Full Size Jeep Network

So, the wife and I have agreed that its time for a new vehicle, and also that we own way too many (5) cars for 2 adults with no kids. Between company vehicles and our live in brother in law, there are presently 8 registered and insured cars on our property. Its a little stupid.

She drives a challenger, which is less than ideal many months of the year here. Its 8 years old. I've got her pretty well sold on a 4Runner or JL, because it meets our needs, and its also something she would like or at least wouldn't mind, daily driving. We need a 4 door 4x4 that can be mildly built for our camping and off road trips, but nothing crazy, as well as needing it for friends/comapny being over. Presently any time we have anybody in town the "easiest" vehicle to take is the wag, but its also the worst (loud, smelly, bumpy, inefficient).

I just sold a 2004 Dakota, so we got down 1 vehicle. We'll sell/trade her car in, to get her something new. This leaves us with a 1974 F250 which has taken over as my daily driver (keep in mind I have a company truck for to/from work driving, so my daily really only gets driven evenings/weekends and i dont rely on it to get me to work), the 1973 wagoneer, her 1969 Nova that rarely gets driven but is her baby, and whatever modern 4x4 we buy.

If we buy a 4runner or whatever, she'll daily it, and it will become our camping/exploring vehicle. At that point, the Wagoneer becomes obsolete and redundant. There would be no need to have 2 lifted 4 door 4x4's, especially when one is old, uncomfortable, unreliable, and cranky. If i have a capable modern 4x4, there would be ZERO reason to drive thew wagoneer anywhere, aside from pure nostalgia, since I wont need it as a daily.

Okay, so sell the 1974 Ford and Daily the Wag, right? Well, again, the wagoneer is redundant. It's much more useful and practical for me to have a giant ass truck that I can (and do) use around the property for dump runs, hauling yards of gravel and dirt, home depot runs, etc. Cant do that in the Wagoneer without a trailer, and it can never haul super heavy crap like the ford can. Not to mention the ford is a lot nicer to ride in on the roads even though its a 3/4 ton.

So, I think the plan is she'll daily the new car, I'll "daily" my 74 ford. If I need to go on a long trip, I can take the new 4x4 and she can daily her Nova or the Ford for a few days while I'm away. See whats missing here? There's no "need" for the Wagoneer. I'm not planing to get rid of it all instantly or anything, but I'm pretty sure once we get something new, it'll just sit, and I don't like things that just sit.

It's all just a strange thought process, I've owned and built this jeep over the past 9 years, and its hard to maybe accept that it just doesn't have a place in my life anymore. I'm not sure sure what to do or how to approach it, but I really don'[t think we need to have 4 vehicle's between us, especially with one being basically an older crappier version of the new car.

That is a heavy prospect to face, and the logic is sound. But, after 9 years of work and devotion, it is like a part of the family. The Wagoneer might not be a "need", but there would not be anything wrong with keeping it as a nostalgic "want"...a little splurge just because. (Plus it looks incredible and goes so perfectly with your trailer!

Chubbinius wrote:That is a heavy prospect to face, and the logic is sound. But, after 9 years of work and devotion, it is like a part of the family. The Wagoneer might not be a "need", but there would not be anything wrong with keeping it as a nostalgic "want"...a little splurge just because. (Plus it looks incredible and goes so perfectly with your trailer!

Well the pop up tent trailer hasnt been registered in like a year, thats the one that matches the jeep.

The overland trailer will get painted to match the toyota or whatever.

I figure the 1974 ford and the 1969 nova are the "splurge" and "Want" that would stick around. I wouldnt own the wag if i hadnt needed a 4x4 jeep. If my vintage thing didnt need to be used for off road camping trips, I wouldnt have purchased a vintage jeep if that makes sense. There are other things out there I could enjoy more. I've kept it all these years because it filled the purpose of wheeling and camping, and a new vehicle will fill that role. A new 4runner wont fill the role of a work truck, or a vintage hot rod, so the Ford and Nova would stick around. The biggest thing for me is that its just super redundant. some redundancy would be fine if we didn't own 2 other classic vehicles.

The topic has also come up that maybe we sell the jeep and the nova and get a single combined classic car that we can both really enjoy.

I dunno, lots to consider.

A dual use classic that you both enjoy could be a lot of fun!

I get the idea that the redundant vehicle seems like the first one that would need to go, however, if you sell the Wag, the cost to get into another one, IF you find yourself wanting one again, will be pretty expensive, at least for one that's as in as good condition, and as vintage as yours. In the photos and camping trip threads, it seems like the Wag is reliable enough but I guess if you wanted the utmost in reliability, you could get one of those new EFI systems. (I don't remember what ignition and fuel system is on your Wag now.)

If and when you get the newer 4x4, I'd say take the new one camping a few times and see if you miss the Wag enough to keep it...and do this before selling the Wag, of course! Oh, and take some of those great photos with the 2019 4x4 in them...see how they compare to the Wagoneer shots!

twisted frame wrote:I get the idea that the redundant vehicle seems like the first one that would need to go, however, if you sell the Wag, the cost to get into another one, IF you find yourself wanting one again, will be pretty expensive, at least for one that's as in as good condition, and as vintage as yours. In the photos and camping trip threads, it seems like the Wag is reliable enough but I guess if you wanted the utmost in reliability, you could get one of those new EFI systems. (I don't remember what ignition and fuel system is on your Wag now.)

If and when you get the newer 4x4, I'd say take the new one camping a few times and see if you miss the Wag enough to keep it...and do this before selling the Wag, of course! Oh, and take some of those great photos with the 2019 4x4 in them...see how they compare to the Wagoneer shots!

You make some valid points. My FSJ is already fuel injected and runs timing control. It’s ‘relible’ As far as old vehicles go but crap still happens all the time. Trans lines popping off and finally resulting in a transmission that needs rebuilt, new stuff always wearing out etc.

But for sure I’m not just going to up and sell it. I don’t have any plans to get rid of it yet. We will absolutely keep it around for a while with the new vehicle and see how we use the new one compared to the Wagoneer.

It’s just something I’ve never had to consider in 9 years of ownership. I’ve thought about selling it, sure, but never had a real reason to, not a justifiable reason.