What's the consensus on Jeep Wranglers?

Midget

Midget

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i'm looking into getting a small truck or SUV, primarily to help me deal w/ poor weather and have some storage capacity (i currently drive a sports car).

due to parking, maneuverability, and size constraints of the city, i'm leaning away from a truck.

how is the reputations of Jeep, particularly the Wrangler? High maintenance or low? Would anyone with experience say that the vehicle is affordable in terms of total cost of ownership (insurance, fuel economy, tires, maintenance)?
 
I have a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon that I have had for going on 2 years now. First off, I LOVE IT!! So far my maintenance has been low cost because any issues that developed were covered by the warranty. The new Wranglers have a 3.6 engine that Chrysler uses on lots of vehicles. It is a gutsy engine but the drivers side head had a design flaw that forced a Recall or TSB to replace the head. Mine went at 17000 miles and was replaced and has been great since. That has been my only issue so far. I am sure on the 13s and 14s they have that fixed already. In the summer I get around 17 to 19 mpg on the highway. In winter several mpg less. Only in the low teens in the woods. As far as interior space, if you take the rear seat out there is plenty.
It is so cramped in the rear seating that I consider the Wrangler a 2 seater with emergency seating for 2 more. I prefer it with the rear seat out. It gives you lots of storage space and room for the sound system to kick out the jams! I have no kids and long legs so that is fine with me anyway. It is a fun vehicle and turns on a dime in the woods or city I suppose. Insurance on it was less than my 2007 Ford Fusion.
I have 39000 miles on it now. I must admit there are a lot of changes on mine. Oversize wheels and aggressive tires, new bumpers, with winch, new AEV heat reduction hood and snorkel, cold air intake, cat back exhaust, 6 extra lights here and there, Boom Mats in the hard top. The list goes on. Having my jeep has been a lot like the 70s when building my Harleys up was so much fun. The Wrangler seems like that. I have met a similar crowd too. Other folks in Wranglers smiling, and waving and offering you tips on what to add to yours and where to go wheeling. Great group of folks. It seems a great all around vehicle, and fun toy. Good Luck choosing!
 
thanks for the advice, archangel! how much did oversize wheels and tires cost, if you don't me asking? how do you go about getting this work done -- doesn't the vehicle need to be lifted w/ a different suspension?

would you recommend a jeep-specific forum that I could start following? I have google'd a bunch of forums but don't know which ones are good. ;)
 
Cherokee might be more up ur alley if u are worried about interior room. Off road I much prefer Cherokee to wrangler.

In the city wrangler really opens you up to theft also so consider that.
 
google 'death wobble' and 'gas guzzler'.
 
I wouldn't bother unless you plan on riding trails on a regular basis.

Pick something with AWD standard. Honestly you can't go wrong with a Subaru Forester, they may not be the coolest kid in town but they are dead reliable and can handle any bad weather you'll run into.
 
neverdie36 said:
I wouldn't bother unless you plan on riding trails on a regular basis.

Pick something with AWD standard. Honestly you can't go wrong with a Subaru Forester, they may not be the coolest kid in town but they are dead reliable and can handle any bad weather you'll run into.
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Agreed, for on-road a Wrangler is not a great choice.
But... it has a GREAT turning radius and can park in almost any spot in a city...

My cousin put well over 2 light-seconds on her Forester before it died. She replaced it with an Impreza.
 
Midget said:
thanks for the advice, archangel! how much did oversize wheels and tires cost, if you don't me asking? how do you go about getting this work done -- doesn't the vehicle need to be lifted w/ a different suspension?

would you recommend a jeep-specific forum that I could start following? I have google'd a bunch of forums but don't know which ones are good. ;)
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I went with a 33" tire (LT 285/70R17 on mine. You could go that large without lift. I didn't want to do a lift yet as it is my primary means of transportation.
I can go anywhere I have wanted in the trails the way it is. We are not hard core off roaders, but love to explore and photograph wildlife and just get lost in the woods. It's a great get away for us as my days of humping the brush on foot are a ways behind me it seems.
The 5 tires I bought last year were Goodyear Duratraks and five of them mounted, balanced and new frontend alignment cost me 1800.00! God those things cost me a mint. Wheel and Tire combos can be had at a lot of local tire shops. There were many cheaper tires but I wanted these as they rated good in snow and rain as well as off road.
The JK forum is the one I go to most as my Jeep is a JK model and they are a friendly lot.
As for the Wrangler not being a good road vehicle. It may not be as refined as some but I beg to differ. I drove this thing for a year and a half back and forth from Maine to southern Mass to a job each week and it was great. 70 and 75 miles per hour on the highway for three hours at a time. No sweat. It does not handle like a sports car. It is top heavy and has a short wheelbase. One just learns to adjust their driving to suit the car they are driving.
Many have mentioned that the Wrangler is not the perfect vehicle. They are right. It has its issues as any vehicle designed for off road use and on road use has.
Subarus are sweet cars, (my brother has one) but that kind of thing is up to each of us to decide what fits us best. I can say that I love this Wrangler more than any car or truck I have ever owned. It suits my tastes to a "T" though and if it suits yours also--- Have Fun!!:D
 
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I love mine, granted it's not an everyday driver though. It's noisy, twitchy and doesn't have much room inside but in the "fun category" , not much can touch it.
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Great for off roading, terrible for daily driving.

I would love a rubicon but hear too many lemons are made.
 
I had a '97 wrangler w soft top. you could run 32" tires with no lift, I did. Not sure about the newer ones? I absolutely loved it but as far as a back seat, it was o.k. for short runs but for a road trip not so much. Maintenance was average and mpg was truck like. It would turn around in it's own foot print. As far as off road and weather related (snow) it was very hard to beat and I found myself pulling many larger 4x4 trucks out of the ditch during winter mos.
 
A forester makes a much better highway driver. If you ever drive on gravel, or if the roads you drive on get sanded, you will go through windshields in a Jeep very frequently.
From talking to other drivers, and from the little I saw at the shop, the 3.6 is an improvement over the old 4L I6. And of all the Jeeps, it was designed to fit into the wrangler chassis, where as it is a nightmare for maintenance in the Nitro, compass and patriot.
They are very off-road capable, and will get the job done, but with the soft top (and even the removable hard top) they are chilly, have poor de-frosters and good tires are going to be quite pricey. Plus most of the good offroad features (locking diffs etc) are only in the higher trim packages.
In contrast, a forester has (IMHO) a better center of mass, good all-round performance, decent cargo space, and decent rear seat. you could also look into one of the wagons or hatches as well.

As much as a fan of Jeeps and other short wheelbase 4x4s as I am, I just don't like the limitations of the design. I like things that want to be on their wheels.
 
As much as I love Jeeps, there is a saying on the Jeep forums: JEEP means Just Empty Every Pocket. I think the previous model Wranglers (TJ and YJ) had decent reliability, but I have heard of a fair number of problems with newer Jeeps, especially electrical issues. Most owners still love their Wranglers though, and I've never seen one on the side of the trail for issues other than driver-error. I would definitely want to get an extended warranty, but modifications might void it. The short wheelbase of the 2-door Wrangler can make it feel squirrelly in the snow, but it's not hard to adjust your driving style. Parking is awesome. Just be warned, they have the aerodynamics of a brick and are even more addictive to modify than buying knives. Believe me, I know:

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My mom used to work at a Jeep dealership, its been a while, but there quality control was so bad there is no way I'd ever buy one. Some Jeeps would literally have the dash pop out as the customer drove them off the lot. If you NEED a Jeep, or have the kinda money to throw at one just for fun, then I'd say go for it. If you are looking for a practical, reliable vehicle then I'd look elsewhere. ....and yes there will be plenty of people that love their Jeep and will tell you how its the most reliable vehicle in the world, but service reports don't lie.
 
I had a 98 grand cherokee, loved that thing. Snapped the rears during a fun drive on a OHV.

the new GCs are very nice, but too much cabin noise
 
I had a 04' Unlimited. The unicorn 4 spd auto. Had it lifted 4 1/2" 33x10.50x15's 9,5k warn, bumpers front & rear. Was focused on Stu's tj website. Too many mods to mention. Cylinder 1 hammered the camshaft fused @ 70k miles. I was just driving along & the engine shut down. It was still under warranty so I paid $100 to fix what would have cost me 4k out of pocket. Took 2 weeks to fix & the Detroit certified mechanic said he'd never even heard of it happening to an inline 6. Sent my camshaft off to Chrysler. Then at 102k, my computer went out. They told me it'd run another 4k to replace the computer. I took it to the Toyota dealership & traded it in on a loaded '12 taco. Ain't looked back.
 
I like outdoing the wranglers on trails. I guess I'm an underdog type of guy.

I have 3 Suzuki samurais and a trail only jeep grand Cherokee.

On the other hand, I do not frequent any cities so my suggestions are really outside of your specific needs.
 
lilBIGfoot said:
I like outdoing the wranglers on trails. I guess I'm an underdog type of guy.

I have 3 Suzuki samurais and a trail only jeep grand Cherokee.

On the other hand, I do not frequent any cities so my suggestions are really outside of your specific needs.
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That's the way to do it! If I had it to do over again that's the way I'd go.
 
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