Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Lovemarks

When I was in my early 20's, I bought a candy apple red 1975 Jeep CJ5.  I bought it on a whim.  It was super cheap, too cheap, but it was PRETTY!!!  

Look at that beauty!!  I loved it!!  I was in college, going to to Rocky Point on Spring Breaks and every other chance I got, loading up the vehicle with my friends and girls and slowly listening to loud music while crawling down the beach.  Ahh, the early twenties.  I spent many weekend nights at the ASU campus just cruising with friends and let me tell you, this machine was a Babe magnet!!! 
There were other things i love about my Jeep.  After I purchased it, I soon found out that I now belonged to and elite club.  Every Jeep that i would pass going the opposite direction would give me the peace sign.  I would smile and send one right back!!  This was a common occurrence.  (I also had a motorcyele for a short stint and found out that the same is true of bikers). Not only was this my transportation, but it was also my source of excitement.  Weekends were spent 4-wheeling in my Jeep.  I loved it so much that I bought a Jeep CJ5 Haynes Manual
and rebuilt the engine by myself with the help of a friend that was a mechanic. 
After a few years of owning this magical piece of machinery, my life took a turn for the worse.  One night on my way home from the gym, I wasn't watching the road and the front left tire struck a huge rock that must've fallen out of a dump truck or something.  The tire blew out, and I fell out of the jeep just as the Jeep started cartwheeling over and over and it finally stopped on top of a parked car.  The jeep was totaled.  
Well, I had no money and I scraped up enough money to buy another cheap car and since that night, I have waited patiently for the time to be right to again, purchase a Jeep CJ.  Everytime I see a Jeep CJ, I remember my candy apple red jeep cj-5.  Of course, now I have a family.  It's not practical to have a Jeep.  When I do get another one (and I will), it will be a 2nd or 3rd car for recreation only.  I've had some major fun in that jeep.  I can't wait to own another one.  Why? I guess I feel that if I ever get the chance to own another one, it will help me recapture my youth.  It will bring me back to the days when life was carefree and fun.  Hell, driving around with no sides or roof on the vehicle is pretty carefree.   The "Lovemark" that represents this for me is simply



1 comment:

  1. I love the mid to late CJ-5 models. I had a 93' Wrangler as a teenager for my first vehicle and loved it. I have never since owned a vehicle where I have had as many exciting and horrifying times as I did with that jeep. I've always wanted a CJ-5. You must have loved that Jeep up until the time of the accident. Glad to hear that you weren't injured too badly from being ejected during the roll-over. Hopefully the "right" time for you to buy another will come soon.

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