Chris' Story
Chris had always wanted a Jeep growing up, but he never had the opportunity to buy one. In 2005, the year before Chris shipped out for the military, Chris' dad bought a new Jeep TJ. He got to ride in it a few times before anything was done to it and grew attached to it.
He spent four years in Montana as active-duty Air Force, then returned home and joined the Air Guard in 2010. His dad still had the Jeep when he got back but said he was selling it to buy a Silverado. He sold it to Klick Lewis in Palmyra, and Chris drove over and bought it from them the next day.
Chris isn't someone you'd call “mechanically inclined.” He's into nerdy computer stuff but, his dad, still being attached to the Jeep, taught him some basic skills. He learned how to change the oil, check the engine, change the brakes and wheels, and wire the lights. Nothing too crazy, but as time goes on and the Jeep ages, he keeps learning more about what it takes to keep it ticking.
This Jeep means a lot to Chris. Not only was it his father’s, but they created a lot of memories and moments working on it together. The successful projects, the struggles, and the “minor mistakes” (Chris breaking off a caliper bolt while changing the brakes and his dad's confusion over how that could happen so easily, for example). All are fond memories that will be there long after the Jeep takes its last ride.
Flash forward 11 years and Chris has a son of his own. He's only two and half, so he isn’t quite old enough to pick and choose his major hobbies yet. But he is pretty good at identifying “DaDa’s Jeep.” Already the Jeep has passed through three generations of Chris' family, and he's excited to see if it can make it to four.
