My Love for Jeeps

Growing up as an impressionable youth, watching MacGyver introduced me to my earliest memories of Jeeps and the desire to own one. I'd watch every week as Angus MacGyver would solve a complex problem using bubble gum and a twist tie while driving around in the many Jeeps they used on the show. When I finally got the chance to own one as an adult, I jumped at the opportunity to purchase a 1988 YJ Wrangler off of a farm in Jane Lew. Since buying that first Jeep, my life and garage have seen a steady flow of Jeeps and other Mopar vehicles.

One of the things I've always loved about Jeeps is the ability to go anywhere. In the craziest and roughest terrain, a Jeep will find its way. I've spent many days lost on backroads, trails, and dirt paths somewhere in the West Virginia hills exploring and relaxing. A Jeep is more at home in the mud than it is on the road allowing for some fun sliding or family-time trail riding as you discover the beauty of West Virginia. After beginning my descent into Jeep Madness by purchasing the 1988 YJ, I followed it up with the purchase of a 2010 JKU, two 1997 Jeep TJs, and my pride and joy 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon.

No matter how many Jeeps I've owned, I'll always love my first little red YJ and the times I've had getting it in and out of places it shouldn't have been able to go. I'm always looking for decent deals on neglected old Jeeps, tires, and Jeep parts. If I ever won the lottery, I'd own one of every design that has ever called itself a Jeep. I'm a sucker for the CJ8 Scrambler, military M715, FC-150 COE, and many others in the past and current Jeep model lineup. I've test-driven several Jeep vehicles while searching for old models to buy. Nothing beats the joy of driving an old 3-speed or 5-speed Jeep down the road with the top and doors off or burying a lifted Jeep in the mud.

While several of the Jeeps I've owned have had previous modifications, with my Jeep Gladiator, I've begun slowly making modifications by adding a bed rack & headache rack from JCR Offroad and plan to replace the front bumper with a Crusader bumper and Warn winch. Several of the modifications I'd like to do run into some serious cash and are currently out of my price range, such as a drive train upgrade, a small 3-inch lift, and the addition of forty-inch tires. For now, I'll continue to drool and dream of garages full of Jeeps and days full of modifying and lifting them for offroad use.