Daniel Bibbens

"Kate" <svtkate@spam.filter.selby.ws> writes:

> ... and the Jeep gives you one other thing.. That big silly grin.
> But then, it's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand... yet.
>
> Kate
> 06 Rubicon.

I can't believe I forgot to mention that, Kate! When I come home --
from the trail or from an errand around town -- my wife frequently
asks "What are you smiling about?". I just shrug my shoulders "ah
nothin'".

....it's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand...

http://xobjex.com/dbibbens/albums/happiness.jpg
--

Daniel Bibbens

"Kate" <svtkate@spam.filter.selby.ws> writes:

> ... and the Jeep gives you one other thing.. That big silly grin.
> But then, it's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand... yet.
>
> Kate
> 06 Rubicon.

I can't believe I forgot to mention that, Kate! When I come home --
from the trail or from an errand around town -- my wife frequently
asks "What are you smiling about?". I just shrug my shoulders "ah
nothin'".

....it's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand...

http://xobjex.com/dbibbens/albums/happiness.jpg
--

Weatherman

http://www.jeepforum.com is the largest dedicated jeep discussion group
I've found on the web. Mostly dedicated offroad nutters there - a good
bunch who know everything about tires, lift kits, and serious muddin'.

If you're looking for a serious offroad vehicle, my understanding is
that nothing beats a Wrangler, provided it's properly outfitted. I'm a
Cherokee fan myself, having owned a couple and just purchased a lighly
used one with 90k miles on it. For the price you've estimated you could
get a pretty decent Cherokee with 75-90k miles, depending on model and
year. I personally think the Cherokee is the best fusion of offroad
functionality and real utility vehicle, since it provides more cargo
carrying capacity and better "on the road to the trail" comfort. 2
people with day-hike gear pretty much fill a Wrangler, while 2 people
with week-long hike gear easily fit in a Cherokee, and even four people
with gear could fit. The wheelbase is longer than the Wrangler though,
so it's not as good at rock-hopping.

If you decide on a Cherokee (don't get a Grand) then you should look
for a 1998-2000 Sport or Classic model with 2- or 4- doors, 4.0l engine
and 4x4. Transmission is up to you, but obviously manual is better for
real off-roading, though they are somewhat hard to find on a Cherokeee.
There's nothing wrong with an automatic transmission in my book, but
then I don't consider myself a hard-core off-roader. I use my jeep to
get to unusual places to that I can hike/camp/fish/ski/kayak the
places, not so I can drive around when I get there.

As for milage - lower is always better, but 200,000 on a jeep that
hasn't been abused is pretty normal, I'd say. It may not look like much
when it gets there, but that's up to you. So if you buy one with
75-100k on it, there's a good chance it will need $500 in repairs (i.e.
new radiator, new alternator, whatever) in the next year but it'll be
worth it. Aim to spend $4k and you'll leave room for unexpected repairs
and maybe some upgrades.


nightrider.36 wrote:
> Hello everyone.
>
> I don't know *anything* about jeeps--other than they're cool and I've
> always wanted one. I'd like to buy one so that I can get deeper into
> some interesting desert hiking trails. I'm bored of the trails that I
> can get to using my car.
>
> So how do I buy one and not spend a lot of money? I can probably
> afford to spend $4-5k on a hobby car--like a jeep, but I couldn't
> justify it for any more than that. It's not something I'm going to use
> that often and it seems unwise to spend that much money.
>
> How much is too much mileage for a jeep? Someone in another newsgroup
> told me that they considered something in the 90-100k miles, low. I
> wouldn't, but then I don't know anything about jeeps so maybe that's
> normal--I don't know.
>
> what should I look for or is there a website that I can go to learn
> some of this stuff.
>
> I don't want to do any hard-core off-roading mostly because I've never
> driven a jeep and I'd probably get stuck somewhere.I just want to get
> into some of the 4x4 only trails that I read about on the topo maps.
>
> Thanks,.
>
> Alex in San Diego, Ca.

Weatherman

http://www.jeepforum.com is the largest dedicated jeep discussion group
I've found on the web. Mostly dedicated offroad nutters there - a good
bunch who know everything about tires, lift kits, and serious muddin'.

If you're looking for a serious offroad vehicle, my understanding is
that nothing beats a Wrangler, provided it's properly outfitted. I'm a
Cherokee fan myself, having owned a couple and just purchased a lighly
used one with 90k miles on it. For the price you've estimated you could
get a pretty decent Cherokee with 75-90k miles, depending on model and
year. I personally think the Cherokee is the best fusion of offroad
functionality and real utility vehicle, since it provides more cargo
carrying capacity and better "on the road to the trail" comfort. 2
people with day-hike gear pretty much fill a Wrangler, while 2 people
with week-long hike gear easily fit in a Cherokee, and even four people
with gear could fit. The wheelbase is longer than the Wrangler though,
so it's not as good at rock-hopping.

If you decide on a Cherokee (don't get a Grand) then you should look
for a 1998-2000 Sport or Classic model with 2- or 4- doors, 4.0l engine
and 4x4. Transmission is up to you, but obviously manual is better for
real off-roading, though they are somewhat hard to find on a Cherokeee.
There's nothing wrong with an automatic transmission in my book, but
then I don't consider myself a hard-core off-roader. I use my jeep to
get to unusual places to that I can hike/camp/fish/ski/kayak the
places, not so I can drive around when I get there.

As for milage - lower is always better, but 200,000 on a jeep that
hasn't been abused is pretty normal, I'd say. It may not look like much
when it gets there, but that's up to you. So if you buy one with
75-100k on it, there's a good chance it will need $500 in repairs (i.e.
new radiator, new alternator, whatever) in the next year but it'll be
worth it. Aim to spend $4k and you'll leave room for unexpected repairs
and maybe some upgrades.


nightrider.36 wrote:
> Hello everyone.
>
> I don't know *anything* about jeeps--other than they're cool and I've
> always wanted one. I'd like to buy one so that I can get deeper into
> some interesting desert hiking trails. I'm bored of the trails that I
> can get to using my car.
>
> So how do I buy one and not spend a lot of money? I can probably
> afford to spend $4-5k on a hobby car--like a jeep, but I couldn't
> justify it for any more than that. It's not something I'm going to use
> that often and it seems unwise to spend that much money.
>
> How much is too much mileage for a jeep? Someone in another newsgroup
> told me that they considered something in the 90-100k miles, low. I
> wouldn't, but then I don't know anything about jeeps so maybe that's
> normal--I don't know.
>
> what should I look for or is there a website that I can go to learn
> some of this stuff.
>
> I don't want to do any hard-core off-roading mostly because I've never
> driven a jeep and I'd probably get stuck somewhere.I just want to get
> into some of the 4x4 only trails that I read about on the topo maps.
>
> Thanks,.
>
> Alex in San Diego, Ca.

Weatherman

http://www.jeepforum.com is the largest dedicated jeep discussion group
I've found on the web. Mostly dedicated offroad nutters there - a good
bunch who know everything about tires, lift kits, and serious muddin'.

If you're looking for a serious offroad vehicle, my understanding is
that nothing beats a Wrangler, provided it's properly outfitted. I'm a
Cherokee fan myself, having owned a couple and just purchased a lighly
used one with 90k miles on it. For the price you've estimated you could
get a pretty decent Cherokee with 75-90k miles, depending on model and
year. I personally think the Cherokee is the best fusion of offroad
functionality and real utility vehicle, since it provides more cargo
carrying capacity and better "on the road to the trail" comfort. 2
people with day-hike gear pretty much fill a Wrangler, while 2 people
with week-long hike gear easily fit in a Cherokee, and even four people
with gear could fit. The wheelbase is longer than the Wrangler though,
so it's not as good at rock-hopping.

If you decide on a Cherokee (don't get a Grand) then you should look
for a 1998-2000 Sport or Classic model with 2- or 4- doors, 4.0l engine
and 4x4. Transmission is up to you, but obviously manual is better for
real off-roading, though they are somewhat hard to find on a Cherokeee.
There's nothing wrong with an automatic transmission in my book, but
then I don't consider myself a hard-core off-roader. I use my jeep to
get to unusual places to that I can hike/camp/fish/ski/kayak the
places, not so I can drive around when I get there.

As for milage - lower is always better, but 200,000 on a jeep that
hasn't been abused is pretty normal, I'd say. It may not look like much
when it gets there, but that's up to you. So if you buy one with
75-100k on it, there's a good chance it will need $500 in repairs (i.e.
new radiator, new alternator, whatever) in the next year but it'll be
worth it. Aim to spend $4k and you'll leave room for unexpected repairs
and maybe some upgrades.


nightrider.36 wrote:
> Hello everyone.
>
> I don't know *anything* about jeeps--other than they're cool and I've
> always wanted one. I'd like to buy one so that I can get deeper into
> some interesting desert hiking trails. I'm bored of the trails that I
> can get to using my car.
>
> So how do I buy one and not spend a lot of money? I can probably
> afford to spend $4-5k on a hobby car--like a jeep, but I couldn't
> justify it for any more than that. It's not something I'm going to use
> that often and it seems unwise to spend that much money.
>
> How much is too much mileage for a jeep? Someone in another newsgroup
> told me that they considered something in the 90-100k miles, low. I
> wouldn't, but then I don't know anything about jeeps so maybe that's
> normal--I don't know.
>
> what should I look for or is there a website that I can go to learn
> some of this stuff.
>
> I don't want to do any hard-core off-roading mostly because I've never
> driven a jeep and I'd probably get stuck somewhere.I just want to get
> into some of the 4x4 only trails that I read about on the topo maps.
>
> Thanks,.
>
> Alex in San Diego, Ca.