This is not the actual story of my first car... My first car was an old worn out Honda that ran for a week... This is the story of my first car that I owned, cared for, and then gave up.

It all started out in 2005... Shopped for a 2002 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer V8 and 4 wheel drive. I have to say, my family has always been Explorer nuts, so when I ended up being picky and finding one with AdvanceTrac (very hard to find in that year) I knew it was meant to be.

10 minutes off the lot with the truck and I was heading up US-70 for Idaho Springs.... The perfect spot to break in my Explorer with my best friend. We drove that thing up every trail, following the Wranglers. Occasionally you would hear the bottom touch an outcropping rock with Bull in china shop precision. Occasionally you would here one of the Jeep guys using profane language to describe the noises. All in all, it earned the respect from the others and showed the rocks a thing or two about density.

From that point on - it was all about the adventure. I can remember being told by state troopers to turn around on I-70 because the snow was too bad to continue. Me, I saw this as an opportunity to truly test the limits of the truck. Over the Arapahoe Pass in a white out isn't the smartest thing to try in a blizzard but curiosity did drive me up there... Well actually the Explorer drove me up there. When things started to get too slippery... Advancetrac dialed in a bit of brake pressure to the correct corner and we remained on our intended path.

Honestly, there are hundreds of stories.... I met my future wife in this vehicle and moved my self cross country for here in this truck.

That truck lasted 140K miles of Jeep trails, mountain passes, snow storms, cross country trips, and the general abuse any 20 year old would put on this vehicle.

This vehicle always kept me going everywhere I needed to get to and did it in style and luxury. Today, I went and looked at newer Explorers and Grand Cherokees... They do not have that certain appeal that my truck did.

The point here is that nothing will ever be like your first vehicle. Nothing can replace those first adventures or mishaps like anything else can.