Cars, Jeeps. Bikes, Buses, Longroofs, Tractors

I know this is going to be the start of a couple of blogs by the bus and the longroof....but I have been thinking of how I came to be known lately as the jeep junkie....didn't start out that way....guess I have always had a desire to own a topless vehicle that would go anywhere and look good getting there....I recently saw one of my first vehicles here in town and that made begin to count...now I know that the bus and the longroof have me beat by a longshot but I thought I would take a trip down my transportation memory lane......as close as I can I have listed the methods of transportation I have used since the first...

my first mode of transportation.....the third one back in the pack.....

the first motorized vehicle that I lusted for.....the aforementioned late model M38 Jeep....go anywhere, anytime.....belonged to Bob..

Tom and Bob and I snapped the front drive shaft towbarring it to Panama City Beach FLA in the early 70's...great trip until I fell out of the VW bus.....cost Tom a future girlfriend....or saved him from one

My first sorely owned vehicle...road it for three years until I crashed looking over my shoulder checking out some babes on the sidewalk....that hurt as I totaled the bike and wrecked my shoulder.......gotta date out of it so it worked out in the long run.....

then came the late 60's model Chevrolet...got this car from Granny after Man passed away....it was really John's car, but we shared

responsibility

....damn near killed John and I on the drive back from St. Louis passing a big rig.....steering was power assist and new to me....

I think we shouldn't have stopped at 6 Flags and road the skyway so many times.......

then the infamous Puegot 504...this vehicle made the rounds of Lee kids.....John and I drove the

diesel hall of shamer for a couple of years....

couldn't kill the damn thing......

and then the beetles...got my first one for $50.....

ran like a 50 dollar beetle but got me

through a couple of winters.....

great story about driving up from Ark in the

dead of winter during snow storm in this car.....

it is better told by John so ask him....

needed a reliable car with a long history of

accomplishment....ran like a sports car.....

looked like a box on wheels....

killed it in a west Texas winter snow storm.....

then came the car I miss the most.....

a girlfriend pulled out in front of

Patty Borneman's daughter and I ended

up buying both cars......

lost the girlfriend and the Manta......

still miss the car......

then came the long line of Volvos.....got the first one from a friend of John for $50 and a small bag....no title....ran the hell out of it then cut the roof off and that is another story......had 5 of these cars over the course of the years....GREAT cars that wouldn't die.....bought and sold them for way too little money but always got enough to start the next car......could convert to right hand drive in a short afternoon......always wanted the 145 wagon but could never find one that was affordable at the time......

well I'm back to fill in where I left off...seems the longroof reads this and informed me that I didn't mention the original cj........ so here comes the balance......after the Volvo that my wife wouldn't be caught riding in with me came the original 1979 Jeep CJ-5......my second most favorite vehicle......

then a Camaro came into the garage and hung around for a couple of years........

it stayed in the garage for a trey of years and then morphed into a Honda Accord......still own this vehicle as it just won't die......besides it will become the kid's date car soon....

the Jeep turned into a S-10 Blazer one winter after I got tired of no top and wished for a solid roof......

both the Blazer and the Honda moved us to the sunshine state and then the Blazer transformed into what was one of my favorite alltimers.....

a 86 Range Rover Classic......great truck that finally died on the alligator alley returning from a fun time in Tampa....took 2 years before my bride liked it and then the next 2 years to get her out of it.....thank goodness for the Ford dealer in Ft Lauderdale and his inability to see through metal....an Explorer owner we became......

never had a bit of a problem with that Explorer.....ran like a top for over 100k miles.....never rolled over either.......of course like most Fords it grew up into the next level.....Expedition that is parked right behind me here in the garage.....great truck that has carried us on many trips to the homeland and back.....fuel economy sucks, but then I didn't buy it for gas mileage.....I bought it to be secure when roadtripping......comfortable too.......

during the mean time several other 4 wheelers came and went....not one of which was intended for a primary driver....usually just some sort of 4x4 with a very short live span.....but the ultimate goal allways to be another Jeep.......all the horsetrading finally paid off with the kid's CJ..

a Ford Bronco II, mentioned above...really nice truck when new.....neat little 4x4 that the barngoddess would love...small and easy to manuver and powerfull enough to haul a trailer...4 wheel drive to boot.....

then came another S-10 Blazer to use as a beach buggy...something to haul the Hobie Cat to the beach with.....oh yea....had a couple of Hobie Cats.....I know they are not mechanically powered....but got them cheapcheapcheap......the Blazer was known as gumby to the locals.....

ultimately the final tally includes the best to date.......the kid's cj-5

of course this is still hanging around for another

project to be named later........