As editor of Jalopnik, Ray Wert brought us years of great stories, wagon hoonage, leaked Corvette Stingray drawings, and other magical things. Now he needs a new car, so I think we should help him out.
These days Ray is out in Los Angeles running his creative studio Tiny Toy Car. He doesn't have a car at the moment, and has been renting and Uber-ing from place to place. That's no way to live. He needs his own car, but he has a very peculiar set of requirements:
Here's what I'm looking for:
- Something uniquely me/Jalopnik
- Under $10K (preferably lower — but that price point is more for the challenge of it)
- 4x4 (I've owned a YJ Wrangler, an XJ Cherokee, and even a KJ Liberty — and I miss being able to do light-medium off-roading and take snowy roads with impunity)
- I need a back seat / room for the girl and the dog
- Cargo space / utility space
- Working A/C and heat
- Nice interior (have to take clients out and wear a suit every once in a while) — a good radio/bluetooth would be nice but not necessary, I can install after purchase
It's tough to check all those boxes. I suggested an older Mercedes S-Class, but that's not four-wheel drive; neither is a Mercury Grand Marquis or Lincoln Town Car, though they're nice, very Jalop, and can tow stuff.
I suggested some kind of older Toyota Land Cruiser, and Ray has been contemplating a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Clearly, we could use some suggestions.
If you have ideas — and the inevitable Jeep Liberty and dragoning jokes — drop them in the comments. Let's see what we can come up with.