I was walking through a parking lot after getting out of my Grenadier, and I heard a guy ask the question I hear all the time, “How do you like the Grenadier? I was looking at them…”.
I have a ‘30 sec elevator speech’, that starts with Sir Jim, weaves through the parts list, and ends with my “It’s my middle finger to the 21st century”.
The conversation always goes through the steering ‘issue’ (radius and feel are non-issues) and other bits and specs while ending with the fact that it isn’t G-wagon money (surprises many). Lots of videos and posts about all that.
But I didn’t follow that path with this guy. I just told him that I wanted it, and with my wife next to me I gave her credit for realizing that it’s better to just give in. You only live once.
Is it the most ‘rational’ purchase I’ve made- not even close- but I’ve made a lot of right decisions in my life so that I’m in a position to take a flier.
It is built for off-road adventure. It isn’t the vehicle that you rock-crawl and have an adventure in- it is the vehicle that gets you TOO the adventure.
Sure it is an unknown, but the only real alternative would be a rehabbed ECR 25+ yr old Defender 110- now that is pushing the edge of ‘rational’, especially for a single car driver.
The IG is a beast. Maybe not as ‘jack-able’ as jeep, but it is kind of the definition of ‘over engineered’. I don’t know what a ‘double-Cardon’ joint is, but I know it’s only also on a Unimog- which I kind of understand. Don’t F with it…
I am utterly amazed with the dealer, Red Noland (Colorado Springs). From the pre-buying, the transaction to the classes they have on how to off-road with Thom for the IG, to the personal check-ins from my sales person Rick Dymek. This is how a vehicle should be sold and supported.
And there are a myriad of other reasons and parts to explain why the IG is what it is.
And that is what the issue comes down to- whether or not you want it or not. It’s only money. Sure there is risk, but there is also the opportunity. Money may not buy happiness, but it sure can buy an IG that puts a smile on your face everytime you get behind the wheel and try to think of the extra errand to run, the long way home, and the next time I get it above 10,000 feet on a dirt trail going somewhere…
Do it.
I have a ‘30 sec elevator speech’, that starts with Sir Jim, weaves through the parts list, and ends with my “It’s my middle finger to the 21st century”.
The conversation always goes through the steering ‘issue’ (radius and feel are non-issues) and other bits and specs while ending with the fact that it isn’t G-wagon money (surprises many). Lots of videos and posts about all that.
But I didn’t follow that path with this guy. I just told him that I wanted it, and with my wife next to me I gave her credit for realizing that it’s better to just give in. You only live once.
Is it the most ‘rational’ purchase I’ve made- not even close- but I’ve made a lot of right decisions in my life so that I’m in a position to take a flier.
It is built for off-road adventure. It isn’t the vehicle that you rock-crawl and have an adventure in- it is the vehicle that gets you TOO the adventure.
Sure it is an unknown, but the only real alternative would be a rehabbed ECR 25+ yr old Defender 110- now that is pushing the edge of ‘rational’, especially for a single car driver.
The IG is a beast. Maybe not as ‘jack-able’ as jeep, but it is kind of the definition of ‘over engineered’. I don’t know what a ‘double-Cardon’ joint is, but I know it’s only also on a Unimog- which I kind of understand. Don’t F with it…
I am utterly amazed with the dealer, Red Noland (Colorado Springs). From the pre-buying, the transaction to the classes they have on how to off-road with Thom for the IG, to the personal check-ins from my sales person Rick Dymek. This is how a vehicle should be sold and supported.
And there are a myriad of other reasons and parts to explain why the IG is what it is.
And that is what the issue comes down to- whether or not you want it or not. It’s only money. Sure there is risk, but there is also the opportunity. Money may not buy happiness, but it sure can buy an IG that puts a smile on your face everytime you get behind the wheel and try to think of the extra errand to run, the long way home, and the next time I get it above 10,000 feet on a dirt trail going somewhere…
Do it.
