My Jeeps are dumb.  At least they're dumb for me.  I need a 4-door.

My two boys are both in car seats.  My wife mostly uses our Durango as her daily driver.  That leaves me in a '97 Wrangler if I want to take the kids anywhere.  It's a fun little vehicle for them, but the 3-year old is almost 40-lbs and the 9-month old is a monster at 25-lbs.  My back just can't take awkwardly hoisting them into the rear and then twisting and leaning to belt them in their child seats.  I actually came close to throwing my back out the other day.  It's not bragging - just fact, but I can lift and carry a 303-lb 3/4-ton Dana 60 about 15-feet.  I do it all the time.  But that weird way you've got to lift a kid into a vehicle nearly ended me with a 35-lb toddler. 

Aside from my TJ, all my other junk is a 2-seater.  The '53 flattie, the '48 pickup, the '68 J2000, the '68 M-715 - all two occupants.  So lately I've been keeping my eyes open for the right family cruiser to come along.

I really need a 4-door diesel tow rig. I'm already on my 3rd set of pads and rotors on the Durango and they're warped again.  Not to mention the fact that I blew out both exhaust manifold gaskets and broke 4 exh. manifold bolts.  The 70,000 mile warranty has 2K left on it before it's up and I don't want to replace Hemi parts out of my own pocket, so the Durango's tow rig days are numbered.

But do I go pimp and nab a new Mega Cab?  *** no.  Even with $20K down the payments are almost $600/month.  Do I go ghetto and buy an older 4-door F-350.  Maybe. 

Or do I forget it and feed my other passion - Hot Rods.  I found a nearly original '50s-style '31 Model A hot rod for under $10K that was calling me in a big way, but once again I'm back in a 2-seater.  A '49 Plymouth is taunting me now for way cheap money, but it's a 4-door.  Maybe I'll give it in a '50s CHP black and white paint job to mask the geekness.  An there's a whole slew of '50s hemi-powered Chrysler junk that keeps popping up.  Or maybe an early '50s Ford sedan with a flathead V8. 

We'll see.  All I know is that empty spot in the driveway burns the back of my neck like a red hot iron.