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Is it Just Style?


Aunt Jen

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I am not very concerned about crashing.

Yea but aren't you the least bit concerned about someone crashing into you?

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Several years ago a man skidded, on wet streets, into my truck. According to my wife, who had my truck that day, it caved in the entire front quarter panel of his car. There was some blue paint on my bumper.

 

If you are concerned about someone crashing into you, drive a big car. A truck is better.

 

You go driving around in one of them "thousand pound, 40 miles a gallon" economical cars, and get in a wreck, and they pick you up with a mop and a broom. Me, in my "four thousand pound, 8 miles a gallon" old pickup truck, and I drive to the body shop to get the dent knocked out.

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Some years back I wanted a Jeep. Salesman couldn't conceive of any reason NOT to have air bags or why I'd want to be able to turn them off. I tried to explain I wanted an off road vehicle so I could drive it off road with the possibility of banging into trees, brush, rocks, creek banks, etc.

 

Went through five or six guys at the dealership trying to see if I could disconnect the bags, if they could disconnect the bags, and so on.

 

I finally said something rude about people who sell brush bars, skid plates, roll bars, and all manner of things for people who might want to drive where there were no roads, but didn't sell a real off road truck, and called their precious toy a yuppie-mobile.

 

I ended up buying a twenty year old International Scout for a song, fixed it up the way I wanted it an drove it for seven years before I sold it for about what I had in it.

 

Selling it was mistake.

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On air bags, etc.

 

If I were driving off-road and could possibly crash into things, I think the air bags would be good.

 

However, I do notice my arm placement is different with air bags. Habit taken from since forever, is to drive 10-2, but sometimes when there is no traffic, it's natural to drape one arm over the top of the wheel. Yet, I hear that sometimes air bags will spontaneously inflate, and at 200 mph inflation rate, it could break my arm or throw it into my face... So I have to hold the wheel from the sides or bottom, during those times. (Always holding 10-2 can increase fatigue; changing it, I think, can help alleviate fatigue, keep me sharper.)

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Civilian jeps are not macho.

These are macho. :D

Dave-Boehmer_11.jpg

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Government testing results are on a test pad, not in real world driving use. My wife drives a 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Per the Insurance Institute (actual collision results, not "testing"), it rates "average" or "much better than average" for each class of potential loss that this Jeep causes or suffers in actual collisions, except for "property damage" (damage to other vehicles, structures, real estate, etc.), where it is worse than average. It does not bother me if the vehicle causes more damage to the property of others (and this may be more of a reflection of the types of claims that arise from a vehicle that appeals to under 30 males, and comes with oversize tires and off-road capability). The PIP claims (personal injury to occupants) are much better than average - a decent indicator that, in the real world, the injuries to occupants will be less severe than the average.

 

"Safety" is only one criteria in selecting a vehicle, and the concept includes more than air bags. Around here, you start by eliminating anything that doesn't have 4-wheel or all-wheel drive. Say good bye to most Japanese passenger cars, econo-boxes, family sedans, and minivans. "Dangerous" is not being able to stay on the road in snow and ice, not being able to get out of a ditch, and not being able to get out of the way of a doofus in a Prius who never learned to drive in snow.

 

LL

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Bought my Jeep CJ-7 over 30 years ago.

Still drive it every day-Been jeep'n since I was in high school.

No different than fly'n or drive'n a 'bike'. Just got to know what you are do'n is all.

Stupid can/will be fatal-

OLG

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"Safety" is only one criteria in selecting a vehicle, and the concept includes more than air bags. Around here, you start by eliminating anything that doesn't have 4-wheel or all-wheel drive. Say good bye to most Japanese passenger cars, econo-boxes, family sedans, and minivans. "Dangerous" is not being able to stay on the road in snow and ice, not being able to get out of a ditch, and not being able to get out of the way of a doofus in a Prius who never learned to drive in snow.

 

LL

Strange, as both of our Subaru's(Outback & Forrester)have 5 star ratings. They have been the most dependable cars I have ever owned. One has well over 100K+ miles on it.

Every car/truck I own has all wheel drive capability.

OLG

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Some years back I wanted a Jeep. Salesman couldn't conceive of any reason NOT to have air bags or why I'd want to be able to turn them off. I tried to explain I wanted an off road vehicle so I could drive it off road with the possibility of banging into trees, brush, rocks, creek banks, etc.

 

Went through five or six guys at the dealership trying to see if I could disconnect the bags, if they could disconnect the bags, and so on.

 

I finally said something rude about people who sell brush bars, skid plates, roll bars, and all manner of things for people who might want to drive where there were no roads, but didn't sell a real off road truck, and called their precious toy a yuppie-mobile.

 

I ended up buying a twenty year old International Scout for a song, fixed it up the way I wanted it an drove it for seven years before I sold it for about what I had in it.

 

Selling it was mistake.

I bought a 1990 geo tracker 4x4, same thing as the suzuki sidekick. I use it instead of an utv out in the woods. In fact, it is narrower than an utv. I've used it to drag a disc harrow, pull a spreader, mounted a sprayer in the back. It is my go to tool for food plots. Plus, it is street legal unlike the utv. Though, I'd hate to be in a wreck in it. Here's a pic of my toy, plus a pic of my bigger toy. My big toy follows Alpo's line of thought. I don't worry about those little hybrid cars crashing into it.

 

WGI_0020.jpg

 

275.jpeg

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On air bags, etc.

 

If I were driving off-road and could possibly crash into things, I think the air bags would be good.

 

 

When driving off-road, it is expected that there will be bumps, bounces and jarring, some of which could set off an airbag. Some of the side-curtain airbags are designed to go off if a vehicle reaches a specific angle, as in a roll over. People who go off road often end up in off-angle situations, so those can be a problem as well. My Toyota Tundra has a button to turn off the side-curtain airbags for off-roading. It doesn't have buttons for the other airbags, though.

 

As for a Jeep, I don't know if I would want one of the current Jeeps or not. I would certainly like a CJ-7, or even a YJ Wrangler, with a straight six. I've had three Jeeps, a '69 "Universal" (A CJ-5), a '77 Cherokee, and a '92 Grand Wagoneer. I liked them all, but wish I still had the Grand Wagoneer.

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I bought a 1990 geo tracker 4x4, same thing as the suzuki sidekick. I use it instead of an utv out in the woods. In fact, it is narrower than an utv. I've used it to drag a disc harrow, pull a spreader, mounted a sprayer in the back. It is my go to tool for food plots. Plus, it is street legal unlike the utv. Though, I'd hate to be in a wreck in it. Here's a pic of my toy, plus a pic of my bigger toy. My big toy follows Alpo's line of thought. I don't worry about those little hybrid cars crashing into it.

 

WGI_0020.jpg

 

275.jpeg

Nice thing both are easy to parallel park. One fits anywhere and the other can make its own space if neeeded. ;):D:lol:

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Some years back I wanted a Jeep. Salesman couldn't conceive of any reason NOT to have air bags or why I'd want to be able to turn them off. I tried to explain I wanted an off road vehicle so I could drive it off road with the possibility of banging into trees, brush, rocks, creek banks, etc.

 

Went through five or six guys at the dealership trying to see if I could disconnect the bags, if they could disconnect the bags, and so on.

 

I finally said something rude about people who sell brush bars, skid plates, roll bars, and all manner of things for people who might want to drive where there were no roads, but didn't sell a real off road truck, and called their precious toy a yuppie-mobile.

 

I ended up buying a twenty year old International Scout for a song, fixed it up the way I wanted it an drove it for seven years before I sold it for about what I had in it.

 

Selling it was mistake.

Scouts are awsome. :wub: Wish I still had mine.

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About... oh... three or four years ago, there was a fella in our office who drove a jeep. Basic, civilian model, 4wd jeep with a four-cylinder power plant.

 

One day he comes moping in and announces that his jeep had met it's demise... said he'd pulled off the freeway onto Golden State Blvd in Fresno, was going too fast on the curve, and flipped 'er over. (of course, claimed it was someone else's fault; guy behind him made him drive too fast).

 

So there he was, he said, sliding along in the jeep, said vehicle leaving a trail of sparks as it skidded around the bend and along the road on it's port side. Oh! That is, leaving a trail of sparks and golf clubs...! :rolleyes:

 

Fella has since moved away, but I still have two of his clubs behind my desk, with nicely ground heads: Jason's Clubs (I talked him out of 'em, thinkin' of using the handles for brass picker baskets.)

 

Well anyway, that night I was visiting ol' Hank and his family down on the ranch. We were sittin' around enjoyin' some coffee laced with some special "sweetener," when a buddy of Hank's son wanders it. Made his "howdy's!" poured himself a mug o' coffee, then blurts out "Hey! Ya'll ain't gonna believe THIS!

 

"There I was, headed down 99 yesterday, and was just pullin' off the freeway onto Golden State when this black Jeep just whizzzzed on past me on the curve! And then it was amazing!! That danged Jeep flipped onto it's side and went spinnin' and skiddin' along in front of me, me standin' on my brakes to keep from runnin' into 'im, and the damndest thing... there was SPARKS and GOLF CLUBS just a-flyin' all OVER the danged place!!"

 

:lol::lol::D:P

 

Ya know... coffee doesn't feel any better snortin' out the nose when it has a good slug o' brandy in it. 'Specially when it's propelled by a good howl of laughing... ^_^

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Jeeps were tough, simple vehicles when they were made by Willys, Kaiser, and eventually AMC. My personal opinion is that after being absorbed by Chrysler they went down hill a little.

 

I own a '76 CJ5 that is in pieces at present pending an infusion of big block Chevy power and some serious off road repurposing.

 

I also have a 1960 FC170, (Google it!). It has been converted to a one ton DRW and is about to get a heavy duty automatic transmission and a radical fuel injected small block Chevy engine.

 

The CJ/TJ/YJ/Wrangler style Jeeps are not for dummies, (although many dummies do buy 'em). They are fun, but tricky to operate, and can get you hurt if you don't respect their idiosyncrasies. As far as crash safety goes, my daddy always told me, "Don't crash it, nitwit!!"

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A lot of small car manufacturers like to talk about how safe their cars are.

 

Had a small car this past weekend nearly cause a wreck with me while I had a horse trailer on.

 

Some people are oblivious to the fact that more weight equals a longer stopping distance, and that DOT doesn't grade every vehicle on the same standard.

 

Luckily I was pulling the trailer with two brake axles. The old one doesn't stop so well.

 

Anyway, I couldn't imagine getting hit by 16-17k lbs while driving one of those little cars.

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So many threads within the thread.

 

Jeeps have a purpose, but I don;t have a need for one. Have no idea about their crash resistance but short wheel based, stiff suspension anything on snow is a disaster waiting to happen. Driving one of those CJ whatevers on pavement is a compromise, they are ment more for off roading.

 

Prius cars are a bit better than a motorcycle when it comes to a crash. A windshield strike with a fat Robin bird/deer/dog/car could be fatal. A Honda/Toyota car is a bit higher on the food chain. you must drive defensively to survive.

 

 

I do fine with a FWD Honda Accord on snow/ice roads. I run more aggressive tire tread pattern in the winter. It has gotten me safely anywhere I wanted to go. Present one just turned 200k miles. The very rare times I can not proceed down the snowy road, the road was closed anyway and wall to wall parked/wrecked semi's/cars were in front/behind me. But really, I haven't had to drive on major winter storm conditions in like, forever. If it was a choice between FWD car and 4x4 PU to get me there during winter, it would be the FWD car.

 

Mixed bag feelings about air bags... If you can survive the violent projectile of the hard plastic steering wheel cover hitting you in the face, and the hard inflating air bag engulfing you, then it might do some good.

 

The bigger car usually wins over anything smaller, unless it jumps up and speers you though the windshield.

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People are hot to buy Jeeps, but crash tests are poor?

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102669491

Is it a macho thing?

Hi Aunt Jen,

 

We've been a jeep Wrangler family since '99, when we bought our Sahara. It rides a mite rough, gets 17 mpg, is noisy in

hardtop configuration and real noisy as a rag top, can only tow 2000 lbs of trailer and dirt, and is a little skittish on cornering at times.

 

Having said that, once whilst doing 60 on I-90 I found a very large patch of ice, which had me turned around and sliding

bassackwards into the verge, down the hill, to come to rest tilted at a 30 - 40 degree angle, drivers side down, against a

chainlink fence. I slipped into higher gear 4-wd, and crab walked the jeep up the wall of the verge and back onto the highway,

some 60 - 80 feet of sideways driving. Once I got on the level ground to get out and assess, I noted that the left rear tire had

come off the rim due to the sideways force of sliding down the hill, and in fact I had craweled out on three wheels.

 

That Wrangler has over 250K miles on it (the inline 4L motor), with nothing needed except regular maintenance and fluid changes.

 

My wife took over driving it some years ago, and then we gave it to number one son some 4 years back, when she wanted a

Dodge Dakota for a while.

 

We were without vehicles for two years (lived in England and used a company car), so upon return to the states we knew we

were going to need a four wheel drive vehicle, and something to tow dirt and such (she is a master gardener). The Land Rover

Defender 90 or 110 which we like very much is unavailable in the US due to the lack of air bags, so we had to reassess.

 

I figured it was time to get a RAM, so bought a RAM 2500 Outdoorsman w/ 4 wheel, etc. My beautiful bride was now free to

pursue any choice in vehicles, the 4 wheel drive and haul dirt aspects were resolved. After a lot of consideration and trying out,

she decided she missed her Wrangler, and so we bought a 2015 Wrangler Willys package, with A/C and automatic trans. Even

the slick rock folks have gone to auto's over a stick, keeping both hands on the wheel that way.

 

It rides a mite rougher than our Mercedes SL did, still get's 17 miles to the gallon, frankly it feels even more agile than the older

one (means be very careful about steering wheel input!), and it's still every bit as much fun to drive.

 

Jeep Wranglers are like sports cars; they're not practical outside their niche. I wouldn't want to take a 500 mile road trip in one,

but I could. We like it for winter driving, and for going up narrow logging roads up into the tree farms, or along forest roads to

hiking areas or a lake to put in our canoe. It's small, agile, fun for her to drive because it puts her high enough to see further,

but not too high to make it a chore to get in and out of it.

 

They're not for everyone; neither is an Alfa Spider, nor a HD sportster.

 

I'm pretty sure that arguments about fuel efficiency, safety, crash repair costs, etc. are lost on these crowds; we like what we like

first, then justify it later.

 

Shadow Catcher

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Hi Jen,

 

We've had three Jeeps; a 1994 Grand Cherokee, a 2006 Liberty, and a 2000 Wrangler. I just liked the looks and 4WD. However, the little things that stopped working turned me off. Also, they have had bad reviews lately. The only one Hubby (6'5") was comfortable driving was the Wrangler.

 

So, I got a silver AWD Mazda CX-5 and even Hubby likes driving it. The gas mileage is great too.

 

Zoom, zoom!

 

Regards,

 

Allie

 

2014_mazda_cx_5_touring_mesquite_tx_1080

 

 

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I wonder if anyone has an M-151 for sale.

 

I liked the one Uncle Sam loaned me. A touch here and there to make the suspension better (having a clerk who built and raced cars had its benefits) made it a fine ride.

Yes, there a few around. A quick search on Google shows several used military vehicle sites, and a fan club with other information available.

 

SC

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Back to the OP's first question. I do think it's sort of a macho thing. Around my area, there are as many girls driving Jeeps as there are guys. I think it has to do with showing your "oneness" with the outdoors and rugged individualism. Or something like that. It's certainly not

the exemplary fuel economy

 

It's known that about 98 percent of all off-road capable vehicles never see dirt. Most never even need off-road tires. they are, however, often seen in winter, upside down in the median :wacko::)

 

Coffinmaker

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Back to the OP's first question. I do think it's sort of a macho thing. Around my area, there are as many girls driving Jeeps as there are guys. I think it has to do with showing your "oneness" with the outdoors and rugged individualism. Or something like that. It's certainly not

the exemplary fuel economy

 

It's known that about 98 percent of all off-road capable vehicles never see dirt. Most never even need off-road tires. they are, however, often seen in winter, upside down in the median :wacko::)

 

Coffinmaker

Whatever... I hate stereotyping of any kind. :angry:

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It's known that about 98 percent of all off-road capable vehicles never see dirt. Most never even need off-road tires. they are, however, often seen in winter, upside down in the median :wacko::)

 

Coffinmaker

 

That is the truth.

 

The biggest marketing auto industry sales job to the population is planting the notion that everyone needs an AWD vehicle.

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Back to the OP's first question. I do think it's sort of a macho thing. Around my area, there are as many girls driving Jeeps as there are guys. I think it has to do with showing your "oneness" with the outdoors and rugged individualism. Or something like that. It's certainly not

the exemplary fuel economy

 

It's known that about 98 percent of all off-road capable vehicles never see dirt. Most never even need off-road tires. they are, however, often seen in winter, upside down in the median :wacko::)

 

Coffinmaker

 

 

 

 

Whatever... I hate stereotyping of any kind. :angry:

 

 

I'm not sure where the stereotyping is. I read it as positing why people, both male and female, might purchase a vehicle they otherwise don't have a real need for.

 

Sadly, my pickup hasn't seen as much off road time as I would like. I've only managed to get out camping and off road with it a few times since I've owned it. Every other 4x4 I've owned has seen considerable time off road, with one ending up under water. Don't ask... Of course, given my driveway in winter, it comes in handy, along with my wife's AWD Subie. If not for the possible need to pull a horse trailer, I would've opted for something smaller. Perhaps a Tacoma, maybe a Wrangler. Definitely something off road capable for when the opportunity to get out and away does arise.

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