2007 Jeep Wrangler

My wife and I rented a Jeep Wrangler X for our honeymoon on Oahu in Hawai'i. When we landed at the airport and went to the rental pickup, It hit me that we should rent a Jeep. At first, a Wrangler was not available, but one came available before we left, and we got it. Best rental car EVER. I have a picture of myself with a big cheesy grin in front of our Wrangler in Hawaii. We spent a good amount of time in the Jeep touring the Island. In 5 days, we went everywhere. I was surprised at how comfortable the Jeep was compared to older models. Also, it did a passable job as a passenger car on the freeways and in the city. The best part was sipping the sides off the soft cover and touring the interior of the island. In fact, we zipped the sides off at our very first stop, and left them off until we returned it. It was very nice having the top still in place to give us some shade and protect us from the fine misty rain that occurred daily. I did do some light offroading, and of course, it handled the job nicely. After getting "stuck" in some soft sand on the beach, my wife said "Great! Now you've stuck our rental car, you genius!" I replied by switching to 4-wheel low and crawling right out. We did a Jeep trail, and the thing had great ground clearance and traction with the stock wheels and tires. Approach angle is also more than most people will ever need. Like I said, the thing now drives like a car on the road. All in all, this was a great ride that lived up to all my expectations, and was more refined an livable than I anticipated. I would like to own one now, and my wife tends to agree. We did price some, and I think they are just too expensive. Great utilitarian vehicle, fun to drive, and lots of capability, but it's not a passenger vehicle, so why is it priced like one? More value please.