Bonkers

Its like a deed for a car. Its used mainly as physical proof of ownership of a vehicle. With it a private citizen can legally transfer ownership of a car without dealing with the buerocracy of the government. I have a car, I sign the title to you, and you now have binding proof that your are the new owner. In the US the governement is very strict about how you represent a car, pay taxes on it, and maintain it. So a title can be used to "brand" cars as well - my viper has a Salvage Title which means it was once considered a total loss from an insruance company - I legally cannot sell it to someone without disclosing this information. An Export Title means you are no longer allowed to drive the car on US roads. Grey Market Titled cars are European Spec models that should not have been allowed to pass emissions, but a goof-up in office allowed them in. Canada doesn't have the safety and emissions standards of the US so I'm sure they don't have the ownership clauses by default. Here you are legally responcible for your car while you own it, so if you sell it to someone, they don't title it in their name, and they run it into the white house, the Secret Service would come knocking at your door too.

Hey everyone. I'm Bonkers (no, seriously, that's what I'm called) and I'm from southern Delaware. I've been with the Comanche crowd on and off since back on the Vmags. I recognize a lot of folks here from the Jeepforums and JU. I have emails from Monte back before anyone knew who Monte was. That was even before Gore invented the internet. Anyway, here is a not-so-quick Mj bio of where I am at today. I have traditionally named all 25 of my Jeeps except for the first two and here are their stories. 1987 Dark Blue LWB 4x4 I began my Mj addiction at the age of 18. I partially inherited an 87 LWB from my uncle who simply did not drive it anymore. She had 150,000 miles on the clock and suffered a long hard life. At the time I was commuting to DC and back daily (about 250-370 miles per day depending on contract) and the jeep was a nice blend of all weather highway performance and versatility. We had a nice life together until one day I switch over to Amsoil and their promise of "10,000 miles oil changes." 50,000 miles into an extended 5-7.5k mile change interval and the motor imploded. Needing something practical and Mj's being short supply I regretfully junked her for a Tahoe. "Gracie" 1988 Dove Grey LWB 4x4 Gracie was my first true jeep love. I discovered her in the back of a Dodge dealership awaiting auction. I paid a little too much to spring her from hock, but to this day I never regretted it once. Gracie and I traveled to every state touching the Atlantic and survived three killer storms on the road. 100,000 miles and she only failed me once for an alternator, but still managed to get me to a friends house. When I lost my job due to 9/11 I was forced to re-evaluate my driving needs. With a broken heart and twisted arm I traded her in for another Tahoe. I've spent the last two years and several hundred dollars trying to track her down, maybe one day we'll be together again. "Scarlet" 1988 Red SWB 2wd Eliminator Scarlet appeared in the summer of 2000. I was traveling home one day and noticed a jeep on the side of the road. I stopped to help out and discovered a woman highly agitated by the dependability of her jeep. After a very long conversation on the side of the road it was mentioned that she no longer wanted it. I made an offer and Scarlet was sitting in my driveway the next day. After a thorough once-over she took over duties of my DC commute from Gracie right up until 9/11. Scarlet and I where on Georgia Ave downtown DC on that day and it was the last time she saw the nations capital. She too was sold shortly thereafter in the great consolidation and now serves as yard jockey to a local auction house. "Raven" 1991 Black 2wd Eliminator Raven was a spur of the moment ebay win. She had major title issues that prevented her from serious duty. She was bought and sold in short order and last I heard was cruising through the Rhode Island area. "Carmine" 1989 Red SWB 4x4 Pioneer Shortly after my home and job issues settled down I began the hunt for another Mj. After an impressive failure at tracking Gracie I came across an ad on Craigslist for a SWB pioneer. I was searching for a 91 LWB but decided to email the guy on a whim. He claimed that she had the Ax15 and ran good. So I hooked up the trailer and traveled deep into Pennsylvania. Upon getting there I encounter this hulk partially overgrown in the back of a barn. The truck obviously had not been driven in years and never once had the desirable Ax15. As I began walking away the guy starts spouting about how dependable and great the Mj is. I say to him that if it can start and drive itself onto the trailer without any help I would consider negotiating a price. He handed me the keys and I got in. She fired up on the 12th crank, pulled herself from her brush-bed and sputtered uphill onto the trailer. She had no coolant, no brakes, no air in two tires, 7+ year old battery, and probably just as old gas and she struggled like hell to make that 1/4 mile escape. I was so impressed with the effort I haggled the guy into a deal and brought her home. Today she serves as my DD though I haven't had the time to really play around with her. I put her up for sale last summer but my work schedule hasn't allowed me much time to pursue it. If I ever find Gracie she'll have to go, but so far she's been more than an adequate substitute. "Sapphire" 1988 Dark Blue Sportruck SWB 4x4 I found Sapphire by accident during a hunt for parts for Carmine. Essentially I went to the guys place to buy a "4.0L Jeep motor with extra parts" and discovered that he meant, well, ALL the extra parts. A cash deal was made and I trailered Sapphire home with little fanfare. Upon inspection I realized exactly how tight and mostly unharmed she was. Considering how hard to find these trucks were getting I couldn't bring myself to rip her apart. Since the prior owner did not have a title and I could not track down the current title holder she could not become tagged for road use. Still unable to bring myself to dismember her, she did yard duty for sometime and luckily/eventually found a new owner down south. I hope she'll be able to be driven at her new home, but at the very least she's better off then with me. Well that pretty much sums up Bonk's Comanche Journals. I look forward to tapping into these forums for information and entertainment and hope I don't irritate the locals too much.