Influencer I
Hi folks,
After a great long chat with @Chris.n.world (thanks for your generosity and time) i think it’s time to sell my Jeep Wrangler. This is still a struggle to me but i think i need to open my eyes and accept some facts here…
My jeep is unique. I love it. And i hate it. I love the fact that it is 100% iconic. I love the history of the brand, i love the look, i love it now it has been lifted and added big nice tyres. I love the fact that i can drive top down on sunny days and even get rid of the doors. Each time i look at this wrangler i fall in love. Every single day, even when i do not drive it, i spend 5 minutes in the morning before going to work and 5 minutes in the evening when coming back home, walking around my jeep just to stare at it, because i just love every part of its aesthetic.
But those big mud tyres are so noisy on the pavement. The rear seats are so small to fit my two sons and our australian shepherd. The trunk is so small i can’t carry anything for a real trip… And i hate so much how driving this thing on the road is more like hoisting the sails of a boat.
And that’s when Overland Bound might change this game.
In Europe we have a strong community but it’s small in number. But still, strong. So everyone is quite far away from each other and if i want to (at least) meet members and participate or organize meetings, it’s not going to be a one hour drive… Our next hypothetical meeting would be a 20 hours pavement road trip before i actually get to the rally point and another 20 hours ride back. Not doable in my old wrangler which can't go on the highway. So i need a more able rig.
Aaaaand that’s the beginning of a lot of questions and a time consuming search.
Long story short, at the moment i do not have a lot of money to spend so any long wheelbased jeep is not an option. Then i might be wrong but, here in France there is a huge pressure on gazole and vehicles ban are popping in big cities and i am afraid they could be soon strictly forbidden, especially any engine made before 2005 (this is actually happening in Paris and its area). So i would prefer a petrol engine to make my investment more relevant, but makers have developed diesel engines so much that many rigs just do NOT exist with petrol engines… Such a shame…
The only design i truly love is the FJ cruiser but guess what : this beauty is not even sold in France. We have to import them. So there are something like 5 used units on the second-hand market, and they sell around 30K€ for a 2006 build… That’s a lot of money if you ask me :/
I know german second hand market could be an opportunity but i don’t know where to search. And the only thing i find that i can customize would be Toyota HDJ 80 or 100… Not looking as good as the jeep (imho) but more versatile for sure… And for something like 13-15K€ you get a rig with more than 400 000 kilometers… Which is so much even if reliable…
So here i am, sharing this with you guys and any kind of point of view or advice in this process would help.
Cheers
After a great long chat with @Chris.n.world (thanks for your generosity and time) i think it’s time to sell my Jeep Wrangler. This is still a struggle to me but i think i need to open my eyes and accept some facts here…
My jeep is unique. I love it. And i hate it. I love the fact that it is 100% iconic. I love the history of the brand, i love the look, i love it now it has been lifted and added big nice tyres. I love the fact that i can drive top down on sunny days and even get rid of the doors. Each time i look at this wrangler i fall in love. Every single day, even when i do not drive it, i spend 5 minutes in the morning before going to work and 5 minutes in the evening when coming back home, walking around my jeep just to stare at it, because i just love every part of its aesthetic.
But those big mud tyres are so noisy on the pavement. The rear seats are so small to fit my two sons and our australian shepherd. The trunk is so small i can’t carry anything for a real trip… And i hate so much how driving this thing on the road is more like hoisting the sails of a boat.
And that’s when Overland Bound might change this game.
In Europe we have a strong community but it’s small in number. But still, strong. So everyone is quite far away from each other and if i want to (at least) meet members and participate or organize meetings, it’s not going to be a one hour drive… Our next hypothetical meeting would be a 20 hours pavement road trip before i actually get to the rally point and another 20 hours ride back. Not doable in my old wrangler which can't go on the highway. So i need a more able rig.
Aaaaand that’s the beginning of a lot of questions and a time consuming search.
Long story short, at the moment i do not have a lot of money to spend so any long wheelbased jeep is not an option. Then i might be wrong but, here in France there is a huge pressure on gazole and vehicles ban are popping in big cities and i am afraid they could be soon strictly forbidden, especially any engine made before 2005 (this is actually happening in Paris and its area). So i would prefer a petrol engine to make my investment more relevant, but makers have developed diesel engines so much that many rigs just do NOT exist with petrol engines… Such a shame…
The only design i truly love is the FJ cruiser but guess what : this beauty is not even sold in France. We have to import them. So there are something like 5 used units on the second-hand market, and they sell around 30K€ for a 2006 build… That’s a lot of money if you ask me :/
I know german second hand market could be an opportunity but i don’t know where to search. And the only thing i find that i can customize would be Toyota HDJ 80 or 100… Not looking as good as the jeep (imho) but more versatile for sure… And for something like 13-15K€ you get a rig with more than 400 000 kilometers… Which is so much even if reliable…
So here i am, sharing this with you guys and any kind of point of view or advice in this process would help.
Cheers