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·Share with me your wisdom about Jeep Wranglers...maintenance? Gas mileage? Problems? Years or features to avoid?
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Your Jeep Opinions/Experience
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550 Posts
Well, the gas mileage sucks, but that comes with the big tires. The bigger the tires, the worse the gas mileage is. I'd personally go with an older model. The less there is, the less you have to end up fixing in the long run.
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5,205 Posts
I've got a Wrangler and a Cherokee. I love Jeep and have had very little problems with both but they're both up there in mileage now and need quite a few repairs. The Cherokee has 190K. The Wrangler is in the shop right now getting $600 in brakes, radiator, and track bar. Repairs are easy and I should be able to do it myself but I'm not mechanically inclined 
(no math and no building inclinations either). Fortunately parts are easy to find and I have a great mechanic who tries to rebuild rather than replace. Wrangler has no A/C and I highly recommend A/C/ in certain parts of the country, like Florida It very, very, very loud with the soft top. The tops are a pain in the behind to put on in a hurry, such as in a sudden rainstorm. It is not as stable as the Cherokee on turns. jillianjigs is right, the gas mileage isn't great and the gas tanks are small- I think 16 gallons or so. The tires on both my Jeeps are 225s, not really big tires but the gas mileage is still low.
(no math and no building inclinations either). Fortunately parts are easy to find and I have a great mechanic who tries to rebuild rather than replace. Wrangler has no A/C and I highly recommend A/C/ in certain parts of the country, like Florida It very, very, very loud with the soft top. The tops are a pain in the behind to put on in a hurry, such as in a sudden rainstorm. It is not as stable as the Cherokee on turns. jillianjigs is right, the gas mileage isn't great and the gas tanks are small- I think 16 gallons or so. The tires on both my Jeeps are 225s, not really big tires but the gas mileage is still low.
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2,246 Posts
I bought a used 1999 Wrangler a few years back with 18062 miles on it. Now it has just over 33000 on it with most of my miles being trips down to Kentucky or West Virginia. I believe I've just put around 3000 miles on it in driving locally.
I can attest that there is little room to fidget in a Wrangler for a fellow who is 6'2" and 300 pounds.
The gas mileage stinks! Power is nonexistant. I get maybe 16 miles to the gallon on the open road and 0 to 60 eventually, but then my Jeep is a 4 cylinder.
I view the purchase as a mistake for me, but then I don't do the 4 wheeler thing and I'm too old to look sporty. In retrospect, I should have bought a F-150 or something of that sort in 4 wheel drive.
Haggis @ Wolf Cairn Moor
I can attest that there is little room to fidget in a Wrangler for a fellow who is 6'2" and 300 pounds.
The gas mileage stinks! Power is nonexistant. I get maybe 16 miles to the gallon on the open road and 0 to 60 eventually, but then my Jeep is a 4 cylinder.
I view the purchase as a mistake for me, but then I don't do the 4 wheeler thing and I'm too old to look sporty. In retrospect, I should have bought a F-150 or something of that sort in 4 wheel drive.
Haggis @ Wolf Cairn Moor
We have a 1997 Wrangler. It has nearly 100,000 miles on it and unfortunately it was just in the shop to the tune of $2500. However, this is the first time other than oil changes and tune ups that it has had a thing wrong with it. It has been a great car. Average mileage is 15 mpg. Ride is rough and noisey-------but---- It is so much fun with the top down. DH says it is one of the best cars he has ever owned. Don't get a 4 cyl. Get the 6 cyl. with 4 x 4.
It was in the shop because everything on the dashboard would go to nothing---like it would short out. Mice had gotten in there and had a buffet. Dealership had to tear out the dash and rewire. Then the a/c finally gave out and it needed new brakes and rotors and a tune up. Still not bad for a 7 year old car with 100K miles.
It was in the shop because everything on the dashboard would go to nothing---like it would short out. Mice had gotten in there and had a buffet. Dealership had to tear out the dash and rewire. Then the a/c finally gave out and it needed new brakes and rotors and a tune up. Still not bad for a 7 year old car with 100K miles.
OK, my 2 cents on Jeep products. We have a 2002 Liberty with 109,000+ miles on it (we drive a lot). It has had very little need for fixing, nothing major at all. I love it, and had a Jeep Cherokee before that. Two short testimonials to the power and durability of the Liberty:
a friend and family were driving in a bad thunderstorm in their Liberty, when a power pole broke and the line fell across the highway right in front of them. The front of the Liberty hit the power line just above the bumper, and because of the momentum of the car, the line sliced into the engine area as the power line acted like a big rubber band, stretching while they were trying to stop the car. The line broke, causing the car to slide down the ditch where it stopped. No one was hurt, thankfully, and they started the Liberty in 4WD and just drove up onto the highway, with a huge slice out of the front of the car. (They got another Liberty right away). And with mine, I was able to easily pull a ton truck, loaded to the hilt with lumber and debris from a demolished shed, out of the muck in our barnlot when the all-knowing junk man drove into the area that he was sure was solid (Not). So I will probably always go for the Jeep product, they just last well and are good and sturdy. Plus they have room in the back to haul calves and lambs, when DH isn't looking.
a friend and family were driving in a bad thunderstorm in their Liberty, when a power pole broke and the line fell across the highway right in front of them. The front of the Liberty hit the power line just above the bumper, and because of the momentum of the car, the line sliced into the engine area as the power line acted like a big rubber band, stretching while they were trying to stop the car. The line broke, causing the car to slide down the ditch where it stopped. No one was hurt, thankfully, and they started the Liberty in 4WD and just drove up onto the highway, with a huge slice out of the front of the car. (They got another Liberty right away). And with mine, I was able to easily pull a ton truck, loaded to the hilt with lumber and debris from a demolished shed, out of the muck in our barnlot when the all-knowing junk man drove into the area that he was sure was solid (Not). So I will probably always go for the Jeep product, they just last well and are good and sturdy. Plus they have room in the back to haul calves and lambs, when DH isn't looking.
I have owned 3 Jeeps, cherokee and 2 wranglers.
Get the inline 6cyl engine. They are bullet proof. Mileage is terrible, power is OK, but they just keep on going. Easy to rebuild or to buy a used engine.
Get a wrangler that is 97 or newer. This is when they changed from leaf springs to coils. Much better ride.
Auto tranny was only a 3 spd until the new 03 models.
5spd works but is very notchy. They changed to a different 5spd in 2000 or 01. First year model had major problems but is all fixed. I believe they are going to another model 5spd next year.
The vehicles are utility vehicles, not modern day with low sound, great comfort etc.... They are very easy to work on. Not much to them at all.
Plenty of after market support. Go to http://www.jeepsunlimited.com
2005 liberty will be coming with an available 4cyl turbo diesel.
I love my jeep.
Can't beat that open top feeling driving up some 4wd trail with a bunch of your fellow jeep buddies.
Get the inline 6cyl engine. They are bullet proof. Mileage is terrible, power is OK, but they just keep on going. Easy to rebuild or to buy a used engine.
Get a wrangler that is 97 or newer. This is when they changed from leaf springs to coils. Much better ride.
Auto tranny was only a 3 spd until the new 03 models.
5spd works but is very notchy. They changed to a different 5spd in 2000 or 01. First year model had major problems but is all fixed. I believe they are going to another model 5spd next year.
The vehicles are utility vehicles, not modern day with low sound, great comfort etc.... They are very easy to work on. Not much to them at all.
Plenty of after market support. Go to http://www.jeepsunlimited.com
2005 liberty will be coming with an available 4cyl turbo diesel.
I love my jeep.
Can't beat that open top feeling driving up some 4wd trail with a bunch of your fellow jeep buddies.
I love my Jeep Wrangler. It is a 1998 with the Sahara package. This is the only package that comes with the bigger motor. Anything less then a Inline six and you are going nowhere fast. We took a 1998 Wrangler with the Sport package for a test drive. The wind was blowing about 15-20 mph, which is normal for around here at that time of year. We had to put the gas pedal to the floor to get up to 60 mph and it took a while. Went back and test drove the Sahara package, we took it home that day. What a difference! There has not been any where that we have not taken our Jeep. We have taken it on old fire trails in the Black Hills. It does great in snow and not bad on ice. It is not a luxury vehicle but it is alot of fun! In the summer we take off the hard top and go "touring". You can see so much more with no top and no doors. You get a similar feel when riding a motorcycle but in a Jeep you can take more people and all have seat belts and airbags. If you do regular maintence on your Jeep and keep it in good running order, it will last forever! They are easy to work on, just get the Haynes manual for it and start reading. We get right around 20 miles to the gallon, that is with lots of intown driving. If you are off roading or going thru lots of snow it is a little less. Last year my neighbor's F150 kept getting stuck in all of the snow drifts. We were able to drive right over them due to being lighter.
When my van finally dies (and I hope it is soon) it will get replaced with a Liberty or the Rescue (if they decide to produce more than prototypes). The only bad thing about our Wrangler is that it was hard to get our toddler into his car seat due to no back door. Now that he is bigger it is not a big deal. He just climbs in on his own.
We have had our Jeep for about 4 years and put well over 80,000 miles on it. (You have to drive a long ways to get anywhere in this state.) We have had to charge up the air conditioner once, and have a hole fixed in the exhaust manifold (went thru a creek and hit a hidden rock), thats it for major repairs. Set of tires and regular oil changes and tuneups round out the maintence on it. My husband says that he is going to retire with this Jeep. If you talk to many Jeep owners you will find out that most have either had their Jeep for a long time or are planning on having it for a long time. They also hold their resale value better than many other 4x4s.
Goodluck in your choice!
It is a 1998 with the Sahara package. This is the only package that comes with the bigger motor. Anything less then a Inline six and you are going nowhere fast. We took a 1998 Wrangler with the Sport package for a test drive. The wind was blowing about 15-20 mph, which is normal for around here at that time of year. We had to put the gas pedal to the floor to get up to 60 mph and it took a while. Went back and test drove the Sahara package, we took it home that day. What a difference! There has not been any where that we have not taken our Jeep. We have taken it on old fire trails in the Black Hills. It does great in snow and not bad on ice. It is not a luxury vehicle but it is alot of fun! In the summer we take off the hard top and go "touring". You can see so much more with no top and no doors. You get a similar feel when riding a motorcycle but in a Jeep you can take more people and all have seat belts and airbags. If you do regular maintence on your Jeep and keep it in good running order, it will last forever! They are easy to work on, just get the Haynes manual for it and start reading. We get right around 20 miles to the gallon, that is with lots of intown driving. If you are off roading or going thru lots of snow it is a little less. Last year my neighbor's F150 kept getting stuck in all of the snow drifts. We were able to drive right over them due to being lighter.When my van finally dies (and I hope it is soon) it will get replaced with a Liberty or the Rescue (if they decide to produce more than prototypes). The only bad thing about our Wrangler is that it was hard to get our toddler into his car seat due to no back door. Now that he is bigger it is not a big deal. He just climbs in on his own.
We have had our Jeep for about 4 years and put well over 80,000 miles on it. (You have to drive a long ways to get anywhere in this state.) We have had to charge up the air conditioner once, and have a hole fixed in the exhaust manifold (went thru a creek and hit a hidden rock), thats it for major repairs. Set of tires and regular oil changes and tuneups round out the maintence on it. My husband says that he is going to retire with this Jeep. If you talk to many Jeep owners you will find out that most have either had their Jeep for a long time or are planning on having it for a long time. They also hold their resale value better than many other 4x4s.
Goodluck in your choice!
Hate to break it to you, but the sport and sahara model have the exact same 6cyl engine. Sahara is just a cosmetic package and includes other options, like AC, standard. The SE and X model come with the 4cyl engine.
To the OP, see if you can find a wrangler with the optional Dana 44 rear end, instead of the standard Dana 35. The 44 is much stronger and once you add a locker or bigger tires it is real easy to snap an axle on a 35. Plus the axle on the 35 is held in with C clips where the 44 isn't. If you do a search you will find all kinds of photos of people who have rigged up ways to either hold in the axle or make a sled for that side of the jeep to get it off the trail with a broken dana 35 axle.
There is also a the Rubicon model. Comes standard with Dana 44 front and rear differentials with Air lockers (front axle assy, is a hybrid, dana 44 center with dana 30 outers) 4:1 low range transfer case instead of the standard 2.72:1. It is basically a half ton drive train. Great for rock crawling but if you spend a lot of time in mud or on sand dunes the 4:1 can be too low. Also comes standard with 31" MTR tires. 03 was the first year.
This year they also came out with the unlimited model which is basically a sport model but the wheel base has been stretched so it has a little more leg room and more cargo room in the rear.
To the OP, see if you can find a wrangler with the optional Dana 44 rear end, instead of the standard Dana 35. The 44 is much stronger and once you add a locker or bigger tires it is real easy to snap an axle on a 35. Plus the axle on the 35 is held in with C clips where the 44 isn't. If you do a search you will find all kinds of photos of people who have rigged up ways to either hold in the axle or make a sled for that side of the jeep to get it off the trail with a broken dana 35 axle.
There is also a the Rubicon model. Comes standard with Dana 44 front and rear differentials with Air lockers (front axle assy, is a hybrid, dana 44 center with dana 30 outers) 4:1 low range transfer case instead of the standard 2.72:1. It is basically a half ton drive train. Great for rock crawling but if you spend a lot of time in mud or on sand dunes the 4:1 can be too low. Also comes standard with 31" MTR tires. 03 was the first year.
This year they also came out with the unlimited model which is basically a sport model but the wheel base has been stretched so it has a little more leg room and more cargo room in the rear.
cwgrl23 said:I love my Jeep Wrangler.
We also have a 1997 jeep wrangler. It has 90,000 miles on it and is still running great. Only thing we have had to do to ours is brake work. They are a bit noisy on the road and a little rough but hey that's what jeeps are for, roughin' it, aren't they? We love ours!
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960 Posts
I have a 1992 Cherokee Larado and I have really enjoyed it. Have been driving it for 3 years now (hand me up from younger brother), put about 20K a year on it, and it still runs pretty good.
Issues- when it DOES stop working, it seems to need major repairs.
It's a frelling cop MAGNET. I don't speed, I'm a careful, defensive driver, and the damn thing just has bad carma (excuse the pun) or something. I suppose I can't really blame the car, though.
The gas milage SUCKS, as has already been mentioned.
All in all, I really like it. Would I buy another one? Nope.
Cait
Issues- when it DOES stop working, it seems to need major repairs.
It's a frelling cop MAGNET. I don't speed, I'm a careful, defensive driver, and the damn thing just has bad carma (excuse the pun) or something. I suppose I can't really blame the car, though.
The gas milage SUCKS, as has already been mentioned.
All in all, I really like it. Would I buy another one? Nope.
Cait
If I were to buy another jeep, I would get an older CJ model. I think Chrysler took over the jeep line in 1984, or somewhere thereabouts.
I had a 1983 CJ7. One of the best vehicles I have ever owned. I had to sell it after the fourth kid as they wouldn't fit in the seat belts anymore. Great vehicle. It's right up there with my '69 VW and '93 Astro van as good reliable cars.
BTW, that VW could go darn near anywhere a jeep could go!
Jena
I had a 1983 CJ7. One of the best vehicles I have ever owned. I had to sell it after the fourth kid as they wouldn't fit in the seat belts anymore. Great vehicle. It's right up there with my '69 VW and '93 Astro van as good reliable cars.
BTW, that VW could go darn near anywhere a jeep could go!
Jena
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Have a 93 cherokee, 6 cyl, 5 speed, 4wd, 150,00 miles, replaced drive shaft u-joints at 100,000 miles, no other troubles. Lots of power, gets 18 mpg short trips and 23 mpg long trips. Best small vehicle I've ever owned.
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433 Posts
I own a '98 wrangler, no AC, 5 speed, 4 banger...they are so right on the power-trying to merge onto a major highway heading into the wind turns a guy religous in a hurry!! It has 114,000 miles on it, and have put a radiator, clutch, and had the valves done on it. It gets a hair over 18mpg...not real good, but not the worst. but the feeling of taking the top and doors off, and cruising-it beats anything else!! They are great in snow, a little loud, yes, but just turn the stero up a little, and you can drown that noise right out! When this one puckes, I'm sure to get another-I'd love to see a bigger engine, so one could have a little better towing capability. I miss the ol' 8 cylinders of the old CJ's!!
It has 114,000 miles on it, and have put a radiator, clutch, and had the valves done on it. It gets a hair over 18mpg...not real good, but not the worst. but the feeling of taking the top and doors off, and cruising-it beats anything else!! They are great in snow, a little loud, yes, but just turn the stero up a little, and you can drown that noise right out! When this one puckes, I'm sure to get another-I'd love to see a bigger engine, so one could have a little better towing capability. I miss the ol' 8 cylinders of the old CJ's!!Well, I have put Jeeps to the ultimate test, about as hard as one can be used. I spent just over 25 years as a rural mail carrier, and drove about 500,000 miles during that time. Almost all of it was in a series of Jeeps. Several were the small right hand drive DJ series, the little 1/4 ton rolling ovens with the sliding doors. Most were pretty well worn out when I bought them surplus, 2 or 3 at a time, from the P.O. But they were easy to work on and parts were easy to come by since I kept several of them sitting around to scavenge off of. Other than the usual maintenance it was mostly brake jobs, alternators, a tranny, steering boxes, and tie rods, most were still running when the bodies just rusted away from around me. They are tough, reliable, little vehicles with a fairly high center of gravity and a limited slip differential that get around surprisingly well in the mud and snow. After the farm was paid off I treated myself to what seemed like a luxury auto, a Jeep Cherokee with POWER STEERING AND AC, ah the lap of luxury. I put about 175,000 on it with nothing done to it but regular fluid and filter changes, and a different door on the right hand side, the manual window mechanism finally wore out. After I began to have a lot of shoulder and arm problems I sold it to a substitute carrier in the same office and he is still driving it, but did have the transmission overhauled last winter. I bought another new one with power windows and put around 75,000 on it before I retired 3 years ago. If there is anything much harder on a vehicle than a 90-100 mile rural mail route with a lot of gravel roads and 400 + box stops per day I can't imagine what it is. I also bought my wife a Grand Cherokee Laredo that we put about 125,00 on with no trouble, before we traded it in on another Grand Cherokee. In my experience Jeeps, given good care, are excellent machines.
Bought my 1992 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4x4 6 cyl with 17 miles on her. She has been used & abused. Many, many off the road experiences from beaches to mountains including lugging antiques for about 7 years & towing boats, trailers ect. Today with 194,759 miles she is still going strong! She was well maintained however and nothing major went wrong (knock on wood!) My 20 year old is finding it hard to pry my fingers off her since I'm in the market for a newer Jeep...I keep stalling. She's been so good to me!
KAT
KAT
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5,202 Posts
I'm on my 2nd Wrangler, I LOVE them! My first was a 95' 4 cylinder with a soft top. I can full attest to the wonder of the newer models, with the new suspension in them, what a difference!
I drove the first one up til 2 years ago, and it had 90k miles on , still in mint condition, never needed anything done other than regular maintenance. Hubby decided I needed a newer model with a hard top and a/c, so my current one is a 2002 model, 6 cylinder.
I wouldn't trade it for anything!
I drove the first one up til 2 years ago, and it had 90k miles on , still in mint condition, never needed anything done other than regular maintenance. Hubby decided I needed a newer model with a hard top and a/c, so my current one is a 2002 model, 6 cylinder.
I wouldn't trade it for anything!
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