The Jeep Shall Rise Again...

...or maybe not...

The Jeep: HERstory

1. August 2002 - In a less-than-sane moment, bought The Jeep, a "classic" 1988 Grand Wagoneer, on eBay. (Story chronicled on The Rebel Housewife: eBay Frenzy and The eBay/Jeep Adventure, Part Two.)
   
2. Thru October 2002 - Struggled and fought (with The Jeep) through repairs, major renovation, Georgia emissions testing, and registration.
   
3. November 2002 - The Last Ride. I still have to write that article someday, but suffice it to say, The Jeep left us on the side of the road one too many times. I gave up and parked HER on our back driveway. (Temperamental BITCH [sorry!]--it takes one to know one.)
   
4. December 2002 - We bought a brand-new, always-reliable Chevy Tahoe, 0% financing. We drove to Key West, Florida, in safety and comfort, for Christmas with the in-laws.
   
5. December 25, 2002 - I gave The Jeep to my husband for Christmas. He was less than enthusiastic about this gift.
   
6. May 2005 - The Jeep sat on our back driveway for 2 1/2 years. We were "intending to sell" it for all that time, we just never got around to it. As we were preparing to sell the house and move, we knew we had to do something about The Jeep.
   
7. June 2005 - My husband put a new battery in HIS Jeep, and ran around for an hour, with the kids in the car, testing it. They all came back with the surprising decision: "We want to keep The Jeep!" (It really is a fun car to drive--when SHE decides to work.)
   
8. June 8, 2005 - The Jeep is running great, although the tag is expired (Oct. 2003). We drive it to the closest Emissions Testing Station--it FAILS, but "not by much!"
   
9. June 9, 2005 - To Goodyear Service Center (yesterday's CAMP MOMMY adventure).

Friday, June 10, 2005 - The Jeep Adventure Continues

Haleigh stayed over at a friend's house last night, so it was Mommy and the two boys this morning. We lazed around a bit in the morning (actually, one of us got some work done--guess who?!), and then we went downtown to have lunch with Daddy. We took him to the lunch counter at Belly's General Store in Virginia-Highlands, which is a trendy, urban, artsy Atlanta in-town neighborhood--soon-to-be our new neighborhood, so we've been spending a lot of time down in VAHI. After lunch, we drove around and looked at some houses, and then we took Daddy back to work.

I called Goodyear to check on The Jeep, and they said she was ready, so we drove back up to Buckhead to battle The Jeep some more, and try to get through emissions. The guys at Goodyear advised me to drive The Jeep around for 10 - 15 miles to get her good and warmed up for the emissions test. Zach, Tiger, and I set out for a 15-mile journey--the shake-down cruise--on the "backroads" of Buckhead to warm The Jeep up for her test; at the same time, being very careful to avoid cops (twice with quick turns!), because our license tag and registration is so out-of-date. The boys were vigilant, especially Zach, watching for police cars, as we worked on an elaborate tale to tell if we were pulled over--or if we broke down on the side of the road. Fortunately, I have to give her credit, The Jeep was running beautifully.

All hot and ready, we drove to the Emissions Testing Center (the re-test is FREE!), waited in line, and finally handed her over for her test...The official came back in the waiting area within moments to ask about the gas cap:
"Did you get a new gas cap?"
"WHAT?!"
"Do you remember, Ma'am [ewww, I hate that!], I told you the gas cap failed the first time, and you have to get a new one, or it will fail again."

Doh! It's 4:30pm Friday afternoon, in Buckhead, where there are no auto parts stores--and the Emissions Testing Center closes at 5:00pm. My license tag is expired--not just expired, but WAY past it's "use by" date! I had hoped to drive straight from the emissions test to the county office to bring the registration current. (That's not going to happen.) I have two boys with me, who have been wonderful for the whole adventure, but who are clearly beginning to lose it...

The official: "Ma'am, I'll take it off the machine, and you can run and go get a new gas cap and then come right back and we'll finish the test. You don't want to waste the re-test, knowing it will fail on that part again."
(Which was really, really nice of him, even though he called me "ma'am"--twice!)

I got the boys back in The Jeep, and we drove up and down Roswell Road in Buckhead, searching for a new gas cap for a 1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, with an expired license tag, out there like a beacon for any cop within five miles...We went to the Shell Station; we went to the car wash; we went to another gas station--no luck. I called Goodyear, and they told me about a little independent shop further down Roswell Road, Buckhead Automotive, so I went there. By this time, Zach had become quite an expert on what we were looking for, so he ran in ahead of me and told the guy what we needed. I finally got Tiger out of The Jeep, and when we walked into the store, the man was holding a brand-new gas cap for our 1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. I would have paid dearly, at that point--"whatever you want, sir!" But it was only $10, and change--yay! We screwed that new cap on, and we were back in business, hauling a** back up the road to the Emissions Testing Center, avoiding the police, with minutes to spare...back in line at the testing center.

We waited, waited, waited...okay, the new gas cap PASSED.
Emissions: FAIL!

Exhausted and discouraged, we drove The Jeep back to Goodyear, told them about the FAIL, got back in our nice, safe, always-reliable Chevy Tahoe, and drove home, leaving The Jeep to her fate...

Total Day 15 = $30 at lunch
Total Week 3 = $95 (You'll notice, even though we had lunch with Daddy, which normally doesn't "count" on our CAMP MOMMY budget, we paid today, since we've done so well this week. And even with that, we ended the week making up the $5 we went over last week--we're all even-steven on the CAMP MOMMY budget, going into Week #4!!!)

Comments

[Randy McPherson]

If your husband might decide to sell his Jeep I would
be very interested in knowing, I have owned two in the past so I am a bit familiar with their "character flaws". Just like em, that's all. Live up outside of Knoxville, about 180 miles from Atlanta.
macvol@direcway.com (MACVOL)
loved your story btw.