A changing of the guard....
I would wager that since the end of 1996, one of the defining elements to people regarding who I am has been my Jeep Wrangler. Black, soft-top, go anywhere... love that ride. I went across the country 3 times, and logged many a mile checking out the back roads of Northern California. My friend Brian's son for quite some time would see a black Jeep and simply exclaim "It's Jeremy's Jeep." I have other friends who at times would not even ask how I was doing... they'd simply ask how the Jeep was doing, as if my well-being was reflected in the status of my car.
Unfortunately, that part of my identity had to change at the end of August.
A few days before the 4th Annual Vern Mulligan Manhood Challenge, I went out to my Jeep to get to work. The Jeep simply would not start. I called a tow truck to get it jumped... nada. Zip. Zero. It would not turn over at all. So, I had the driver tow the Jeep to the shop, got a rental, and went to work. The mechanic could not get the Jeep to do anything... because a computer control module would not let it do anything. The module was shot. I had to decide if I wanted to fix the Jeep.
The cost of replacing the module, after parts and labor, would have been $1500. The value of a rather beat up Jeep with as many miles as mine had was about $2200. That repair cost is a significant percentage of the value of the vehicle, and in fact large enough that I decided I did not want to see what repair bill might come the next week. It was time to say goodbye.
I sold the Jeep to the mechanic for less than I probably should have, but it was a convenience sale... it was just time to end the chapter of the Jeep in my life, and I wanted to make it as quick as possible. I went to Oregon for the challenge, came back, and looked for a new car. There were many models of vehicle I'd have been very happy with, but I wanted two things: fun and good mileage. I think I made a good choice: a Ford Focus ZX3. My mom wanted me to send some pics, so a coworker took some shots of me and my ride at the office. I thought I'd share them with you all here.
The new car.
A side view.
Me standing next to it, to show that it's almost as tall as RCHJ.
Maybe I can get another ten years out of this vehicle...
Unfortunately, that part of my identity had to change at the end of August.
A few days before the 4th Annual Vern Mulligan Manhood Challenge, I went out to my Jeep to get to work. The Jeep simply would not start. I called a tow truck to get it jumped... nada. Zip. Zero. It would not turn over at all. So, I had the driver tow the Jeep to the shop, got a rental, and went to work. The mechanic could not get the Jeep to do anything... because a computer control module would not let it do anything. The module was shot. I had to decide if I wanted to fix the Jeep.
The cost of replacing the module, after parts and labor, would have been $1500. The value of a rather beat up Jeep with as many miles as mine had was about $2200. That repair cost is a significant percentage of the value of the vehicle, and in fact large enough that I decided I did not want to see what repair bill might come the next week. It was time to say goodbye.
I sold the Jeep to the mechanic for less than I probably should have, but it was a convenience sale... it was just time to end the chapter of the Jeep in my life, and I wanted to make it as quick as possible. I went to Oregon for the challenge, came back, and looked for a new car. There were many models of vehicle I'd have been very happy with, but I wanted two things: fun and good mileage. I think I made a good choice: a Ford Focus ZX3. My mom wanted me to send some pics, so a coworker took some shots of me and my ride at the office. I thought I'd share them with you all here.
The new car.
A side view.
Me standing next to it, to show that it's almost as tall as RCHJ.
Maybe I can get another ten years out of this vehicle...