How did you start wheeling??

[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 ), 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 courseuke:... 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!

 

[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.

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, Nathaniel Winfield Lowman, from Polk County, 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.