How did you start wheeling??

[wheelinscott]

i just was curious as i was driving today of ya'lls stories of how you got into wheeling.

Me?

Well just before i started driving my brother had an old 80's ford ranger and he restored it and did some small mods to it. i went hill climbing and stuff with him a few times. well i got a hold of some of his four wheeler mags and started reading them. then i turned 16 and got a 77 K5 blazer and started to go out in the woods and some years later now i eat sleep and jeep. :guitar:

[CherBear]

My older brother wheeled (or at least attempted to) a 94 F150. One day he had set up a sort of mud bog behind our horse barn and a bunch of his buds drove their rigs thru it. I was hooked since then. Being one the younger members on this site, my first rig was a 2000xj. Been wheeling it ever since.

[BIgDaddyChia]

I went wheeling on fort hood with a friedn back when it was legal in his bonze stock z-71. Had a good time. Few years later I grew up bought an 01 Xterra wheeled it, had to get rid of it and then did the racing thing. Then I bought an 05 Xterra wife stole it and told me to buy a Jeep. So I did.

[93gc40]

As soon as I learned the true meaning of "Do It in the Dirt", I was hooked. Started with Baja Bugs, then JEEPs. Never really got into dirt bike, mainly because if you make a mistake you fall down, in a jeep you just get stuck or break something, rarely yourself.

[hiimmred]

I went with my friend in a CJ7 on a Jeepers Jamboree back in '03, and within a month I had a full size Bronco with a 3" lift and was out wheelin' with him on a regular basis. The Bronco's gas mileage and size on the trails was prohibitive though. Since I got my 90 XJ the wheelin' experience is 100 times more fun.

[IslanderOffRoad]

At age 15 I joined a Sea Scouting unit after working at a scout camp for the summer. All the guys in it drove 4x4's... including a leader who was particularly into fullsize Jeeps. During the winter when the seas were no bueno for boating, this unit filled their activity schedule with off-road trips to the Mojave desert.

Did my first wheeling trip to Ballarat, Ca in Panamint Valley in February 2000. I was hooked but the parents wouldn't let me get a 4x4. I forgot about it for a few years, got into go-fast stuff.

Then I got invited to Glamis by a friend of mine for a weekend in 2006, and spent most of the weekend cruising around his CJ7. By the end of that weekend I owned a fullsize Jeep that barely ran. Sold that later that year and bought my XJ.

Back in January I got back to Ballarat and did a trip in my own Jeep. I'm still active with the scout unit and drive the kids on those 4x4 trips.

[fscrig75]

Was never into wheelin that much in HS, but once I got into the military it was a different story. Started wheelin the units HUMVEE, which was fun but you can only do so much before you get yelled at.

In 2004 the wife and I were getting ready to move to CO, I wanted to get something with 4wheel drive. She was looking at an Explorer, I was looking at a '99 XJ Sport.

Well she doesn't know much about cars, so I got what I wanted and now she is driving a '08 WK.

[muddyrocks]

I slid off of my path (path- a dirt road leading to a house in North Carolina) into a ditch... I had a soft cast on my leg for a severe srain. Longer story short, I bought a Cherokee; one thing leads to another... mud, trails, hill climbs, Uwharrie, Tellico... fun wah!

[CherBear]

I slid off of my path (path- a dirt road leading to a house in North Carolina) into a ditch... I had a soft cast on my leg for a severe srain. Longer story short, I bought a Cherokee; one thing leads to another... mud, trails, hill climbs, Uwharrie, Tellico... fun wah!

And Naxja !!

[muddyrocks]

true that!!! ... and NAXJA!

[Crusher16]

Grandparents got a Saturn to replace their XJ. Dad picked up XJ, used it for his daily driver for a year then got a BMW. Mom used XJ to deliver cookies for a year or two then got a fuel efficient delivery vehicle. I get drivers license then get XJ soon after. Month or two goes by and I discover NAXJA. It then began.

[Coastie]

I grew up on a working farm.

[MadPikAvenger]

My uncle wheeled with the dinosaurs. When my cousin turned 15 he built a dune buggy over the summer that I helped with a bit. At the end of the summer we took it up to Silver Lake Sand Dunes I fell in love. From that moment 4x4 became a requirement for my first vehicle so at the very least I could get out on the dunes again. Unfortunately my grandma stuck me with her 89 plymouth acclaim. On the plus side it gave me time to find a Jeep, less than a year later I got my XJ and been wheelin ever since.

[CherBear]

I grew up on a working farm.

Hahahaha

[OverTheHillsATTW]

My mom wheeled an 1988 s10 blazer on dirt roads when I was younger maybe 3 or 5. I got into quads and junk around 15 my friend got his drivers license and his parents WJ to drive. We wheeled and learned about wheeling with this (beat the balls and front end). He soon bought a 96 XJ I bought a 90 XJ and it's been XJ's ever since.

[wiretie]

Went to Paragon in 2006 and my first Nac Fest that same year. Have been hooked ever since.

[xjtrailrider]

I was 8 or 9 years old (mid seventies) and had already learned how to drive dads 69 Commando around the hay fields. One day while working in the garden (which was located across a creek from the house) dad asked me to take some crates of potatoes to the cellar. I had to cross the creek so I locked the hubs, pulled the T-case lever and dropped the turbo 400 into "D" and went for it! Man I will never forget the feeling of roostering mud all over the place! The Duantless V-6 was screaming! I made it through and was hooked. Of course Dad scolded me for giving it too much gas and made me wash it off.

I saved my money and bought a 41 Chevy "ton and a half" 4x4 military truck for $600 at age 12 and got her running and played with that tank for years, wish I had it back. Those were the "Good ole days" LOL!

[ZacSquatch]

..... I robbed a couple 7-11's and needed a quick get away so I jacked some punks 99 XJ and took off through the woods...

[gabe4]

Well I grew up on a working farm :laugh3:

One year we got an early snow and I couldn't get to my hunting spots and my dog and I went nuts. So I bought an XJ in hopes that I wouldn't get snowed out again, well I started having more fun getting to my hunting spots then I did once I got there. Plus I hate anything stock, one day I came out into the parking lot and went to the wrong jeep I looked around and counted 13 xj's three the exact color as mine. SO after a short search I found this forum and well now I don't have any problem finding my xj in the parking lot.

[FlexdXJ]

Well it all started when i was young and my cousin was driving my grandpa's Silverado back in a field. Well the owner didn't realize we were back there and locked the gate. I am assuming we weren't supposed to be back there because my cousin had to bust through the gate! I have been around Jeeps since i was young. My mom used to work at a Barber shop and the owner had a CJ that we used to ride around in! He ended up fully restoring it and sold it for something stupid like 5 grand! So when i finally got a job where i could afford one i bought my '97. now i have a 2 dr. sitting waiting for me to pick up. In high school i was into the sport compact scene for a while. Then toward the end of high school my buddies started buying them and wheeling at a buddies property. You could say i caught the bug! :D as soon as i get this other Jeep there will be 7-8 Jeeps in the family on my mom's side and 2 on my dad's side!

[Boatwrench]

I slid off of my path (path- a dirt road leading to a house in North Carolina) into a ditch... I had a soft cast on my leg for a severe srain. Longer story short, I bought a Cherokee; one thing leads to another... mud, trails, hill climbs, Uwharrie, Tellico... fun wah!

Similiar story, slid off the road while trying to reach campsite.

[ECKSJAY]

Bought a 95 Cherokee in 99, got onto the xj-list at offroad.com, met up with some guys in AZ, and attended my first run. Prior to that was just riding with my buddies in the snow up in WA.

[CherBear]

In high school i was into the sport compact scene for a while. Then toward the end of high school my buddies started buying them and wheeling at a buddies property. You could say i caught the bug!

Thank God you got of that sport compact scene!!!
Ive seen soooo many posers in those groups who think they know how their 2-point-nothing engine works.
I thought i was ignorant until i met them. Im not sure if half of them could change their own oil...

[tbburg]

A friend bought a CJ-5. We took it on a trip to Colorado via Baja California. I started looking for a CJ-5 or -7 to wheel. He started looking for a CJ-8 to replace the -5 because he thought he needed more space to haul crap. He got his -8, and I ended up with his -5. I threw a lock-rite in the back and drove the hell out of it. About 10 years later, I bought my first XJ to replace an old BMW I had for a daily driver(Funny, the BMW also had a straight 6, about 190 HP)
Now I live somewhere I can actually wheel, and the Jeep fungus seems to have stuck. Still have the CJ-5, still have the 1st Cherokee, and now have a 2nd XJ

[Glenn B]

In the late 70's played with dune buggies, both on the farm and on the coast of California. First car was a Baja Bug that I built the engine for, as well as "lifted" it by tweaking the torque gizmo thingies. In the Military, pushed M818's, M35's (wooo hoooo), M1008's, M151's, and a few others to their limits(double woooooo hoooo). After that, had some go-fast cars when I lived in Germany as a civilian. Back state-side, and had a couple ZJ's that I played with... Santiago's Revenge (near L.A.), Moab (1998 with some friends that pretty much started NAXJA), Walker Valley, Evans Creek, Wa etc.... After Evans Creek and the body damage to the ZJ, go in to XJ's because they are so cheap and easy. Looking forward to my next Jeep.

[Gr8PlainsDriftr]

New guy here

back in Highschool, i started out with a 88 Suzuki samurai, GAWD I MISS IT! It was stock and the PO had it behind a Motorhome. This was back when pretty much no one liked them, and you could get 2 for the price of what 1 is nowadays. got made fun of at school cuz it was a "girl jeep", So i covered it in mud everyday. I needed bigger tires, so i got a shackle reversal kit from a guy known as billybob from Arkansas on the the off-road.com forums. I'd still like to meet that guy, and thank him for what he got me into. Didnt have anyone else who wheeled, and i found my own spots. Evidently, they were trails from BMX riders, and i spooked them one time LOL the town turned the trails *known as OZ* into a world class golf course:puke:... took it to the dunes a couple times, and the river at Ark city. I didnt ever get to go on any REAL trips.

fast forward to yesterday, *ive done and still doing the go fast toys* i got me a stock 88 comanche *MJ* 4x4, 5 speed, 4.0 renix. I've already spent 2 days doing a bunch of research on them. I plan on doin some mudding, but mostly to transport my yamaha banshee to and from trails/dunes/wherever i want to go next. But first i got to figure out this misfire, idle irratically, misfires all thru RPM range, while driving. Anyone from around the Wichita/Hutchinson Kansas Area?

[Ghost]

I think I was 12 when I got an ATC 110 back in 1980. I used it on the farm in Aiken and the mud holes and sand dunes in Florida. Been hooked on off roading ever since.

[BruceB83]

I was 13 (13 years ago) when my dad started letting me drive his '87 XJ on the local trails when we'd go to shoot guns. Yes, this was back when you could still find undeveloped area around here to go shoot some .22s on and nobody cared. Anyways, we were back in the woods near a river and these guys came up asking if we could help pull them out...they got their off-road setup VW Bug stuck in the river. We had to do some trail riding to get to it and I loved it!

I ended up with his XJ as my first car, didn't have any friends who were in it so I sold it (:doh:) and got into the whole sport compact scene for about a year or two. Bought my next XJ (loaded 95 country) and really broke into wheeling. I started going to Tellico and a bunch of random trails up in the north GA mountains. Drove that thing a while then sold it (:doh::doh:). Went into muscle cars, then began to miss wheeling again so bought another loaded 95 country. Wheeled it a little, not as much as the other, then sold it (:doh:) because I got a WRX Impreza. Then I decided I still missed wheeling, again, so I bought my current XJ. :gee:

I wish I NEVER would have sold that first 95 Country. I was SO stupid.

[muduck18]

I was always in the street scene too.. I had dreams of Supercharged v8's, posi-track... I used to go to the 1/4 mile strip all the time.
but sophomore year in college, I met two guys that loved to snowboard as much as I do, one guy's dad had a cabin in NY near the VT line. So we went to their cabin for a week during winter break to snowboard. His dad also had an XJ.
Day 1 there was over 2 feet of snow.. we were 18 to 20 miles from the slopes.. so I thought our trip had just been destroyed and we were stuck in this cabin..
but no.
My buddy was like na, this is nothing we packed our gear, and drove to the slopes we were the second vehicle in the parking lot the other one... also an XJ.
A little over a year later, I bought my 96xj and have been at it ever since.

[FlexdXJ]

Thank God you got of that sport compact scene!!!
Ive seen soooo many posers in those groups who think they know how their 2-point-nothing engine works.
I thought i was ignorant until i met them. Im not sure if half of them could change their own oil...

I'm over that crap if i have a tuner car again which will happen it will be German! I love VW's still! I am thinking TDI rice crusher! :D

[bigalpha]

I had a 94 Escort for a while and while it was fun to drive (like a go-kart) it was kind of impractical. I was a geology major so I had fun driving that Escort (w/ spoke rims and low profile tires and that annoying fart muffler) through fields and the like. It's also hard to move small boulders of Aluminum Ore because they won't fit in the hatch and your car is only a 2-dr. :D

Sold it and got my 97 Subaru OBS. Man, I loved that car. It was durable enough to take where I needed it, the 2.2L was really peppy and it had lots of storage space for rocks. We took that sucker on a road trip to AL, FL and W. TN. Took 4 big adults and gear. And still got 25mpg. Traded it for my Ranger since I need the hauling capability more than 4 doors.

At the end of my time with the Subie, I got the Jeep to take it places that I usually didn't take the Subie (exept for that one time where I got the car sideways following a Rover). Mainly because I like the styling of the Jeep and it's junkyard-easy to fix. My Subie was VERY expensive to fix.

Overall, I'm pleased with the Jeep, but mine just has a lot of problems.

[jeepn_4_life]

I have always loved jeeps, and I had always wanted one. My dad bought a 94 xj sport new and drove it for 7 years and when I turned 16 I would ask to take it and I would hit some light trails (risky I know) without his knowledge. But I eventually convinced him to let me buy it off of him for 2k and then it was finally mine. I love taking it out but I haven't made any mods to it yet. I just enjoy getting out in the mountains on trails that most likely aren't going to break the thing. I do have plans for a small lift and a few things to make it more of an Adventure rig but nothing to crazy. I just love getting out and away from the people. Jeep takes me there.

[Rod Knee]

For me, it was a job requirement. Lowman, Idaho area.

[muddyrocks]

For me, it was a job requirement. Lowman, Idaho area.

I'm almost afraid to ask... what does a "Lowman" do? :wierd:

I believe you want to say lawman?

[Deadman 94 xj]

I got tired of getting my cars stuck...really.

I always liked the XJs or "cherokee sports" as I use to call them.

One day while on a white water trip some guy had a mildly built one (first I ever saw) and I knew I was done.

[Rod Knee]

I'm almost afraid to ask... what does a "Lowman" do? :wierd:

I believe you want to say lawman?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowman,_Idaho


The community was named for a homesteader (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homesteader), Nathaniel Winfield Lowman, from Polk County (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polk_County,_Iowa), Iowa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa).

[bluejeepkid]

for me it started with my jeep...atfirst it was a work vehicle of my dads and we would ocasionally take it to the beach. it had an old rancho 2 in lift and some 30' bfg at's...it was also my first vehicle. now it sits on 33's 4 inches of lift with some skids and a winch and stuff lol

[89jeepie]

always loved jeeps..bought my first cherokee when i was 16 for my first car.(aginst my parents will) and have bled jeep ever sents

[bcmaxx]

was a car dude, bought rc truck, got addicted, bought a 89 limited for $200 without an engine to fix and flip,buddies talked me into building it, found out building a real one isn't much more than the scale stuff, here I am 3 1/2 years later 10k broker,no tears shed,very happy, thanks for putting up with my commas,,,,,

[muddyrocks]

Rod Knee... I appreciate the clarification; Lowman sounds like a great place.

[Eric85]

When i was in the market for my first 4x4 my dad told me to buy a cherokee because there cheap, plentiful, and no ifs BS.

[CherBear]

When i was in the market for my first 4x4 my dad told me to buy a cherokee because there cheap, plentiful, and no ifs BS.

Amen to that :soapbox:

[MetViper]

I practically grew up in the back of a Ford Bronco. First a 1979 (Ol' Blue) then a 1988 (POS), and later a 1970 (Rusty). We went hunting, fishing, camping, christmas tree hunting, just driving to work (logging) and everything else in between in those 4x4s. A lot of the "roads" were non-maintained two track ranch roads. I loved the "go anywhere" feeling of riding around in a 4x4. When I got old enough to drive (11-12) Dad let me drive the 1970 out in the hills to our saw mill. I loved it. It was also a necessity to have 4x4 just to get to work some days and many of the steep draws we logged in required 4x4. I bought my first 4x4 for $300 in 1997 (a 1978 Bronco). I moved on to a 1993 Explorer, then made the ultimate upgrade to a 1991 XJ. The XJ is the first 4x4 I lifted and put bigger tires on. Started out mudding, but once I hit the rocks, I never looked back!! (kind of like my crack cocaine addiction!!) lol

[jeepfreak1020]

When i was around 14 i got ahold of some 4-wheeling mags and loved reading the articals and looking at the pics and knew thats what i wanted for my first car. Then my brother got a 98 wrangler when i was 15 and thats what got me hooked. We would go wheeling every chance we got and i becase the worlds best 15yr old spotter lol. And then once i turned 16 i got a 98 cherokee sport and have been wheeling it since. Still read the same 4-wheeling mags i did and i get four different ones every month now lol

[msrorysddad]

I started because I couldn't take my daughter on my motorcycle, not the way I ride. I wanted a "sport" that my child could enjoy with me. I camp and trail ride. I think the xj is the perfect platform for a family wheelin rig.

[XCastleXJ]

how did i start wheeling?

my daddy raised me right!

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/51/l_f149a558001c7852a70f7a7e41b22c0b.jpg
its a jeep thing, its always been a jeep thing.

[billyjp2]

my buddy had a lifted YJ, so my parents bought me an 01 TJ back in 03. a hydrolocked motor and a tree later it was totaled. i wheeled a 93 f-150 and a 94YJ before owning 4 XJs and an MJ.

[Rob Mayercik]

Bought my '92 in December of 1997 as a replacement DD, found the XJ forum (pre-NAXJA) a few months later.

Lurked there till it petered out and followed the crowd to NAXJA, finally took the plunge and hit the trails for the first time at Paragon at a BMJA Jeep 101 event (took a while to build up the nerve to wheel my DD). It's been all downhill (and uphill, and around trees, and over rocks, and through rivers, and....) ever since.

Went red in 04 and have been tiling my glove box lid with NACFest plaques ever since.

Rob

Oh, and the date of that Jeep 101? Sunday, 09-Sep-2001.

[Smittty9785]

I started off with a 88 cherokee. put a 4.5" RC lift on it with some 31's, sliders, and a rear locker. Was taking my buddies uncle dumpster diving and saw this guy working on his stock xj. he took me to his garage where he had a wrangler set up for everything you can think of. He ended up swapping d60's in it and he didnt have a rig to go wheeling. Met up with the Jeeps-r-us crew in so cal and caravan up to the rubicon and thats where it all began. another jeep and lots of money later, im still not done.

[Darky]

I got my first car, a 94 Geo Tracker 4x4 from my Mom. She upgraded to something larger and more comfy. I loved it. 2000-maybe 2500lbs with a 65 hp (choked down from 70 by CA emissions - on a NY bought vehicle!) 1.6L 4-squirrel engine. It had a wheelbase of like 3" and climbed places it never should've. I lived in Tucson at the time and would play down in the Rillito River (misleading name, it's dry 363 days a year) and in the open areas off of it down by Silverbell Rd. Then a friend took me up to Cheeva Falls for my first experience "rock-crawling". We climbed a pretty nice trail, got to the falls at the top, swam, had lunch, went home. I got hooked by making my stock little "Barbie"-Jeep, as my wife calls it now, climb obstacles that guys in lifted rigs were afraid of. One even stopped my buddy on his dirt bike to tell him I wouldn't make it up there. They had just turned around in their lifted and locked Nissan. He said, oh no problem, we've been up there many times. And they watched slack-jawed as my Tracker clawed its way up. :D Fast forward to returning from overseas, and after my first date with my future wife, I'm going home and totaled it on an errant Kia Spectra. Bought a 90 Samurai to replace it for $500. Big mistake. It needed serious work on the engine (ran on 3 cylinders and leaked oil like a sieve), new starter (big dead spot), transfer case (4wd didn't work), transmission/clutch (clutch never fully disengaged so it stalled any time I stopped practically. That coupled with the bad starter was loads of fun. ANd it had trouble going into 2nd, 3rd, and 4th), and new tires. But it lasted me until I could get my XJ. Traded it in for $500 with no title and left with my 96 XJ. I won't mention the 92 Trooper that appeared for 5 months before killing itself...Out of all of them, the XJ has been the best wheeler, and 2nd most reliable. The Tracker never had any problems except for what I specifically caused except for one sparkplug wire...

[Fourxfour79]

I was gioing insane in camp lejeune. A good friend pulled me to a crazier all be it happier nuttiness. First project at the auto shop was his yj(sprin over lift) then my yj(2" springs and other accoutrements). Sold it cause I didn't like getting rained on w the top up(although it did come in handy as an excuse to get a girl back to my place and stripped..."we can just put your clothes in the dryer sweetheart;-).

[Fourxfour79]

I was gioing insane in camp lejeune. A good friend pulled me to a crazier all be it happier nuttiness. First project at the auto shop was his yj(sprin over lift) then my yj(2" springs and other accoutrements). Sold it cause I didn't like getting rained on w the top up(although it did come in handy as an excuse to get a girl back to my place and stripped..."we can just put your clothes in the dryer sweetheart;-). Bought my xj and playin w that.

[kujito]

Blastin' NM sand in my '74 Honda Civic (pre-CVCC even)! Looked like a pregnant roller skate w/12" rims. Getting stuck was never a problem as long as I had a buddy or two with me to lift it out of the hole or whatever. After about 60mph it ceased getting faster and only got louder. Could only seat 3 almost comfortably, but squeezed 7 in once. I think that car cost me $250. I kinda miss that thing.

[Super mud]

Sorry to bring back an old thread. Wrecked my 00' Grand am like every 16 year old last year, got a 87 xj on 4in lift fixed and still fixing all kinds of shit and been wheelin it locally for the past few months. I got into rc crawlers first so I was already lookin at getting into full scale wheelin.

[xjtrailrider]

I grew up on a farm, we raised beef cattle. We always had some old iron sitting around. Dad had a half cab Scout, a 69 Jeep Commando and plenty of 4wd trucks.

My first time I locked in the hubs and pulled the T-case into 4-low was when I was 9 or 10 (1976). I was in our Commando (Duantless V-6/Auto). Dad had me haul a crate of freshly dug potatoes across the creek from our garden and to our cellar. It had been raining hard and I couldn't resist the fun of goosing the throttle and letting the old "Co-Op" snow tires sling a little mud on the way through. I got chewed out but it was worth it!

At age 12, I bought a 1941 Chevy ton and a half military truck with my allowance money. Inline six, dual wheels in the back 4wd, it was a beast! Dad would say, "Son, go get some fire wood", so I would just drive out into the woods and knock a tree over with that beast and then drag it home.

I wish I still had that truck, I had a blast tearing stuff up with it. Great memories!!!

[OverlandXJ]

In 88 i realized i needed a 4wd rig to get into the more remote areas i liked to camp in Northern Maine.. bought a ScoutII.

SIL's BF and his friends had Yota's, i ended up buying my first of three FJ-40's to wheel with them. Got the bug and had two of them swapped to SBC's in a few years.

Bought an XJ as a Daily driver in 95, then got hurt at work and sold the FJ's after just purchasing a home. Built the XJ and here i am today..

[WB9YZU]

I've owned a few 4WDs over the years. My 1st was a F150 which I bought as a work truck so I could get around in the winter. Where I was living, 6" at a time was not that unusual and rural plows don't always get to your driveway. The Renault LeCar was not making it ;)

Over the years, I've owned a 61' Scout (My 1st experience with DW!), a FS Bronco, a few Suzuki Siekick/ Geo Trackers, a Samurai, and so far 4 XJs.

I got into Off-Roading because one of the fellows I worked with finally persuaded me to. He had joined an internet Group, and found a few legal places to "play" so I tried it. I had a Tracker at the time, and even though it was a small vehicle, I had fun. I bought a Jeep because I figured that if I ever broke something, parts were available; sometimes I even regret it ;)

Ron

[xjtrailrider]

I just realized that I have answered this thread twice in 2 years!:doh:

[Cottontail]

I was into sports cars...had a 1988 Cavalier Z-24 and then a 1995 Grand Prix GTP.

My brother signed a contract with the Texas Rangers and went out and paid cash for a 1996 Grand Cherokee with the 5.2 L and full time 4.

I helped him move from Mississippi to Georgia one summer, he drove his girlfriend's car and I drove his ZJ with the U-Haul on it. Loved the way the ZJ drove and I couldn't even feel the trailer behind it.

Couple weeks later I bought a 1996 ZJ, then 10 months later an '85 XJ, eventually a 1990 XJ, a 1994 ZJ, a 2004 WJ, and a 2001 XJ joined the fleet.

[pawaggiegirl]

so here goes.. my aunt calls me says she has this suv thing for me and she wants 500$ for it and she'll take payments awesome....(got two small kids too car seat that kinda stuff) so.. i get there and its a red 88 4 door XJ 5 speed...i'm in love...drive that for few years..jeeps cant stay on road only......then she falls into disrepair and sits in the back yard too this day...waiting long arms now within her reach....then i get my waggie its love all over...looking up parts and repair questions and found naxja...and well that pretty much says it all....lol

[Dest]

Went to college, befriended local redneck with Wrangler. I had a Cherokee. The end.

[Darky]

I was into sports cars...

had a 1988 Cavalier Z-24 and then a 1995 Grand Prix GTP.Does not compute. ;)

[tbburg]

What do you mean? it says "was into" and "had", as in: I grew a brain and bought a jeep(or grew a brain tumor and bought a jeep)

[WB9YZU]

He was making fun of calling those two car choices ""Sports Cars""

I have to agree :D

[Begster]

He was making fun of calling those two car choices ""Sports Cars""

I have to agree :D
Yes, there is no world in which you can call a Chevy Cavalier a sports car.


I started off wheeling pretty good, avoiding hitting things, and keeping my Jeep clean. I stopped wheeling for a while, then went again yesterday and found I was a little rusty, as I bounced off a few trees and a big rock...

[Cottontail]

Yes, there is no world in which you can call a Chevy Cavalier a sports car.





Yeah...when you grow up in a family where the cars in the garage are Ford Escort wagons, Chevy Celebrity wagons, Ford LTD wagons, and a Dodge Aspen....a Cavalier Z-24 is a sports car.

Had I grown up in a family of real cars...or trucks...not so much! :)

But I have seen the light and my brain tumor told me to buy 6 Jeeps!

[xjtrailrider]

then went again yesterday and found I was a little rusty, as I bounced off a few trees and a big rock...

Thats the spirit of off-roading!

[old_man]

I grew up on ranches in West Texas and North Park Colorado. Just getting to the other side of our ranch was tougher than many trails around Colorado and I learned to do it in a 2wd pickup with a detroit and granny gear. I started in the early 60's. I got a hardship license when I was 12.

[FlexdXJ]

I grew up on ranches in West Texas and North Park Colorado. Just getting to the other side of our ranch was tougher than many trails around Colorado and I learned to do it in a 2wd pickup with a detroit and granny gear. I started in the early 60's. I got a hardship license when I was 12.

Back in '48? :D

[commsys]

Got my 1st CJ5 back in 74. Had it for a couple of years, and learned (1) It doesn't float, and (2) you can it stuck bad enough "You have to take it apart and take it out in pieces". Had a couple of IH Scouts - a Scout II and a pickup version. Ended up with a couple of more CJ's over the years, mostly for the wifey. Eventually got a XJ, and put a 3" or so lift on it. The Wifey has had prob 5 - 6 Jeeps over the years. Then the dirt bike phase took over and raced for about 15 years till about 4 years ago. Finally figured them things can hurt ya, so kind of gave them up. Never actually went out wheelin until about 3 years ago when the kid went to the Badlands with his Libby. That was the hook. Got my current XJ within a couple of months, and found NAXJA. Current inventory - A 4WD full size van, the kid has (2) CJ5's, a 4 door Wrangler, and the wifey has a 2 door Wrangler. His 1st CJ5 we got 25 years ago when he was 4. That CJ has been the 25 year project which today, he finally took back to LaCrosse, Wi where he lives. So.. have always had Jeeps of some sort for the last 35 years, and the kid is just as bad.

[MrShaft696]

Bought my '92 in December of 1997 as a replacement DD, found the XJ forum (pre-NAXJA) a few months later.

Lurked there till it petered out and followed the crowd to NAXJA, finally took the plunge and hit the trails for the first time at Paragon at a BMJA Jeep 101 event (took a while to build up the nerve to wheel my DD). It's been all downhill (and uphill, and around trees, and over rocks, and through rivers, and....) ever since.

Went red in 04 and have been tiling my glove box lid with NACFest plaques ever since.

Rob

Oh, and the date of that Jeep 101? Sunday, 09-Sep-2001.

haha yeah Jeep 101, I think those events are good for clubs to hold, as it get people who are normally afraid to look like they dont know anything, or scared to wheel during a normal club event.

[cheapcherokee93]

Once upon a time my dad bought a 1984 Dodge W350 SRW crew cab (rare).
http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss64/dillondiesels/84dodge.jpg
(only picture i can find at the moment)

A year or two after owning this truck, a man by the name of Fred (Explorer1 on NAXJA) decided that he would start taking people in our church with capable off road vehicles on off road trips to introduce people to the world of off roading. being that the truck was 4x4 and we had time, my dad and i decided to take it on the first trip. the trip went fine as far as off roading goes, but when we set up camp for the night, it started hailing and soon after raining in the middle of setting up our camp. we barely slept and all of our gear got wet because the hailstorm caught us off guard. so we left early because there was still one more night of camping and that wasnt going to happen in wet gear.

fast forward a few years.
sold the 84 W350 and got this instead.
http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss64/dillondiesels/91%20dodge%20diesel/1991-dodge-w350-91-dodge-ram-w350-4x4.jpg
91.5 Dodge W350 dually. ex-BLM truck from Colorado.
video of its first off road trip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80XMrXSVtk4
wheeled it stock, did well in most places. only drawback is that its really WIDE.
here is proly the most technical part of a trail we've done with it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG-Drum7jDE
then we modded it, i wont get into much detail but here's a pic of how it sits now:
http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss64/dillondiesels/91%20dodge%20diesel/IMG_0770.jpg
the truck also makes a pretty good recovery vehicle:

http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q41/fredsjeep/GHFC%20Mojave%20Road%20Oct%202009/?action=view&current=sandpull1.mp4
http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q41/fredsjeep/GHFC%20Mojave%20Road%20Oct%202009/?action=view&current=sandpull2.mp4

anyways, time came around to get my permit and soon my license. my dad got a 92 toyota p/u that turned out to be a POS.

http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss64/dillondiesels/IMG_0334.jpg

but it was a 5 speed so i got to learn stick. and although it was 4x4 i didnt wanna take it out because i didnt wanna have it fall apart on me in the middle of no where....:D

so in november of last year we picked up what i drive now, a 87 Pioneer with 201k miles on it, all for a thousand bucks. so now im 17 and i go wheeling in my XJ.


the end.

[foxwar71]

Thats the spirit of off-roading!

He MIGHTA got a little too much for his spirit :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuRvA6X4-UU








When I had my first stocker 2dr in HS, I got a call from a buddy with a 4 bang YJ to come follow him somewhere. I drove my jeep thru a stream :thumbup: First winter with my lincense, I used 4x4 and went thru snowbanks :thumbup:

I now currently have an obsession.

[iBarsky]

We farmed, cut wood to burn in the winter, hunted and helped maintain 300+ acres of private property containing a small summer camp and lots or woods. 4wd was a given.
I learned to drive on a '79 Ford F150 4wd. I've detested pavement ever since.