May 21, 2008 Wednesday

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About eight years ago we bought a "winter rat" - a Ford Bronco II with 4-wheel drive. It had bad paint, stained upholstery and 140,000 miles of hard use. We got it for the ugly New Jersey winters - less wear 'n tear on our "real cars."

It was strictly for utilitarian purposes, but I got really attached to the 4-wheel drive. I always hated driving in snow, but this thing made it effortless. I sat up high for safety and for a better view. I no longer dreaded the drive to work when I awoke to a layer on snow on the ground.

But when it reached 14 years of age, it had too many needed repairs to make keeping it practical. So I bought a new Jeep Liberty, but I made sure it had 4-wheel drive.

Then global warming became an issue, and, as if on cue, it stopped snowing in New Jersey. We have had very little snow in the last few years - never enough to cover the roads and nothing like the Jersey winters of old.

So now I have 4-wheel drive and no snow. And the drive system, even with the 4-wheel drive disengaged, takes a toll on gas mileage. And gas prices are ...

Well, you know ...