Jonny Ryan Mac

I knew I was a Jeeper when…

It was 91, and Dad bought a 2dr Jeep Cherokee Sport, Silver. (Like an old quarter, we called her Old Glory) We tricked the junk out of that thing. Big tires, I think it was a 2” Lift w/ Rancho shocks. Remember Rancho? New Fog lights, Custom seat covers that were handmade from an Indian reservation. I loved that thing. There was something about the seven slot grill that always stuck with me. I had never heard of Jeep, but then again, I was 10. But I knew who and what she was, and I loved it. This car was like a best friend growing up. I wonder what junk yard she’s rusting in now. Sad really.

So my stead with Jeep began, but I had so much farther to go. When I saw Jurassic Park, and fell in love with the YJ, it really began to sting. I wanted one so bad. But then again, I was 13, so that wasn’t happening. The family of five wasn’t going to jump ship and pile into the back of an YJ!? They were too expensive, and far too impractical then for the familiy, but I never forgot.

Back to Old Glory then…When I was 16 Dad retired, and we all piled into that Cherokee. We made a 16 day trip from Newark, New Jersey to Spokane, Washington. I saw Mt. Rushmore, went to Cedar Point, Yellowstone, The Pro Football Hall of Fame, The Dakota Hills, and Montana, all from the back seat of Old Glory. That car was mine, whether Dad knew it or not. When I finally learned to drive, I scared the hell out of the old man, but I knew that I was forever destined to be a Jeeper. That was just the way things were, and I didn’t question it. But Old Glory and I parted ways when I joined the Air Force, and Dad traded her in for a Dodge Ram. It was in 99, it was a sad year.

So I raced off to the Air Force and looked into finally getting that XJ I wanted when I was 13. But that too was going to be hard, I was just an Airman. I soon realized that Wranglers hold their value better than any car made in the 80’s and 90’s, and no self respecting two striper could afford what I wanted. So I did what any idiot that just got a stack of cash from Uncle Sam would do. I bought a Honda. It was a good car, but it sure as hell wasn’t a Jeep. I never felt right in that car. For the longest time, I didn’t know why.

When the time came to dump the 93 Honda Accord SE, I looked again at Wranglers, this time the TJ’s. Still out of my price range. Now I’d like to consider myself a practical man, one with a budget, so I compromised, and bought a 99 Grand Cherokee (It was a hell of a deal!). I tricked this thing out, Light Covers, Billet Grill, Alteeza Taillights, Touch Screen Deck, and it slowly lost its namesake. Maybe that’s why this thing was such a bother.

Three years later I’m turning 25, and ready to dump the Cherokee, and yes, I finally bought a “Real Jeep”. I got into a 2007 JK for a decent deal, wasn’t great, but I wanted that ride. It had been a long time. For the first year I babied the hell out of her, parked in Timbuktu, and waxed the crap out of her. I loved the fact that it had AC, a luxury I had been without for almost three years. So for almost a year, the hard top never came off. I couldn’t figure out why all these Wranglers were waiving at me?!?

Then I met Mark, and listened to him. He drove his TJ the way Jeeps were meant to be driven, and I embraced the Jeep within me. When that top came down and I started bailing down the freeway I was blown away. Where had I been the last eight years of my driving life! I hit the trails and scarred up her passenger side, rolled up a spillway hill that no one thought this pretty monster could do, and loved every minute of it.

Every time I turn to check the lanes between slides on the freeway, I smile….This is what I was born to drive. She has Battle scares, not scratches. She’s been in Fights, not gotten dents. The tires have Rock Rash, the interior has been covered in dirt, and I love that smell of exhaust when you pump the pedal and feel the 4:10’s turn the loose rock below you!

I wave to you Jeeper! Will you wave back?