I have always wanted a 2dr jeep wrangler. I'm in the market for a new/used car and seriously considering one. I'm hearing conflicting reports on their overall reliability lately though. One person says they r bulletproof and the next says they are a money pit. The gas exepense isn't a concern, but routine maintenance would be if it's excessive. I also heard the "straight 6" engines were easier to maintain. If this is true, when did jeep do away with that engine ? I'm just looking for some feedback from other Jeep owners. This would be a daily driver and weekend fun vehicle as well. Thx for the advice.
Jeep Wrangler questions
- Thread starter RobsterCraw
- Start date
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Go to JeepForum.com and read. I have a 2005 Unlimited (aka LJ ) 4.0L, auto. I got it a couple years ago with 64k on the clock. Lot of my friends give me hell for not buyin' American, I am a serial Nissan buyer. In 6 Nissan's with almost 900k in total mileage. I have had twice the trouble with this Wrangler. It's a PILE. The wiring is thin brittle spaghetti, it came with SEALED BEAM headlights. The blower motor burns out regularly, the blower motor resistor too. Mopar lowered the seats to for some kind of safety concern. Oh, and it belches fuel all over the place when when you fill it up. The vacuum hose fittings are made of taffy too.
You might ask, why haven't I got rid of it? I like the stupid thing. It's fun to drive and it will go anywhere. The dogs love it, the wife hates it.
The JK's ( 2007+ ) may be better, but this one has proven to be a Total Pile. I had a '93 Cherokee that was a tank. Me, Houston, a tree falling on it, my MIL that had two strokes, and three high school nieces could not kill that thing. Last I heard it was sold with 200k on it and it was still running strong.
You might ask, why haven't I got rid of it? I like the stupid thing. It's fun to drive and it will go anywhere. The dogs love it, the wife hates it.
The JK's ( 2007+ ) may be better, but this one has proven to be a Total Pile. I had a '93 Cherokee that was a tank. Me, Houston, a tree falling on it, my MIL that had two strokes, and three high school nieces could not kill that thing. Last I heard it was sold with 200k on it and it was still running strong.
The 4.0 is bulletproof. Sometimes issues with coil packs on 96+, with cam and crank sensors before that. The JK doesn't have an I6 option, and I never trusted the LJ. From the above post, sounds like the old merge with Mercedes affected the engineering quality as I'd expect it to. For the worse, in areas that Germans always fail in. IMO, the TJ was the last good Jeep. Wasn't a big fan of the YJ, and the CJ was definitely not without issues. Actually, I'm going to say the TJ was the best Jeep. Also a fan of the XJ (Cherokee).
I also have a 2005 Wrangler Unlimited and mine has been bulletproof. The 4.0 I6 is a solid, dependable albeit hot-running motor that hasn't given me a lick of trouble.
The stock headlights suck and are easily replaced. Maintenance is easy and cheap, and the fun factor is off the scale.
Jeeps are only expensive when you throw a lot of money at them, but you can wheel on a decent budget, it's all what you want to throw into your rig!
I say go for it, everyone should own a Jeep once in their lives!
Cheers! M2
The stock headlights suck and are easily replaced. Maintenance is easy and cheap, and the fun factor is off the scale.
Jeeps are only expensive when you throw a lot of money at them, but you can wheel on a decent budget, it's all what you want to throw into your rig!
I say go for it, everyone should own a Jeep once in their lives!
Cheers! M2
Mexican_Hippie
TGT Addict
I have an '02 with the I6 4.0L. It's 10 years old but it still runs great. Super easy to maintain. It's been pretty solid. Didn't really need much of anything except fluid changes until this year.
I had one vacuum leak this year, replaced the hose (maybe 5 min, <$5). I also got a small crack in the radiator this year. It wasn't overheating or anything, but I went ahead and replaced it (~couple hours and <$200). Most everything else is regular wear/maintenance for a 10 yr old vehicle (brakes, spark plugs, fluids, filters, etc.). The difference is that when I go to get parts for it they're a lot cheaper than my wife's vehicle and they're about twice as easy to replace. There's also writeups with pictures on the internet for just about anything you want to upgrade or fix.
I know several people that have over 300,000 on the clock on their 4.0Ls.
I had one vacuum leak this year, replaced the hose (maybe 5 min, <$5). I also got a small crack in the radiator this year. It wasn't overheating or anything, but I went ahead and replaced it (~couple hours and <$200). Most everything else is regular wear/maintenance for a 10 yr old vehicle (brakes, spark plugs, fluids, filters, etc.). The difference is that when I go to get parts for it they're a lot cheaper than my wife's vehicle and they're about twice as easy to replace. There's also writeups with pictures on the internet for just about anything you want to upgrade or fix.
I know several people that have over 300,000 on the clock on their 4.0Ls.
Mexican_Hippie
TGT Addict
2012+ are supposed to have a better drivetrain, etc, but they're $$$$ for a Jeep.
I have an 04 LJ. It has 169k miles. It has done pretty well. Go to Jeepforum.com and read. There are millions of writeups available for whatever mod you want to do. I found a Factory Service Manual on line. It is 60 megabytes worth of info and I love it. I'll share it with anybody that wants it. It's too big to e-mail though.
Here is my other than scheduled maintenance history.
78000 - catalytic converter - fixed under 80000 mile federal emissions warranty
85000 - Swapped brake pads - $40
109000 - water pump and thermostat failure - $110 worth of parts and instructions in the FSM
90000 - Wierd noise in air blower. Took fan motor out and removed paper drinking straw cover.
135000 - catalytic converter and O2 sensors - paid a local shop to put an aftermarket catalytic converter on it - $450
145000 - U joints bit the dust and dropped the drive shaft. I forget what the drive shaft cost. U joints were about $12 each. During the fix, I removed the drive shaft and drove in "front wheel drive" mode for a couple of days until I could get parts.
152000 - Swapped rotors and brake pads. Flushed, refilled and bled brakes. - $210 for parts and fluid.
160000 - My oldest son started driving the Jeep.
168000 - water pump went out and the radiator exploded - My son tried to drive it a little bit more to get to school.
I replaced the radiator and thermostat and then discovered a blown head gasket. I put it in the shop, where they machined the heads, tweaked the valves, and replaced the water pump. Shop bill was $1260. Runs great now
Various mileage - Changed out the diff fluid 3 times. (Do it every 12k if you wheel it much. I never had much time.)
The FSM and writeups from the internet helped me do the brakes, spark plugs, service the transmission, service the differentials, wire in auxilliary lighting, and other stuff I can't remember. There are all kinds of resources on line for Jeep maintenance.
Here is my other than scheduled maintenance history.
78000 - catalytic converter - fixed under 80000 mile federal emissions warranty
85000 - Swapped brake pads - $40
109000 - water pump and thermostat failure - $110 worth of parts and instructions in the FSM
90000 - Wierd noise in air blower. Took fan motor out and removed paper drinking straw cover.
135000 - catalytic converter and O2 sensors - paid a local shop to put an aftermarket catalytic converter on it - $450
145000 - U joints bit the dust and dropped the drive shaft. I forget what the drive shaft cost. U joints were about $12 each. During the fix, I removed the drive shaft and drove in "front wheel drive" mode for a couple of days until I could get parts.
152000 - Swapped rotors and brake pads. Flushed, refilled and bled brakes. - $210 for parts and fluid.
160000 - My oldest son started driving the Jeep.
168000 - water pump went out and the radiator exploded - My son tried to drive it a little bit more to get to school.
I replaced the radiator and thermostat and then discovered a blown head gasket. I put it in the shop, where they machined the heads, tweaked the valves, and replaced the water pump. Shop bill was $1260. Runs great nowVarious mileage - Changed out the diff fluid 3 times. (Do it every 12k if you wheel it much. I never had much time.)
The FSM and writeups from the internet helped me do the brakes, spark plugs, service the transmission, service the differentials, wire in auxilliary lighting, and other stuff I can't remember. There are all kinds of resources on line for Jeep maintenance.
Did not put that together, LOL. Looks like a 108" wheelbase.
I forget the wheelbase, but they added 10" of wheel base and 5" extra behind the rear axle. Inside, they added 2" of rear seat leg room and 13" behind the rear seat for real usable storage.
My buddy at Daimler Chrysler said the reason they switched from the straight six was because the tooling was getting wore out and they sold it to some third world country before it was completely worthless. They started using the same motor that they were using in the minivans since they were already tooled up for it, it's a crap motor but my jeep has the lifetime warranty so it's staying here till its completely dead. I hear the new engine is a badass but I haven't driven one yet.
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