trailchasers
07-09-2015, 11:43 PM
My Grand Adventure
Episode 01:
Introduction
Hey guys, This is Cody with trailchasers.net. Tony, Josh, and Tammy put out a call for listeners that wanted to participate with the new Grand Cherokee section of the podcast, so I threw my hat in the ring.
Before I start, here is a little bit about me:
I have been wheeling for 22 years and have owned many Jeeps
2-CJ-7's
3-XJ's
1-MJ (Comanche Pickup)
1-TJ
And I now own a 2001 Grand Cherokee WJ
While I owned the TJ, I always wanted to get back in to a wagon. I love the body style and I felt that the previous XJ's I owned were the perfect off road vehicles. The longer wheelbase, 4-doors, cargo space, front coil/rear leaf suspension, and the perfectly powered 4.0 engine made it the swiss army knife for all of my adventures. And, to be honest, I don't care about taking the top off of my vehicle anymore. It was fun when I was younger, but now I am old and I want some GOD DAMN COMFORT! I know that's not cool to say with the Wrangler crowd, but I live in the desert. People think that all of California is by the beach, but no, the poor people live in the desert. That's where I am. Where we wheel, it is hot and dusty. I am tired of melting my forehead off and ending the day with mud in my teeth. I want to roll up the windows, turn on the AC, and cruise in leather seated comfort. That's what happens when you get old. If I had an extra $50k sitting around, I would gladly go purchase a beautiful new JKU, but see me previous comments about being broke and living in the desert. So if I was going to sell the TJ and get another unibody Jeep, I had to make it work within my budget. With that said, I really thought I would be back in an XJ.
Why I chose the Grand Cherokee
As I searched for my new family off road vehicle, I found that there were two types of XJ's on the market:
The first was a fairly stock vehicle in decent condition. Gramma and Grandpa Jones handed it down to their grandson. Little Johnny Jones figured out he had a cash cow on his hands and wants 2 kidneys and a lung for the thing (do we even have 2 kidneys?)
The second is an older wheeler that someone bought, hacked up, wheeled to hell, and is now trying to unload. The guy knows it is a ticking time bomb and posts it on craigslist with a title that reads “Ready to go wheeling” which means, bring a trailer 'cause is gonna explode the first time you take it out.
The bottom line is that the XJ was hard to find in Southern California. So, I expanded my search. Surprisingly, Jeep produced 432-quadrillion Grand Cherokees since 1993 and most them have been owned by soccer moms (I haven't verified those numbers yet). They come in several different trims with various drive trains. They are very easy to find and some of them are in excellent condition. With the XJ becoming harder to get my hands on, the Grand Cherokee has become my new “affordable” off road wagon.
Media:
Do a search on Youtube for “Jeep Grand Cherokee Intro 1992” to see how they debuted the first Grand at the Detroit Auto Show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXnTwBOGk1I
Xtreme4x4 has done a really good 3 part series on turning the WJ in to an expedition vehicle. Check out the full episodes on www.powernationtv.com > Full Episodes > Search Grand Cherokee
Part 1: http://www.powerblocktv.com/episode/XT2011-17/expedition-jeep-grand-cherokee-part-i#.VYGdBG8zbZc
Part 2: http://www.powerblocktv.com/episode/XT2012-02/expedition-jeep-grand-cherokee-part-2#.VYGdCW8zbZc
Part 3: http://www.powerblocktv.com/episode/XT2012-04/expedition-jeep-grand-cherokee-part-3#.VYGdAW8zbZc
What is to come
As I continue to submit these segments, I will try to touch on all aspects of the Grand Cherokee's. I will compare the Grand's specs to other Jeeps, talk about the after market support, the communities, and the pros and the cons of the vehicle. Hopefully you will join me on my new Grand Adventure.
Thanks for listening and checkout www.trailchasers.net for more info or find at facebook.com/trailchasers and on twitter @trailchasers
Episode 01:
Introduction
Hey guys, This is Cody with trailchasers.net. Tony, Josh, and Tammy put out a call for listeners that wanted to participate with the new Grand Cherokee section of the podcast, so I threw my hat in the ring.
Before I start, here is a little bit about me:
I have been wheeling for 22 years and have owned many Jeeps
2-CJ-7's
3-XJ's
1-MJ (Comanche Pickup)
1-TJ
And I now own a 2001 Grand Cherokee WJ
While I owned the TJ, I always wanted to get back in to a wagon. I love the body style and I felt that the previous XJ's I owned were the perfect off road vehicles. The longer wheelbase, 4-doors, cargo space, front coil/rear leaf suspension, and the perfectly powered 4.0 engine made it the swiss army knife for all of my adventures. And, to be honest, I don't care about taking the top off of my vehicle anymore. It was fun when I was younger, but now I am old and I want some GOD DAMN COMFORT! I know that's not cool to say with the Wrangler crowd, but I live in the desert. People think that all of California is by the beach, but no, the poor people live in the desert. That's where I am. Where we wheel, it is hot and dusty. I am tired of melting my forehead off and ending the day with mud in my teeth. I want to roll up the windows, turn on the AC, and cruise in leather seated comfort. That's what happens when you get old. If I had an extra $50k sitting around, I would gladly go purchase a beautiful new JKU, but see me previous comments about being broke and living in the desert. So if I was going to sell the TJ and get another unibody Jeep, I had to make it work within my budget. With that said, I really thought I would be back in an XJ.
Why I chose the Grand Cherokee
As I searched for my new family off road vehicle, I found that there were two types of XJ's on the market:
The first was a fairly stock vehicle in decent condition. Gramma and Grandpa Jones handed it down to their grandson. Little Johnny Jones figured out he had a cash cow on his hands and wants 2 kidneys and a lung for the thing (do we even have 2 kidneys?)
The second is an older wheeler that someone bought, hacked up, wheeled to hell, and is now trying to unload. The guy knows it is a ticking time bomb and posts it on craigslist with a title that reads “Ready to go wheeling” which means, bring a trailer 'cause is gonna explode the first time you take it out.
The bottom line is that the XJ was hard to find in Southern California. So, I expanded my search. Surprisingly, Jeep produced 432-quadrillion Grand Cherokees since 1993 and most them have been owned by soccer moms (I haven't verified those numbers yet). They come in several different trims with various drive trains. They are very easy to find and some of them are in excellent condition. With the XJ becoming harder to get my hands on, the Grand Cherokee has become my new “affordable” off road wagon.
Media:
Do a search on Youtube for “Jeep Grand Cherokee Intro 1992” to see how they debuted the first Grand at the Detroit Auto Show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXnTwBOGk1I
Xtreme4x4 has done a really good 3 part series on turning the WJ in to an expedition vehicle. Check out the full episodes on www.powernationtv.com > Full Episodes > Search Grand Cherokee
Part 1: http://www.powerblocktv.com/episode/XT2011-17/expedition-jeep-grand-cherokee-part-i#.VYGdBG8zbZc
Part 2: http://www.powerblocktv.com/episode/XT2012-02/expedition-jeep-grand-cherokee-part-2#.VYGdCW8zbZc
Part 3: http://www.powerblocktv.com/episode/XT2012-04/expedition-jeep-grand-cherokee-part-3#.VYGdAW8zbZc
What is to come
As I continue to submit these segments, I will try to touch on all aspects of the Grand Cherokee's. I will compare the Grand's specs to other Jeeps, talk about the after market support, the communities, and the pros and the cons of the vehicle. Hopefully you will join me on my new Grand Adventure.
Thanks for listening and checkout www.trailchasers.net for more info or find at facebook.com/trailchasers and on twitter @trailchasers