Phil Horton - '88 Grand Wagoneer

Here's a picture of my '88 Grand Wagoneer. I'm the original owner and have put over 180K miles on the vehicle thus far. One interesting note about the vehicle is that the folks that built her forgot to put wood grain on the sides - go figure. My Jeep is stock - not counting all the replacement parts I've put in over the years. The only additions I've made are the surf rod racks on the roof and front bumper and 10 years worth of oversand permits plastered all over the bumpers and rear window. I plan on keeping it stock - other than adding a lot more oversand stickers in the coming years. When I purchased the Jeep back in '88 I was looking for a full size 4WD that would carry kids and equipment, make it up my driveway in the winter (you gotta see my driveway to believe it), and carry me over the sand on Martha's Vineyard so I could pursue my favorite pastime, surf fishing - mission accomplished. My off-roading is limited to oversand and mild trails and she handles both quite nicely just the way she was built.

Over the years I've experienced the typical FSJ problems with fluid leaks, temperamental power windows/door locks, fuel gauges that read full all the time, and cranky electronics. I've become quite proficient at fixing the rear gate/power window and can field strip the rear tailgate in 17 seconds flat. On the positive side I'm still running the original motor, transmission, transfer case, and axles without any rebuilds/overhaul. Says a lot for the way these vehicles were designed and built. On a sad note my Jeep does not yet have a catchy name so I welcome any and all suggestions.

Here's a picture of all my children. In the foreground we've got (L to R) Tyler, Matte, and Zach. Nameless is in the background. The Horton family resides in Bedford NH. We spend lots of quality time motoring in our Grand Wagoneer to various fishing, camping, and skiing venues. One of the big advantages of a Full Size Jeep is being able to load up mom, the kids, the dog, and all of the gear for any of these activities and travel almost anywhere in safety, comfort, and style.

When I'm not goofing off with my wife and kids, coaching various youth sports, surf fishing, or wrenching on my FSJ, I spend time working for Avid Technology in Tewksbury MA as a Program Manager.

Phil Horton
Bedford, NH