Old school vs new school

[BearFootSam]

My wife, my buddy, and myself all did the same trail with our Apple Watches on. At the end of the trail, my watch showed I did 36 minutes of exercise. My wife in her JLU showed 67 minutes of exercise. My buddy in his 04 TJ had 117 minutes of exercise. So basically on the same trail he was getting tossed around nearly 4 times as much as I was in his TJ. That doesn’t sound like more fun to me.

Sounds like wheelbase, bad for breakover, great for ride stability. Part of what grants the JT it's versatility as a utility vehicle is the wheelbase that affords towing and cargo carrying capacity, well also the bed helps.

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[BearFootSam]

Didn't assume that this is the case in the US also.

But here in Germany it is quite the same. Just had some guys working on my house and they were saying "we never will have our own property - much to expensive".

Anyhow, in your country economy is rising and hopefully everythings is going better in the near future ...

Friend, while houses may be marginally cheaper in the US compared to Germany, the sticker shock at the grocery stores here after moving back was real.. Golly I miss the german grocery stores, cheaper, better, smaller.

So much of family economics is a product of timing. I have benefited quite greatly from accidentally impeccable timing. Graduated University in 06' but missed the pain of the 08' crash because my dumb ass enlisted in the Army. Bought a house in a rural exurb of D.C. in 2017 which became a hotspot location during the pandemic and was able to profit a years pay on the sale in 2022. Parlayed that profit into two properties on the West Coast of Washington State after leveraging the remote work bubble to revise my employment contract to escape the DC bubble.

A year or two earlier/later on any of those milestones and things would have worked out vastly differently. Is it fair? Not by a mile, yet such as it is this is life.

To bring this back to the context of the conversation - I count myself lucky to have arrived at the crossroads of needing a new vehicle, having the funds to afford it, and the JTR being a model for sale. While that might not sound like luck, ten years down the road we'll all feel like it was having had the opportunity to own such a vehicle. With it's relatively low sales volumes I'm betting the JT will demand current value in a decade and I'll be glad to have kept the darn thing.

 

[Blade1668]

My prospective, 5 Jeeps each are or has been what I wanted and did what I put them to do. The MJ would embarrass quite a few on Autobahns in Germany. Speed wise "mid to late 90s". My 90XJ was my budget rock crawling toy oddly both of them pulled 20 MPG's or better with 4.0 the XJ did around 20 pulling a trailer that I had from Bloomington IL. area to Savannah GA. That was with 4:56 gears and lockers at 70-75 mph. My Comanche ran like a scalded cat, past any posted speed limits in USA getting over 20 MPG's. I paid around 15k in 91 for it brand new, my 05 LJ was around double in 05 and I got almost to 250000 miles before needing a new clutch. I've spent very little on replacement parts for them in over the years. Fairly easy to work on, sadly on 3rd windshield on LJ due to vandalism and road damage.
Comfort wise my JT then LJ followed by my XJ's. Experience with towing my XJ has towed the most and probably the best but 4:56 gears helps, followed with LJ (stock 3:73) but not with current old heavy 33 MTs tires. My JT is the Max-Tow package, my LJ got the same MPG's towing with 31s as it. But creature comfort the JT. The 3.6 feels gutless towing without it trying to redline on any grades. I don't need to downshift in LJ towing trailer with 4wheeler.
Now I'm not out on hwy or I-state trying to see how fast I can drive. Likely due to how damn expensive one speeding ticket can cost... "not in USA". Some countries you pay on the spot or tow and jail.

I was "clocked" at 147 KPH. ?
It's all perspective a few days ago I went in LJ for a nice drive though the N.F. for a hour or so put it in gear idled around. Then yesterday I was at a festival and a rain storm blew though dumping rain. I'm pulling a stuck loaded E350 van out of mud with JT none of my other Jeeps probably would have.

 

[Blade1668]

i banking on it lol. been saving up to build my own house.

I did that on a small scale last year, as my retirement and with it. Especially after what a bite I took on taxes. I built a "Cabin back in the woods" big enough for me. Heavy on insulation and probably triple the space I ever had in the Army, except my last tour in Germany.... about half of size my quarters I had there.

Didn't assume that this is the case in the US also.

But here in Germany it is quite the same. Just had some guys working on my house and they were saying "we never will have our own property - much to expensive".

Anyhow, in your country economy is rising and hopefully everythings is going better in the near future ...

Don't believe all the b.s. in news on USA economy starting to turn around as much as hyped. There is employment in areas, heck I could go be employed in many places quite quickly. But for what I would be paid then taxed it's not worth it to me. My time I know I don't have to piss away anymore for me to then not get half of what I worked for.
If the Army would have just let stay where I was and with what I was doing then I'd retired out in Europe and disappeared more or less. I do miss the smaller businesses, stores and lifestyle of parts of Europe.

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