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*Calling all Wrangler owners*


BStowers023

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Hey guys, just wanted some opinions on a potential new daily.

 

I'm looking to trade my 04 TL for a 97-06 Wrangler. I'd like an inline 6 manual with a soft top, but am considering a hard top for the right Jeep. Most that I'm considering are between 100-150k miles.

 

My question is, what are some common issues with Wranglers around this mileage? Are they high maintenance? Fairly reasonable to mod them (just lift, tires and some small things)?

 

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

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Radiators are leaky, front suspension parts need replaced at that mileage, front fenders rust. Motors are reliable though.

 

I'm considering selling mine, black/tan 6cyl with a manual. Bunch of recent maintenance (see above) with 106k miles.

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Honestly I think you'd probably hate it as a daily. They are anything but comfortable or fun to drive in traffic.

 

Awesome cars though and fun as hell off road.

 

This ^

 

Though I had a '12 2 door soft top and it was fun but as a daily, no thanks.

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Honestly I think you'd probably hate it as a daily. They are anything but comfortable or fun to drive in traffic.

 

Awesome cars though and fun as hell off road.

 

^^this.

 

Sold our 2010 wrangler mountain, because it just wasn't functional.

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I know they are a huge jump in price, but I drove a friend's Wrangler Rubicon and the thing was like no other wrangler I ever drove before. VERY nice, considering it's still waaaay more tee-ruk than you really ever need in a daily.

 

I'd look at the Pentastar 3.6L Wranglers. Honestly, anything before that is an overpriced compromise to own a "Jeep".

 

EDIT: Quick jaunt through eBay proves I'm right: 10+ year old Wrangler Rubicons are still $15k+ with over 100k miles. Only $10k more gets you a Mercedes-designed Wrangler that is a much better product with less than 45k miles on the clock. Not a bad jump.

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What specifically makes them not practical, help me out here. I've often thought Id like jeep actually.

 

Current daily is a regular cab diesel pickup with a 6 speed and a real heavy clutch. It rides poorly lol.

 

Jeeps worse somehow?

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They don't go, they don't stop, body roll like crazy, bad gas mileage, some have no Ac, frame rusts out, fenders rust out, transfer case likes to explode from time to time.

 

Let's see.. If it's a soft top anyone with a pocket knife can take your stuff from it.. And the back seat has zero room if it has a backseat at all

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Honestly I think you'd probably hate it as a daily. They are anything but comfortable or fun to drive in traffic.

 

Awesome cars though and fun as hell off road.

 

Was wondering also how a soft top would be in the winter in frigid temperatures.

 

Radiators are leaky, front suspension parts need replaced at that mileage, front fenders rust. Motors are reliable though.

 

I'm considering selling mine, black/tan 6cyl with a manual. Bunch of recent maintenance (see above) with 106k miles.

 

I'd like to check it out. Do you have any pics or a link?

 

I know they are a huge jump in price, but I drove a friend's Wrangler Rubicon and the thing was like no other wrangler I ever drove before. VERY nice, considering it's still waaaay more tee-ruk than you really ever need in a daily.

 

I'd look at the Pentastar 3.6L Wranglers. Honestly, anything before that is an overpriced compromise to own a "Jeep".

 

EDIT: Quick jaunt through eBay proves I'm right: 10+ year old Wrangler Rubicons are still $15k+ with over 100k miles. Only $10k more gets you a Mercedes-designed Wrangler that is a much better product with less than 45k miles on the clock. Not a bad jump.

 

I'd love a newer jeep, but they're just a little over what I'm looking to spend.

 

They don't go, they don't stop, body roll like crazy, bad gas mileage, some have no Ac, frame rusts out, fenders rust out, transfer case likes to explode from time to time.

 

Let's see.. If it's a soft top anyone with a pocket knife can take your stuff from it.. And the back seat has zero room if it has a backseat at all

 

Did you have a bad experience with one, or did you just hear about this happening often? If so, what year and model?

 

As far as it getting broken into, I just leave the doors unlocked. I've lived on campus the past 3 years and learned that it's better to just not leave anything valuable in your car and just leave the doors unlocked. The same would apply for the Jeep.

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Was wondering also how a soft top would be in the winter in frigid temperatures.

 

 

 

I'd like to check it out. Do you have any pics or a link?

 

 

 

I'd love a newer jeep, but they're just a little over what I'm looking to spend.

 

 

 

Did you have a bad experience with one, or did you just hear about this happening often? If so, what year and model?

 

As far as it getting broken into, I just leave the doors unlocked. I've lived on campus the past 3 years and learned that it's better to just not leave anything valuable in your car and just leave the doors unlocked. The same would apply for the Jeep.

 

I was smart enough to never own one, seen many and in my line of work am forced to have to drive them time to time. Frame rot is number one issue with them. They are awesome off road but as a daily complete pos..

 

Have you driven one?

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Jeeps do get a bad wrap, as it it probably warranted. They rust out and break a lot...but they have a cult following. We make fun of them all day long, but then try to imitate them with tube doors and sorry attempts at long travel IFS to try and match the solid axle for better offroading in our Toyotas. They are certainly one-of-a kind in that regard. In OHIO, with no reasonable offroading and mostly terrible weather...no thank you. At least not as a daily. They are definitely more of a niche vehicle (especially an older one). I'd still love to have one as a beater, top off, stick shift, ect.
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Very fun weekend mobile, but no good as a daily. Drove one as a loaner for 3 weeks about ten years ago when I was younger/dumber/more tolerable, decided I'd never own a daily wrangler. Wheel base makes twisties downright nerve racking, soft top noise is tolerable for a mile, power wasn't impressive, and comfort was about like an old vdub beetle.

Blast as a toy, crap as a daily. But some love em, so it takes all kinds.

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They don't go, they don't stop, body roll like crazy, bad gas mileage, some have no Ac, frame rusts out, fenders rust out, transfer case likes to explode from time to time.

 

Let's see.. If it's a soft top anyone with a pocket knife can take your stuff from it.. And the back seat has zero room if it has a backseat at all

 

Aside from the rust which I can't comment about, his ^

 

There is zero room if you need to haul 4 people and opt for the 2 door. If you go for the 4 door, it's just not a jeep to me. I will say I had mine for 2 years and got damn near exactly what I paid for it back when I traded it in. Can't say that about any other vehicle I've owned. It was fun, I wanted to keep it but the trade in offer I was given toward the challenger changed my mind and I let it go.

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I'm a single guy with no kids, so seating 4 people isn't an issue for me. I also drove my WS6 through a Mississippi summer with leather seats and no A/C and I didn't mind it. I can justify the vehicle not being super comfortable if I enjoy driving it.
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Single and you can tolerate it, sure daily the fuck out of one. If I were much younger and single I probably would. Soft top never bothered me in the cold or hot. Mine had ac when it was too hot and the heater is fine for the cold.
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I had a 99 Wrangler Sport 5 speed that I DD'ed for ~3 years. The fuel milage out of the 4L inline 6 sucked, but I never had any reliability issues or issues driving it daily, even in traffic. The biggest down BY FAR is the amount of cabin noise you get with the soft top. I loved just dropping it in the summer and cruising tho.

 

Edit: if you're fine with the milage, then I say go for it. Def get an insulated hard top for the winter. There are combo hard tops where the front section easily comes off like a targa top.

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The 06 4.0liters had a problem with stripping the teeth of the distributor which starved the engine of oil since the oil pump is driven off the distributor gear. You will defintley want a hardtop in the winter. Iv owned a couple of wranglers
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I DD my 2013 Wrangler with no issues. I run a soft top in the warmer months and a hard top in the winter. But I know plenty that run the soft top all year long with no issues at all. Jeep heaters will run you out because of how warm they are. It isn't the most practical, but I enjoy it and isn't that the reason we drive the vehicles we do.
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I currently daily drive an 11 with no problems. When I daily thrashed my 97 I had to replace my power steering pump twice and had to rebuild the transmission. Both of those problems were my fault. The heater was weak and the top sucked so it was cold. I drove my 92 and 89 with nothing more than maintenance for years. I've never had a fender rust, transfer case detonate, windows cut(I threw a snowball through the back window of the TJ), or rolled any of them. The current jeep gets around 20mpg, I have no clue about the others. I haven't lost money or been stranded by any of them.
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