I bought my first Jeep in 2000, a 1999 Sahara. At that time I knew very little about Jeeps and only had a very basic understanding of off-roading. I thought four wheel drive was four wheel drive and knew nothing of lockers, gears, axles, suspensions, etc. I kept the Sahara stock with the intention of eventually lifting it. As my knowledge increased and the Rubicon became available in 2003, I wished I had known more back when I first started.
Then in 2007 my Sahara was totaled when a guy blew through a red light and t-boned me at an intersection. After recovering from a collapsed lung, 4 broken ribs and some pretty serious cuts and scrapes, I was on a quest to find my Rubicon. The first JKs were just becoming available and the Unlimited seemed to offer considerably more space. I did have concerns about the 3.8l engine and had hopes a diesel or V8 would be offered in the future. I test drove a JKU Rubicon and decided to focus my search on a TJ Rubicon. Hindsight, I should've focused on a TJ Rubicon Unlimited, but that's another story
I found a 04 Rubicon with a 4" Teraflex suspension lift on 33s, KC off-road lights and Body Armor rock rails at a local used car dealership. Having done considerable research online and armed with a pre-approved blank check up to $50k from USAA I walked in, test drove and offered my bottom line no negotiation price. The sales person started the "let me check with my manager" crap and came back with a ridiculous counter offer. I told him I wasn't here to play games and my offer was final. The manager came over and tried to explain his position which resulted in me getting up from the table and walking out the door. Halfway across the parking lot a hear the manager tell the salesman to take the deal. I turned around and 20 minutes later was leaving in my new-to-me 2004 Jeep Rubicon.
With a very capable platform to start, I began the process of making the Jeep mine. New Body Armor bumpers front and rear w/ tire carrier, Warn 9.5k winch, tranny skid plate, Solid front/rear diff covers, and Old Man Emu shocks and I was on my way. It also had new a name, Roobicon, after my sons nickname Roo.
As a single dad with a 9 year old son I started heading out to the mountains of southern Nevada for quick overnight and weekend camping trips. With only the two of us, the limited cargo space was an issue, but not one that couldn't be overcome. I knew that would have to be addressed in the future but I wasn't sure how and a roof rack didn't seem sufficient.
With the new Jeep I also discovered the world of online Forums and the wealth of knowledge and advice (good and bad) it offered. It was there I found the solution to my cargo space problem in the form of a M101 CDN trailer. That story can be found in the trailer section of this forum. Suffice it to say a whole knew world opened up to me when I got my trailer.
With over 154k miles on the Roobicon today, I am well into the process of repairing and replacing. The first major repair was right around 99k miles with a new water pump. Since then a new radiator, rebuilt tranny, new windshield, new clutch, a "mysterious" check engine issue that simply required a decent mechanic to give it a tune up and probably a few other things I've forgotten. This is in addition to the routine maintenance of oil changes, brakes, batteries, etc. The most recent work was replacing a broken rear shock mount, installing new Old Man Emu sport shocks and replacing the rear coil springs with Currie HD springs to stiffen the rear end and address a sag when towing my trailer.
I am one of those very lucky guys that is driving his "dream vehicle". I can't see myself driving anything else and will continue to replace, rebuild and modify my Roobicon. To this day I still find myself walking outside just to look at my Jeep and think that's a cool vehicle and I'm glad it's mine...
