[brucepick]

All those "don't buy the Jeep" comments are probably your best advice.
I did my best to answer your original questions but I think no matter what you do to it and how you drive it, the Jeep will be a gas hog. Gosh I hope it has a manual trans; nobody wants to pay to replace an automatic when it goes bad.

You didn't say why you want a Jeep. I've driven in all kinds of rotten winter weather, with 4 snow tires on a RWD or FWD car. RWD gets some cement blocks in the back for better traction, in addition to the snow tires.

Maybe in your business you absolutely have to have a macho car? My brother is in construction management. I'm sure he'd be an instant wuss with that crowd, if he showed up driving anything not big, boxy, and made in USA. If ya gotta have a truck for image, get a 4-cyl Ford Ranger. They are the most fuel economical pickups, at least for the years I checked on the EPA site. Pay attention to features + details because some get better mpg than others.

If you plan to go off roading, well that's nice recreation. Are you in a position to have a vehicle for recreation and also a true fuel sipper for those trips to VA?

Sorry - I'm not trying to be mean. Trying to put some ideas in front of you. Maybe some of this is stuff you hadn't already thought of.

I commute 55 miles each way so that's about 550 mi/week. I did the math, and in 3 years driving the Civic, the gas savings compared to the car I drove before was enough to pay for the Civic! If you truly cover some distance, the $$ for gas really adds up - or adds up much more slowly, depending on what you drive.