DATE: 09/18/2008 11:18:11 / MOOD: feel like wheelin

Well, after much careful deliberation, I sold the Jeep. My wife and I were ready for a change. I hardly ever drove it, so instead of pushing it back behind I was happy to see it go to such an enthusiastic new owner. I've already got my next project started.

Everyone, or at least every car-nut, has that one automobile that they LUST after more than any other. For me, it isn't a Spyker or a Caterham, or an old Duesenberg...it is and always has been an AM General Hummer. I'm talking about the original.

This is for those of you who don't believe the civilian HUMMER (H1) is the real thing. http://www.amgener al.com/vehicles_hmmwv_vs_h1.php

I can vividly remember the first time I ever saw a Hummer in person. It was 1997. I was in downtown Newnan. The truck was a dark blue AM General Hummer XLC2 (2-door pickup). It was a service truck for an electical contractor. I was completely and totally in love. It was so ugly it was beautiful.

Jump forward to August, 2008. The dream of ownership has been in the back of my mind for around 11 years now. I'm in the middle of building a house just outside of my home town. I happened across an eBay ad for a complete basketcase Hummer XLC2.

My initial reaction was "Somebody put that poor thing out of it's misery." I showed my wife the ad, joking with her how good it would look in the driveway. She said "Go for it." I looked at it for a few more days. I even went as far as to see what it would cost to rebuild it. I called the seller to ask a few questions. He told me he just so happened to have ANOTHER one in a little better condition WITH a ton of spare/extra parts.

Less than a month later it was sitting in the driveway. I pulled, cleaned and cataloged my new spare parts collection, then I started making a list of the parts that were still missing. My wife doesn't particularly like it (yet) but I can tell it's growing on her slowly.

I can't wait to get her back on the trails.

 

< P>P.S. - I know this is a Jeep site and in today's political climate it's cool to hate HUMMERs. That's fine. Have fun with that. I'm not going to try to lecture to someone who doesn't want to listen to reason. Just know that I don't harbor the same hatred toward you as you do toward me.  I'll wheel with anyone and have fun doing it.

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