DiscoverTo All The Cars I've Loved Before: Your First Car Tells The StoryYour Jeep Wrangler was used in a bank robbery? Plus starting an EV Revolution
Your Jeep Wrangler was used in a bank robbery? Plus starting an EV Revolution

Your Jeep Wrangler was used in a bank robbery? Plus starting an EV Revolution

Update: 2025-10-21
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What happens when a 16-year-old buys a doorless, topless Jeep Wrangler with Bar Mitzvah money, then inherits his dad's Tesla with no way to pay for it?

Rei Vardi turned a college student's nightmare into a thriving business. His 1995 Jeep Wrangler—complete with red rims, no airbags, and a top speed of 50 mph—taught him to love driving. But when his father's 2015 Tesla Model S became his problem to solve, Rei discovered that renting out electric vehicles was nearly impossible. Someone even robbed a bank in his car.

Instead of giving up, he built Eon Rides, a virtual fleet that's revolutionizing how we think about car sharing and electric vehicles.

In this episode, discover:

  • The authentic joy of driving a "beautiful piece of junk" first car
  • Why traditional car sharing fails (and what Ray did differently)
  • How family, entrepreneurship, and automotive passion collide
  • The surprising connection between a Jeep Wrangler and a Land Rover Defender named Sasha

Guest: Rei Vardi, Founder of Eon Rides (eonrides.com)

Join Doug and Christian for another unforgettable automotive story where every car tells a tale, and every tale reveals something deeper about the drivers who love them.

*** Your Favorite Automotive Podcast - Now Arriving Weekly!!! ***

Listen on your favorite platform and visit https://carsloved.com for full episodes, our automotive blog, Guest Road Trip Playlist and our new CAR-ousel of Memories photo archive.

Don't Forget to Rate & Review to keep the engines of automotive storytelling—and personal restoration—running strong.

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Your Jeep Wrangler was used in a bank robbery? Plus starting an EV Revolution

Your Jeep Wrangler was used in a bank robbery? Plus starting an EV Revolution

Doug & Christian: Your Guides to Automotive Memories