Daily driver or trail rig? What's your Jeeps job?

DD or Trail Rig?

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KingCarGuyZ

KingCarGuyZ

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Ok, after noseing around in the forum, I’ve found some people that DD there Jeep (like me) and drive It to the trails. and some that seem to be dedicated trail rigs (no top,37’s, A/C converted to OBA, trailered here) I’m curious wether we have more DD or trail rigs on the forum. If you don’t daily your TJ,
why not?
what do you Daily?
 
Jeeps have always been second vehicles for me. Well, almost always.

When I was in my young 20's my CJ-5 V-6 was my daily. Didn't think twice about driving it 8 hours to Mammoth Mountain to go skiing or 5 hours to Pismo Beach for 4th of July and every day in between.

I had a ZJ as a daily for awhile - got rid of that one in Obama's 'cash for clunkers' fiasco. It definitely was a clunker. Not because it was a bad rig, but because it was completely and utterly worn out.

Except for the years that I owned an F250 4x4 6.9 diesel and flat towed my CJ-7, I have always driven my jeeps to the trail head no matter how far.
 
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I'd consider my jeep a trail rig but I'll drive it to the trail if it's within 200 miles and the wife/kids aren't going. When the family comes my goal is to make it as enjoyable as possible and the truck has way more room, is quite, and we can pack extra luxuries for the kids while getting to/from the trail. I have no problem sacrificing on-road comforts/performance in exchange for offroad. I do want to keep my A/C, 35s, and the wife and kids prefer the roof on cooler days.
 
For me it’s a daily that I also want to make the best trail rig possible. I enjoy having a hobby that I get to experience daily on my commutes as well as the challenge of optimizing both on road and offroad performance because they definitely fight each other at times.
 
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Choosing to quit a good paying job to become a full time artist already indicates I'm an impractical sort. I daily drive mine.
I distinctly remember 30 years ago or more, while driving my old CJ-7 across the country with no A/C, worn out springs and shocks, and loud tires, that if the day ever comes that I give it up to drive a cushy, fancy car, then I might as well be dead. Kind of extreme, I guess, but, ahhhh, youth!!
Comparatively, my stock, maintained TJ is as comfortable as a Cadillac to that old CJ. :) I love it!!
 
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My Jeep is not my DD and I put it away in the Winter. Having said that one of the things I love about my Jeep is that I can drive it around town or even take it on day trips as well as wheel it. I don't think I would get enough use out of a dedicated trail rig to justify having one but I would not want to drive my Jeep to work every day either.
 
I drive it on nice days and when my Jeep friends want to hit some trails on the weekends. It stays parked all week long.
 
Trail rig and Sunday morning coffee only.

I got rid of my built 2012 JKU and upgraded to my 06 LJ. I wanted a more capable rig. Plus, using a 2012 for DD and breaking it on the weekend was too much of a pain.
 
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Chris said:
For me it’s a fun vehicle to cruise in with the family on nice days and a vehicle to explore off the beaten path.
Click to expand...
X2...pleasure vehicle....and tinkering with it has became a therapeutic hobby...which has led to another hobby... Getting on here and being an idiot. How am I doing? 😁
 
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ToddDerrArtist said:
. . . I distinctly remember 30 years ago or more, while driving my old CJ-7 across the country with no A/C, worn out springs and shocks, and loud tires, that if the day ever comes that I give it up to drive a cushy, fancy car, then I might as well be dead. Kind of extreme, I guess, but, ahhhh, youth. . . !!
Click to expand...

^^ A kindred spirit.

My jeep epiphany was closer to home.

To be exact, on the road from Upland to Mt. Baldy Village in Southern California.

It was my daily commute in my CJ-5 down to the Midway Inn, a roadhouse on old Route 66 where I essentially worked for free in exchange for beer while I waited for my draft notice. At least until a crew of carnies stopped in on their way to the Del Mar fair and a gypsy girl with the nickname Nellie Snatch took a shine to me.

But that's another story for another day. ;)
 
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I’ve worked from home for years, so my “daily driving” vote is slightly misleading. But it is my only car, while the wife has a more sensible family car, and I’ll drive pretty much any trip in the Jeep when it’s working well (Waiting on the pcm replacement) without a thought.
 
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Trails are the main purpose for me, but it’s still very street friendly. Still want to add a BL, MML etc and got up to 35’s but that’s the limit. If I ever need more than a Rubicon on 35’s can give I’ll buy or build something with more wheelbase.
 
rasband said:
I’ve worked from home for years, so my “daily driving” vote is slightly misleading. But it is my only car, while the wife has a more sensible family car, and I’ll drive pretty much any trip in it when it’s working well (Waiting on the pcm replacement) without a thought.
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Same for me.
 
I also work from home but it is technically my DD. I also get out on the trails with it quite frequently. I love it for how well it does both. With my rack and my trailer, I can haul almost everything I need to and it's great for taking my mountain bike to the trails, my kayaks to the water and the family like to ride with me when the tops off for the summer. Not to mention it fits in all the tight parking spots.
 
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