"Kyle D." (kyledblog)
06/04/2015 at 20:45 • Filed to: None
5
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"Kyle D." (kyledblog)
06/04/2015 at 20:45 • Filed to: None | 5
| 3 |
What do the Ferrari 458, Lexus LFA, Nissan Skyline R34, and Jeep Wrangler all have in common? When I woke up this morning, I had never driven any of them, but that changed today. I got behind the wheel of a 1990’s Jeep Wrangler.
I was at work moving some supplies, so I didn’t have the car for long, but the little time that I did have it felt great.
My expectations going in were low. I wanted to tell all of my friends who loved Jeeps that it just wasn’t for me. I’m not trying to sound like a racecar driver or a part of the #hellaflush crew, but I like my car and driving position to be as low as possible. That’s just my preference. Usually, if I can’t feel relatively close to the ground, it tarnishes the driving experience for me. For some reason, that didn’t happen today.
I got in the scratched blue Jeep Wrangler with a hope and a prayer. The two leather seats were marked up, and the luxuries were all but there, save for a single auto-rewind cassette player. That’s S-Class material right there.
I put the car in reverse and immediately felt something I hadn’t experienced in the economical Japanese sedans of today. It felt so mechanical. Really mechanical. The same thing happened when I took off. I remarked about this, and my passenger was kind enough to remind me that it is that mechanical .
The second thing that I noticed was how small it was. These cars don’t look that small on the road because of the shape, but the cockpit is tiny. The seats are perfectly centered, which I assume makes the offroading experience that much better.
The throttle had a terrible amount of play and the brake pedal was way too close to the gas pedal. The steering was very direct though. The drivetrain still felt solid and apparently, one of our mechanics has drifted it.
Overall, I loved it. I found myself giggling and driving over potholes on purpose because I can .
It was a quirky union of man and machine destined for mediocrity and smiles.
Image from gcallahan.com .
MLGCarGuy
> Kyle D.
06/04/2015 at 20:47 |
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You haven’t driven a Skyline? Oppo can fix that.
You’ll love it.
If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
> Kyle D.
06/04/2015 at 21:03 |
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It’s a known fact that despite being completely average vehicles, old Jeeps are in possesion of that magical X-factor that makes you fall in love.
Regarding the size, our ‘90 YJ has a wheelbase a full foot shorter than a Dodge Neon and the turning circle is two feet smaller. Than that of a compact car. In an SUV.
greasemonkey235097
> Kyle D.
06/04/2015 at 21:57 |
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And yet to experience without top and doors...