Jeeps - The Incurable Disease

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Nope, I'm not dead, just been busy. Let's see...

As of last post the furniture is in. We got the ottoman last night after I completely bitched out the guy at Scandinavian Designs. If you sell something in May to hold until August, you'd BETTER have it in stock when I come to get it and not tell me I'm lucky that the floor model is still there and I can have that. I sent Michael to the store because I was afraid I'd kick the guy's ass right there in the show room. Ok, I probably wouldn't have, but I feel better just knowing I could have.

We added a new member to our family on Sunday:













Isn't she pretty? A 2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, Sahara Edition (42/1000). Michael's like a kid in a candy shop - after all, he's wanted a Jeep since Cub Scouts and it also reminds him of a CJ8 (the Scrambler) and of his Army days when he drove the RATT RIG (Radio and Teletype Rig).

We hadn't quite intended on buying her so quickly. In fact, last week we drove to the Jeep dealer in Auburn (Magnussen - they are awesome there) to test drive the Unlimited model which has a 12" longer body and 10" longer wheelbase than the regular Wranglers. Our hopes weren't too high because when we had driven a normal Wrangler quite a while ago, we were disappointed by its ride (it was too swimmy-feeling and not fun like we'd anticipated). Even Michael, a true Jeep lover, left the dealership depressed. So, when we went to Magnussen, we thought we'd just drive it around and think about it, etc. Well, we got in a manual transmission and started driving up the road and immediately we noticed the difference. It drove like a truck! It felt stable and solid and it was quieter and more, well, refined (for lack of a better word). Our only disappointment was in driving the automatic transmission as it felt underpowered and incorrectly geared. Basically though, we totally loved the Unlimited with the stick shift.

Michael originally thought he'd get a 2006 model but after realizing that the features and seats he loved on the Sahara edition were not going to be around next year and that 2006 will be the last year of the Wrangler as we know it, he decided to take the plunge. We went back on Sunday, signed a bunch of stuff (no haggling since there were rebates and employee pricing) and Michael drove Rubi home with a big ol' smile on his face. Come to think of it, the smile hasn't disappeared yet.

I can't wait to take her to Tahoe or the coast or even to work next week while Michael's in Anaheim for work. :)