Eagle05
Adventurer
After lurking and searching and reading on here for a while, I guess it's about time I push out a little bit of my own information. I've learned a lot and had a load of fun researching all the other rides and topics on this website. So first things first, thanks to everyone out there in this digital community for taking the time to post pictures and type up great threads.
Over the last ten years I've been searching through trial and error for my perfect vehicle. While I don't know if this new escape hatch on wheels is forever, it's definitely it for the present and foreseeable future. At this point in my life I've found the vehicle which will become a part of our family and be that Jack of all trades, and master of fun to help us get out there and keep exploring. The road to the Goat has been filled with four Tacomas, three Subarus, a Eurovan and then a Westy Vanagon, a Transit Connect, a Winnebago Class A (Great to live in - minus the whole cheap and breakable RV industry thing, but terrible to drive and park), and a few other random experiments. All of those vehicles have had their ups and downs, but I think (I hope) the Wrangler will finally scratch that itch for which my bank loves me, but my wife does not. The one that has been insatiable and is always driving me to keep looking to greener pastures for a "better" or more perfect vehicle. With any luck, this one will be the one that I (we) form that unbreakable bond with, perfect to our exact needs and desires, and then drive the wheels off exploring every chance we get.
I needed a daily drivable ride that was capable of fitting in a garage, allowed me to crawl into the back with minimal effort to sleep, still tow a trailer even if I had to install the 7-pin adapter, haul crap around town, be functional getting groceries, or moving across the country and still be able to take gravel and snow packed roads in stride. Also, it should look cool because that's rule number one after all. (But not so cool that people never leave me alone when they see me. Don't you hate all the dumb questions you get from random people? Kidding. That's one of the fun parts too.) So I scoured the webs and found a used 2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with about 18,000 miles for a decent price not too far away. I even waited until my wife was out of state on the other side of the country so there would be no way she could say no. Now, it wasn't a great price, but it did have everything I wanted in a Wrangler - used with lower miles, an automatic (for the Mrs.), heated seats (for the "cold" days in Alabama, or in case I end up in Alaska again), towing package, and even the Mopar/AEV bumpers that I would have purchased later anyway. The fact it was the Backcountry edition didn't mean a whole lot, but the trendy graphics have somewhat grown on me over the last few months. There's even the trademark little Jeep hidden in them climbing up a red graphic hill that I like to imagine is me exploring some day when I live somewhere actually hilly again. Eventually... We call the assignment here "Resume Building."
I've already put in a lot of time researching and tinkering on this vehicle, and my wallet has been single handedly supporting the economy the last few weeks (You're welcome, America.). Well, I'm pretty sure that's what my UPS guy thinks anyway. I'm probably going to need to chip in for his medical coverage pretty soon if he has to lug any more boxes up my driveway. Either way memorizing your credit card number is probably never a good thing. Anyway, I'm not usually a long winded guy and have always subscribed to the two ears one mouth theory of listening more than speaking. As such I will attempt to post more pictures than anything else with a focus on the stuff that I was hoping to find when doing my own searching. I (have to) talk almost non-stop at work for seven to nine hours a day, and I certainly don't wish to come home just to keep doing it on here. I've seen the look on my students faces when I get on a roll, and the information overload is a killer. Plus, you're all just going to scroll to the pictures anyway. I mean who reads just for the articles, really?
Enter the Goat.
Why name it the Goat? Well, it's the Backcountry edition. Backcountry's mascot is a goat. For an overloading/exploring vehicle it just seemed fitting. And, my wife loves goats so it was a way to win some favor with her. She hasn't always loved our other vehicle names. Except for our short lived Miata. She named it Susie Cream Cheese. I'm not sure why, but it made her laugh so I went with it.
Over the last ten years I've been searching through trial and error for my perfect vehicle. While I don't know if this new escape hatch on wheels is forever, it's definitely it for the present and foreseeable future. At this point in my life I've found the vehicle which will become a part of our family and be that Jack of all trades, and master of fun to help us get out there and keep exploring. The road to the Goat has been filled with four Tacomas, three Subarus, a Eurovan and then a Westy Vanagon, a Transit Connect, a Winnebago Class A (Great to live in - minus the whole cheap and breakable RV industry thing, but terrible to drive and park), and a few other random experiments. All of those vehicles have had their ups and downs, but I think (I hope) the Wrangler will finally scratch that itch for which my bank loves me, but my wife does not. The one that has been insatiable and is always driving me to keep looking to greener pastures for a "better" or more perfect vehicle. With any luck, this one will be the one that I (we) form that unbreakable bond with, perfect to our exact needs and desires, and then drive the wheels off exploring every chance we get.
I needed a daily drivable ride that was capable of fitting in a garage, allowed me to crawl into the back with minimal effort to sleep, still tow a trailer even if I had to install the 7-pin adapter, haul crap around town, be functional getting groceries, or moving across the country and still be able to take gravel and snow packed roads in stride. Also, it should look cool because that's rule number one after all. (But not so cool that people never leave me alone when they see me. Don't you hate all the dumb questions you get from random people? Kidding. That's one of the fun parts too.) So I scoured the webs and found a used 2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with about 18,000 miles for a decent price not too far away. I even waited until my wife was out of state on the other side of the country so there would be no way she could say no. Now, it wasn't a great price, but it did have everything I wanted in a Wrangler - used with lower miles, an automatic (for the Mrs.), heated seats (for the "cold" days in Alabama, or in case I end up in Alaska again), towing package, and even the Mopar/AEV bumpers that I would have purchased later anyway. The fact it was the Backcountry edition didn't mean a whole lot, but the trendy graphics have somewhat grown on me over the last few months. There's even the trademark little Jeep hidden in them climbing up a red graphic hill that I like to imagine is me exploring some day when I live somewhere actually hilly again. Eventually... We call the assignment here "Resume Building."
I've already put in a lot of time researching and tinkering on this vehicle, and my wallet has been single handedly supporting the economy the last few weeks (You're welcome, America.). Well, I'm pretty sure that's what my UPS guy thinks anyway. I'm probably going to need to chip in for his medical coverage pretty soon if he has to lug any more boxes up my driveway. Either way memorizing your credit card number is probably never a good thing. Anyway, I'm not usually a long winded guy and have always subscribed to the two ears one mouth theory of listening more than speaking. As such I will attempt to post more pictures than anything else with a focus on the stuff that I was hoping to find when doing my own searching. I (have to) talk almost non-stop at work for seven to nine hours a day, and I certainly don't wish to come home just to keep doing it on here. I've seen the look on my students faces when I get on a roll, and the information overload is a killer. Plus, you're all just going to scroll to the pictures anyway. I mean who reads just for the articles, really?
Enter the Goat.
Why name it the Goat? Well, it's the Backcountry edition. Backcountry's mascot is a goat. For an overloading/exploring vehicle it just seemed fitting. And, my wife loves goats so it was a way to win some favor with her. She hasn't always loved our other vehicle names. Except for our short lived Miata. She named it Susie Cream Cheese. I'm not sure why, but it made her laugh so I went with it.
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