/2007/10/AEV-Wrangler-Rubicon.jpg

http://image.trucktrend.com/f/06Silver/6422146+w450+h338+cr0+re1+ar1/1995-jeep-wrangler-way-to-much-fun.jpg


http://threadtrend.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/wrangler1.jpg

http://ten.ewzone.com/articleImages/29615.jpg

http://www.jeepworld.com/photocontest/photos/3Q2006/haynes_400.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh104/tadmurauto/FLYING_CAROOLS1.jpg

http://images.jpmagazine.com/featuredvehicles/154_9911_02z+1988_jeep_yj_wrangler+front_right_ver tical_view.jpg


But be careful!!!
http://www.joescully.com/images/photos/ohsra-rao/fullsize/img3.jpg





William ;)

[Ti-Boy]

Dear William,
I'll take two of the 70's Blues Wranglers please. :beer:

[Acotts]

I call then tents on wheels.

As a passenger..not a fan BUT all my friends who own them love them.
Until they get a passenger then they sell them.

Just So Ya Know:
My boss (and dear friend) stopped driving his when he got married and sold it when he had his first baby.
My oldest friend stopped driving his when he got a serious girlfriend and sold it when he was about to marry her.

TENT ON WHEELS:)

Hell go for it!

girlie


Ha ha ha. That is what happened to me.

I will say that I got my 98 Wrangler second hand in 2000 with 16k miles for 18k total. (It was a really nice wrangler, full leather and 33 inch wheels.)

I sold it in 2007 for 11k.

It was very low maintainence until I stopped driving it. Once I moved to DC and only drove it on the weekends, I had something break on it every effin' day.

[TMB]

My neighbour is a neuro-surgeon.

He won't let his kids ride bikes, or ride horses because of the risk of their falling and the injuries that could be sustained.

However,

He drives a Jeep Wrangler (Like a madman) and sees no irony in his throwing all the kids in the back of the thing and taking off down the road.

They always all have smiles on their faces when they are in that thing.

[johnnymossville]

Get the Jeep.

Life is too short to be rational all the time. A Jeep is no more irrational than a $3000+ carbon road bike. We'd all be driving Honda Civics and riding department store bikes or something like that if rational thought dictated all our decisions.