Blake Noble

Both? I guess? I mean, just watch a few of these and tell me with a straight and honest face that you didn't giggle like a school girl at a One Direction concert at least one time. Here's a review for the Saturn L-Series that also informs us that the Catera was "Cadillac's Chris Gaines album." I have no words. This one ... would never meet John Davis's standards. No, not the one from the metal band that misspelled the name of a four-letter vegetable so that they could brand their music as edgy. I mean the bald one that's on PBS and chatters on about the newest Honda Accord with the sterility of a post-vasectomy middle-aged man cowering beneath a set of bleached white hospital bed sheets. There's more on that channel, including reviews for such gems like the 2002 Toyota Echo and a Chuck Norris-era Dodge Ram. I think I know what I'm going to watch now until the new season of Top Gear airs.

So ... about this thread. It's been about a year since I bought a later-model car, so that means it's time to change my underwear. The XJ has been gone for about a week now, but the simple truth is I was driving it far more than my Charger once I realized it was almost totally mechanically sound despite it's high mileage. I liked the fact I could keep it dirtier than I normally would any car I've owned, and drive it where ever I wanted to take it. So, the Charger is up on the chopping block now and I'm looking at two suitors, with the Wrangler slightly in the lead. Ideally, I'd want a circa 2005 to 2006 TJ with the 4.0 primarily for it's longevity, durability, and capability, but I'm also considering the Hummer H3 because its utility is better than the TJs and it's overall more comparable to my old XJ. I've also bumped into a few decent deals on JKs in my area (it seems like TJs are almost just as expensive as the JKs), so even though I lose the 4.0 here, the JK is just as ideal as the TJ because of it's better fuel economy (which wasn't a big priority here, anyway) and modern interior, exterior, and driveability elements versus the TJ. A little more icing on the cake: there's a decent enough chance to lower my monthly payment and pay something off earlier than the Charger in the process. Not that the Charger is as big of a financial burden that I feared it would be months ago, but even still. I like having disposable income. Also, the new Willys Edition JK is just five-billion different kinds of cool. Why wouldn't you start a thread with it and for it?

Here are a few pics of what it looked like before, just for reference sake. It took pulling a few teeth to dig these up. This is what the car looked like in September of '08 when it was hauled out of Tennessee. Notice the completely retarded 3" exhaust. Hope no one here uses 56k (and if so, it's 2013; what the hell is wrong with you?).

Nope. Very good guess, though.

Fall of next year seems so far away. I don't know if I could wait around for this truck. But I really like the prospect of it; fuel efficient, attractive, probably handles better than the old Colorado (then again, what would handle worse?), plenty of aftermarket options soon after rollout, rugged and would be plenty capable in most off-road situations. Hopefully, the WT model will sticker for about what I said earlier (considering a base Silverado regular cab is supposed to sticker for around $25k if I remember right). These are all traits I've been looking for in whatever will replace both the XJ and the Charger, it just sucks it's not on the market right now.

Anyone care to guess why I posted this thread? It's not just the fact I like that particular JK ...

Thanks, everyone. We're thrilled with it so far. We have a few minor things left to do (taillight and parking light lenses, hooking up the speedo cable, doing a full engine detail, installing a factory sport steering wheel to replace the awful Grant GT one, and fixing the $h!ty coil spring bushings) but she's about 90 percent finished. That reminds me, these pics were pre-exhaust (so there's duals running out from underneath the bumper now). Runs and drives like champ and really turns heads. What's the story with this fella?

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Actually, no. The next-generation Avenger will be rear-drive and share a platform with the Alfa Romeo Guilia (the next-gen Avenger program is what spawned all of those Barracuda rumors from way back whenever). The next-gen 200 is based around a widened CUSW (read: Dart) platform, using the 3.2L V6 and nine-speed automatic from the KL Cherokee.

Nope, that's a real special edition Wrangler that just recently debuted.

Wrangler.

I wouldn't look for it to show up anytime soon. The Dart's biggest problem? This thing. You can nab a new Avenger with the 3.6L Pentastar for mid-level Dart money. If you can do without a nice infotainment system, good handling, and actual styling, you end up with a slightly larger, more powerful car. The Avenger isn't a great car, and as I just pointed out, the Dart certainly hands it its ass in terms of driveability and technology, but the Avenger is still a really good value for money. That's why it's canibalizing Dart sales. The JS cars will be a thorn in ChryCo's side until they're put out to pasture (which that should be pretty soon).

And a happy belated thank you, everyone.

Wonder what the WT trim 4WD extended cab model will run? If you can take it home for under $18,000 and some change, I might actually be interested in it. It's a nice looking truck (and plenty big enough, considering it's supposed to be as large as the old GMT400 pickups).

I'm not a big fan of a matte paint job, but it seems to me that -- provided it's done correctly -- it would show dirt, nicks, and scratches less than a typical glossy base coat/clear coat one.

Just some clarification here. The debt load isn't the issue. God only knows that when I'm not in class, I work enough to pay the payment three times over every month (not that it would be feasible, but I could). No, the issue here is one that I never stopped to think of when I bought the Charger, and I feel pretty stupid that it didn't dawn on me then. My Charger has become an even bigger money pit than the Jeep. Here's why: the amount I drive. Between going to class and work seven days a week for most of the time that I've had it, I've managed to log over 14,000 miles on my car in less than a year. When I bought the Charger in February, I had 42,000 miles on the clock. Now I'm sitting at almost 57,000, even after handing work trips over to the Jeep. When I bought the car, it was worth a fair amount more than pay off if I had to trade it in. Now I'll be lucky to milk a grand to the good out of it and by the middle of next year, I'll be firmly upside down. With every couple of miles I drive, I manage to piss a few hundred dollars down the drain. About five years from now when the loan reaches maturity, the Charger will probably have close to 200,000 miles on it. From here, you can see what the big picture really looks like. I realized this when I started my beater/project hunt. That's the reason I have the Cherokee, but it's proving to need more than I want to bother with right now and my enthusiasm is waning as a result, sadly. It's gotten me to work and back (I'd never drive it to class and back every day) every day without a critical problem since I started driving it, but overall, I don't know how much longer it can hold out without having the engine and transmission both totally overhauled. At the end of the day, it's an old Jeep and it feels its age sometimes. That's only something you can find out after you buy a car and live with it for a period of time. So, to make a long story short, the only way that a car is truly economically feasible in my case is if either a.) it's completely paid for or b.) the outstanding balance on any loan I carry is significantly less than the rate the car depreciates. Considering that I'm still at risk of going in the hole on the Charger, I'm going to have to figure something out and soon. I've worked hard to make sure that every car I've had wasn't a complete loss if I had to get rid of it, and that isn't changing now.

Okay, forget about the car itself and say that it's different car or truck. Going back to the main question, would it be worth trading down and up to get out of debt sooner?

In the interest of pushing this hypothetical situation along, you would be trading your newer 2011 model vehicle down and trading in your 2000 model beater/project. The car is a 2005 Mustang 4.0 V6 with a $7950 price tag.

Let's say you had the chance to have a late model (circa 2005) car with under 85,000 miles completely paid for in 18 months, would you do it?

This is the revised "Bumblebee" Camaro for the next (horrifically underwhelming) installment of Michael Bay's Transformers franchise. Notice the revised front fascia and lack of rear side glass. Hmmm ...

Cars, to a large extent, are a renewable resource. Why throw away something when it isn't fit for the scrap heap?

I hate to reveal what I'm planning before the actual wheels are set in motion, but here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to have a local CDJR service department diagnose exactly what's going on with the XJ's powertrain Friday afternoon (depending on the cost). If the transmission and engine need some major TLC, I have a 4.6L stroker block (it's a gamble, but I'm going to reuse and recondition my existing cylinder head if it isn't cracked) and a new transmission on the line to go back in the Jeep. I'm going to also attempt to buy a complete 3" lift kit with new springs, upgraded front brakes, and new wheels and tires very soon too. That will sort out the Jeep mechanically, then I can focus on the Jeep's cosmetic issues and call it a day. I'm hoping to complete this build within a 10 to 12 month timeframe, at the most. After I know the Jeep is completely trustworthy, I'm going to really shake things up a bit.