Welcome to the Jeep page

The Mustang had rust coming through the paint on the roof and it really bothered me as it is right in my line of view, every time I got into the car. I tried to have it fixed twice, to no avail. I then decided to get a truck for towing the Cobra, but when this opportunity presented itself, I just couldn't pass it up. The Jeep in it's current state is probably worth about $5,000, the Mustang was $2,000 and I put about $2,500 into it. So it was almost a fair trade, but once I fix up a few things on the Jeep (to the tune of about $1,000-$2,000 in my humble estimation), the Jeep should be worth about $9,000. Not to mention, the Jeep is sixteen years newer and has 50,000 miles on it, whereas the Disgustang had 125,000 (or more) mystery miles on it. I'm very excited about owning the Jeep. I think it will serve me well for about two years, at which point I would like to get a nice, late model, full size pickup. But, we'll have to see what the future holds! For now, I think this will be more reliable than the Rustang, as well as, give better gas mileage, better resale and I'll be less embarrassed by it.

02/05/08: I traded the Mustang for a 2004 Jeep Wrangler (TJ). It has the 2.4 liter 4 banger and a 5 speed tranny. It's a little beat up, but like the Mustang, I'll fix it up. It doesn't need a lot of big things, but here's the initial list:

1. Fix the A/C.
2. Give it a tune-up.
3. Replace the radio.
4. Replace the air cleaner.
5. Recondition the rims.
6. Give it an oil change.
7. Fix the dents and scratches.
8. Replace the broken passenger mirror glass.
9. Fix the inoperative radiator fan.
10. Purchase/install the driver's door check strap.
11. Purchase/install the dome lighting bulbs & lenses.
12. Purchase/install the bumper ends, or just remove them all together.
13. Find/fix the shimmy in the front end.
14. Clean up the trim.
15. Replace the broken rearview mirror.
16. Clear/fix what's causing the SES codes.
17. Purchase/install the missing A/C register
18. Shampoo the seats.
19. Shampoo the rugs.
20. Replace the leaking rear differential seal.

02/08/08: I took the doors off and drove it home from work that way. Umm, that was different! It's a little unnerving when you are going around a right hand bend and the momentum is slightly pushing you out the door, so as you feel this force on your body, you look over to your left and you see the highway rushing by at sixty-five miles per hour! Whoa! It's not like any of the convertibles I've had before, that's for sure. I also ordered the door check straps from eBay today. Later, at lunch time, I'll head over to Dayton-Andrews Jeep and buy the A/C register and order the Courtesy light lenses. Yeah, it'll cost a little more, but I know I am getting OEM parts and I have recourse if there are any issues. Not to mention, it's always good to support your local vendors.

02/08/08 (continued): I picked up the A/C register and ordered the lenses for the overhead lights from the Jeep dealer at lunchtime and then picked up some new wipers, some 'back to black' color restoring stuff for the black bits, a new rearview mirror and refrigerant for the A/C.

02/09/08: Today I gutted the interior and used some upholstery cleaner to clean the seats and carpets. It didn't do much for the seats, but the carpets look better. I also got rid of a lot of crap that was under the carpets. I also cleaned the dash, applied "back to black" to the black fender extensions, bumpers and all other matte black parts. This stuff works really well! I removed some stickers, glued in the new rearview mirror button. In addition, I removed some 'extra' wiring from under the hood that went to the A/C compressor and radiator fan. The fan no longer works, but after locating a missing fuse, the compressor still spins. I vacuumed the system and tried adding some refrigerant, but it didn't take. Both issues will require some trouble-shooting. Another thing I did was remove the bumper ends from the rear bumper. The one was pretty badly damaged, so it's definitely an improvement. Oh yeah, I ordered a new steering damper too.

02/10/08: I installed the aftermarket/upgraded steering damper this morning and it went in fairly easily. I also replaced the rear differential gasket that I noticed was leaking the day before. The parts store gave me the wrong one, so I had to run back, then ran short of gear oil, so again, I went back to the parts store. I am surprised they don't say "Matt!" when I walk in the door, ala "Norm!", like in the TV show Cheers...

02/14/2008: This is bullshit! I mean really, I am a thirty-seven year old professional! What the hell am I doing messing around with this crap?! I paid  $2,000 for the '88 Mustang in July of last year. I put about $2,500 into that thing. That's (Hold on, let me get the calculator...) $357 per month. Now, I've traded it for this Jeep and I've already spent $250 on this thing. What am I FUCKING CRAZY?!?! I really shouldn't have gotten rid of the '06 Mustang. I thought that I was going to save a bunch of money so that we would have the extra cash for Jake to go to school. To be honest, I planned on spending the $4,500 and I put it on a credit card. The payments are about $125 per month, so I WAS saving money. The '06 Mustang was $280 a month. So after putzing around with the '88 for a few months, I get it just about perfect (except for the clutch and clutch cable going out on it). However, there is rust forming on the roof. This, I find really annoying. So I set out to find someone to trade me for a truck. I think I would be less likely to get a traffic ticket AND I can tow the Cobra to the body shop and the race track, etc.

Last month, this kids approaches me with the offer to trade his '04 Jeep for my '88 Mustang. No-brainer, right? Well, I guess so. The Jeep is definitely worth more than the Mustang was, but it needs a lot of work. The A/C doesn't work, the radiator fan doesn't work, it has a few dents and a lot of scratches and the big one is the tranny. It makes a funny click or clack or whatever when you shift into third. So here I am. This is what I need to ponder. Should I dump another $2,000 into this thing or just trade it in on a newer truck and go back to the book of the month club? We are going to do a refi on the house, so that will save us a bunch of money and clear away the credit card debt that I incurred with the initial purchase and revitalization of the Mustang. So, do I want a payment free '04 Jeep wrangler that needs a bit of work or do I want a newer truck and a payment?

I asked my wife and she thinks I should trade the Jeep in on a new or newer economy car in the price range of $12,000. Nowadays The Chevy Malibu, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry all start at about $19,000. so my solution is to get a new or newer pickup with a six cylinder. However, I don't quite have myself convinced. I would like to be payment free, but the thing is, I just don't have the time. With school, homework, family, work, the house, etc, I just don't have the time to fix up the Jeep and to be quite honest, I don't think I really want to...

02/22/2008: The Jeep is gone! I put it on Craigslist.com and it sold in just a few days for $7300!

02/23/2008: I finally did something smart! I put a deposit on a 2008 Honda Civic EX. I am going to put $7000 down and my payments should be about $225 per month. I'll save at least $100 a month in gas, so it will really only cost $125 per month. It's got a moonroof, high-powered stereo, mag wheels, a five speed and it handles like it's on rails! I'm pretty excited about it. They have to have the car sent up from Miami as the color I want is somewhat rare. It's a Royal Blue Pearl. I'll post up some pictures and probably it's own page, when I get it.