[mud4feet]

Originally Posted by David

This will sound like blasphamy on this board, but I would recommend against buying a jeep for new drivers. I am a jeep lover, but I'm 40 years old and an experienced driver. Any SUV has worse handling characteristics than a sedan. Any of the Wrangler-style jeeps (CJ, YJ, and TJ) have not only SUV height in proportion to their track width, but a short wheel base (SWB), as well. Driving a SWB vehicle is difficult, and different rules apply. Well, more to the point, a mistake that makes you sweat in a car will cause an accident in a jeep. Young drivers have their hands full learning the rules of relative motion of vehicles, the rules of the road, and how to anticipate other drivers' actions. They don't need to be driving a SWB jeep, as well. I'm sure my opinion will not be popular on this site, but I think safety of the kids, as well as that of other drivers, is paramount.

Not blasphemy......just sounds like a concerned parent (or old enough to know how stupid we were when we were younger!!!). I can definitely see your point....you overcorrect in a SWB (oops, dropped the cell phone.......what radio station was that??...........he said, she said WHAT???? [looking at passengers instead of the road]) and you're in a side-roll down the middle of the road .......... Maybe if you restrict it to ONLY off-road!!