HILLTOP VIEW: She’s much more than just a Jeep

Some call her a 1996 Jeep Cherokee. Others say she is a rundown Jeep, almost ready for car heaven, but I call her Beautiful.

Beautiful, a.k.a. my 1996 Jeep Cherokee, has been my horse, my steed and my not-so-trustworthy means of transportation since mid-winter 2008. I was told at the time of purchase that she was like the rest of her kin: four wheel drive, American-manufactured, reliable and made to go anywhere.

She proved to be so in the beginning, yet as time went on and we became more accustomed to each other, her separating characteristics started to show.

It was my first date in my new used car. I took my girlfriend to Dairy Queen and we ordered at the drive through, but as I was paying the cashier through the window, my money dropped. I tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. I ended up having to crank the rest of the window all the way down, reach my hand out the door, and pull the handle to get out and retrieve the money. I knew from that point on that she was no ordinary Jeep.

Every so often a new dent or rust spot along the floor panel magically appears. You would think she has a black coat of paint, but the closer you get, the more blue she looks. I am really not sure of her true color.

The stereo system is tricky sometimes. I believe some of the wires might be loose, so the speakers cut in and out quite often. A firm tap on the dash tends to be the trick to solve that problem.

Another of Beautiful’s endearing characteristics is that the mornings I need to get to school early or am in a rush are usually the times when she doesn’t want to start. She also has other habits, like visiting her friends at John’s Auto Body Shop on Highway 35 at least once a month to get her belly scratched.

Originally, the plan for Beautiful was to be a reliable town car, take me to and from school, transport hockey bags to the rink and pick up chicks. She has done her job for the most part, except maybe pick up the chicks, but she has been put to other uses, too.

Beautiful has turned into my second closet at times, often packed with several different pairs of clothes until my mom yells at me to clean her out. She has also helped me transport boats and Jet Skis in the summer time.

Beautiful can live up to the Jeep brand for the most part. The few off-road adventures have proved so to me. Sure, she has a straight six, 4.0 liter engine block like all her kin from that era, but she also has a few distinct beauty marks and add-ons that make her “Beautiful.”

Nathan Trannel is a senior at Onalaska High School.