I want a Jeep.

I want one of those cool Jeeps with a convertible top and roll bars. A Jeep with removable doors so I can cruise down the street with my tan flip-flopped feet hanging out the side. One with big tires and leather seats and a "No Shoes Nation" spare tire cover in the back. A Jeep with great speakers to blast island music like Kenny Chesney and Jimmy Buffet as I roll around Horseneck Beach in Westport and New Bedford's East and West Beaches.

I want a Jeep.

Barry Richard / TSM Photo
Barry Richard / TSM Photo
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I have wanted a Jeep for years. I'm getting older now, and a Jeep remains firmly planted on my bucket list. I don't want to wait so long to get a Jeep that I need a nurse to help me climb into the seat. I want a Jeep now.

Barry Richard / TSM Photo
Barry Richard / TSM Photo
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Since I first began dreaming about owning a Jeep, I was told I needed a family car, something more respectable. Then I needed a van to haul the kids and their friends all over tarnation. Yet I still want a Jeep. Once the kids were grown and I sold the van, I thought about finally getting one.

Barry Richard / TSM Photo
Barry Richard / TSM Photo
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I actually began looking at Jeeps at one point, generating a surprise reaction from people. Remember how everyone told Ralphie Parker in A Christmas Story, "you'll shoot your eye out?" Well, Ralphie still wanted a Red Rider BB gun. Many folks, including a car dealer and my insurance agent, had a similar response when I said I wanted a Jeep. They told me Jeeps are dangerous and that I'd wind up killing myself.

But I still want a Jeep.

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People I know who have had Jeeps have either loved or hated them. Some say Jeeps are expensive to maintain and are always in need of repair. Still, others swear they've never had issues with theirs.

I still want a Jeep.

Any Jeep owners out there who would care to share their experiences with me?

LOOK: Route 66’s quirkiest and most wonderful attractions state by state

Stacker compiled a list of 50 attractions--state by state--to see along the drive, drawing on information from historic sites, news stories, Roadside America, and the National Park Service. Keep reading to discover where travelers can get their kicks on Route 66.

See the Must-Drive Roads in Every State

 

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