Well, after waiting patiently since July 10, 2006, my wife and I were finally able to pickup our brand new 2007 White Stone Jeep JK Wrangler Rubicon Unlimted and bring her home!! No joke, there were times that I was convinced the 2008 models would start showing up on the lot before we got it but in the end, it was totally worth it

Click here to see more pics of our new Jeep

Eddie

So I just checked got done having my new Jeep JK Wrangler tracked and as it turns out, the damn thing has been in Southern California all day long but I still can’t get my hands on it. From what I’m told, it spent the better part of the day hanging out in West Colton, which by the way is very close to Mira Loma (the rail yard my JK is supposed to be delivered to) but then for some crazy reason or another, it got sent all the way over to Los Angeles - what the hell?!

Needless to say, not only did I not get my JK today as I had hoped, not only will I not get it tomorrow as scheduled, but now it looks like I won’t be able to get it until Monday at the soonest. My JK is so close I could probably drive out to it in under an hour and yet I still can’t take possession of it!! My god, I swear this is like some kind of cruel form of torture.

Eddie

I know it’s crazy but I think I had an easier time waiting for my new Jeep JK Wrangler back when it was still sitting in BX status for the past 5 month. Now that I know it’s on a railcar and on it’s way, the damn thing simply can’t get here fast enough!! Everyday I track this thing as it makes its way sloooowly across the fruited plains and every day, it seems to just move an inch on the map. Hell, it’s taken almost 3 days just to cross Kansas! What could possibly cause a train to go so slow over flat ground? Okay, okay… deep breaths - deep breaths *sigh*

Man, is this ever torture…
Eddie

After six months of waiting patiently and… well, maybe not so patiently, our brand new Jeep JK Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited is finally on a railcar and on its way to California - whoohooo!! Dear gawd, I honestly was starting to think this day would never come and, so long as nothing goes wrong along the way (crossing my fingers), our JK should be arriving in Mira Loma on the 27th.

Anyway, for those who care, I just thought I would keep ya’ll up to date on things.

Eddie

Okay, quick update. Even though my JK was supposed to ship out back on the 17th (I always knew it would be a long shot) I did just get word that my new JK went from “F” status (paint) to “G” status (Trim) today. From here, it should be just a matter of days before it gets its emissions checked, loaded up onto a rail car and shipped to me - whoohoo!!

Eddie

Like many of you out there, I’ve had a White 2007 Jeep JK Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited on order since July 10, 2006 and if you can believe it… it just went to D1 status today - yippie!!

Okay, for those of you who have no idea why I am excited, going to D1 status means that my order has been approved and scheduled to be built. In fact, I have already received an estimated ship date of January 18th and let me tell you, it’s about damn time too. Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know where I’m at with things and will be sure to keep you up to date as I find out more.

Ciao!
Eddie

Well today was the day - my very first close encounter and test drive in the all new, 2007, Jeep JK Wrangler Unlimited. And, let me just say right off the bat - this thing is HUGE!! No, no, no… maybe I should say more accurately that this thing was just SUPER LONG. No joke, this JK Unlimited was parked next to a 2006 TJ Unlimited and looking at the two side by side, the wheel base of the JK was considerably, noticeably and measurably longer than the TJ!!

Okay, having said all that, I will say that with all its extra length and longer wheel base, the Jeep JK Wrangler Unlimited also gives you an extraordinary amount of cargo space, rear passenger room and a ride like no other Wrangler I’ve ridden in - period. Taking it out for a quick spin on a fairly rough road and over two rail road crossings, the JK Unlimited provided a very smooth and comfortable ride but without feeling mushy like an oversized SUV or harsh like an unloaded pickup truck. The other thing that really took me by surprise was how absolutely quite this thing was. Granted, I’ve been driving in a TJ on 35″ mud tires and an aftermarket muffler for sometime now but compared to it, the JK Wrangler was like driving with pillows over my ears.

The only real downside to the test drive that I’d have to point out was its sluggish feel it has under foot. I don’t know if it due to all the extra weight or because of the automatic transmission or a combination of both. Stepping on the gas to get going up a freeway on-ramp, the engine did eventually find itself and jumped to life but it still felt like it was laboring to pick up speed. Perhaps a JK Wrangler equipped with a 6-speed may put a little more pep out if for no other reason than the fact that you can control the shift points.

In my opinion, the new Jeep JK Wrangler Unlimited really is an impressive step up for Jeep. Not that it couldn’t benefit from a few modifications here and there if you know what I mean, but the basic platform offers a lot right out of the box. The length of this thing is really gonna take some getting used to for me but I have to admit, I am starting to think it really has potential. Coming in this morning, I was convinced that I would be getting a 2-Door Rubicon but after today, but now… I may just have to get an Unlimited.

Anyway, be sure to check back soon as I will definitely have more to come. In the mean time, click on the link below to see all the pics

>> 2007 Jeep JK Wrangler Unlimited X - Blue Steel Photos

Eddie

P.S. I really need to thank Jeff Sladick over at Don-A-Vee Jeep for spending so much time with my wife and I and for being so accommodating with all the photos I wanted to take.

Maybe it’s just me but there really are few things in life that I absolutely hate more than having to buy a new car. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not because I don’t like new cars or that the cost of one is too painful for my wallet, but rather… it’s the having to deal with car salesmen, their greasy schmoozing and their relentless determination to screw you and to do it with a winning smile. And, I guess that’s why when it came time to buy my Jeep TJ Wrangler back in 1999, I chose to do it through the auto purchasing program that Costco offers its members.

With a no-bullshit and no-haggle set fee over invoice (at the time, I paid $400) in spite of the fact that I wanted to custom order my Jeep, my buying experience was a dream. Nobody schmoozed me and nobody tried to sell me anything. They just faxed me a total invoice with all the charges taken into account like taxes, license fees and commission. Once I verified the numbers to be accurate, I placed my order and six weeks later, I got a call to pick up my new Jeep, I signed a bunch of papers, handed them a check and they handed me the keys. No joke, it was all business and it was that simple, painless and easy. In fact, I think from beginning to end, the total amount of time I spent talking to anyone from the dealership I was assigned to (South Bay Chrysler Jeep - Torrance, CA) was maybe only one hour and that was to a very professional fleet manager.

So here I am, once again in the market to buy a new, 2007 Jeep JK Wrangler. And, as I’m sure you could guess by now, I decided to contact Costco once again with the hope of repeating my previous stellar experience. Now, I say “hope” only because it’s been a long time since my last purchase and I only know too well that all good things usually come to an end. And, as much as I hate to say it, this one did as well.

After submitting my vehicle inquiries through Costco’s website yesterday, I was promptly contacted by a fleet manager at Capistrano Chrysler Dodge Jeep in San Juan Capistrano, CA. Now, I should point out for the record that Costco’s website did not have an option for a 2007 Jeep JK Wrangler and so I just indicated that I wanted a 2006 TJ Rubicon thinking that I could always explain what I really wanted once I got a call from the designated dealer. Anyway, so I get this call from this fleet manager and soon after we exchanged our hellos, he gets right down to selling and asks me to verify that what I wanted was a 2007 JK Wrangler and not a 2006 TJ. A little surprised, I indicated that I did in fact want a 2007 JK Wrangler and asked how he knew especially since I made no mention of it in my inquiries. “Aren’t you trying to get rid of your 2006 inventory” I asked? To which he responded, “Oh, I went to your website and figured as much.” “But I never indicated what my website was” I tell him but even as the words left my mouth, I realized that I submitted my email using my Project-Jk.com account. And, let’s face it, any clever salesmen would be stupid not to feel out his prey before engaging it.

So, with that out of the way, this salesman proceeds to tell me what a “hot car” the new Jeep Wrangler is, that “demand for one is high,” none are scheduled to be on the lot for another two weeks and that if I bought one now, I would still be looking at about a month wait. To which I explained “that was fine and that I expected as much.” With us both being on the same page, this salesman takes a list of all the options I wanted and informs me that the Jeep I wanted would have to be special ordered and that it would take more time. To which I again explain, “that was fine and that I expected as much, just call me when you have price as I know they are not available yet.” But, much to my amazement, he informs me that he already has a price and proceeds to tell me it. Stunned at how much it was, I ask if this number included the Costco member special pricing to which he laughed and said, “well, I know you are foaming at the mouth for one” and “this is after all a hot car in high demand” so, “we won’t charge a dollar over sticker.” “Of course, this number doesn’t include taxes, license fees or commission either.”

I was “foaming at the mouth for one”? “This is after all a hot car in high demand”?? “We won’t charge a dollar over sticker”?!! And I might add, all were said with a smug tone suggesting that this salesman was doing me some kind of favor!! I swear, the whole experience left me feeling unclean… like I needed to take a hot shower to rid myself of that scum. Granted, I really shouldn’t have expected anything less from a dealership but after my last experience with Costco, I guess I was kind of hoping for more. But, perhaps that’s just the problem, I was hoping for more when I should have still been expecting a lot less.

Oh well, maybe there’ll be some hope to be found on-line. I’ll be sure to keep you all updated with what I find.

Eddie

I just got done checking about half a dozen Jeep dealerships in my neck of the SoCal woods and haven’t been able to find a single Jeep JK Wrangler anywhere. I’ve checked San Juan Capistrano, Tuttle-Click in Irvine and Tustin, Cerritos Auto Square and Foothill Ranch and zip, nadda, nothing. So, where in the hell are these things? I just want to get a good look at a 4-Door Unlimited to see if my mind would be changed about getting a 2-Door. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to keep looking

Hey everyone, I just wanted to make a quick announcement to let you all know that I’ve just started a brand new website called, Project-JK.com, as well as a companion bulletin board for it called, JK-Forum.com. And, as I’m sure you can probably guess by their urls, both websites have been specifically designed for and are dedicated to the all new 2007 Jeep JK Wrangler and its respective owners.

Although I do not currently own a Jeep JK myself, it is my intention to purchase one within a years time, build it up and of course document it’s growth just as I have done with my TJ and CJ over on 4×4xplor.com. So, if you have a moment or if you are one of the lucky ones out there that already own a JK, please come by and visit Project-JK.com today.

Thanks!
Eddie