I’m facing a dilemma. Right now, my first car — a 1992 Jeep Cherokee XJ — sits in the woods in northern Michigan, abandoned, alone, and scared. Its owner ditched it and moved west to California, where he bought a bunch of rust-free cars and built a new family. Now it doesn’t know what to do, because it worries nobody can appreciate it like its former owner did, and that it is doomed to the scrapyard.
Right now I’m trying to decide what to do about my first car, a 1992 Jeep Cherokee XJ.
That’s this thing standing next to 19 year-old me:
Look at how nice that Jeep looked 15 years ago, and look at how fit I was! Alas, times have changed. I’m balder and fatter, and my Jeep’s rocker panels are filled with holes, the bottoms of the doors are rusty, and the flat suspension has been lifted.
I have to say: That was the best $1,400 I ever spent, even if the Jeep did have 218,000 miles on it at the time. Learning to fix this Jeep got my foot into the door at Cummins diesel company, which got my foot into the door at Chrysler, which got my foot into the door at Jalopnik, which led me here.
I owe this Jeep a lot, and the nostalgia of it all does tend to get to me.
It’s hard not to wax poetic about all those times I drove with my brother in the Shenandoah National Forest back in college:
And all those times I used that XJ to really hone my off-road skills.
That Jeep was the vehicle that took me to Detroit for the first time; I recall my mom road-tripping with me from Virginia. The Jeep had no AC, so we rolled with the windows down. Mom actually enjoyed that.
Then, when I got a full-time job after my Chrysler internship, that Jeep really took me to adulthood, and showed me the city of my dreams — Motor City.
I eventually lifted the Jeep:
What an absolute tank a stock XJ with a 3″ lift and 31s is:
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Anyway, Michigan winters and the stupidity of my youth did a bit of a number on my XJ. I hydrolocked the original engine, then I overheated the new engine and filled the rear axle with water during the off-road trip shown above (Drummond Island, the Mudfest of Michigan), toasting the bearings.
So now, after 30,000 miles and 15 years, here sits my first car — a 1992 Jeep Cherokee XJ — on a reader’s property in northern Michigan; it hasn’t moved in two years:
I want an XJ in my life, as XJs are what started it all for me, but I’m facing a dilemma.
Do I rescue my OG XJ and try to bring it back to life, fixing its body, restoring it, and eventually going through the considerable effort of a manual transmission swap, since I have no interest in driving an old auto Jeep? Or do I just pick up the two-door five-speed XJ below, which needs floorboards, carpeting, steering column trim, and a little bit of seat and rocker love, but otherwise seems great?
The reality is that finding an already-clean five-speed is a $10,000 affair, and I’m not about that. So that two-door above is tempting, though my original has my heart.
See, this is the trouble with first cars. There’s only one, and nostalgia’s powerful pull makes getting rid of it difficult, even when maybe that’s the most logical move. And so maybe the move is to just embrace that, and to get my OG XJ back and turn it into the ultimate.
All Images: Author
I tried to keep my first car for a long time, a 1999 Oldsmobile Eighty Eight that my grandparents bought new. I got 17 great years out of it before rust had taken its toll on its under pinnings. The top was still a beautiful shiny Crimson metallic red. I came to the conclusion that it just couldn’t be made to pass PA inspection reasonably and sold it to someone in NY. I really wanted to drive that car to my retirement party but it just wasn’t meant to be. In the end, new experiences are great, let it go and try something else.
Here’s the thing:
Logically, it makes sense to find a really nice one that’s as close to what you wanted as a kid when you were driving it around. You won’t have to deal with all of your prior questionable decisions, and you’ll still have the vehicle you want.
Emotionally, it won’t be the same. The seat won’t have however many thousands of miles of your butt print on it, the rattles are going to be different, and it’s going to have someone else’s questionable decisions baked in instead.
I recently got my first car running again after having had it parked for six months, and man what a fantastic feeling it was to take it for a rip after I was done. It still needs a ton of work, but so will every car of that age and mileage. It has my butt print on the seat, the steering wheel is worn where my hand goes, and all the rattles are just how I left them. I had gone back and forth about getting rid of it probably twenty times in the six months it was parked, and that ten minute drive proved to me that keeping it was the right choice.
I think in your case, you might consider getting rid of one or two vehicles to give yourself some mental breathing room, because there’s going to be a lot more emotional load from this kind of project than there would be for something you just pick up on a whim. You don’t want to get burned out on it if you decide to keep it, that would be extremely tragic.
Keep it, restore it, or better, pay somebody to restore it and get a nice garage for it. As first cars go, they are part of your family and you should never get rid of it. Period.
Technically my first car was a Opel Corsa. It lived only for 15 years, after which too much was rusted away to be allowed on the road anymore. So it did its final round in a local derby. Still a little bit sad that I don’t have that -very average- car anymore. But my DS is the first car that I bought myself with self earned money. So that will be my forever car.
The answer is easily neither. The rusty Michigan Jeep cannot be saved. It could maybe get back to road worthy, but it should not be restored. $$$$$$
A two door jeep is also not great for a family.
Keep looking to find a nice condition four door option. It’s out there…..
David, I’ll haul it out to LA for you for the price of gas.
I have not had to make this kind of decision about my first self-bought car, a ’71 Peugeot 504. Purchased for $1500 with 60K on the clock, it soldiered on for 90K more miles with only minimal repairs until it was brutally assaulted by a Plymouth Fury station wagon and its funky trunk got folded up to the rear wheels. Totaled by my insurance company, (of course the other “driver” had no insurance) I received $900 but got to keep the fond memories trips in that car gave me.
There was one photo, fairly early in the article where it looks like your Cherokee is self-driving. It was kinda creepy.
And this was the first time I read you spent some time with Cummins. My dad had a Kenworth with a 350 Cummins in it. I remember being allowed to pull the compression release, spin it up to starting speed and let it go and that beast rumbling to life. And it surprises me that Mercedes and not you, given that provenance, is the diesel-obsessed member of the staff. But I digress.
New family and all, I think you need to have a sit down with your wife to figure out what you should be doing vehicularly these days. Not trying to be a killjoy, but neither of the options listed above seem particularly well-advised at this point in life.
I’m also a weirdo with their first car, had mine since 1999, but I’m also of the view that if it’s not going to continue making new happy memories for you, it’s ok to let it go. Personally, I’m restoring mine with my oldest and it will become his first car too, but that’s the thing if I wasn’t going to pass it along and make those memories with my son I probably would sell it to someone who would do that. I had a great deal of sentimental attachment to another of my classic cars that I owned, but when I realized that I wasn’t building any more pleasant memories with it I passed it along. Sometimes we just have to let go to contiue making ourselves happy, and by extension making things better for everyone around us. Bottom line, if you’re going to truly enjoy getting YOUR specific one back on the road, keep it, and maybe make some fun memories with your little one. But if you could enjoy resurecting and making perfect the two door, and possibly make those same memories with your little one in that, then go for the two door.
Let’s just say you won’t be buying any more 2-door cars until your baby outgrows rear facing car seats.
It is not a living thing; it cannot feel sad, abandoned, or disappointed. It cannot feel relief, joy, or gratitude if it is rescued.
Your XJ has value for how it makes YOU feel. Whether repairing it is something that improves your life is personal.
That being said, if I had to guess based on what you’ve written about your life right now, taking on the burden of repairing it will take you away from the things that are making your life good.
Let it go, treasure the memories, and add new ones with new-to-you wheels
Well shoot. If I had known you were in the market for another XJ I would have offered you my 2000 with a 3.5 lift and 31s and lots of properly done off road goodies.
It’s gone though.
I’m not sure grabbing your old ride is a good move TBH unless your willing to store it until you have time to properly wrench again.
Leave your old truck alone. Don’t buy this other one, or any new project vehicle for at least 3 years. You do not need this in your life RIGHT NOW.
Something, something, rose colored glasses. Pictures are a great way to preserve memories, but things are just things. It sounds like the green one is a lot closer to being ready for making more memories, so that is how I voted.
I used to think I wanted to keep my first motorcycle, but then I realized it would make it harder to maintain and ride other motorcycles, and I never regretted selling it. I hope someone else got to make memories with it too, and I still get to remember learning how to ride and some of the fun I had.
I still lament getting rid of my first car, still kind of want a 71 Mach back, but honestly I still have the 68 Camaro that replaced it, and even that gets almost no love. life happens, expenses will make you push it tot he side even more and in the end you already noted things you don’t like about it. Move on, or push it tot he back of a garage and gather parts. maybe one day your offspring will share interest and you can work together to resurrect it for them.
David, getting your original Jeep to where you want it is effectively building the Jeep of Theseus. Thank it for its service, say goodbye, and buy something a little bit closer to what you want and spend more time with Delmar (not his real name)
I’m so torn on this. On one hand, I totally get the emotional attachment. I’ve regretted getting rid of my 2nd car (first car was kind of a dud) since I handed the keys in at the dealership 15 years ago. I’m sentimental by nature and have a hard time getting rid cars with that attachment. On the other hand, its been sitting for years, halfway across the country and there are other projects that will eat the time to get it completed.
I think it comes down to a few things:
Can you give the OG XJ the treatment you want to give it? A restoration, transmission swap, etc? Would you give up other projects, time commitments, or money to do it?If you can do the above, will you be more frustrated in seeing it sit and languish, knowing you may not get to it for years?Knowing you’ve had multiple XJs, did any of those give the same feels / experience as the OG?All this to be said, I’m a sucker for a project (although I’m projectless, toolless, and garageless at this point). If you can carve out time, even if it takes years, and stay focused on one, maybe two projects, I would strongly consider keeping it. My grandfather kept an old car for years and it, no lie, took 15 years to restore. It was worth it too, because it reminds me of all of the summer trips or school pick ups that happened in it. Could be cool to have Delmar have those memories too.
Without having read all the comments… your first car has four doors, which Delmar might appreciate.
I did NOT expect that result.
Dang.
I didn’t vote because my answer is “neither” with the qualifier “if nothing else in your fleet/lineup changes.” As you’ve correctly pointed out, between being a new husband/father and leader of this site, your free time is extremely finite these days. You already have IMO too many cars. Most of them run well enough, but you already have that ZJ project that will be a massive undertaking. I’m talking enough to keep you occupied for years. My Uncle is a very skilled mechanic by trade and it took him the better part of a decade to fully restore his classic car because of work and family obligations. He also had only one project and otherwise drove newer, trouble-free daily drivers. Keeping so many old vehicles guarantees you’ll constantly get bogged down by small stuff even on the better ones that are running. The recent steering column issue with your truck is a perfect illustration of that.
To properly restore either of these XJs will be just as massive of an undertaking. One major project is more than enough, especially when you already have a functional offroader (YJ that you and your wife don’t want to sell) and the ZJ/XJ are so mechanically similar. Here’s what I’d recommend:
Limit yourself to one major project. This means liquidating either your first XJ or the Frankenstein ZJ.If you decide you’d rather have the XJ than the ZJ as the project, do your first car instead of the green one. It’s sentimental, has four doors (kid/dog friendly, and you already have a two door off-roader) and you know its demons. The green one is a wild card and frankly probably just as much work.If you do want to take on a serious restoration of either the XJ/ZJ, I’d seriously consider selling at least two of your older cars.
Good luck!
I still have my first car, 65 Mustang Coupe. Had it since 1983 and I have never regretted keeping it. Took my wife on our first date in it, and drove it in our wedding.
I’ve met too many people that have regretted getting rid of their first car. Once it’s gone it’s gone.
But if it needs a new caretaker, I can give it a few more years of enjoyment.
I am sentimental by my basic nature, but when it comes to cars, isn’t the point to move forward?
Every now and then I search to see if any of my old vehicle models is for sale, but I never have pulled the trigger, because I want to experience and learn a new (to me) car. I could see maybe getting one as a toy, but I don’t have time for weekend projects right now, and I would be.missing out on another vehicle I “always wanted.”
So, ask yourself: will restoring this car bring you joy? Or pain? Because doing it right won’t be cheap.
I think you answered the question when you left it in Michigan.
This has been on my mind a lot too. I bought my first car not even a year ago, and this question has already come up. I got it for cheap, it’s a kind of special car, and most importantly I love it. Yet, I’m almost entirely sure it won’t pass the inspection coming up, and it’s currently dying of a thousand cuts.
The only way forward would be a complete frame off restoration, but that’s such a big project, I can’t start it now. I can limp it along for some time, but if it gets failed because of rust, the body basically needs to come off, and while there, I could take out the engine and fix the main seal leak, and then whats holding me back from stripping off the body, fixing the hole in the floorboards, and getting it repainted? I have already let a much nicer car go, because I want to stick with this one. But is it worth it?
If you can bring your XJ back in Cali, keep it instead of buying another one.
You know its problems while the new one is still a stranger with potentially bad surprises in for you.
You are a sentimental, and there is a single car on earth you made those memories in. Keep the OG.
That sentimentalism will give you the motivation to work on this special XJ, and and n’y have to tell you how important motivation is for car projects.
Little caveat though: make it sonthat Jeep is your ONLY project besides your kid. You have little free time, you can’t devide it between multiple project vehicles.
I am the wrong person to ask.
While my first car (’75 El Camino with 396 swap) was such an utter pile I never actually drove it before it was sold, searching for another eventually lead to my second car, a ’72 Olds Delta convertible. That one, which I was able to drive, essentially occupies the “first car” space in my head, and I’m happy to still have it 22 years later.
Hell, I still have my third car as well, an automatic Iron Duke Fiero that hasn’t moved since 2008. Clearly I’m insane. But also I’m single and have to space for it.
In your last fleet analysis, I advocated for keeping one big project. To that end:
The i3 isn’t a project.
The K1500 isn’t a project (currently), and it’s well suited for doing truck things.
The J10 is a big project, and isn’t as well suited as the K1500. Let this one go.
The YJ is (I believe) no longer a project, plus it’s your wedding Jeep.
The Mustang may have had a small fire, but I don’t think it’s a big project.
Skipping the Voyager. It’s not currently a project, and maybe you, Elise and Delmar (not their real names) will spend enough time in Europe to make keeping that worthwhile.
Which leaves the Ultimate Overlander. A big project designed for a trip that has little chance of happening now.
Clearly, I’m a sentimental fool if I’ve hung on to broken 2M4 for 17 years. The siren call of the first car is strong. But also your XJ is halfway across the country, never mind the two door. Assuming the Virginia plates are accurate, that’s all the way across. The Ultimate Overlander is already there.
I don’t know the answer, and I’ve spent too long typing this, so I’ll reiterate: one big project.
Tbh, my Civic (My first car) has been sitting on jacks for way too long and i’m considering getting a car that doesn’t need work since me and my dad just can’t find the time. So my first car will probably actually be my 2nd car too.