Why a Jeep Is the Perfect Summer Vehicle

There’s nothing like summer driving: the sun bearing down, the wind in your hair, the tunes blasting as loud as the stereo will allow. You can picture the scene already—everything but the make and model of the car, that is.

Which car makes the most of hitting the road for summer road trips, excursions, and more? The convertible is an American classic, but new owners of convertibles, much like new owners of boats, often discover quite quickly that the idea of owning one far eclipse the reality. You’ve heard that the happiest day of your life is the day you buy a boat, and the second-happiest day of your life is the day you sell it, right? While there’s not quite that level of buyer’s remorse involved with convertible ownership, it’s still a purchase often fraught with regret, particularly when the car is uncomfortably low to the ground and has the handling of a roller skate.

What about the pickup truck? Prince may have written one classic song about a little red Corvette, but you’d need a crane to lift the lyrics of country songs that rhapsodize about the pickup truck. Hitting the road in your truck is a true portrait of Americana, but despite the so-called blue-collar character of a pickup, a shiny new pickup truck is a highly sophisticated vehicle that can be prohibitively expensive to buy and maintain. And while a pickup is strong and sturdy, it’s not exactly versatile. You don’t even want to know what it costs to gas up.

Summer driving isn’t just about getting from point A to point B, and it’s not even about leisurely driving, either. Summer driving is about exploring what’s possible from behind the wheel—and what’s possible often lies beyond what’s on the road. We’re talking about off-roading through every manner of terrain imaginable. For that, there’s only one option: the Jeep Wrangler.

As much as any sports car or pickup truck, the Wrangler is an American original. Born on the battlefields of World War II, it has evolved from the “general purpose” vehicle of wartime to a truly versatile and awesome vehicle that’s altogether separate from cars, trucks, and anything else on the road. It fuses the toughness of a truck with the adventurous spirit of a convertible into a vehicle that you can drive all year long but only enjoy to its full extent in the summertime. Here’s why a Jeep is the perfect summer vehicle—one you can look forward to making the most of year after year.

Top Off, Doors Off

During most of the year, you try to seal your car off from the elements as much as possible. The rain, wind, and cold that come over North America for six to nine months a year are something to avoid—reasons to drive to work instead of walk. In the summer, however, you don’t want to escape the weather. You want to relish every moment of sunlight that you can—especially if you live in the Midwest and such days come at a premium. For that, the Jeep is ideal. Not only can you remove the hardtop from your Jeep Wrangler, but your doors can also come off for the summer, giving you maximum exposure to the elements you want exposure to. With the Jeep hardtop lift tool from TopLiftPros, removing and storing the top of your Jeep for the summer couldn’t be easier. Our door removal cart also keeps your Jeep’s doors from incurring any collateral damage in the garage or the tool shed while temporarily they’re out of service. Whether you’re increasing your thrills on off-road adventures or simply turning heads on the expressway, a top-off-doors-off Jeep Wrangler is an iconic set of wheels in the summer.

Carrying You to Campgrounds

Summer is a time to spend a night or two—or more—sleeping under the stars. With 365 nights a year, it’s all right to spend a few of them someplace other than in your own bed—or someplace that’s not a bed at all. To get to a campsite where you can truly appreciate unharassed nature far from civilization, you need the right vehicle. The ruggedness and towing capacity of the Jeep Wrangler makes it the perfect automobile to get you there. Attach your pop-up camper to your hitch, and bring this convenient and clever accommodation with you to the remote state and national parks that set aside camping grounds. Once you arrive at the campsite, camper in tow, you have the right vehicle to have a little fun behind the wheel—perhaps harassing just a bit of that nature? 

Off-Roading Capacity

When it comes to conquering the trails, pathways, and wide-open spaces that lie beyond our highways, there’s simply no better vehicle for the task than the Jeep Wrangler. Jeeps are four-wheel-drive vehicles, which offer improved traction and control. Unlike other vehicles, the Jeep boasts both solid and rear axles, a feature that has endured since the original postwar Jeeps, giving them more torque than their competitors. Jeep tires come in a variety of tread patterns for different terrains you may take on, with specialized tires for sand and other iterations for mud. Other off-highway vehicles like four-wheelers and ATVs can roll up and down the hills but not down the roads—they’re not street legal. From behind the wheel of your Jeep, you don’t have to worry about switching vehicles at your off-road destination—you simply continue your journey.

Clean up Messes With Ease

Whether you’re off-roading or just driving deep into campgrounds, your Jeep will pick up a little dirt, grit, and grime from these adventures. Fortunately, these rugged Wranglers are easy to clean, so you can get your Jeep back to pristine condition without having to worry about delicate cleaning. You may not even have to send your Jeep through the car wash to get it looking as good as it should. Simply put on the hose and spray down the waterproof materials to free it of any remnants of outdoor excursions past. You wouldn’t even think of casually hosing down a convertible.