Suzie’s Jeep

For the last several weeks Jimmy and I have been looking at what type of car I would like to get.  I no longer wanted my 2003 Toyota Runner. I had bought the car brand new from a dealer and had it for 12 years. I was ready for a new car. I had wanted a VW beetle convertible for a long time, but it didn’t quite fit me. I like to go to the beach and like to be off grid and a beetle wasn’t going to take me there.  The perfect fit was a Jeep. It’s a sporty convertible!

We had specific wants:

• 2005 or 2006
• White
• Wrangler
• Unlimited
• Rubicon
• Low Milage
• Reasonable Price

I gave my list to my brother, Guy, and he found THE ONE. It was in Belgrade, Montana, at Wolf Auto Group. We had looked at all of the local dealers in our area and had gone online but hadn’t found as perfect a match as my brother had found. I called the dealer and asked all kinds of questions and decided it was worth it to fly out there and see it for myself.  So as we were driving home from Prescott on Monday I bought my one way airline ticket from LAX to Bozeman, Montana for that next morning. If everything worked out I could drive it home by the next weekend and go off roading with some friends of ours in Big Bear. If it didn’t work out, I could at least visit with my brother for a few days who lives in Montana. Win-Win!

Flying to Montana

View from the Sky

Phil, from the dealership picked me up from the airport with the Jeep. I moment I got out of the terminal I saw it. I could hardly contain myself. I was giddy with happiness at seeing the Jeep and couldn’t stop giggling.  This was actually happening.  I was in Montana and about to test drive the Jeep of my dreams. She was perfect for me. She had a ding on the passenger side panel, the top was weathered, but the clutch was smooth and she sounded really good. She was cute and sporty looking, yet she was tough.  No rust on the body and the oil color and level was good. She only had 56k miles. Total babe of a car. I fell in love.

I couldn’t wait see my brother and ultimately get her home. My brother was only about an hour and a half drive from me. We decided to meet at Shellie’s Country Cafe right by Conoco off the 287 freeway. I was starved from my trip so I got some nom eggs and bacon. The bacon was perfect by the way. Perfectly crunchy and chewy and so delicious!

First Pic with the Jeep

Suzie and Guy at Shellie’s Country Cafe

Letting my hair down!

We got to my brother’s house and we decided to take her for a spin with the top down and had a blast!

Jeep with the Top Down

Joy Ride with the Top Down

I ended up making the trip very short. I was able to visit with my brother and his girlfriend Teresa for the evening, but by the next morning I was out the door and on my way back to SoCal.  I decided to give myself 2 days to get home and I would make one overnight stop somewhere in between Helena, MT and Costa Mesa, CA.

I had driven most of the day and was starved so I stopped in Pocatello and found a great little place for lunch called Efresh. I do not tend to like the selection of food at truck stops so I decided to treat myself to a chicken salad called the Princess Petunia. The housemade lemon vinaigrette was delicious and the chicken was flavorful and tender. Another stop I made was in Salt Lake City, UT. We’ve been needing an extra frig for our camper/truck set up and we had found one on one of the Expedition Portal. It was a decent deal, so I met up with Dave and picked up a frig. This way I could also have cold drinks and snacks on the rest of my drive home. Perfection! Dave was super helpful and loaded the frig into the back of the Jeep and we shared some stories of our travels.

I drove only a little bit further after meeting up with Dave and picking up the frig.  I made an overnight stop in Beaver, UT.  I found that I could stay at the Beaver Lodge for only $50. This place is not fancy, but definitely affordable. It was late when I pulled into Beaver and my check engine light had turned on just toward the end of my drive. I had decided to deal with it in the morning. I took it to the local Chevron station. They did a quick assessment on the Jeep and recommended I take it down the street to a shop that had a machine that could diagnose the problem. Cody was informative and explained that there was a misfire in one of the cylinders but that he couldn’t see the misfire happening now. He turned off the light and sent me on my way with the warning that if the light turned on again to stop and get it checked out. Thankfully I made it the rest of the way home and it didn’t turn on.

The drive home with my new Jeep was fun! I would stop every so often and get more gas.  I think I made 7 gas stops overall. I saw 14 dead critters on the side of the road during the trip. I made it all the way home by 5:30pm on Thursday. I was greeted by a ton of traffic on the 15 freeway. I felt a great sense of relief once I had made it home safe and sound to the beach. I had plenty of time to dote on a name for my new Jeep on the long drive home and one seemed to stand out. Gidget! When I saw her parked by the sand I knew it was the perfect name. She was cute and tough and the beach was her home.

Gidget in HB