Falling in love...with my Jeep: The adventures of Princess:Of the Mud

Besides accomplishing kneeboarding last summer, I also bought my very first XJ (Jeep Cherokee) so I could learn to off-road.

The very first week of September Mike, Janice and I took a 500+ mile road trip to Lakeland, Florida to pick up my beloved XJ (Jeep Cherokee) I have affectionately named Princess:Of the Mud.

How and why did we drive such a long way for a mere Jeep Cherokee?  Well, I had looked, looked and searched for several weeks locally finding the prices were too much especially those that needed work, sometimes major work.  Dealerships knew the Jeeps were becoming scarce with many owners holding on to theirs, like Mike and his family.

I began searching on Ebay shortly thereafter. I bid on several and would get outbid.  Then one day I came across this one particular auction that left me nearly rolling on the floor laughing. The seller had this very long story about how the obtained the jeep, drove it for awhile, passed it to his daughter who got bored with it, then passed it on to his son who also got bored with it and then made saracastic remarks mainly because people who were not so bright asked him the most silly questions about it. I decided to show it to Mike who had just about the same experience as I did.  He candidly mentioned to me that it would be kind of interesting if I won that Jeep.  He wanted to meet the comical seller in person.

I had told him it was in Florida like over 500 miles away.  He said he didn't mind going to pick it up. Later on his son Scott said the same thing. Going to Florida was nothing.  In fact, Mike had once traveled to Pennsylvania to pick his Jeep, Scuffy II up after winning it on Ebay.

After reviewing numerous other Ebay auctions I just couldn't resist anymore.  I bid as high as I was willing and every single day, several times a day, I checked the auction making sure I was still the winner.  I was beginning to fall in love with that Jeep pouring over the pictures imagining myself driving it.  

Mind you I had already named her Princess even though I was just the high bidder.

I was also taking a risk because the seller indicated he had the right to end the auction early if someone locally decided to buy it.

 I stayed anxious to say the least.

The night the auction was ending I was extremely anxious. I was scared to death someone at the last minute was going to outbid me on my beloved Princess I had already grown attached to.

In the end though, I did win her and rightfully so. I had visualized then manifested her into my life.

Not even two seconds after I won the auction I went and paid the required "down payment" through PayPal although I was willing to immediately pay the entire amount because I wanted to lay claim completely to her.

I had to wait an entire week to go to Florida to pick her up.  At one time I had contacted the seller who waited like two days to answer my emails.  I was so nervous worried that he was ignoring me and had flicked me off, perhaps because the auction end price was too low.

He didn't though.  Later he replied giving me all the detailed information I needed to get there and pick her up.

Mike had contemplated me just driving her back but in the end he decided to take the trailer.

Janice decided we should take our time getting back home so after picking Princess up we should head to Daytona Beach and stay there.

We took trusty Bertha, a nice big GMC Suburban who is the only one who could pull the 16 ft long trailer anyways.





It took us 10 hours and then we stopped in Plant City just a few hours away from Lakeland.  I couldn't hardly sleep. I kept thinking about Princess all night long.

As soon as we got on the road I called Larry, the seller of the Jeep.  He had decided to just bring Princess over to the local Lowe's and meet us there.  

I was already so proud of her.  She wasn't a perfect Jeep but she was finally mine.  It was a great feeling once the keys and the title were handed to me.

I drove her a short ways to the trailer and then Mike put her on there.

I cannot even count how many times I looked back on the trailer smiling at my very own Jeep.

After leaving Daytona Beach the next day, Mike asked me if I wanted to drive some.  I had never pulled a trailer but what the heck it's not my suburban or trailer. Mike knew I had never pulled a trailer too.

I don't remember where I started exactly except it was at a rest area.  I know I drove 200+ miles and stopped just before Atlanta.  Mike was not very comfortable with me driving through Atlanta which is quite understandable.




When we finally made it home late that night, we stopped off at a store near my mom's house to pick my oldest two kids up.  This is where I was going to drive Princess home.

This is where the beginning of problems began rearing their ugly heads.

Mike couldn't get her to start at all.  When he did he had to keep his foot on the gas for several minutes.  Then he noticed my brake lights weren't working at all.  

Down the road I discovered my speedometer wasn't working either.

I was slightly upset but knew Mike would help me fix them. After all my kids call him the Jeep Master.

A couple of miles down the road disaster happens.  I have to stop at a light and at the last minute Mike pulls behind me.  Princess dies. I cannot get her to start at all.  

Mike finally gets out and comes to see what's wrong.  Smoke is pouring out of her and I'm panicking.  Mike begins to panic and then finally gets her started.  He orders me to get the kids and ride with Janice.

We all quickly scramble to our positions in the Suburban. Mike has already taken off.  It takes us a few miles to catch up with him and the Jeep sounds horrible plus it's overheating.

I'm really upset and about to cry.  We finally get to my apartment. Mike tells me we'll look at it tomorrow. We've had a long day and we're all tired.

The next day Mike looks at it briefly.  I don't remember if it was that day or a few days later, but Mike admits to me he thinks the head is cracked.  

I was okay. As I said earlier, Mike can help me fix it.  

He came back to my apartment with Bertha and the trailer and loaded Princess up to take her to his house.

Mike took the valve cover off and then the head. On first glance everything seemed okay. The next day though during sunniest part of the day Mike noticed a faint crack.

We began calling junk yards to no avail. Even called a shop in Chattanooga who rebuilds and sells heads. They don't have one ready but can have one in two days or so.  Nope. I want one now.

Mike's suggestion is we go to Pull-A-Part in Atlanta. Online they say they have several.  I decide to go for it.  We load up the tools and head to Atlanta.

We must have been the only white people there. I was amazed at how many hispanic people were in Atlanta and scrounging over all the vehicles there including the one we decide to take the head off of.

While we were there Mike decided to get the A/C hose I needed and a few other minor parts.

It was so hot and we had to take turns with the wheel barrow.

I decided when we got home I wasn't working on the Jeep until the next day.

What a challenge to just replace the head. But WE did it!