My first Jeep and I rather badly underestimated the depth of a mud puddle that we tried to cross. It was on a not-quite-a-road that we’d been over at least a dozen times, when it was dry, and we thought we knew that not-quite-a-road well enough to have some sense of how deep any puddles might be. We were mistaken.
We still probably would have been fine, if the tow truck guys didn’t waste so much time screwing around, trying to figure out how to milk this for the highest price they could get for pulling us out. This is about the official fording depth for this vehicle, but parts of it that are OK with a brief dip are not necessarily OK with being left submerged for several hours.
By the time the towing cretins got it out, enough water had seeped into enough places, that USAA declared it a total loss.
The insurance money came in a few days ago, whereupon @Seanette and I promptly went to buy the candidate that we had lined up as a successor to the first Jeep.
This one’s a few years older (2017 vs. 2020), and has more miles on it (about 95K vs. 55K.) We got a good warranty with it, which makes me much more comfortable buying a vehicle with this many more years and miles.
And we just figured out, yesterday that it’s lifted, a modification that probably makes it both more valuable and more capable. I don’t think the dealership that sold it to us realized this, otherwise they would have priced it higher.
Also, has better, bigger tires than stock. All-terrain, mud&snow tires, 3PMSF rated.
It’s possible that this one wouldn’t have got stuck where its predecessor did.