As some of you know, Jessica and I recently purchased a new vehicle: a Jeep Wrangler 4xe.
So the story is this:
We’d been looking for a new vehicle and I, particularly, wanted a Jeep. Not just any Jeep, but a Jeep Rubicon. I’ve owned three Jeeps in the past, a Wrangler Sport, a Grand Cherokee, and a Rubicon. I’d done a lot in those vehicles and, yes, I did off roading (though not the extreme off roading). So, I’d been wanting to get back into another Rubicon.
Our search for a Rubicon began at the beginning of this year. We’d found one two-door 2020 Rubicon for a good price at a dealer. It was last year’s model, but still a new vehicle. And it had most of what we wanted. However, we were told, there was one recall that had to be fixed before we could pick it up. We put a down payment to secure the deal and waited for the call to come get it.
Unfortunately, that call never came. Days turned into weeks turned into months. The recall notice was software of some sort which was having a problem being cleared. They couldn’t release the Jeep until it was fixed and it didn’t look like it was going to be fixed soon. Eventually, we gave up, canceled the deal, and got the down payment back. The dealer involved had been as good as they could; it wasn’t their fault and they did try to make accommodations for us, but we decided to move on.
This time, we went to Rydell. I had a good experience buying a Chevrolet Avalanche from Rydell twenty years ago (another story for another time) and I remembered that they were a different kind of dealership. Basically, they discount almost all their vehicles and do not work on commission. So, off we went to Rydell Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep in San Fernando (yes, that is a plug).
Unfortunately, they didn’t have any two-door Rubicons. Those are hard to find these days as most people want the four doors. Jessica and I wandered the lot with our salesperson, Rad. They had a few Rubicons that we were interested in, but there was a particular color we preferred (not a deal breaker, though). That color was called “Nacho” and it was a burnt yellow, similar to the old Land Rover Camel Trophy vehicles. Alas, they had none. So as we were walking back to the sales office, Jessica points to the other end of the lot and says “What about that one?” And it was, indeed, a Nacho colored Rubicon.
As we walked toward it, Rad told us it was already sold and that it wasn’t your usual Jeep. This one was a Jeep Wrangler Hybrid. Yep, you read correctly: a gas-electric hybrid Jeep.
To make a long story short (too late!), we wanted one! However, they were so new that it was hard to find them in stock. Rad told us the best way to get one was to special order it. We could have it built to our specifications, choosing the options we wanted, and have it in a couple of months.
And we would also qualify for immediate California discount for emissions, plus the $7,500 Federal tax credit. Did I mention that Rydell also discounts most of their vehicles?
Not to say that it was an inexpensive vehicle, but when it finally came in, we were totally happy. It was exactly what we had ordered (albeit in Sting Gray; the Nacho color had been discontinued).
Here it is. We’re still getting used to the hybrid technology, but so far, it’s been a breeze. More on that in another post.
Now comes the hard part: what to name it?
More about the Jeep 4xe
For godsake and for the love of all that is holy, DON’T NAME YOUR JEEP!!!
“Our Jeep” is more than enough. Boats get names, maybe planes, but never, ever cars. Just don’t.
Ugh!
Eugene