Get Real

by Randy
(Iowa and Minnesota)

I have an M38 (a REAL Jeep-none of that Chrysler garbage). It's my second one.

I grew up with a CJ2a equipped with PTO and hydraulics hauling silage and ear corn from the field to the house.

I also own a military GM diesel-modified with a 5-speed and divorced transfer case (I hate automatics). Also used it for the same things, but with much bigger wagons.

Never had a Hummer, but if I did it would be an H1 or a decom Humvee. A friend of mine does and I've driven it thru some hellacious mud.

Any of them are wonderful vehicles with none of today's electronic crap to deal with and all have been very reliable. Try pulling 400 bushels of corn (about 26,000 lbs including the wagon) thru a foot(or more) deep muddy Iowa black dirt for years on end with your YJ's and TJ's and all this pretty so-called offroad stuff, and then tell me how great they are.

My friend with the Hummer uses his for a log hauler in Northern Minnesota and he doesn't get stuck either. They're all good at what they were made for if taken care of and not abused (or at least not abused beyond repair).

No, at 60 years of age I don't want to drive the M38 600 miles on the road to my cabin, but the CUCV does just fine on the freeway (if a little noisy) and it still gets 20+ miles to the gallon running 70 on I-35 with the Jeep on a tow bar.

It's too wide for some of the trails I travel up north,though-that's why I take the Willys. Now if I just had a Perkins diesel in the Willys it would be perfect.


Editor's Comment: Points well taken, Randy.