• Remember the concept Jeep Pork Chop from Moab? Upper management’s plan was to monitor for a pulse from all of you when it came to the idea of selling a stripped-down Wrangler. Let’s just say you all did a good job fogging the mirror with signs of life, so now let’s hope they do their part.
Never leave home without ...
Never leave home without it.
• There’s a Jeep MasterCard—you can redeem points for Mopar accessories or services at the dealership (or go the usual route of travel, gift cards, and merchandise), or even use the points toward buying a Jeep. Three points for every dollar spent on purchases made at Chrysler Group dealerships is another perk.
• Looks like the Compass and Patriot will resort to cage fighting to determine which will make the cut to live on with the new Fiat platform. Our money is on the Compass.
• The American Customer Satisfaction Index measures—you better sit down for this shocker—customer satisfaction. We quote: “The worst scores in the industry go to Chrysler, despite small-to-modest gains for its Dodge and Jeep product lines.” So what’s the right way to respond here? Kudos, Jeep?
• And then there’s the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study which looks at how enjoyable a new vehicle is to own and drive based on owner evaluations of more than 80 attributes. Chrysler and Jeep showed considerable improvements over previous results.
• A Grand Cherokee-based Maserati SUV? Hey, if we went all Hollywood and Brangelina’d its ass, it’d be Grandma.
Make your own for about $...
Make your own for about $5,500.
• The Mopar JK-8, which allows you to turn a four-door Unlimited into a two-door pickup, has an MSRP of $5,499.
• Insideline.com compiled what it claimed to be the 100 greatest cars of all time. In the 91st position was the ’63 Wagoneer, while the ’41 MB made it to 65th. Besting both was the ’84 Cherokee in the 47th spot.
Quote Without Story
“Whenever we create an SRT, we try to do something that sort of amplifies the basic DNA of the brand. But in some cases you’re so far removed from the original intent of the brand, like in the case of the Grand Cherokee, it’s very extreme. That vehicle will never go off road; it’s not meant for that. It could do a good two-track dirt road or something like that, but it’s really meant for on-road performance.”
—SRT brand prez/CEO Ralph Gilles The small-block hits a mi...
The small-block hits a milestone.
• The 100-millionth small-block Chevy engine will be produced this year. It arrived on the scene in 1955.
• ”By 2025, the average fuel economy of their vehicles will nearly double to almost 55 miles per gallon.” That would be President Obama, speaking about what we will be driving in 2025.
• Elliot Handler, who was a founder of Mattel and champion of the Hot Wheels brand, has died at age 95.
• Virginia Tice of South Carolina will be heading to trial for having a pair of fake testicles hanging from her truck’s bumper. The 65-year-old (yes) was ticketed and now awaits a jury’s ruling on whether she broke obscenity laws. She would face a fine, not time.
• AAA says that one in four Americans could not pay for a car repair of $2,000; its survey also revealed one in eight would be unable to pay a repair bill of $1,000. And: More than half of American drivers admitted to holding onto their older vehicle in order to avoid the financial hardship of a new one.
• Ford and TechShop have partnered on a communal DIY work center in the Detroit area. The membership-based workshop joins locations in California and North Carolina. Learn more at
techshop.ws.
If you listen carefully, you...
If you listen carefully, you can still hear the screams.
Willys finishes building The Quad and ships it to Camp Holabird, Maryland
• November 27, 1985: AMC announces the CJ will end production early the following year
Pep Boys, circa old-timey...
Pep Boys, circa old-timey days.
• Pep Boys has reached its 90th anniversary. Did you know Manny, Moe, and Jack were based on the three Navy veterans who founded the company in 1921?
• LINE-X Protective Coatings has opened a new location in Suffolk, Virginia. You can learn more at line-x.com.
• Goodyear is working on technology that would keep tires inflated at the proper pressure without the use of external pumps or electronics. An air maintenance system, including a miniaturized pump, would be contained within the tire.
• Check out Facebook.com/Craftsman or Craftsman’s youtube.com page for webcasts and other video coverage under the Craftsman Experience umbrella. It’ll be event coverage, Craftsman stuff, and much more.
Reader Quote Without Story Things? To do? With your ...
Things? To do? With your Jeep?
Fright Night #15 hosted by Point Mugu 4 Wheel Drive Club, Hungry Valley SVRA, Gorman, California,
facebook.com and look up Point Mugu 4x4• November 4-5: 31st Annual Hump-N-Bump presented by GenRight Off Road hosted by Vegas Valley Four Wheelers, Clark County Fairgrounds, Logandale, Nevada, vv4w.org
• December 3: Sand Driving Clinic hosted by Badlands Off-Road Adventures, Oceano Dunes, Pismo, California, 4x4training.com
• December 10: Getting Started Off-Road Driving hosted by Badlands Off-Road Adventures, Hungry Valley SVRA, Gorman, California, 4x4training.com
• December 11: Winch & Recovery Clinic hosted by Badlands Off-Road Adventures, El Paso Mountains, Mojave, California, 4x4training.com
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