Chuck the Cherokee

by Dani
(Spokane, WA)

When I was 16 my parents surprised me with my dream car. I got a big blue 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport, which I've had for 3 years now.

When we bought the car, it barely ran and needed a new drive line. My dad and I rebuilt the engine and fixed him up to perfection. Not more than a month after, I ran into a deer going about 65 mph, and totaled my baby. The deer's horn went through my radiator, and its body pushed the frame out of place.

My father and I ended up buying it back from the insurance company and building it back to his perfect condition with the help of an old friend who owns a body shop. He was perfectly repainted and like new. After that we decided that we should put a brush guard (or deer tenderizer/ rage cage as I like to say) on to keep Chuck and me safe. I thought chuck was looking pretty good after that.

My next birthday I got a 6 inch lift and got wheel spacers. My jeep was just getting batter and better. A week after we did this I got T boned by a drunk driver, and again my baby was totaled. I had never been more upset in all of my life.

This time my family told me it was time to buy a new car because the damage was so bad. I put out all of the money I had been saving to get chuck back. Once he was bought back from insurance we went to our friend with a body shop, and worked with him to get Chuck back to his original looks. It took a lot to repair his this time, but with a fresh coat of paint, and the doors of another Jeep, Chuck became "Frankin Chuck".

After surviving all of that I put on KC lights and a roof basket. Chuck has become (in my opinion) the best Cherokee in the PNW. This Jeep and I have been through everything together and it is my happy place. I take this Jeep on every back road, and in every mud puddle I can find. Most recently I got him stuck in 2 feet of mud and had to get pushed out. Our next adventure is going to take us to an ORV park!

If you want to see more of chuck follow his Instagram! @Chuckthecherokee
**Chuck has had many more repairs, and unfortunate things happen, but these are the biggest.