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I am originally from TX but have lived in SD for the past two years, so that should explain the slang. I have a '05 Dodge Ram 1500 (~145k miles) that I love to pieces, which has been my DD for the past 4 years and change...
The only problem with it is that since I bought it in TX, it is only 2WD. Yes, I know, I know, the lights on the grill guard says it has 4X4, but they lie! I did not know I would be moving north at the time and I had no use for 4WD in the mild central TX winters, so honestly 4WD vs. 2WD never even crossed my mind. It met my needs and it was a good price so I snatched it up.
Two years ago I moved to SD in the middle of winter, and needless to say I was in a bit of a pickle trying to suddenly develop winter driving skills with a 2WD pickup. I managed to get myself stuck more times than I would like to admit, and not in fun ways. In Fall 2014 I slapped a set of Blizzaks on the pickup, which along with sandbags in the back and the topper have helped a lot for driving on snowy & icy roads.
Problem solved, right? Well, I have also gotten into hunting and fishing more seriously since moving to SD. A 2WD pickup, even with Blizzaks, is not the best hunting rig to take offroad in winter in the Black Hills. I've also managed to keep the Dodge in pretty nice shape so I've been paranoid about getting it too banged up or scratched. Some people advised me to just sell it or trade it in for something else, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I love this truck just too much and it's been reliable. It's also paid off and I didn't want to deal with payments on something newer, so I began looking at other options. You can see where this is going...
With the help of a buddy of mine, we came across this '93 Cherokee 2-door with a 5-speed on Craigslist this past September. ~182K miles and in great shape. It didn't take me long to decide to pull the trigger.
I've thrown some new tires on it, a set of Firestone Destination A/T's and BOOM, I've got me a huntin' rig that'll play in the snow!
It is the 2.5L with the four-banger (hence my username), but I love it anyway. It has more than enough torque for what I'm doing with it. The only time I really notice the smaller engine is when I'm driving up steep hills, which since in I live in the Black Hills, there are plenty of. Still, I'm happy with it. It gets better MPG than my pickup and it's a blast to drive. Since purchasing it in September I've already put over 2,000 miles on it! (The Dodge has been sitting a lot recently and it's not happy with me)
So far it's staying stock. I got the ski rack for free so I went ahead and put that on. I don't have the funds for any major mods at the moment, but I am building a wish list. The A/C doesn't really work, so I'm going to need to fix that before summer. Once that's done I can start seriously thinking about lifts, lockers, etc.
Here's our fleet:
My Ram pickup, the new-to-us XJ, and my wife's '97 Toyota Camry (~190k miles).
I discovered this forum right about the time I found the XJ, and I've been lurking ever since. I decided it was time to make an account! CF has been a great source of info as I am now entering into the world of XJ.
Welcome from Sheridan, Wy! If you ever come explore the Bighorns, hit me up! I will be moving to Gillette(BOOOOOO) in Mid january, but i still have residence in Sheridan.
Welcome from Sheridan, Wy! If you ever come explore the Bighorns, hit me up! I will be moving to Gillette(BOOOOOO) in Mid january, but i still have residence in Sheridan.
HA! The farthest into WY I have ventured as of yet is to Gillette, so my condolences. They tell me it gets better. Camping, Jeeping, and hunting in the Bighorns are on my to-do list, so I'll keep that in mind!
12-03-2015, 12:50 PM
Howdy from the Black Hills of South Dakota!
I have a '05 Dodge Ram 1500 (~145k miles) that I love to pieces, which has been my DD for the past 4 years and change...
I managed to get myself stuck more times than I would like to admit, and not in fun ways. In Fall 2014 I slapped a set of Blizzaks on the pickup, which along with sandbags in the back and the topper have helped a lot for driving on snowy & icy roads. 
