A Late Model Jeep Wrangler- Maybe 2010, or So

[Blaine]

I might be looking for a cheap-o (4cyl, manual everything,not much except a heater-type) to flat tow behind the Van.....Is the quality control on these any better than they were 10 years ago? My old job bought some of these 2001, 2002, and the quality control were horrible, though the engine/tranny was top notch. Just lot's and lot's of little pelosi, check engine, etc.....

[octagon]

A good friend has one and it runs drives good but he hates it because every time he gets in he bangs his head the door frame. He is 6'1".

[Walker]

My 2012 has been in 3 times for engine problems so far (under 25k miles) but it's a six cylinder. It was one of those that had the left head out of spec . The other problems were caused when the dealership screwed up replacing the head and related worn out parts. Not making me feel good about the long term reliability.

tw

[jeepnik]

Blaine, look for an older CJ-5. Being non fuel injected and having no computer, they are easier to repair in the field.

[1894c]

BlainG -- i have a 2004 Jeep sport, have had it for 2 years and absolutely love it (120,000 miles)...mine has the 6-cyl. engine... :)

[cshold]

My opinion, the 1995 was the last good year for the Jeep Wrangler.
It was bad enough when they went to the square head lights.
95 was the last year for the old school buck-board leaf suspension.
I'll keep my 95 for as long as I possibly can.

[madman4570]

My opinion?

I can say without a doubt the 2002-2007 smaller Jeep Liberty from ALL the people I know love theirs. Every single one of them has been from their accounts extremely reliable. And the stripped thing heck if the price is right grab some nice stuff too.
All those people have had the small V6 with the Auto tranny.

I will say and have drove and witnessed this for myself, they go absolutely in deep snow unbelievably well. Same with going in the mud,unreal.
Blaine have no idea what that drive train system is on them for what they use, but it is very fine working.
Now if you are beating it on rock boulders no idea strength wise compared to a HD Jeep CJ5 etc. Both being extremely short wheel based and sitting pretty high clearance I suspect under most 90+% conditions would do wonderfully.

From what I am seeing around here a 2006 loaded up pretty good Liberty with say 40,000 miles will run around $7K

Honestly Blaine I would not mind one of those myself. Lady that works with my wife just traded hers crying,cause she loved it. had 221,000 miles on her 2004 Liberty and traded it hers for a 2011 Liberty which she loves now, took some getting used to much bigger unit,but also said in snow/mud it goes very well. However that smaller Liberty could turn around on a dime and sometimes in tough places that can be a big deal!

Good Luck!

Don't believe me?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RLnTlCWjdM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbU9m8xMHuM


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftV-uR-fWb0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlgP5B7rsms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPk5e9uMM5s

[Canuck Bob]

My 2003 TJ, can't call them Wranglers in Canada, has been as tough as I could hope for. It has been a sales truck in oilpatch and I trust it to get me home in gumbo mud and nasty blizzards. I do not like the old suspension and am very happy with the Quadratrac coil suspension.

I think you are referring to the newer JK with the V6. I believe it is still a jeep and therefore a hybrid city/bush truck that is considerably more money than a TJ. I tried the 4 cyl.when I bought mine and it wouldn't pull itself out of the griveway and got real bad mileage! My straight 6 is the premium Jeep engine IMO. The newer JK V6 is a high rev low torque engine and handicappedby the computer controlled auto tranny according to my friends. Many oilpatch guys do use the Rubicon version and like it alot. It is pricey but loaded up with off road goodies.

I would not hesitate to buy a TJ 6 cyl. for your needs. The LJ is my favourite and I wish I had bought one with the longer wheelbase.

[Blaine]

Up popped a '06 Wrangler SE, 4cyl, manual everything.....50,000 miles....They are going to bring it up and I'll look at it Sunday.....(going hunting thursday fri Sat....) If it's nice, I'll offer a lowball cash deal....Might as well spend it while it's still worth something....

[madman4570]

Up popped a '06 Wrangler SE, 4cyl, manual everything.....50,000 miles....They are going to bring it up and I'll look at it Sunday.....(going hunting thursday fri Sat....) If it's nice, I'll offer a lowball cash deal....Might as well spend it while it's still worth something....

You mean dicker! (hey, even once is dickering) you give em heck Blaine!

Hope that Jeep is awesome and they take your first offer pard!

[3leggedturtle]

Knew a gent that had a 4cyl Wrangler with AT and little bigger tires he put on it. He averaged 25mpg in the warm months and 21mpg in the cold months. He had a 16 mile drive to work with 3/4 of it on freeway.


Blaine what did your Nissan average for MPG? What was the high and low? What speeds did you normally drive? Todd

[Blaine]

Knew a gent that had a 4cyl Wrangler with AT and little bigger tires he put on it. He averaged 25mpg in the warm months and 21mpg in the cold months. He had a 16 mile drive to work with 3/4 of it on freeway.


Blaine what did your Nissan average for MPG? What was the high and low? What speeds did you normally drive? Todd

20 high, 15 low.....20 was 60, no air, windows up........Most of the time, 17 or 18......

[Sixgun]

Here we go again on the Jeepers.

4 cylinders are dogs. your money, your call.

The technology on Jeeps gets better with each year, so the newer they are, the better they are.

I come from a small family but in that family are 11 Jeep Wranglers, from 1989 on........and they are all on the road.----------6

[jeepnik]

Here we go again on the Jeepers.

4 cylinders are dogs. your money, your call.

The technology on Jeeps gets better with each year, so the newer they are, the better they are.

I come from a small family but in that family are 11 Jeep Wranglers, from 1989 on........and they are all on the road.----------6

I agree the newer 4's are gutless. But I will take exception to the "newer is better". I use this example frequently.

Your fuel pump goes belly up on an injected motor and you have no spare pump. I sure hope the cell phone works or you're in for a long walk back.

Fuel pump on my carbureted inline 6 goes belly up and I have no spare (that's never going to happen again). I don't care if the cell phone has no reception, or how far back it is. I'm going to take a soda bottle filled with gas, tape it to the windshield, run a piece of tubing from the bottle to the carb, and adjust the flow with a pair of needle nose vise grips, an motor on out.

Oh, if I pass you walking out, I will stop and give you a ride. Hey were both jeepers after all.

Thank you Granville King, you saved me a long walk. You and Super Pup rest in peace.

[Sixgun]

Jeepnik,
Well, I guess anything can happen. I have both old and new and I bought the old new, so my experience goes back a few years. I do my own repairs and have had the trans out of Old Yeller 3 times just to replace the slave cylinder.......it's buried in the trans bell housing......yea, that makes sense for a 75 dollar part to be buried in 6-8 hours of hard labor.

The YJ ( up to '95 of which mine is an 89) is the last of the real Jeeps and they really do nickel and dime you. The TJ (96-06....I have an 05 Rubi)rides so much better, has no problem fuel inj, has a heater that works great, better trans with the heavier Dana 44 rear , so much more weather resistant and quieter soft top. The JK (07 on) rides like a Caddy and will plow through the snow and mud better than the other two.....has a smokin hot heater & ac that will freeze a t-bone, great gas milage. I have yet to put a dime into our TJ or our 4 door JK.

Newer really is better all the way around. It may be easier for the regular guy like myself to work on the YJ, but to me, it's an easy trade off for the reliability and comfort of the newer ones.-----6

[Mac in Mo]

Granville King.... Haven't heard that name in a while.


Kevin

[draperjojo]

Just sold an 84 CJ7 that ran great and got over 20mpg. Just brought a cow elk back that my 16 Y/O shot, in a trailer 250 miles hooked behind the 2003 Liberty Renegade and it ran great. The nice thing about my wife's 2009 Wrangler 4 door is that I don't have to pitch a tent if I don't want, I can lay the middle seat down and stretch out in the jeep. If it gets cold I can press the remote start on the jeep and let the engine run with the heater going....I like the 4 door!

[OldWin]

Yeah, ole Granville King, those were the days......
Had jeeps all my life. Running an 03 TJ Rubicon now. I like TJ's a lot but they are about as new as I can go. I just can't warm up to the JK. Too much invasive electronic stuff. ABS, traction control, etc. just doesn't belong. Even the two doors look huge and wide. I barely fit most places I wheel now.

Oh, and the biggest thing is they seemed to be owned by mostly non-jeep people. They very rarely wave.

[Streetstar]

Oh, and the biggest thing is they seemed to be owned by mostly non-jeep people. They very rarely wave.

I have a TJ -- I rarely wave -- Don't wave to other riders much when im on my bike either --- (but i'll wave back if someone initiates) ---
my thoughts are -- "Yeah, Yeah, I've got a Jeep, You've got a Jeep, ... So What"

But, - I was behind a guy with a giant JK - had to be on 37's , in the Starbucks drive thru a couple of nights ago - didn't think much of it until I pulled up to pay, then the cashier told me, -- "Don't worry about it, the guy in the other Jeep took care of your tab"

What a nice dude --- made me re-think my position on JK drivers for sure

[jeepnik]

Granville King.... Haven't heard that name in a while.


Kevin

Well, you just showed your age.

[jeepnik]

The wave started to die out when the YJ came along and it became trendy for bubble headed blonde teens to have Jeeps. When it first became a trend lots of us just figured that in a couple of years we'd have tons or rolling spare parts around. Sadly for us, but not Jeep, they are still fairly trendy.

Gotta say though, I don't like the 4 door look. They look too much like the old Hummers, probably intentional. I do like the Unlimited as it is pretty much just an updated Scrambler. But when the hung the extra two doors they killed the look for me.

[Mescalero]

Blaine is out hunting and you guys are still talking about it.

[Blaine]

Blaine is out hunting and you guys are still talking about it.

Water sking is more like it.....geeeez...
Keep talking....
IMO the 4 might be a little light but it's more than adequate for my use......