Q: What's so great about a Jeep?

Q: What's so great about a Jeep?
A: Everything.

Q: But it's just a car, what's the big deal?
A: It's not a car. It's a Jeep.

Q: But the ride is so rough -- it's like a nonstop amusement park ride.
A: Exactly.

Q: Oh, come on, nobody could really prefer that chaos over a smooth ride, could they?
A: Nobody who's worried about spilling their $10 ultra mocha lite turbo latte on their calfskin luxury leather seats while chatting on their Bluetooth, fumbling with their iPod, applying mascara, and driving with their elbows would prefer it, no. Jeeps are selective about their drivers, so they try to weed these people out.

Q: But how could even Jeep fans enjoy that rough ride?
A: It's exciting and fun and alive, just like Jeep drivers.

Q: You've gotta be joking. The bounciness is ridiculous.
A: A hearse has a very smooth ride.

Q: Okay, whatever. What about all the noise? You can hardly even hear the stereo.
A: Turn it up. Unless you have bad taste in music, in which case the answer is A: You can't hear it? Gee, that's too bad. Britney'll sound better on your home system anyway.

Q: Yeah, but I can't hear what my passenger is saying, either.
A: Why would you want to?

Q: Well. . . it must be AWFUL when you get stuck in a rainstorm with the top down. LOL!
A: It's water. Unless you're the Wicked Witch of the West, it's really not something to fear. Besides, Jeep drivers have an uncanny knack for predicting the weather and assessing the precise moment at and intensity with which a storm cloud will break. Regardless, our tops are not home, they're folded onto the Jeep. So if you see us driving in the rain with the top down, it's either because we thought the interior could use a good wash or because we just like the way it feels to drive in the rain. Yes, really.

Q: What about other weather problems ... like don't you get sunburned driving with the top down in the summer?
A: How big is your sunscreen bottle? Mine fits in the glove compartment.

Q: Well, what about if you only have a soft top and you get stuck in a snow bank in the middle of nowhere ... won't you freeze to death?
A: HHHHHHHAahaHAHAHAAHhaahaa .... "stuck in the snow" .... AHAHAHAHAHAAAHHHAAAAA!!!!!!!

Q: Hmppphh. You Jeep people are all alike. No wonder you wave to each other.
A: Actually, I've always thought of it as waving to the JEEP, not the driver. I'm sure they understand.

Q: Well, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS WHOLE JEEP THING. I think it's stupid and you people are all deluded.
A: Without a doubt.

Q: I don't want a Jeep.
A: You're not supposed to.

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Exaggeration? No, not really. It may sound cliche, but it's absolutely true that you're either a Jeep person or you are not. A Jeep person sees the "cons" so many non-Jeepers list and laugh because those are the very things we love about them.

My first Jeep was a 1995 Wrangler SE soft top. I cannot express how much joy this vehicle brought me. When my payments were up, I made a deal to upgrade to a gorgeous sapphire-colored 2000 model, but the dealer pulled a bait and switch on the trade-in, and I walked away rather than be cheated by a swindler.

It was too late to keep the '95, though, so for a while I found myself Jeepless and very very sad. I instinctively continued to smile and wave at Jeeps heading my way, only to suffer the pain and ignominy of the realization that these beautiful beasts might not realize that I was a Jeeper trapped in a borrowed truck. I could only hope that they would recognize the familiar way the sun glinting off their glorious grills was reflected in my eye, and know that I was one of them. One of the lost, but not forgotten. . .

I could bear it no more, searched online, and found and adopted a lovely white exterior / gray interior / black soft top 1997 beauty. As for the serious nitty-gritty of reviews, now . . . I love my '97 Wrangler because it is a Jeep Wrangler -- HOWEVER, I loved the '95 even more.
1. I hate the carlike look of the new interior, for one thing. Yes, it's petty, and yes, I understand that they didn't have much choice in the matter because of the required airbags, but I still prefer the no-nonsense Jeepness of the old look.
2. I don't like the smoother ride. I was very upset when I drove the '97 the first time, because it just didn't feel like a Jeep.
3. I think the 1997 soft top redesign is teh suck. I could put my '95's top up or down quickly and with ease, and have even done it several times literally with my eyes closed (it was too dark in the woods to see anyway, but closing my eyes helped me to concentrate better). I MUCH prefer the old snap-rail system over the door to the current plastic edge thingies. I hate them. They never fit right, they hurt my fingers so I tend to just leave them out until winter comes, and the fabric above them ripped on both sides because of the way they fold back when the top is down. This 1997 top leaks, too -- sometimes very badly, and not from those tears, either, but just throughout the seams or something.
4. The ugly plastic molding thingies that surround the doors to accomodate the new top design is an aesthetic eyesore, and a sight-line barrier as well. I've always loved the unhindered visibility of a Wrangler, but these black blobs get in the way of that.

So why did I get the 1997 model? Practical/financial reasons only. I wanted a newer model only because it had very few miles and thus would not likely need additional repair costs soon (and has not had ANY, other than the fact that the gas gauge never reads as full even when it is). In fact, if age/repairs weren't an issue and I knew how to fix them myself, I'd get a CJ, but for now I'm hoping to find a new home for my 1997 tame TJ and adopt an uncastrated 1995 YJ instead.

IMO, when it comes to buying a Jeep, if you can afford one that is in top shape and/or know how to fix them yourself, the older the better -- and the "Jeepier"!