Thanks for the welcome! I started looking at Jeeps late last year because my wife and I wanted better to access some of the more remote hiking trails around where we live in Sedona. During that process I came pretty close to buying a FJ40, but decided it would be better to get something a little more highway-friendly.
From there I stumbled into some articles about the 100 series and the obsession was underway! In early December, after about 4-5 weeks searching cars.com, I found my target: 99 LX, 143K miles, CA car, 1 owner, Lexus dealer serviced every 5K miles since day 1.
After 6 months I can confidently say this is my favorite car that I've ever owned. I've never been very mechanically inclined, but thanks to the experts on MUD I've started to take care of some little things on my own.
Upgrades so far:
-BIO sliders
-285/75/16 Cooper AT/3
-Cobra 75 CB
I just picked up a BIO front skid plate, but still need to have it powder coated before install. I don't have any build plans beyond the skid plate, but I can see how easy it would be to want all the "toys" (bumpers, roof rack, drawers, lights, snorkel, suspension ...). My wife and I are going to HIH at the end of July, so maybe I'll win a nice raffle item that will force me into a more extensive build
I'm not really interested in rock crawling, but I do want to gain skills and understanding of my vehicle's capabilities in order to feel more comfortable exploring out of the way places near here (Northern AZ, UT, and CO).
I hope to join some of the ROTMs whenever my schedule makes it possible.
