NEWMAN WINS DAYTONA!!!

I'm shaking and speechless...UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE:

I might have trouble talking to airplanes tomorrow...my throat kinda hurts from YELLING!! :-D

Together One Last Time...

IMG_0029
Originally uploaded by Jeff Hormann

With today's warm weather I cleaned out my garage, providing a great photo op for my automobiles. This should be the Liberty's swan song, as my Wrangler is due to arrive any time now...

This is also the first photo taken by my Digital Elph that I've uploaded to Flickr.

So, What'll It Look Like?

I haven't been able to find any pictures of a Jeep that's just like the one I ordered. That certainly doesn't mean there won't be thousands out there just like mine, though...(one of the pitfalls of black).

Anyway, the one I found here is very similar.



This picture is an '07 Sahara. The only real differences between this one and mine are:

• Mine won't have painted fenders; they'll be the same color and material as the bumpers
• Mine won't have the side steps
  

And that's it...otherwise it will look much like this one when the top is down. The doors, wheels, and tires are exactly like what will be on mine.

ORDERED: 2008 Jeep Wrangler

The second shoe has dropped in my car-buying adventure, so to speak. Soon, I will be the proud owner of a brand new, two-door Jeep Wrangler. This afternoon I placed the order. Here's the rundown:

2008 Jeep Wrangler "X", two-door (full doors) - "24S" Pkg
Black, with black Sunrider removable soft top
Dark grey interior, cloth seats
4-spd auto transmission
4x4 (obviously), solid axles (Dana 30 front, Dana 44 rear)

Options:
17x7.5" wheels, 255/75R17 (32") tires
6 Infinity speakers w/ sub
Fog lights/front tow hooks
Trailer tow pkg with 2" receiver
Seat mounted side air bags

Planned mods/accessories:
Firestone Destination AT or Bridgestone Dueler A/T tires
Bestop Flexatrunk
On-board window carrier
Safari top conversion
Cab cover
Hitch-mount bike rack
Rollbar mount for XM antenna
Rock rails
Partial de-badging

The Wrangler will replace the 2003 Liberty. The quote I got today was exactly in line with what I had expected and planned for -- the Liberty trade-in knocks exactly half off the price of the Wrangler...I haven't decided yet whether to finance or pay cash on the balance.

So going back through my last two years or so of trying to figure out what to do car-wise, I fell like I've come out a winner here. I made the right call going with two vehicles. I have a very nice low mileage used car which I really like, and now I'll have a brand new Jeep.

Originally of course I planned on the Jeep being used as well, but several factors went into the Jeep becoming a new one. First, nothing holds resale value like a Jeep Wrangler. I don't know why, but it's true. A used 2005 or 2006 Wrangler with 30,000+ miles would have only been at best $5000 less than what I just bought. For that extra, I get a brand new vehicle that hasn't been thrashed on and messed with and is all mine, the new design with all it's fantastic new features (electronic stability, traction control, more cargo space, etc.), and the lifetime power train warranty. No brainer there.

I'm expecting my new Jeep to arrive sometime in November before Thanksgiving, although it isn't outside the realm of possibility that it might get bumped to January or later. The only shame is they can't just haul it down the street a few miles from the factory and drop it off in my driveway. :-)

Huge Auto News

Today Chrysler LLC hired Jim Press, the President and COO of Toyota North America, to be their new President and Vice Chairman, in charge of North American Sales, International Sales, Global Marketing, Product Strategy, and Service and Parts for Chrysler LLC.

There's a lot of excitement on Allpar.com (the Chrysler enthusiasts site I occasionally visit) over this...it's considered a coup to have hired the man who led Toyota as it emerged as a US powerhouse to basically run the show at Chrysler.

Just as long as he doesn't force the manufacture of boring refrigerators-on-wheels...that's my main concern with this.

Getting Things Ready

For the first time ever, the Liberty sits in the right bay of my garage. There's nothing in the left bay, the space left open for the Stratus R/T when it pulls into the garage, likely on Friday.



In order to make everything fit I had to condense my stuff into the northwest corner of my garage. In a way it looks like a real garage for the first time...before I had the Jeep sitting in the left bay and all my stuff scattered throughout the right bay...now I have to keep things condensed and organized in order to fit two vehicles in the garage.

I BOUGHT A CAR!

That last post I made about a 2008 Wrangler Unlimited...disregard.

In the end I decided to stick with the two car plan. On Saturday my parents found more or less the exact car I was looking for in Van Wert, OH...so I drove home today, test drove it, and bought it.

It's a 2002 Dodge Stratus R/T Coupe in Indy Red...it has a sunroof, autostick (semi-auto transmission), and a nice tan leather interior. It has 34,000 miles, somewhat more than I wanted, but the car is in very nice shape for its age...I'll also likely only be putting no more than 6,000-7,000 miles a year on it. I got it for what I thought was a very fair price.

There are a few minor touch-up things they need to do to it, so I'll be taking delivery the middle of next week. Below are a couple pics I took tonight after I completed the deal:












UPDATE:

I forgot to add one of the most important things - the thing drove spectacularly. It was (and will be!) an absolute blast to drive. It was very comfortable, in fact it felt like I'd been driving it for years - it took no getting used to at all...which is strange since I've exclusively driven a high-sitting, heavy SUV for almost four years now. It also looks fantastic. It needs some stone chips touched up on the nose and some other touch-up work done, but when I'm through getting it spiffied up, it will turn heads.

JK Wranglers Recalled/Final Car Decision

It was bound to happen before too long. The "fix" is a re-flash of the Totally Integrated Power Module -- supposedly a software version which was installed on some 80,000+ Wranglers and Dodge Nitros was buggy. Hopefully this is truly the fix that JK owners have been clamoring for. If so, it's yet another first-year-of-the-model glitch that won't be showing up on the 2008 models.

Speaking of the 2008 models...I've made a decision, and I believe it's my final decision. There won't be any more waffling back and forth between, "do I get two vehicles or stick with one", or the like. I said back in March that I absolutely would not own a 2007 Wrangler because they were so buggy...and that remains true...I won't own a 2007 Wrangler.

At the time, I shifted my plans toward buying two used cars...and that was the plan through last week, but my experience testing that Sebring (which was not a nice car at all) led me to a few realizations:

1. With overall cost, tax, insurance, and maintenance, going the two car route will never be the more economical route. The only real advantage to going that route would be to have a second vehicle with better fuel economy in case of a gas shortage...something that cannot be predicted with any certainty (remember, "experts" thought gas would be $4.00/gal today...it's $2.79/gal here).
2. I will have a difficult time being happy with a used car. Most people aren't as meticulous and downright car-crazy as I am...and I don't think I'll find anything "perfect" enough for me.
3. The auctions aren't producing the great deals I hoped for...it's possible I was just extraordinarily lucky when we found my Liberty.

A few other things also have happened: I've warmed up to the look of the 4-door Wrangler, and I've become more accepting toward the additional cost of the 4-door over the 2-door. After 65 years of the classic CJ/Wrangler design, it took me a while to get used to the look of a 4-door stretch, but after having seen more and more of them in person, they're not that bad...they actually look really cool with the top down. And they are the automotive equivalent to a Swiss Army knife...it will do anything, except deliver good fuel mileage.

Between my acceptance of the design, the elimination of most of the first-year bugs, and the pitfalls of the two-car strategy, it's settled: I'm buying a brand-spanking-new 2008 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, ordered to my specifications. Soon too, this month for sure. The only problem is I won't be getting it soon. Demand is so high that many who ordered 2007s have had their build pushed back to a 2008...so I'll have to get in a long line. I won't be getting the thing until sometime between Labor Day and Christmas, most likely. It should be sweet, though. I'll have more on colors and options once I place the order.

The Wheels Are In Motion

Pun intended.

I talked to the car dealer today and gave him some paperwork that outlines what I'm looking for in my next Jeep and car. He's going to try to acquire the vehicles through the same process we used to get my Liberty 4 years ago. It shouldn't be a problem getting the vehicles, but it could take a while (several months) to find the right ones. Since I'm not in a big hurry, it should work out well.

The only concern is they stopped making the Stratus R/T in 2005, so one might be harder to find. That's worrisome because I would ideally like to get the car before the Jeep. Hopefully we can eventually find one somewhere. If you're thinking, "a Stratus? Are you nuts?", let me explain. The coupe shares underpinnings with the Mitsubishi Eclipse and Gallant. The R/T model, which is what I'm angling for, is not a muscle car but it's pretty quick for what it is, and it shares no parts with it's Stratus sedan cousin. The coupe definitely deserves a name that doesn't make one think "boring family car."

The Jeep shouldn't be hard to find and I should be able to acquire a low-mileage 2005 or 06 in my price range without much trouble. I just worry about getting a Wrangler (and having to trade or otherwise sell the Liberty in the process), still waiting on the car, and be stuck with just the Wrangler for a couple of months. I could live with this scenario, but I really don't want to have to...if it happens though, I'll just deal with it.

Testing Out Plan B

After deciding that a 2007 Jeep Wrangler would not be a good decision, based on its current quality control issues and other factors, I decided to move forward on my fall-back plan today by test driving one of the previous-generation Wranglers, the TJ. I drove a 2004 TJ Sahara this morning in Van Wert, OH.

The TJ is different from the JK, but not overwhelmingly so. The interior is narrower and more cramped, it doesn't feel as refined, and it doesn't have all of the modern goodies that are now on the JK like power windows, power locks, and side airbags, but in their absence the TJ has a much more utilitarian Jeep-like feel. You feel like you're driving something that could be running around on a battlefield somewhere. In the TJ one can really feel the link to the old military Jeeps, where the JK drives much more like any old SUV.

On the plus side, rear visibility is much better than the JK, the pedal feel is much better, the engine is very loud and obnoxious (I thought the JK engine was way too quiet), and in my opinion, the TJ is a better-looking vehicle. And it's more mechanical and less electronic than the JK...and given the JK's massive electronic bugs, that's a good thing. Most all of the bugs are worked out of the 2004-06 TJs...they're very solid vehicles. And it also comes with the world famous, bulletproof 4.0L I6 engine, which can be good for 200,000+ miles if well maintained.

However, the TJ is definitely not as comfortable to drive overall, compared to the JK. The interior storage space is far less...it's just small on the inside. You had better be good friends with the person sitting in the passenger seat, because they're right next to you! The TJ would not work for me as my only vehicle, period.

The good news is a.) it's not intended to be my only vehicle, and b.) I want one...bad. I still have some dealing to do, but it looks like by the end of summer (at the very latest), the Liberty will be replaced by two low-mileage vehicles for which someone else has taken the big depreciation hit, and together cost about the same as a 2007 Wrangler. That's at least the goal...we'll see how it goes.

Is GM Going to Buy Chrysler??

Maybe, according to many news stories that have emerged in the past few days. The story, in essence, is that Daimler Benz bought the highly profitable Chrysler Corporation in 1998, sucked it dry, and is trying to spit out the carcass. There are many possible scenarios including a spin-off, a buyout by a non-automotive entity, or a buyout by another auto manufacturer. Possible buyers, outside of GM, would be Renault or (worst case of all) one of the Chinese companies.

I would most prefer to see a spin-off or a private consortium buy Chrysler. If it has to be a carmake buying Chrysler, I hope it is GM. It would keep the company's remains here at home, and it would (hopefully) help GM in the fight against Toyota. It's an intriguing thought considering just how a GM/Chrysler marriage would play out. Would it just be platform sharing or a complete merger? Which (if any) nameplates would survive? Would my next Jeep actually be a Humm...mmf...umpf...whew...I just threw up there a little bit...I'm okay. I hope that doesn't happen. In all actuality, I think GM would value the Jeep nameplate.

Anyhow, there are tons of news stories on this, and I have to think where there's smoke, there's at least a little bit of fire. If nothing else, the two companies are talking at very high levels over something. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out...the impacts to the economy will be enormous.