My Dear Old Jeep

It may finally be time to trade in my dear old Jeep for something different. It's not just the oil crunch, though I'd be lying if I said that didn't have a bearing on this decision. It's also not the fact that I have an oil leak under the valve cover. That's about as fixable as an oil leak gets. It might have something to do with the smoke coming out of my valve cover that leads me to believe one of my valve seals is going. But the biggest bugaboo for me is that the cabin fills with exhaust gases if I drive for any appreciable distance.

Yeah...

I did about 100 miles today running errands, never got a camera out, never got a kite up, and wound up with all the classic signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. Exhaust leak? You bet! Do I want to do this again? HECK NO! So now I have the choice: Fix the exhaust leak, replace the valve cover gasket, potentially rebuild the head, and continue to deal with lousy gas mileage...

Or...

I need to start looking at the classifieds, Craig's List, and just checking out the side of the road. Most cars here sell by word of mouth. Once upon a time everyone parked their used cars at the city park. I think they started cracking down on that, though, because a few years ago people stopped. For a while the unofficial used lot was the lawn in front of the place where I work. But even that seems to be losing favor. The last time I saw used cars they were down by a horse pasture near the transfer station. Keeping my eyes peeled!

So what am I after? I'd LOVE to have the Professor's Delorian from the end of Back to the Future. Mr. Fusion, here we come! But since I'm a practical person, I acknowledge that the chances of that happening any time soon are slim to none. Sooo...

Four doors would be great, but not necessary. Off-road would be terrific, but considering that's where my Jeep loses most of its gas mileage, I'll part with this one. >30 MPG would be fantastic, but for used I'd take >25. I'd like an engine I don't have to mess with, a suspension that just plain works, and brakes that can take whatever I dish out without needing constant rebuilding. I'd like enough trunk space to fit a quarter sheet of plywood along with all my KAP gear.

And #1 on my wish list? Air conditioning.

Most of the time I don't need it and wouldn't use it. But driving to Kona really hammers home the utility of something that keeps you from boiling in your own juices.

Right now, though, I'm facing the certainty that I'll be driving my CO-filling Jeep for a few more months. Windows down!

Tom