But Then Again…
You gotta be kidding me! You cut a brand-new Jeep in half? I think you really have lost touch with your readers. Most of them would give a kidney for that unmolested Jeep. We read your magazine for practical mods of our vehicles, not to watch someone with more bucks than brains destroy a Jeep because he can. The CJ was kind of cool, the F-250 had some merit with the IFS, but you have gone too far with this one. I’m afraid the Ultimate Adventure will go the way of the Top Truck Challenge—no one will give a crap anymore.
Ed Rodrigues
San Ramon, CA
Really? And you think guys look at Playboy for practical tips, or is it for the fantasy? And what makes you think we destroyed the Jeep instead of making it more functional? Take two and call us in the morning.
And Finally, Medical Marijuana
I have been a big fan of yours and the magazine for many years. However, this time I am greatly disappointed. Let me first say I am a big fan of unusual or “morphodite” vehicles. Usually the uglier the better. However, in the case of the Ultimate OJ, I have to ask what the heck were you guys thinking? I can picture the creative meeting:
“Hey, why don’t we build something really off-the-wall this year, like a Suzuki X-90?”
“I have an even better idea. Why don’t we take a perfectly good brand-new Jeep Wrangler and completely screw it up and turn it into an X-90? Pass the bong.”
I am now completely against medical marijuana because the stuff you guys were smoking is just way too powerful and should be outlawed. Thanks for your time.
Bruno Michel
Via email
Fred Williams is responsible for the idea and the build, and he verified he doesn’t smoke dope. The actual conversation on the build went something like this.
“Rick, what about a clown car Jeep with a front clip on the rear, and a rear-steer axle?”
I replied, “Cool, if you can do it in time and under budget, then yes!”
Reader Rant
Budget build
Been a fan of the magazine for a long time. Just read the Sept. ’12 issue and really enjoyed the Cheap Truck Challenge builds featured in both this issue and the previous one. “Budget builds” tend to get under my skin because the budget is always way higher than what someone doing a budget build would have to spend. This one was pretty darn close to being a realistic test in that $4,024 is a fairly reasonable budget for an average gearhead who can do the work himself or herself over a year or two. My gripe is that y’all must have some incredibly spoiled 17-year-olds out there on the West Coast for them on a two-year timeline even to be able to afford that kind of budget. Out here in Virginia at least 90 percent of 17-year-olds are either saving for college or already starting to take on some of their own bills, albeit in their parents’ names legally.
I’d like to make a challenge to you. Let’s see a true budget build. Set a ridiculously low budget like $2,000 total between the truck and all mods/repairs needed to get it on and off the pavement, and see what kind of mild or moderate wheeling it could handle while being able to drive back and forth between school, work, and home. Instead of off-the-shelf parts eating into the budget, let’s see what a trip to the local junkyard can get you.
My ’95 Jeep XJ, lifted 6 inches in front and about 41⁄2 in the rear, sitting on 305/70-16 BFG KMs with a welded 29-spline Chrysler 81⁄4 rear, has cost me a total of $1,300, which also includes a fresh rattle-can bedliner and spray paint finish. Sure, it has some odd creaks and rattles from time to time, but what budget build doesn’t?
Surely the world’s greatest 4x4 magazine is up to such a task, right? Ha ha, all joking aside, I’m sure I’m not the only one who would like to see such a build.
Corey Bennett
Via email
If I had the time and budget I would live in a wrecking yard and make all sorts of budget beaters. The reality is that we have real jobs here, although at times it doesn’t appear so. We aren’t done with Cheap Truck Challenge, The Series, so keep your ideas and comments coming, and plan your own CTC!
When I was 17 years old I lived back east and I worked on my family’s farm. I saved enough to buy my first street-legal 4x4 for $1,000, which I was able to earn in a summer, but that was 20 years ago. I had to sell that Jeep to go to college. Plus take out student loans.
The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. If you figure a third goes to taxes, that’s about $4.75 per hour. At that rate you’d need about 11 40-hour weeks to save up $2,012. Most kids get that many weeks of summer vacation. So at a minimum they should be able to earn it, and hopefully they could earn more. Yes, we could make the budget even lower, but I felt it was a good average price. Everyone remembers how cheap their first truck was. The fact is we didn’t want to show a truck so cheap no one could duplicate the build.
Next year’s Cheap Truck Challenge plan is already in the works. Expect even more budget upgrades as well as adventure, high seas, crazy antics, and more fun four-wheeling.