Well, it’s been over a week since I picked up the Jeep and I’ve been loving it.
The T-top roof is great, especially in this sunny and warm one day, cold and rainy the next weather. It’s got as much power as the old one, cruises a lot smoother on the freeway and (so far) averages 22% better gas mileage.
I have to say, though, that the definition of “stripped model” has change considerably over the last 35 years.
In 1979 I bought a brand new Mazda GLC (grandpappy to the Mazda 3). At the time I was amazed that the rear window defrogger was standard, and I did pay extra for the roof rack. Other than that it was basic. Steering wheel, 4-speed transmission, 4 doors and an engine.
My Jeep is the basic model. The only options I have on it are the hard-top and air conditioning. I was amazed because they are hard to find, but it came with manual windows and manual door locks (same as the Mazda).
But this stripped model includes cruise control, ABS, intermittent wipers, locking glove box and center console, rear wiper, vanity mirrors on both visors, control center (avg MPG, outside temp, direction {N,S,E,W}, miles to empty, change oil warning), 6 speaker stereo with controls on the steering wheel, 6 speed manual transmission, and a full sized spare tire. That last one was standard in 1979, but rarely seen these days.
Then again, the Mazda cost me $4,500 – the Jeep cost 5 times as much.
So on Sunday my brothers and I went out to Stansbury Island for some 4-wheeling. I got the Jeep a little muddy and went up the side of the hill.
Today I took the top off. Spring break and today and tomorrow are the only 2 days in a row that it isn’t going to rain, so I just had to.
I went out to the Great Salt Lake to get these pictures. It was a little chilly with the top off, but it still was great.
Oh, and here’s a cow that found our hike on Stansbury Island quite fascinating.
⁰IIIIIII⁰
4 comments:
Your new found love reminds me of when I first got my Ford Bronco II! I still miss that truck! Enjoy Max!
Fun!
I"m so glad you're enjoying it.
With regard to "basic" cars, I recall when my '66 Beetle died and I had to get a new car (in 1993). The dealer asked me what options I was looking for. I told him heat and a/c, and he laughed. I wasn't joking. A '66 VW had no a/c, of course, and the heat was just opening a vent that let air in from the engine, so it didn't work very well -- unless it was 90 degrees outside, and then, naturally, the engine pumped plenty of hot air into the car.
My current car is also a "basic" model, but it still has power steering and brakes, CD player with MP3 plug in, a/c, fancy defrosting (in the 66, my defroster was an old towel), etc.
When the Chevy Chevette first came out in 1976, their most basic model was the Scooter. It was so stripped that the back seat was an optional, and I'm not talking 3rd row seating. If you bought it with no options you got just the two front seats, and no door on the glove box either.
OK, THAT is stripped. :)
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