[Chickensoup]

Jeep Fans?

Freeper Husbands!

I am Thinking of Buying a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara. I like the vehicle, it is big for me, I am moving from my Golf Diesel. Although I have had Xterras and Mazda MPV (Before they ruined its design) previously.

I looked at many new cars and SUV crosses and they all are poorly designed, have lousy visibility and have metal that is so thin it needs to be serviced every few months. I also discovered I need a more butch looking vehicle. All the Suv crossovers look like they were made for Oprah. Teardrop shapes and curves.

I liked the used Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara. It looks durable, I have found a couple of them. Seems as though I am having a difficult time getting the price down below 30K

I cannot quite figure out the Jeep Wrangler choices. Is there a Jeep Wrangler as high and tall as the unlimited but only with 2 doors? All the Wranglers I see with 2 doors are short and look like they belong in a suburb.

Any advice from Freeper Jeep owners appreciated.

Am I making another dumb move here?

[blam]

My friends, just last night, says stay away from Jeep. Serious reliability problems.

[NY.SS-Bar9]

Friend has a jeep - big wheels, offroad mods, lights - probably about $15,000 in upgrades. Actually goes off road with it. It is his pride and joy.

Really pissed him off when I pointed out the rust under some screws on a vehicle that was less than a year old.

Chrysler makes garbage.

[lucyblue]

Over 20+ years, I’ve driven the wheels off of two used Jeep Grand Cherokees and got my Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon this past May. I Love It!
It has a lift kit that makes it taller as well as having bigger tires.
If you like the way you feel when you test drive it, go for it! They aren’t for everybody, but they sure can be a lot of fun!

[max americana]

I own the WJ version. V8. After I got this Jeep, I never even want to go down to the faggy 4 cylinder types.

[~Peter]

The Jeep is a Chrysler product. Need I say more?

Get a Subaru Outback ... you’ll be happy for many years to some.

My opinion for what it’s worth.

[tumblindice]

Buying a Jeep is like buying an RV or pontoon boat.
The second happiest day of your life is the day you buy it ...

[Daffynition]

[Joe 6-pack]

I currently have a 2014 Wrangler Rubicon (2DR), and have driven pretty much nothing but Jeeps for the past 22 years. As others have already written, they may not be for everybody, but suit me and my needs nicely. The Rubicon is not a trim level, it's a performance level and is available in both the 2DR and 4DR (Unlimited) versions. Off the showroom floor, the Rubicon will be slightly higher with bigger wheels and tires (which will drop your mileage a bit). The Rubicon also has a Dana 44 axle at the front and rear (the sport and Sahara have a 44 at the rear and a lighter axle up front). This is a robust axle but with the lower gear ratios of the Rubicon is optimized for off-road performance and will also decrease your mileage. The Rubicon's big advantages over the Sahara and Sport are the electronic disconnecting sway bar and locking axles which are for extreme off road situations. The OEM tires on the Rubicon are designed specifically for it and will increase your road noise. If you plan on doing off road stuff on a regular basis, the Rubicon is the way to go. If it's going to be more of a daily driver with some occasional off-road use, you will be better of paying less for the Rubicon's off road features and putting the money towards some more of the creature comfort interior options.

This is not to say that the Rubicon is not suited for the highway; I'm about to take mine on it's third annual trip from Louisiana to PA for the holidays. Is it the most comfortable ride in the world? Nope, but if I did not use it the way I do throughout the rest of the year here, and didn't need the capabilities of the Rubicon, the sport or Sahara would certainly be the better option (and both are certainly fully capable off roaders in their own right).

If you are looking at a family SUV, with some off-road capabilities and are more of a tech oriented person, take a look at the Cherokee in the trailhawk edition. I prefer a standard transmission which is only available in the Wrangler, but the trailhawk Cherokee has some amazing tech features that seem pretty interesting.

[Caipirabob]

I would not buy a Jeep nor most American brands and I cannot recommend it to someone who may bet their life on its reliability. Living in Arizona a drive in the desert can become a life or death situation with a low quality vehicle and Jeep/GM vehicle is just...crap. Honda, Toyota or Nissan...

[moehoward]

Just do it already. Stop shopping around for a cheap one. The only thing that happens is the good ones will keep getting bought out from under you.

I’ve had several. Not the JK though which is what you’re looking at. YJ, TJ and LJ. Loved them all. I’d have a newer unlimited, but I’m too old for them.

[Dave911]

I bought a 2015 4dr Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Alpine last year. Main difference is the hood shape. I love it. My other car is a 2013 Mercedes E 350 and I have to say I honestly like the Jeep as much. Not to mention I get more compliments on the Jeep. Not that it matters, just interesting is all. The 4dr is a serious truck, solid feel and great in snow.

[Dad was my hero]

FWIW and you've got a lot of advice here. My first new car was a '75 CJ5, incredible auto and went in everything. Next new one was a '78 CJ7. Later got a J10 pickup then later a Comanche. The J10 was the best 4WD truck I've ever owned as far as 4WD performance. Mine and Mrs Dad's last two vehicles were an '03 Silverado and an '09 CRV. Because of Mrs' medical condition she no longer drives and the truck and CRV were starting to nickel and dime us so I decided to look. Had originally thought of a Lexus LX450 (or 570?) but couldn't reach an agreement on the price.

Then I went to the Jeep dealer and was looking at the top of the line Grand Cherokee and it was nice. But then I went across the street to the BMW dealer and fell for the X5. Talk about WOW. It has AWD and tows up to 6000 lbs with a 600 lb tongue weight (as much as my Silverado was rated for), it is a twin turbo 6 cil diesel and gets incredible mileage and has a big tank so can go over 700 miles on a tankful of diesel. Put it in sport mode, click in the sport gearing, punch it and the turbos kick in, just hang on cause you're gonna get someplace in a big hurry. Little to no cabin noise. Steering is electric and a joy to use. Fit and finish is incredible. It didn't have all the features that the Cherokee had (auto breaking and side warnings - cause I didn't order them but could get them) and it handles corners like it is on rails. It towed my roughly 1700 fishing boat like it wasn't even there when the truck could handle it but I knew it was back there. Vehicles that pass by us while we're sitting in left turn lanes at lights, their wind impact barely moves us which is not something I could say about either the truck or CRV. Price was about the same as the wrangler. If I was doing it again I'd probably buy it again with a couple extra options like the windshield display for one.

[outofsalt]

Price insurance and maintenance into the equation and you will find Toyota 4by’s a better alternative. YMMV

[RegulatorCountry]

The Jeep Wrangler is going to be a fairly harsh vehicle as far as noise (wind, road, engine) compared to most other remotely comparable vehicles, and the ride will not be as smooth. It’s intended to be a fairly rugged body and interior, and for the most part it is. It has an excellent 4WD system for off-roading. There are better 4WD or AWD systems for poor traction situations on pavement, for instance Subaru, but the Jeep is still no slouch even there.

The issue is Chrysler, and AMC before them. Build quality hasn’t been all that great. Seems to be spotty, some have a great experience, others have bad ones.

The automatic transmission sounds to me as if it could be a problem area. I know personally of an instance where a couple rented an automatic Wrangler out on the Outer Banks of NC, so they could go into the 4WD areas with no roads, that’s where many of the best beaches are. The vehicle was practically brand new, the transmission failed while in their possession. Dealership tried to blame them for abusing the vehicle. They didn’t. Dealership finally dropped it after unwanted publicity. Chrysler has been known to build questionable automatics for years.

There are far more people who have Wranglers who love them, than there are people who hate them and regret it. If you like the look, don’t mind it being a little industrial and a little rough, then I say go for it. One thing that would be good to have, would be a complete service and repair history. Logs, detailed service records. Not just CarFax. Better still would be to know the owner who is selling it, that kept those logs and records.

[Mister Da]

What will you be using the vehicle for?

Wrangler is great offroad, but roars on the highway.

Here is what CU says about the 2017 Wrangler:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/jeep-wrangler.htm

[AlaskaErik]

First of all, have you done a mission profile? What exactly do you need a vehicle for?

That aside, too many people want a Jeep Wrangler for the "cool" effect. But the truth is, the ride is harsh and the handling is clumsy on the road. It has a very tight fit, making it uncomfortable for anything other than short drives. There is only one real reason to own a Wrangler. And that is for its offroad capability. That is the only reason I bought mine. I belong to an offroad club and we go out on trails that would break pretty much any other vehicle. Otherwise, I would never own one.

Here is the rundown on the three Wrangler models. First is the Sport. It is entry level. Bought by those who can't afford anything else and those who want to do some serious modifications. Second is the Sahara. Best known as a pavement princess, this one has a plushed out suspension, 18 inch tires and was designed for those who never go offroad, or just venture onto Forest Service roads. Third is the Rubicon. This is for the serious offroader who wants to hit the trail without too many modifications. It has electrically activated lockers front and rear, as well as an electric swaybar disconnect. The Rubicon also comes with a Dana 44 front axle, as opposed to the Dana 30 on the other two. Additionally, the Rubicon has a lower geared transfer case.

The Sport and Sahara can be had with a rear limited slip differential, which you would want in snow conditions. The Rubicon lockers can only be activated in 4LO, so all your winter driving will be with open differentials.

All new Wranglers have a Pentastar 3.6L V-6 and come with a part time four wheel drive system that has a high and low range. A 6 speed manual transmission is available, but most have the 5 speed automatic. The four door version is known as the Unlimited.

Bottom line...the Wrangler is a poor choice for a daily driver. I only drive mine when I hit the trail. The rest of the time, it's my wife's to drive. Because I'd much rather drive my Chevy Silverado, which has a much nicer ride and has the full time 4WD capability my Jeep doesn't have.

[right way right]

I am a mechanic and I suggest you google 3.7 Chrysler.
I owned a 98 Grand Cherokee 4.0 6 Tuned up twice and a water pump replacement. That was all.
I wish I still owned it. Sold at it with 200,000 miles.
I Own an 04 Dodge 1500 Ram 5.7 Hemi 175,000mi Changed radiator once, thats it.
I OWNED an 09 Liberty 3.7 V6 Valve spring breaking, valve seat sucking, timing chain guide chewing, code throwing POS. I dumped it at 58,000 miles.
I hope they have improved it.
I was a big Chrysler fan even though I have been a Ford tech.
Now I’m looking for another 98 Grand Cherokee to restore.

[fella]

Back in the 70s I was fortunate enough to be assigned one of these . . .

while working on a pipeline. Of course this one doesn't have a darkroom mounted on it.

[PAR35]

Don’t let the naysayers talk you out of getting a Fiat Wrangler. Fiat has now had enough time to get rid of those German influences and institute Italian quality standards.

[Crusher138]

I have a 2008 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara that I bought new.

Pluses
We live in New Mexico and this vehicle goes everywhere.
Tough
Nice stereo
Reasonably reliable

Minuses
Crap for gas mileage - 15 MPG around town, 21 MPG highway
Zero to 60 measured in hours
Fabric seats don’t hold up
Rough ride

If I lived anywhere else I don’t know if I would own one. Around here I can’t see not owning one.