|
03/24/2008
So, I've had my Jeep now for all of a week, and been
all over these boards, the 4X4 shops in town, and have
planned over $5,000 in modifications on paper. I was
really wanting to go nuts there for a while, and then
the wife's common sense started to trickle in around
the edges....
Look, I know I'll catch some flak here about this, but
I'm a practical person. My last vehicle was an '06
Dodge Durango that I wasn't happy with, mainly because
the first serious off-road experience I had with it, I
seriously damaged the front suspension cross member.
This was neither the vehicles fault, nor mine, as my
Dad was leading in his Land Rover, which had more
clearance and a whole 'nother set of gears below mine.
All I could do was grit my teeth and grin at the
wife....
When I saw the Jeep, I relived a childhood fantasy that
I've held for the last 25-odd years and made the
impulse buy. Because I've got friends that take their
Jeeps/Bronco's/etc. to Moab, I know the adrenaline rush
that comes with owning this sort of vehicle. Not only
that, but part of my initial driving lessons at 16
(over 20 years ago now) was based on a '79 Ford Bronco
over 4X4 only roads. So, I am neither a newbie to the
4X4 world, nor am I chicken when it comes to trails,
but I am practical.
My NEED for a Jeep is based on the fact that I still go
up to my Dad's cabin on the East side of the Pecos
mountains over roads that would make a flatlander crap
his pants. No, they are not anything like Moab, but
they are rough, nasty in the wet season, and require at
least a stock 4X4 to make it all the way. So, I
re-examined my list from a realistic point of view, and
cut out all the unnecessary garbage (i.e. stuff that I
could do without unless crawling over rocks the size of
my torso or larger).
The list that remained is not as big, not as ambitious,
but will still make my Jeep MY Jeep and serve the
purpose that I purchased it for. Now, I urge anyone
reading this to actually take a close look at his/her
needs and then go over their list one more time before
actually spending hard money on those items. You just
might regret it later if you don't....
|
