My Jeep Mistake

Back in my younger years, I never imagined driving a Jeep. I was into the classic cars. My 56 Ford Fairlane hardtop with glass packs and fender skirts got me through my High School days very well. Jeeps were for flying over sand dunes. There were no sand dunes anywhere around my central Nebraska farm community, so hence, no need for a jeep.

The “need” began to change a couple of years ago. The ads showing Jeep Liberties climbing the mountains began to appeal to me. Yes, I still live in Nebraska, and no, there are no mountains here. But there are snow storms, and most winters I had at least a few difficult run-ins with snow drifts in my road-hugging sporty cars. The 4-wheel drive capability of the Jeep Liberty had a lot of appeal. One day I broke down and took a very convincing test-drive in a 2002 Jeep Liberty. I immediately liked the responsive steering, the feel of really being in control of the vehicle, the feel of power from the V-6 engine, and the possibility of being able to haul something larger than a bag of groceries. The sun roof and excellent stereo system were just icing on the cake. So that day I became the proud owner of a Jeep Liberty.

Then I made a big mistake. I let my wife try it out. One time, one tiny little drive, and she wanted my Jeep Liberty. So exactly one week later, we were back at the same dealer looking at more Jeeps. This time I test drove a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. There were features I liked even better than on the Liberty – a little more comfortable ride, greater hauling capacity, electric seats, an information center to tell me the temperature, average gas mileage, if I left a door open, etc. I am a statistical person, so this is all fun information to know. So that day I became the proud owner of another Jeep. And I like them both. I hardly ever get to drive the Liberty, but when I do, I remember why I liked it so much the first time I drove it. I remain the proud owner of two Jeeps.