There are a lot of vehicles I need to own before I die. Even if only for a short time or until I realize I don't really need it or have any use for it at all. Sure, I've owned plenty of vehicles already, but for some reason my list of "must own" never seems to get any shorter. In fact, with each purchase it simply gets longer. For example, now that I have owned one flatfender Jeep, I can logically justify the need for three. One isn't enough because I want a completely stock one for cruising around town retro-style, a really built-up one for wheelin', and the one I'm trying to put together now that's kind of in the middle. Each one will have a separate purpose.
I thought owning a military 6x6 2 1/2-ton cargo truck would satisfy my need to own a huge fuel pig/lawn ornament, but nope, now I need a 5-ton. Or maybe a wrecker version of either one. And I recently saw images of a pretty cool 10-ton military truck too.
I'd like to have a small tractor to push around dirt in my yard. Nothing fancy, just a skid-steer Bobcat or something similar. But I also think it would be cool to have a small dozer too. I don't need it, I want it. I'd probably end up planting it next to the 2 1/2-ton for six months or a year at a time.
Somewhere down the road I'd like to get another prerunner desert bashing truck. But since I've already owned one, I know the next one needs to be smog exempt and have at least 500 hp. The 18-20 inches of usable wheel travel that I want isn't cheap either. So that one will have to wait, maybe forever.
The only car I ever owned was a VW Baja bug. It took me about three months to figure out it didn't have enough motor, wheel travel, or room inside. Maybe a long-travel V-8 sandrail is what I need.
Oh, and I want a cool tow rig. I need a Cummins Dodge or, better yet, how about an F-650 4x4 with a Caterpillar diesel and Spicer seven-speed manual transmission? Never mind the fact that anything I need to tow can be comfortably pulled by a 1/2-ton pickup.
Yep, I need another Jeep like my old '73 J-2000 (Project Hot Dog). Only this time I want a Stepside bed, slightly smaller tires, a bigger engine, and more streetable axles.
Even while on a vacation getaway from vehicles I found a vehicle I need to own. Right now, I'd probably trade my 2 1/2-ton for the micro truck that I spotted a few days ago (pictured). I already looked into them. They even come in a 4x4 version. Yeah, I know it's not a Jeep. But it sure seems like it would be fun to scamper down to the parts store in. Some of them have heaters and air conditioning! I have no idea how to register it for the street or if I even can. But I still need it.
I don't like having non-running junk lying around, and I don't necessarily like working on things all the time. However, with a fleet like this, there will always be something that needs some work - or, at least, an oil change. Maybe it's the idealistic side of owning all these fun-to-drive rigs that taunts me. The reality is that if I did own all of them, the regular maintenance would literally kill me or at least give me virtually no time to drive any of them anyway.-- John Cappa