We head towards Sacramento after a short stay at a Starbucks in order to check the latest ads. We are driving on the highway and we see a green Jeep on the roadside. We go back to see the “Beast”. 

 

 Stéphane L remains gaping before this Jeep. No doubt, a new love story begins! It is a TJ 4.0 L limited series “Willys Edition” from 2004. The mileage recorder reads 60,000 miles and the car is already raised and has got large tires and reinforcements. Stéphane L is bewitched, he looks like a predator chasing its prey. This car is just for him! As for us, we take look at other cars to compare. Several of them could be alright. Back to the green car, Stéphane L and the “Beautiful Star” are still together. Forgotten the friends, forgotten the Rubicon and everything else, Stéphane L keeps staring “His Jeep”. When the seller tells us the price, Stéphane L comes back to life: 19′000 dollars. OK, we will think of it and come back later. We take a few pictures and resume our. 

 

From Livermore, where we have just seen the “Green” car, we going to Roseville. We come across loads of Jeeps. There are everywhere. Every garage has at least one or two cars for sale. Here we are, like hunting dogs, tracking our vehicles. Today is the last day for our rental car and we are about 500 km from San Francisco. During our search, we come across a black TJ, which, from the exterior, seems to meet our requirements, apart from the engine. It is a 2.5 L. We examine the vehicle and notice some dots of rust here and there, but it fits our budget: 9,000 dollars. We take a closer look: 1997, enhances, big tires. The seller comes to us, discussion, we point out the rusty dots. OK, he says, how much will you pay? We look at each other. 7,000 dollars, Stéphane Z. announces. 

 

Come with me, the vendor says, we will be discuss in the office. 7,000 dollars, OK, but how will you pay? We pay cash, now. But tax free because the vehicle is intended for export. If the word “CASH” made our interlocutor smile, our man is now hesitating because of the tax. Delicate subject. This tax amounts to about  8% of the price of the vehicle and the seller does not seem to perfectly manage exports. Further discussion. Our man offers 7,500 dollars and he takes care of all the paperwork so that we can take the vehicle to Switzerland. No need to think longer, it’s a deal. For $ 500 more, we avoid all the administrative problems.