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Where have you been all my life, Gladys?

SleepyJeep

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I love how the truck soaks up the bumps, but once in a construction zone I hit a series of bumps while going 70 (yes, this Iowa construction zone on i90 didn't have any slow down signs) kinda like a washboard while the barrels had us change lanes. So turning going 70 washboard, it was a bit unnerving and I can only best describe it as "a tank slapper feeling". It was kinda scary for a brief second. Almost like with the bumps and slop and me probably overcorrecting with input culminated in the perfect storm of "loss of control". Luckily it was over as fast as it happened, I changed my shorts started the song on the radio over again and moved on. I can only assume a better steering stabilizer could tune that type of event out. :surprised:
Yeah, bumps don't mean a thing to this truck LOL.

Once you get the @JP1 's LE wheels installed on it, your truck will look even better. I get compliments on my LE wheels all the time LOL. Once, I am all settled in I am gonna get some Stockton wheels on but I am leaning towards keeping/storing my LE wheels now that so many people like it haha. Anyways, that won't happen until I get a few more "imperative" mods on first after I get settled in a bit. I don't even have Internet and am posting this using my Phone as a hotspot :CWL:
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Proximo

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I very much enjoy reading all of your posts and comments Steff. Never would have guessed that you have never had a Jeep. You having definitely done alot of research and educated yourself on all things Jeep. Don't ever stop learning. When you do your build and mods, try to do it all yourself. Doing mods on your own is one of the greatest things about Jeep ownership. When someone says, nice rig, you can think "yeah, I did that". Or come right out and say thanks I did all that myself. Thanks again for all your posts. Keep it up, don't disappear now just because you got your Gladys
 

Lou3.6

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Congrats Steffens . . . Sorry for the delayed response, but here in Dillon, MT. Time has a way of "not applying" ! Being a non-fishing / recuperative day, I thought I'd mozie on into the Forum . What do I see, but a reference (by you) to your Glady's thread ! You do have a wonderfully refreshing & humbly honest approach to "this" short-story telling . Not quit a Novella, but with practice the next few Steff-posts on Glady's should prove interesting read ! ;) . Hope the Faux seats don't get to sticky/sweaty the rest of Summer . Mine will be Tan as well but in Cloth . "She's" a beaut and she's ALL Yours ! Treat Her Good . . . Don't want to hear about a "restraining order" put on you for excessive "Joy Riding" !?
And on a more serious note . . . Only because of few caring members responded to your "Fatness" concerns, I must agree . But with a stipulation, mentioned awhile ago elsewhere . . . Cholesterol !
IT"S the real KILLER ! Gonna have to trust me on that one . ASK Questions (of your Doctor) . . . Don't be a procrastinator like me ! If It weren't for a greatly stubborn patient (me) and a likewise team of Army Surgical Team, I'd be DEAD 20 years now ! Course I'd never know that . . . Once your dead your memories die with you . . . ;) . You know what we all say . . . Without pics, it didn't happen, so we expect you to continue with the "story-telling" of Glady's and her makeover + her affect on your lives ! How 'bout a Pic of the Family & You sitting "the good life" (you behind the wheel) - may require a neighbor to shoot unless have a long delay on the camera/phone ?
That's it . . . Back to fishing . . . :) . . . :camera: !


 

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WildJD

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We'll see who makes it through to the eye candy, also a small ā€œsorryā€ for teasing folks without photos until tonight, been a hell of a weekend! Iā€™ll document my mods/upgrades to Gladys on this thread too.

Story:
Iā€™m a normal midwestern guy. Life has been pretty good to me. No major medical issues, pretty smart, never got tangled up with the law, but I always was annoyed watching the news, 20/20 or 60 minutes with my father growing up. ā€œYou think youā€™ve got it bad!?ā€, he would say when we watched a story about starving kids in China, inner-city youth huffing paint or random civilians getting limbs blown off overseas. Yeah, comparatively my life isnā€™t 1/100th of a percent as hard as some folks, but that doesnā€™t mean I donā€™t have struggles. The toughest thing for somebody might be finding a safe place to sleep at night. My toughest thing last week was cutting up 15 trees that fell on my house, fence, other fence, playset and shed. Luckily the house had very minor damage, but damn that was stressful and a lot of work. Iā€™m still not done.

Iā€™m the bread winner of our family. Sure, my wife has stress raising our boys, but making sure weā€™ve got enough money coming in has its stress too. Our stupid health insurance is $1337 a month, plus a $13,000 max out of pocket family deductible. UGHā€¦ā€¦..

Iā€™m fat, not obese, but at 5ā€™7ā€ and 183 lbs, the doctor says (and I agree) I should start thinking about eating better and exercising again. Iā€™ve got 2 wonderful young boys and a terrific wife that would all love for me to be around for a very long time. Donā€™t get me wrong, I know there are plenty of folks farther along battling weight issues, but itā€™s a slippery slope that can run in the family.


ā€œUMMM, WHAT ABOUT GLADYS? This is a story about your Gladiator, right?ā€


Today was the first day in a long while that I never thought about paragraphs 1-3. I wake up all excited to get my JT at 7:30. My wife is still sleeping at the Super 8 Motel in Spirit Lake Iowa. I post a few times on the forum as Iā€™m anxious to go see it. Finally, it dawns on me, I can just walk there and let my wife sleep! I take a stroll 0.4 Miles away and I see Gladys for the first time.

first time.jpg


She looks like every other JT people have posted photos of, but its different. I know today I get to take this one home! Thatā€™s my beauty and finally all the waiting is paying off.

Iā€™m from out of state, and Wisconsin has weird leasing policies. I spend 90 minutes chatting with the finance woman Cathy. Sheā€™s so pleasant. Two guys load up my empty Jeep crate into the back of the JT while another sales guy asks if I want a soda or coffee. I can just imagine their office getting together for a Christmas office party. Each asking about their families and what theyā€™re going to do the next weekend. Reminds me of family.

Before I know it, its been 90 minutes, but I didnā€™t mind at all, I know paperwork is a bitch. My wife calls and I tell her to pack up and bring the checkbook, weā€™re almost ready to roll.

Before we leave, I shake 2 peopleā€™s hands and we hop into the jeep to experience Gladys and all her glory. I push the start button and turn the radio on, but nothing comes on the display, but the music is playingā€¦ā€¦ā€¦I start pressing a few buttons, things work, but no display. I chuckle to myself, ā€œThis drive home is going to be a long one!ā€. Then I realize I didnā€™t put my foot on the brake when I pressed start. Do it again, Gladysā€™ display lights up and I see the Wrangler roll across the instrument cluster. I fiddle with Uconnect and Android Auto, doesnā€™t workā€¦ā€¦ā€¦no sweat, Iā€™ve still got XM radio. We take Cathyā€™s advice and head to a local breakfast/coffee place.

This is the first time Iā€™ve driven a Gladiator. We eat breakfast swing by Walmart to get a ratchet strap for the empty Jeep Crate I called dibs on. While strapping it down, first Wrangler owner experience. She was all impressed by the Gladiator, and we had a nice time chit chatting about how she wants her husband to get one so she can drive it, lol

I aired down to 36psi at Walmart and we head for home. Hit the open road and Iā€™m grinning from ear to ear. Gladys is all mine. This is my truck! It hauls ass and passing is effortless. The stereo is incredible. I turn the bass down because somebody set it to +8. I spend the next 90 minutes fumbling around with all the settings and get to know Gladys.

We stop off at McDonalds for a quick break and so I can air down to 33psi and take the freedom panels off. CO2 delivery guy compliments me on the Bright White JT and asks when I got it. Big smile on my face.

We jump back on I90 and I floor it on the on-ramp. All 5 windows down (beer window slid open I guess) top off, 85 degrees and sunny. Weā€™re doing about 80 with my wife following behind in Dory. I turn on the Warthog mix some people created on the site. Flip to an Avenge Sevenfold song and blast the tunes. I get goosebumps with the wind, the loud music, flying by others on the highway. Singing along at the top of my lungs, bobbing my head a bit and pumping my first with that ā€œF*ck Yeahā€ voice in the back of my head.

Its just Gladys and me devouring the open road. Regular car/truck after regular car/truck. I see those poor souls just going through the motions of their commute when Gladys and I are living it up. Freedomā€¦ā€¦thatā€™s what I think Iā€™m feeling. Iā€™ve got a couple of modded up scooters (yes scooters) thatā€™ll haul ass up to about 55mph and then run out of RPM. I donā€™t ride them much anymore for fear of getting run over. Gladys is giving me that similar feeling back. Open air freedom but on 4 wheels, faster, more convenient to haul plywood and this feeling will hopefully be DAILY!

Yeah the wind was loud sometimes, the JT wandered a bit here and there and my lower back was sweaty, but I never once thought about starving kids in China, how I need to start working out again when I get home, or how I wish those trees never got blown over.

Not a care in the world. I imagine all of you guys/gals that have known this feeling for years. This secretā€¦ā€¦.maybe this is what the ā€œItā€™s a Jeep thingā€ is all about. Whatever it is (I like it a lot).


white rainbow pic.jpg

We drove 30 minutes through a torrential rain storm and I get to put her into 4HI, pull off at a gas tation to avoid some hail and Gladys brought me home safely. Then I got this photo of her with a rainbow in the background. She's my girl!
:sun: ;{
 

Bobs85Reny

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Review:
Back story:

Iā€™ve been following the JT since January 2018. I had no idea there ever was a jeep truck before. I have never owned a truck, a Jeep, or a new vehicle (my wife has, psh). When the JT started becoming a real thing with real photos of test mules and then all the pricing speculation began, I never thought I would be able to afford a JT before 2021-2022.

After learning much about leases from fellow Gladiators, I discovered I could get into a JT this year to discover if 1. I really like Jeeps, 2. If I want a sport S or Rubicon and then buy one when my lease is up. I really want a Gator one, but Iā€™ve been waiting so long and @spenchey had a Sport S that had mostly what I wanted coming in through Pre-Spec. A $500 REFUNDABLE deposit later and I was waiting like the many other folks have been.

I first made contact with @spenchey on May 2nd, August 5th I drove my baby home!


The Sales Process:

RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH! Then buy from @spenchey (lol) or another one of the several dealers willing to give you a deal and others have vouched for. The Motor Inn experience was awesome!


My Ride:

ā€œGladysā€ 2020 Gladiator Sport S, tan interior, tow package (non-max), black hard top, 7ā€ screen, Alpine stereo.


First Thoughts (non-driving):

Dang these things are tall STOCK! Iā€™m going to need steps or a rope ladder. Iā€™m only 5ā€™7ā€ and canā€™t wait to put the 33ā€LE wheels/tires I got from @JP1 on, but woah, lol

I LOVE the cockpit! This thing was designed for small guys like me. I know its partially based on the JL, but Iā€™ve never owned/driven a Wrangler before (clarification, I test drove a JL Rubison for 4 miles once). I love how small the steering wheel is, how every port, plug, button, dial is right within reach for little old me. It feels cozy, but not cramped to me.

The tan seats are sweet.

After spending 6 hours with Gladys I think the white roof is acceptable because you see the white bars, white parts of the doors ect. It works, but if I had a Gator jt, then you would see Gator, Black and White in the interior, it would be weird I think.

The seat needs a tilt function (not the back). Also the seat is a little short, but I can live with that.

Android Auto wouldnā€™t work, tried uninstalling, reinstalling, ect, couldnā€™t get it to work. I was shocked that the 7ā€ radio doesnā€™t have navigation. Maybe its somewhere in Uconnect, but I didnā€™t find it today, Iā€™ll look again tomorrow.

I really like the analog speedometer and tach. Thereā€™s a ton of info on the gauge cluster thatā€™s nice.

I got about 21.5mpg with the hardtop on going 75 on I90 for a few hours. I got about 18.5-19mpg with the freedom panels off and windows down, same speed, both with AC blowing full tilt, lol.

The stupid beer window should have been electric. Going to the back to open it is kinda a PITA.

The faux leather is nice. I thought the center console would be cloth covered, but its actually nice faux leather. I know many people have complained that the interior materials are generic/cheap/whatever. I think its pretty nice step from my 2001 Jetta and 2008 Grand Caravan Iā€™ve recently been driving. Lol

People who say the interior is loudā€¦ā€¦.please! Itā€™s a convertible truck. You canā€™t compare it to a Denali GMC or even an F150. Some things you just have to concede. When you turn the HVAC and radio off, yes you can hear some wind, turn the radio up.

The alpine stereo is AWESOME! Iā€™ve read several saying it was so so. I was super surprised at the bass and the highs sounded nice as well. With freedom panels off and cranking the tunes it was a great experience.

NO BUFFETING BABY! When I test drove a JL rubicon a few months ago with hardtop, just driving down the road you got that loud ā€œhelicopteringā€ buffeting noise, like somebody cracked a rear window open. It was SO ANNOYING, I was scared that every JT would have the same problem. I was ecstatically surprised that my JT has ZERO buffeting whatsoever! I took the freedom panels off and put em back on, no buffetingā€¦ā€¦.yay!

This has quite the blind spots. When I get my Gator Rubicon Iā€™ll be getting the blind spot monitoring for sure. Weā€™ve got that on our Pacifica and I love it.

No rain came in when it poured outside, whew.

PEOPLE LOVE THIS TRUCK! I was asked by a couple at a coffee shop what it was. Stopped by a JL owner at Walmart who was trying to convince her husband to get rid of his huge (full size) truck and get one. I was complimented by the CO2 delivery man at McDonalds that ā€œThatā€™s one sweet Jeep brother!ā€. At a gas station the clerk asked, ā€œIs that a Jeep, or a truck?ā€. I said, its both, a Jeep truck called the Gladiator. She said, ā€œOh my god that thing is cool!ā€. Then there were 3-4 other drivers that did double takes. This was within a 7 hour period of leaving the dealer and driving back to Wisconsin. LMAO!

Driving Impressions:

Holy cow, 40psi is WAY TOO MUCH. It wandered terribly. I dropped the psi to 36, it still wandered a bit. I dropped it to 33psi and was much better. I might try 32, but gotta test the contact patch before I decide on the final setting for me.

Iā€™ve never owned a truck or solid front/rear axle vehicle, so I donā€™t know how much of the 33psi wander was from the axles, the slop in the steering, or the wind blowing around my brick of cheese on wheels. I kind of feel that the axles/steering/aerodynamics is just a ā€œfeatureā€ of the Willys/Wrangler/Gladiator vehicle. (somebody else deserves credit for that thought, but I agree)

Holy cow this vehicle quickly tells you how inattentive of a driver you really are. If you donā€™t pay attention, youā€™ll ping pong all over the lane. If you stop texting, looking through uconnect menus and checking out all the interior features at 75mph and pay attention to DRIVING, its not that hard to keep it straight. As another stated on this site, overcorrecting is probably the culprit. Iā€™m sure within a month Iā€™ll know when to steer, counter-steer, ect to anticipate the wind/curves to keep the car going in the right direction. Its odd, the steering has slop in it where I can turn the wheel left and right a bit with NOTHING happening to the front wheels, but when the slop is taken up, its actually quite sensitive. You need to finesse the steering wheel and pay attention. I would love to test drive one of these with lane departure control. Wonder how well it works.

This thing hauls ass! I know others have said its underpowered, but I think it accelerates quite well. Highway passing was super fun today. Of course its not sports car fast, of course there are other trucks that would spank it, but compare it to so many vehicles of 10-15-20 years ago. Holy cow! Canā€™t wait for more power of course, but for now this has plenty to haul a few sheets of plywood with style, lol.

The windshielf is a bug juggernaut. Christ, I killed 3,000 bugs driving home. Getting that ceramic coated for sure. Also, I love how much washer fluid it sprays out and the wipers appear to do a good job scraping stuff off the windshield.


Well thatā€™s it for now. Iā€™m truly a happy camper now, canā€™t wait to go to workā€¦ā€¦ā€¦..to drive Gladys.
Congratulations on the new jeep. Welcome to the madness. Now "Just Empty Every Pocket". Nice back story. You are now part of the jeep culture and will soon understand what is so different about us.
 

Rex3rd

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We'll see who makes it through to the eye candy, also a small ā€œsorryā€ for teasing folks without photos until tonight, been a hell of a weekend! Iā€™ll document my mods/upgrades to Gladys on this thread too.

Story:
Iā€™m a normal midwestern guy. Life has been pretty good to me. No major medical issues, pretty smart, never got tangled up with the law, but I always was annoyed watching the news, 20/20 or 60 minutes with my father growing up. ā€œYou think youā€™ve got it bad!?ā€, he would say when we watched a story about starving kids in China, inner-city youth huffing paint or random civilians getting limbs blown off overseas. Yeah, comparatively my life isnā€™t 1/100th of a percent as hard as some folks, but that doesnā€™t mean I donā€™t have struggles. The toughest thing for somebody might be finding a safe place to sleep at night. My toughest thing last week was cutting up 15 trees that fell on my house, fence, other fence, playset and shed. Luckily the house had very minor damage, but damn that was stressful and a lot of work. Iā€™m still not done.

Iā€™m the bread winner of our family. Sure, my wife has stress raising our boys, but making sure weā€™ve got enough money coming in has its stress too. Our stupid health insurance is $1337 a month, plus a $13,000 max out of pocket family deductible. UGHā€¦ā€¦..

Iā€™m fat, not obese, but at 5ā€™7ā€ and 183 lbs, the doctor says (and I agree) I should start thinking about eating better and exercising again. Iā€™ve got 2 wonderful young boys and a terrific wife that would all love for me to be around for a very long time. Donā€™t get me wrong, I know there are plenty of folks farther along battling weight issues, but itā€™s a slippery slope that can run in the family.


ā€œUMMM, WHAT ABOUT GLADYS? This is a story about your Gladiator, right?ā€


Today was the first day in a long while that I never thought about paragraphs 1-3. I wake up all excited to get my JT at 7:30. My wife is still sleeping at the Super 8 Motel in Spirit Lake Iowa. I post a few times on the forum as Iā€™m anxious to go see it. Finally, it dawns on me, I can just walk there and let my wife sleep! I take a stroll 0.4 Miles away and I see Gladys for the first time.

first time.jpg


She looks like every other JT people have posted photos of, but its different. I know today I get to take this one home! Thatā€™s my beauty and finally all the waiting is paying off.

Iā€™m from out of state, and Wisconsin has weird leasing policies. I spend 90 minutes chatting with the finance woman Cathy. Sheā€™s so pleasant. Two guys load up my empty Jeep crate into the back of the JT while another sales guy asks if I want a soda or coffee. I can just imagine their office getting together for a Christmas office party. Each asking about their families and what theyā€™re going to do the next weekend. Reminds me of family.

Before I know it, its been 90 minutes, but I didnā€™t mind at all, I know paperwork is a bitch. My wife calls and I tell her to pack up and bring the checkbook, weā€™re almost ready to roll.

Before we leave, I shake 2 peopleā€™s hands and we hop into the jeep to experience Gladys and all her glory. I push the start button and turn the radio on, but nothing comes on the display, but the music is playingā€¦ā€¦ā€¦I start pressing a few buttons, things work, but no display. I chuckle to myself, ā€œThis drive home is going to be a long one!ā€. Then I realize I didnā€™t put my foot on the brake when I pressed start. Do it again, Gladysā€™ display lights up and I see the Wrangler roll across the instrument cluster. I fiddle with Uconnect and Android Auto, doesnā€™t workā€¦ā€¦ā€¦no sweat, Iā€™ve still got XM radio. We take Cathyā€™s advice and head to a local breakfast/coffee place.

This is the first time Iā€™ve driven a Gladiator. We eat breakfast swing by Walmart to get a ratchet strap for the empty Jeep Crate I called dibs on. While strapping it down, first Wrangler owner experience. She was all impressed by the Gladiator, and we had a nice time chit chatting about how she wants her husband to get one so she can drive it, lol

I aired down to 36psi at Walmart and we head for home. Hit the open road and Iā€™m grinning from ear to ear. Gladys is all mine. This is my truck! It hauls ass and passing is effortless. The stereo is incredible. I turn the bass down because somebody set it to +8. I spend the next 90 minutes fumbling around with all the settings and get to know Gladys.

We stop off at McDonalds for a quick break and so I can air down to 33psi and take the freedom panels off. CO2 delivery guy compliments me on the Bright White JT and asks when I got it. Big smile on my face.

We jump back on I90 and I floor it on the on-ramp. All 5 windows down (beer window slid open I guess) top off, 85 degrees and sunny. Weā€™re doing about 80 with my wife following behind in Dory. I turn on the Warthog mix some people created on the site. Flip to an Avenge Sevenfold song and blast the tunes. I get goosebumps with the wind, the loud music, flying by others on the highway. Singing along at the top of my lungs, bobbing my head a bit and pumping my first with that ā€œF*ck Yeahā€ voice in the back of my head.

Its just Gladys and me devouring the open road. Regular car/truck after regular car/truck. I see those poor souls just going through the motions of their commute when Gladys and I are living it up. Freedomā€¦ā€¦thatā€™s what I think Iā€™m feeling. Iā€™ve got a couple of modded up scooters (yes scooters) thatā€™ll haul ass up to about 55mph and then run out of RPM. I donā€™t ride them much anymore for fear of getting run over. Gladys is giving me that similar feeling back. Open air freedom but on 4 wheels, faster, more convenient to haul plywood and this feeling will hopefully be DAILY!

Yeah the wind was loud sometimes, the JT wandered a bit here and there and my lower back was sweaty, but I never once thought about starving kids in China, how I need to start working out again when I get home, or how I wish those trees never got blown over.

Not a care in the world. I imagine all of you guys/gals that have known this feeling for years. This secretā€¦ā€¦.maybe this is what the ā€œItā€™s a Jeep thingā€ is all about. Whatever it is (I like it a lot).


white rainbow pic.jpg

We drove 30 minutes through a torrential rain storm and I get to put her into 4HI, pull off at a gas tation to avoid some hail and Gladys brought me home safely. Then I got this photo of her with a rainbow in the background. She's my girl!
PS steffen if you got the 7inch you connect (largest available on sport s) it don't have navigation. Only on overland and rubi 8.4s
 
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grindhouseknives

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Congrats on the new JT. That was a nice write up too!!
Iā€™ve had my FR JTLE since yesterday and I love it!! I Took it to work today and itā€™s quite the head turned. I had several of my coffee shop customers looking at it and wanting to crawl all over it. I was happy to oblige!
Enjoy your new truck. I know I will be enjoying mine.
 

StomperMN

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Congrats on the JT! Great write-up! I'm your neighbor in MN, NW twin cities suburbs. Really would like to have one as well, but like you, I'm the sole income in the house and we've never bought a new vehicle. Luckily, we do have our jeeps already, a '97 XJ and '15 JKU Sahara, so at least the fun still goes on!
 

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WildJD

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I love how the truck soaks up the bumps, but once in a construction zone I hit a series of bumps while going 70 (yes, this Iowa construction zone on i90 didn't have any slow down signs) kinda like a washboard while the barrels had us change lanes. So turning going 70 washboard, it was a bit unnerving and I can only best describe it as "a tank slapper feeling". It was kinda scary for a brief second. Almost like with the bumps and slop and me probably overcorrecting with input culminated in the perfect storm of "loss of control". Luckily it was over as fast as it happened, I changed my shorts started the song on the radio over again and moved on. I can only assume a better steering stabilizer could tune that type of event out. :surprised:
Youā€™ll get used to the steering in a week! The JT cab has more (better) visibility than virtually any vehicle out there! Mostly window, very little A pillar, B pillar, C pillar, sight block. Never trust the mirror! (Thatā€™s how accidents happen!) Always glance over your shoulder, like they taught us in Drivers Ed. (Least thatā€™s what they taught us back in ā€˜69!)
When you get your Gator, get some extra ā€œTouchUpā€ spray paint, and spray the underside of the Freedom tops to match your ABC pillars inside! Soooooo happy for you Bro! Keep your narrative coming... your enthusiasm warms my soul, imprisoned here in the dark, frigid, bowels, of Granite Crystal Launch Edition purgatory! ā¤;{
 

Murgatroid

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After reading this, the one thing that I get out of it is, leased cars may not get proper break in's.

We'll see who makes it through to the eye candy, also a small ā€œsorryā€ for teasing folks without photos until tonight, been a hell of a weekend! Iā€™ll document my mods/upgrades to Gladys on this thread too.

Story:
Iā€™m a normal midwestern guy. Life has been pretty good to me. No major medical issues, pretty smart, never got tangled up with the law, but I always was annoyed watching the news, 20/20 or 60 minutes with my father growing up. ā€œYou think youā€™ve got it bad!?ā€, he would say when we watched a story about starving kids in China, inner-city youth huffing paint or random civilians getting limbs blown off overseas. Yeah, comparatively my life isnā€™t 1/100th of a percent as hard as some folks, but that doesnā€™t mean I donā€™t have struggles. The toughest thing for somebody might be finding a safe place to sleep at night. My toughest thing last week was cutting up 15 trees that fell on my house, fence, other fence, playset and shed. Luckily the house had very minor damage, but damn that was stressful and a lot of work. Iā€™m still not done.

Iā€™m the bread winner of our family. Sure, my wife has stress raising our boys, but making sure weā€™ve got enough money coming in has its stress too. Our stupid health insurance is $1337 a month, plus a $13,000 max out of pocket family deductible. UGHā€¦ā€¦..

Iā€™m fat, not obese, but at 5ā€™7ā€ and 183 lbs, the doctor says (and I agree) I should start thinking about eating better and exercising again. Iā€™ve got 2 wonderful young boys and a terrific wife that would all love for me to be around for a very long time. Donā€™t get me wrong, I know there are plenty of folks farther along battling weight issues, but itā€™s a slippery slope that can run in the family.


ā€œUMMM, WHAT ABOUT GLADYS? This is a story about your Gladiator, right?ā€


Today was the first day in a long while that I never thought about paragraphs 1-3. I wake up all excited to get my JT at 7:30. My wife is still sleeping at the Super 8 Motel in Spirit Lake Iowa. I post a few times on the forum as Iā€™m anxious to go see it. Finally, it dawns on me, I can just walk there and let my wife sleep! I take a stroll 0.4 Miles away and I see Gladys for the first time.

first time.jpg


She looks like every other JT people have posted photos of, but its different. I know today I get to take this one home! Thatā€™s my beauty and finally all the waiting is paying off.

Iā€™m from out of state, and Wisconsin has weird leasing policies. I spend 90 minutes chatting with the finance woman Cathy. Sheā€™s so pleasant. Two guys load up my empty Jeep crate into the back of the JT while another sales guy asks if I want a soda or coffee. I can just imagine their office getting together for a Christmas office party. Each asking about their families and what theyā€™re going to do the next weekend. Reminds me of family.

Before I know it, its been 90 minutes, but I didnā€™t mind at all, I know paperwork is a bitch. My wife calls and I tell her to pack up and bring the checkbook, weā€™re almost ready to roll.

Before we leave, I shake 2 peopleā€™s hands and we hop into the jeep to experience Gladys and all her glory. I push the start button and turn the radio on, but nothing comes on the display, but the music is playingā€¦ā€¦ā€¦I start pressing a few buttons, things work, but no display. I chuckle to myself, ā€œThis drive home is going to be a long one!ā€. Then I realize I didnā€™t put my foot on the brake when I pressed start. Do it again, Gladysā€™ display lights up and I see the Wrangler roll across the instrument cluster. I fiddle with Uconnect and Android Auto, doesnā€™t workā€¦ā€¦ā€¦no sweat, Iā€™ve still got XM radio. We take Cathyā€™s advice and head to a local breakfast/coffee place.

This is the first time Iā€™ve driven a Gladiator. We eat breakfast swing by Walmart to get a ratchet strap for the empty Jeep Crate I called dibs on. While strapping it down, first Wrangler owner experience. She was all impressed by the Gladiator, and we had a nice time chit chatting about how she wants her husband to get one so she can drive it, lol

I aired down to 36psi at Walmart and we head for home. Hit the open road and Iā€™m grinning from ear to ear. Gladys is all mine. This is my truck! It hauls ass and passing is effortless. The stereo is incredible. I turn the bass down because somebody set it to +8. I spend the next 90 minutes fumbling around with all the settings and get to know Gladys.

We stop off at McDonalds for a quick break and so I can air down to 33psi and take the freedom panels off. CO2 delivery guy compliments me on the Bright White JT and asks when I got it. Big smile on my face.

We jump back on I90 and I floor it on the on-ramp. All 5 windows down (beer window slid open I guess) top off, 85 degrees and sunny. Weā€™re doing about 80 with my wife following behind in Dory. I turn on the Warthog mix some people created on the site. Flip to an Avenge Sevenfold song and blast the tunes. I get goosebumps with the wind, the loud music, flying by others on the highway. Singing along at the top of my lungs, bobbing my head a bit and pumping my first with that ā€œF*ck Yeahā€ voice in the back of my head.

Its just Gladys and me devouring the open road. Regular car/truck after regular car/truck. I see those poor souls just going through the motions of their commute when Gladys and I are living it up. Freedomā€¦ā€¦thatā€™s what I think Iā€™m feeling. Iā€™ve got a couple of modded up scooters (yes scooters) thatā€™ll haul ass up to about 55mph and then run out of RPM. I donā€™t ride them much anymore for fear of getting run over. Gladys is giving me that similar feeling back. Open air freedom but on 4 wheels, faster, more convenient to haul plywood and this feeling will hopefully be DAILY!

Yeah the wind was loud sometimes, the JT wandered a bit here and there and my lower back was sweaty, but I never once thought about starving kids in China, how I need to start working out again when I get home, or how I wish those trees never got blown over.

Not a care in the world. I imagine all of you guys/gals that have known this feeling for years. This secretā€¦ā€¦.maybe this is what the ā€œItā€™s a Jeep thingā€ is all about. Whatever it is (I like it a lot).


white rainbow pic.jpg

We drove 30 minutes through a torrential rain storm and I get to put her into 4HI, pull off at a gas tation to avoid some hail and Gladys brought me home safely. Then I got this photo of her with a rainbow in the background. She's my girl!
 
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steffen707

steffen707

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After reading this, the one thing that I get out of it is, leased cars may not get proper break in's.
Wow..... That's all you got out of it?

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Moab

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:clap: Congrats Steffen. Really enjoyed your write up & adventure day 1.
Enjoy that rig!
Baby steps on the health front. Work with your Doc and just count the calories and careful on the high cholesterol contributors.
A little bit of ā€œstrenuous ā€œ activity a day will help. Now go get some plywood! :rock:
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