With less free time than I’ve ever had in my life, due in part to raising an infant, investing in a wonderful marriage, fixing a 100 year-old house, and running a company, I can no longer “Buy First, Think Later”™ as I have done for the past decade or so. I have to make some tough choices.
The most cars I’ve ever owned at once was 14 — a count that coincided with me living in Michigan and having zero life outside of cars. Fourteen cars was, somehow, at the time, manageable. Now, times have changed, and my house needs a fence and we’re about to install some built-in closets into our office, and my baby requires supervision literally 24/7.
Time is gone. Money is gone. Ergo, some of the cars must go. It is life.
I’ve spent the last few weeks thinking about the cars that I simply cannot let go, and I’ve thought about how silly it is being sentimental about cars. “Don’t let cars control you. Ignore the sentiment and let it go. It’s just a machine” some said when I wrote about my first Jeep, a 1992 Jeep XJ currently rotting in the forest in Michigan.
I think I’m going to embrace sentiment. I’ve owned four XJs, four ZJs, two Grand Wagoneers, two Forward Control Jeeps, a Chevy Tracker, and a bunch of other off-road vehicles. Many have come and gone, but the two vehicles that have stayed are: my first Jeep and my Jeep J10.
Something made me hang onto those vehicles; it’s not that they were in better shape than the others — they were actually quite a bit worse than both my minty 1991 XJ and 1993 ZJ and even my 2000 Chevy Tracker. But I kept the XJ and J10. I kept the former because it was my first car, and I kept the J10 because I believe it is the very ultimate when it comes to trucks: manual, bench seat, manual locking hubs, stamped tailgate, regular cab, 4×4, longbed, gun rack — it’s a truck’s truck, and I love it.
Recently I was offered a two-door manual XJ — the holy grail of XJs. But I’m likely going to pass on it because it needs rust work, and if I’m going to put my heart and soul into a rusty Jeep, it’s going to be my OG:
Yes, it’s not rational. I could find a rust-free XJ for much less than it will take me to fix that one up, but that was my first Jeep. And my J10 has been in my car-family for a decade now:
I’m keeping these two. I’ll fix them up as needed, and I’ll have time and resources to do this because I plan to keep my fleet tight. This means that, in addition to these two OGs, I’m keeping only these four others:
My 2021 BMW i3S
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I need a daily driver, as the XJ and J10 aren’t going to cut it given $5/gallon gas here in California. The i3 is the perfect city car — it’s nimble, it’s quick, it’s efficient, it’s luxurious, it’s quiet — it’s a car I love driving everyday. I paid far too much money for it, but it’s a car I plan to keep for life.
My 1991 Jeep YJ
There are two reasons why I have to keep my YJ — the first is that I live in California, and not having a convertible is blasphemous. The second is that my YJ was my wedding car, which means my wife Elise (not her real name) wants us to keep it. Don’t have to tell me twice!
My Brother’s 1966 Ford Mustang
This 1966 Ford Mustang has been in our family since 2012; it’s my older brother Mike’s dream car, and though he lives in Hong Kong, when he visits, the joy he gets driving his Mustang is irreplaceable. A vintage Mustang in California is also just cool.
My 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee ‘Holy Grail’
This one is controversial. Elise doesn’t get why I want to keep it, Jason doesn’t get it — nobody does. Especially since keeping it necessitates keeping a parts ZJ (at least, until I have the parts off the parts ZJ; then it can get junked).
But this is not rational. If someone has devoted a huge chunk of their life to cars — and Jeeps especially — you’re going to be hard-pressed to convince them to get rid of the best version of a Jeep. And that’s truly what I see what I look at the ZJ above.
I know, it needs tons of work, and ZJs aren’t “handsome” machines or desirable ones, but I believe that, if you can get your hands on one of the 1,400 stickshift models built, you’ve got possibly the best Jeep of all time. No, not the greatest Jeep (that’s the WW2 Jeep); I mean the best combination of capability/versatile per dollar. It’s essentially a Jeep Cherokee XJ — a vehicle beloved my all, including me — but with more space, a significantly improved suspension, and better interior quality. It’s a quiet, comfortable off-road beast with the most reliable drivetrain one could possibly want. There’s a reason why I call it The Grail.
So I’m not getting rid of this one. It’ll be on the backburner for a while, but when I do get to it, it’s going to be glorious.
So just to recap:
- 2021 BMW i3 (daily driver)
- 1991 Jeep YJ (my summer daily driver; this thing is in great shape)
- 1992 Jeep XJ (my first car; a full restoration project)
- 1985 Jeep J10 (my workhorse; I’ll tinker with it and eventually fuel inject it, but for now it’s a runner)
- 1966 Ford Mustang (my classic cruiser; needs a new suspension)
- 1994 Jeep ZJ (overlanding project)
This means I’ll be parting ways with my 1989 Chevy K1500 — a great pickup truck, to be sure, but not one that has my heart. And I’ll say goodbye to my Willys CJ-3B and my Nash.
I realize that some of those choices aren’t rational — the ZJ that’s in a million bits, the J10 that clearly needs work and eventually needs to get through SMOG, and the old XJ that needs lots of love — but I’m going to lean into the sentimentality of it all, because that’s what gives cars meaning. I’ve found that my love for a car isn’t about how nice it is or how little work it needs, it’s about what the car means to me — its story. There’s a reason why so many have come and gone, but my OG XJ and my J10 have stuck around.
Six cars. I don’t need any more. Maybe if a super nice manual XJ or ZJ comes around I’ll carve out some space, and it’s possible I’ll replace the YJ with a Jeep Wrangler JL four-door since I helped engineer it and since I’d like to take my family off-roading without jeopardizing their on-road safety in a vehicle without airbags. But until then, these six vehicles are the ones I plan to drive into the future.
YES DAVID, “embrace sentiment” , Embrace the Power of the Dark Side. You do not need a rust bucket, this is not the holy grail, manual tranny project you’ve been seeking, your child needs an overpriced fashionable stroller. Welcome to fatherhood, it too has many amazing perks.
Great choices. Every decision makes sense. I know it was hard, but I am very happy you are keeping the J-10. I know with your ingenuity; you can make it California legal. The rest will find good homes.
If you don’t have it already, install the firewall in front of the gas tank on the Mustang.
Solid choices all around. It’s a huge blessing to be able have 1 car really, so enjoy experiencing and wrenching on those 6!
No mention of the XJ being the birth place and childhood home of your cat? I mean that has to have some sentimental value?
That’s the ZJ!
Another mark for ZJ > XJ. BUILD THE ZJ! They’re so cool! I’m not excited about another XJ build but a proper ZJ build, hell yeah!
David…
I get the i3S. The YJ and the Mustang also make sense.
But as someone who sold their first vehicle (and really, only one up to that point) after 7 mixed years of use, 6 years later I miss it a little, but if I ever get another conversion van, I would not want that exact same one back. I know I can find a better specimen, and make new memories with it!
Maybe you’ve heard it a hundred times, but let me be the 101st and say you don’t need to keep your rustbuckets now that you’re California livin’.
There’s new adventures to be had!
What, who said that?
I don’t know how you did that spoiler, but I love it.
I get keeping your first car, and I totally get the Holy Grail ZJ and the i3S. The rest I don’t get, but I can’t argue with them either.
Getting to create a car which has the perfect specs – a spec that never existed before – using only factory parts is very exciting.
I may let go of the J-truck, if I’m honest. But It’s got to find the right owner.
There’s a big difference between selling and re-homing a vehicle. I re-homed my TJ, and it hurt, but it feels good to get pics of it well loved at the top of a mountain every once in a while.
Glad to hear it, there’s a butt for every driver’s seat I hear. Also, an article/series about making it pass with a CARB compliant FI kit would be a good read.
I can’t help saying it’s too many rusty Jeeps. I can’t see sentiment overriding what could be a better vehicle to restore. Work on one, then worry about others.
If you’re really adamant about keeping the J10, seriously consider taking advantage of the Autopian corporate structure and registering it in another state. Smogging vehicles from that era is a nightmare, and my ’88 Jag runs super clean with no other issues to worry about.
As someone else said, the Chevy would do truck things a lot better but I understand you going with your heart because J10s are so darned cool.
Like everyone else I see no need for both your XJ and the ZJ. It has the same purpose and now you wind up with three project vehicles instead of one. If you kept the ZJ and the Chevy you’d have your truck and your overlanding jeep and only one project. I just can’t help but feel three years from now the J10 will only have done what it needs to keep it registered/running and there will be little to no progress on the XJ and ZJ – certainly I’d bet the parts ZJ would still need to be around.
I note you didn’t include wifey’s RX in the calculations. You’re a wise man not to mess with the wife’s preferred ride. I get three cars to my wife’s one but we spent more on hers than all three of mine combined so I get away with it.
Good on you for doing the downsizing you’re doing, though.
If the J10 was “it’s a truck’s truck”, it would have a V8, be a 3/4 ton, and have a granny gear four speed.
It’s just a half ton with a 6 cylinder and a car transmission. A truck for sure, but not “a truck’s truck.”
The AMC V8 is garbage.
this is a perfect response and maybe under-utilized even
So? There are plenty Chevy, Ford, or Dodge 3/4 ton, long bed, 4×4, 4 or 5 spd manual trucks out there.
Tis true, tis true. But I love me a Jeep truck.
You could also get a 68-71 Gladiator with a factory Buick 350.
…that has the exact same oil pump setup as the AMC motor.
That’s untrue. They have a few idiosyncrasies but they aren’t garbage.
You’re selling the wrong truck. Getting the J10 through smog will likely be a bigger headache than you realize. Maybe it was in good shape in the Midwest but it’s a parts car here. Cut your losses on that thing.
Agree 10000%. DT, your choices are fine, but the J10 is NOT a great truck. Like, it’s good at offroading and forest trails, sure, but it’s not great at towing. And it has no backseat for a kid or extra people. And it’s not even fuel injected.
Your reasoning for keeping it, the offroad ability, is flawed because you have the ZJ project, which btw I am fully onboard with! I’ve always lovvveeeeeeddddd the ZJ for exactly the same reasons – it is an XJ but better in almost every way.
Sell the J10, it’s not as safe, reliable, it can’t tow, you can’t put your kid in it, etc. You can get your vintage ‘fix’ with the Mustang since it works right now.
Honestly I’d get rid of your first car too, the XJ. It’s BEAT, and like you said, you only have so much time and money… other than the nostalgia factor, let’s play a game of would you rather:
ZJ > XJ, you said it yourself. Let it live on somewhere else, get it going and let it inspire another kid to get into jeeps. 🙂
I am a bit sad we never got to hear more about the Nash,but other than that I think this makes sense. I would personally sell off the ZJ as well as it’s probably not going anywhere,but I get your thinking.
I have two predictions:
1) within the next two years, we will see an article from David about why he has decided to sell his “Holy grail” i3 that he swore he would keep for the rest of his life.
2)Within a year, we will see an article about how David regrets selling the Chevy truck, and what a money/time/PITA hole the Jeep truck continues to be.
I’ve never regretted selling a vehicle.
The safer prediction is that a month from now we’ll read about David talking himself into buying another Jeep or i3 or something else. It’s an addiction.
How much for the Willys? Although making a mistake of getting rid of the Chevy to keep the J10 but the heart wants what the heart wants
I was asking 10, but to a reader? I’d let it go $7,800.
“1985 Jeep J10 (my workhorse; I’ll tinker with it and eventually fuel inject it, but for now it’s a runner)”
If you modify that J10 by adding in fuel injection, how would that impact getting it to pass the visual inspection part of the smog test? I recall reading somewhere that if the CARB-approved emissions equipment isn’t there, it’s an automatic fail.
Personally I think the visual inspection is complete BS. All that should matter is what comes out of the tail pipe.
Would you consider converting the J10 to a BEV?
https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/frequently-asked-questions?f%5B0%5D=topics%3A143#faq-824
I thought the reason it currently fails is that it is missing its original emissions equipment anyway.
Here are three options for the J10:
1. Grab a fuel-injected 4.0L and all its smog equipment from a California junkyard. As long as you have all the pieces, it will pass.
2. Get the Mopar fuel injection and add it to the existing 258 ci. You’ll likely have to add other smog equipment, but it is also CARB-approved.
3. Wait for Leno’s law to pass and follow the requirements.
Viel Glück.
I’m happy to see the update, downsizing the fleet a little is, in fact, a lot of progress. Even if I suspect you’ll downsize again later, that will be dealt with later. You can always sell a car, but you can’t un-sell it.
That said, the best thing a car can do is convince you to go for a drive. If you ever catch yourself with a car that’s roadworthy but doesn’t motivate you to hop behind the wheel, whether it’s because you don’t want to scratch a Holy Grail or because the synchros are bad and you’re never in the mood to double-clutch, it’s time to evaluate whether it needs repairs or a change of ownership.
I really support the idea of keeping the ZJ and happy it made the cut. I’m still looking at getting another after I lost mine in a garage fire. Its a fantastic car, off-roader, and overlander.
Maybe David needs to do a Roadkill style, fan attended wrenching weekend?
Is this the automotive equivalent of a yoyo diet? I’ll be here for the follow up post describing the late night binge on FB marketplace.
I predict that within 12-months there will be a further culling as Family-Obligations and Marital-Pressure make you realize that you don’t have time for three Project Cars (XJ, ZJ, and J10). I have zero kids, am a homeowner, and cannot contemplate more than 1 project car.
It would be a very tough choice between the XJ and ZJ. If it were me, I’d focus on the more rare and practical one which is the ZJ. Your first car will live on in photos and memories.
When contemplating the J10, remember that perfect “Runners” are available to rent by-the-hour at your local Home Depot for not much money, and you don’t have to worry about parking them, insuring them, smog checks, etc…
You might be right!
Heck, how much does it cost to rent an F150 from Galpin for a day or even a weekend, at affiliate-discount rates?