Pickups have come a long way since the 1970s. They’re still utilitarian vehicles, but these days, a lot of them are used for transporting children to school and sports practice or, according to country music videos, attending bonfire parties and picking up girls. Models such as the Ram 1500 Limited feature the luxury and tech amenities once only found on high-end sedans.
Jeep has come a long way as well. For all of their utility, models such as the Wrangler and Renegade are marketed and often used as lifestyle vehicles. It seems that back in 1973, AMC wanted its Jeep dealers to push the J2000 as more of a workhorse, which makes sense given the times and its truck bed. It was available with a 120- or 132-inch wheelbase, in nine colors, and with either six- or eight-cylinder power hooked up to one of three transmissions. In the following video, you’ll see it hauling hay and being driven by a hard-hat-wearing man to a lumber yard and construction site.
I don’t know about you all, but seeing the J2000 in action it makes me want to work harder to earn enough extra money to put one of these handsome rigs in my driveway.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
