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School me on Wranglers, Please #1431827
05/07/13 04:49 PM
05/07/13 04:49 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,490
Buckeye Lake
56_Royal_Lancer Offline OP
My Mouth Is Shut II
56_Royal_Lancer  Offline OP
My Mouth Is Shut II

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,490
Buckeye Lake
Guys, I am thinking of buying a Wrangler for an occasional use toy. Not looking to mod it, just something to have in the garage for when the sun is shining or the snow is falling. I have driven quite a few Jeeps, so I know the basic strengths and limitations, but have never owned one. Thinking 6 cylinder, automatic (wife will drive it, too)around $10k. Please share tips on what I should look for and stay away from. BTW: I am handy with tools and not new to the world of toy cars.
Thanks!

Re: School me on Wranglers, Please [Re: 56_Royal_Lancer] #1431828
05/07/13 05:15 PM
05/07/13 05:15 PM
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,845
Tampa
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DusterDave Offline
top fuel
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Tampa
First thing to look for, especially that I see you're in Ohio, is to look underneath for rust/rot on the frame rails, suspension and body.
In 2005 and 2006, they made an LJ, which has a slightly (about 8") extended body.


Gone to the dark side with an LS3 powered '57 Chevy 210
Re: School me on Wranglers, Please [Re: 56_Royal_Lancer] #1431829
05/07/13 08:41 PM
05/07/13 08:41 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,402
Littleton Colo
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Geezer Offline
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Littleton Colo
Evidence that the gear oil was changed at 15,000 mile intervals will insure longevity.Snap ring pieces start showing up in the tranny oil pan 80-120,000 miles.Find one without a lift kit installed,most were designed by Jethro Bodine.Get a lift kit from AEV,designed by a Chrysler engineer.

Re: School me on Wranglers, Please [Re: Geezer] #1431830
05/07/13 10:19 PM
05/07/13 10:19 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,490
Buckeye Lake
56_Royal_Lancer Offline OP
My Mouth Is Shut II
56_Royal_Lancer  Offline OP
My Mouth Is Shut II

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,490
Buckeye Lake
Quote:

Evidence that the gear oil was changed at 15,000 mile intervals will insure longevity.Snap ring pieces start showing up in the tranny oil pan 80-120,000 miles.Find one without a lift kit installed,most were designed by Jethro Bodine.Get a lift kit from AEV,designed by a Chrysler engineer.



Good info, thanks. I know the basics that apply to any car: greasy puddles, crunchy steel. This is the sort of info I need.

Re: School me on Wranglers, Please [Re: 56_Royal_Lancer] #1431831
05/07/13 11:55 PM
05/07/13 11:55 PM
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 10,570
Sunny South Florida
Golden-Arm Offline
I Live Here
Golden-Arm  Offline
I Live Here

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Posts: 10,570
Sunny South Florida
avoid square headlights. real jeeps have round ones.

avoid 4 doors. real jeep have no doors, or sometimes two.

avoid 4 cylinders. they're slightly more powerful, than a cox .049 airplane engine.

avoid automatics. teach the wife to bang the gears.

getting one with a hardtop is nice. you can add soft tops, halftops or bikini tops later.


"When Tyranny Becomes Law, Rebellion Becomes Duty"

Re: School me on Wranglers, Please [Re: Golden-Arm] #1431832
05/08/13 10:27 AM
05/08/13 10:27 AM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,490
Buckeye Lake
56_Royal_Lancer Offline OP
My Mouth Is Shut II
56_Royal_Lancer  Offline OP
My Mouth Is Shut II

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,490
Buckeye Lake
Round lights, check.
6 cylinder, check.
2 door, check.
Manual shift? Not this time. I have owned (and do own) many 3-pedal cars, and the wife can shift just fine. They are a real byotch on the boat ramp, though. Learned that with my 5-speed Ram 4x4.
Thanks for the reply,
Mike.

Re: School me on Wranglers, Please [Re: 56_Royal_Lancer] #1431833
05/08/13 01:38 PM
05/08/13 01:38 PM
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,751
Graham, WA
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Polarapete Offline
top fuel
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Joined: May 2003
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Graham, WA
I bought a new 1997 Jeep TJ Sport with the 4.0 6 cylinder and automatic. I loved it. It was the first of the Jeeps with coil springs. Mine had the half-doors with the soft top. The full doors with the hardtop would have been better for creature comfort and security (you can't lock a Jeep). I rarely put the top down after the first year, major hassle. Two things I had trouble with was (1) the heater box was built with a small dam to prevent rainwater from entering the cab and I had to raise the dam to make it actually work and (2) the lock-up converter would hunt up & down at 35 mph (annoying). I put a Flowmaster on it and would still have it, but I needed a truck more. Great fun to drive!!


1986 Dodge Ramcharger 440 2wd, Bracket Racer Under Construction
1998 Ram 2500 QuadCab, new daily driver.
2008 Honda Element
2014 Carry-On 7x14 Cargo Trailer
Re: School me on Wranglers, Please [Re: Polarapete] #1431834
05/08/13 01:58 PM
05/08/13 01:58 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,490
Buckeye Lake
56_Royal_Lancer Offline OP
My Mouth Is Shut II
56_Royal_Lancer  Offline OP
My Mouth Is Shut II

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,490
Buckeye Lake
Nice. I recently located a '99, Auto, AC, soft top with the Sahara trim. Looks nice & dry, 133,000 miles, a few chrome doo-dads but not the full JC Whitney package, $9500

Re: School me on Wranglers, Please [Re: 56_Royal_Lancer] #1431835
05/08/13 09:18 PM
05/08/13 09:18 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,156
Plymouth, MI
Blusmbl Offline
master
Blusmbl  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,156
Plymouth, MI
The 4.0 6 can go an easy 200k+ with no problems, although I have found some Jeeps with replaced engines well before that. Not sure if it was due to lack of oil changes or what.

If the front end components are worn out you can get "death wobble" which isn't fun when it happens. It's a common characteristic of coil spring/trailing arm front suspensions. Rams, Fords and Jeeps all do it.


'18 Ford Raptor, random motorcycles, 1968 Plymouth Fury III - 11.37 @ 118
Re: School me on Wranglers, Please [Re: Blusmbl] #1431836
05/08/13 10:12 PM
05/08/13 10:12 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 43,459
Round Lake Beach, Illinoisy
Rhinodart Offline
Rhinotruck
Rhinodart  Offline
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Round Lake Beach, Illinoisy
I bought a new 06 Wrangler with the 2.5 4-cylinder and 6-speed trans and I miss it everyday. $9500 for a 99 is strong money, the 2004-2006 were the best made IMHO and can be had for that kind of money for a toy. I would get the 4.0 and 6-speed next time, but the auto is not too bad for a girls car...


The funny thing about science is that if you change one miniscule parameter you change the entire outcome to the way you want it.

JB Rhinehart, Realist

A-Body's RULE!
Re: School me on Wranglers, Please [Re: Rhinodart] #1431837
05/08/13 11:03 PM
05/08/13 11:03 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,490
Buckeye Lake
56_Royal_Lancer Offline OP
My Mouth Is Shut II
56_Royal_Lancer  Offline OP
My Mouth Is Shut II

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,490
Buckeye Lake
Quote:

I bought a new 06 Wrangler with the 2.5 4-cylinder and 6-speed trans and I miss it everyday. $9500 for a 99 is strong money, the 2004-2006 were the best made IMHO and can be had for that kind of money for a toy. I would get the 4.0 and 6-speed next time, but the auto is not too bad for a girls car...


Oh, ouch. C'mon, man. My hot rod is big block, manual steering & manual brakes. I gotta kick back sometimes. Plus there is that whole boat ramp thing...
I am going to keep shopping, I have a pretty cool dune buggy to get rid of but I doubt any dealer on God's Green Earth is going to give me close to what it is worth so I think I will advertise it and bank the cash until I find "the" Jeep.
And yeah, the buggy is a stick

Re: School me on Wranglers, Please [Re: 56_Royal_Lancer] #1431838
05/09/13 12:46 AM
05/09/13 12:46 AM
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 10,570
Sunny South Florida
Golden-Arm Offline
I Live Here
Golden-Arm  Offline
I Live Here

Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 10,570
Sunny South Florida
i used my jeep to launch my hewes redffisher all the time. just let it idle, and ease out the clutch. a jeep will almost climb a wall in idle, in first gear.

auto in a jeep? *cough...girls car....cough*

that buggy a manx? looks pretty sweet!


"When Tyranny Becomes Law, Rebellion Becomes Duty"

Re: School me on Wranglers, Please [Re: Golden-Arm] #1431839
05/09/13 07:48 AM
05/09/13 07:48 AM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,490
Buckeye Lake
56_Royal_Lancer Offline OP
My Mouth Is Shut II
56_Royal_Lancer  Offline OP
My Mouth Is Shut II

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,490
Buckeye Lake
Thanks. The buggy is a "Boss Buggy". Direct mold from a Manx, the only visual difference is the "hood" has a raised area with two depressions. It' been fun to own but I just don't drive it much any more.

Re: School me on Wranglers, Please [Re: 56_Royal_Lancer] #1431840
05/09/13 08:17 PM
05/09/13 08:17 PM
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 21,318
Manitoba, Canada
DaytonaTurbo Offline
Too Many Posts
DaytonaTurbo  Offline
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Posts: 21,318
Manitoba, Canada
I've got a jeep yj. Basically it's less refined and less car-ish than the late 90's tj and the 2000's jk. YJ is the last generation for front leaf springs, however you want an early 90's and up model for the fuel injection. I bought a carbed model and swapped the carbed 4.2 out in favor of a 5.2 magnum with the efi out of a dakota. I prefer the yj to the tj or jk because the yj is more squarish, boxy and jeepish and I don't like the coil spring front on the tj and kj. yj is the one with the square headlights. However depends what you want it for. I have the soft top and half doors, pulled the rug out of it and rockerguarded the floor. I have the top down all the time, it takes 5 minutes to put the top back up after, and to me going topless is the best part of having a jeep. It's been rained on with the top down a few times, no big deal. I off road with it a fair bit, I put a little bit bigger tires(32's) and a small lift on it as well as a few other mods like a winch, light bar and stuff like that. I say go check out a few different jeeps and decide on what you like.

Re: School me on Wranglers, Please [Re: Rhinodart] #1431841
05/09/13 10:09 PM
05/09/13 10:09 PM
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,573
Rockford, IL.
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Ruppman Offline
pro stock
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,573
Rockford, IL.
Quote:

I bought a new 06 Wrangler with the 2.5 4-cylinder and 6-speed trans and I miss it everyday. $9500 for a 99 is strong money, the 2004-2006 were the best made IMHO and can be had for that kind of money for a toy. I would get the 4.0 and 6-speed next time, but the auto is not too bad for a girls car...




Wranglers are great. I would look for a TJ they were built between 1997-2006 and they have a nice balance between comfort and being a true Jeep, you could drive them on a road trip, with cruise, AC , etc comfortably. The new ones are just too big, (wider for less likely to rollover) and blingy with power windows, locks and nav. systems. all optional I know, but it's a Jeep Wrangler! And wranglers really hold their value! that Sahara you're looking at is a bit high, http://www.nadaguides.com/Cars/1999/Jeep/Wrangler-6-Cyl-5-Spd-4WD/Utility-2D-Sahara-4WD/Values I am currently looking for a 2004-2006 wrangler Rubicon, the top model and a clean one with decent under 70k miles can run you 14k on up to 20k!

Re: School me on Wranglers, Please [Re: 56_Royal_Lancer] #1431842
05/09/13 10:12 PM
05/09/13 10:12 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,326
Addison Twp, Mi.
RobG Offline
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Addison Twp, Mi.
Visit jeepforum.com for great information on TJ and JK models. Look for a TJ with a Dana 44 rear axel. I6 radiators will leak at the top and bottom seals starting around 60k miles. Replace the unit with an aluminum radiator. Also take a look at Stu Olson's Jeep page. This is a great site for modifications.


I am not rich...but I get off my ass everyday to make sure I am not broke!

Can we get the Mexican cartels to help us with our supply chain issues? They don't seem to have any trouble getting stuff from one place to another.
Re: School me on Wranglers, Please [Re: RobG] #1431843
05/09/13 10:59 PM
05/09/13 10:59 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,490
Buckeye Lake
56_Royal_Lancer Offline OP
My Mouth Is Shut II
56_Royal_Lancer  Offline OP
My Mouth Is Shut II

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,490
Buckeye Lake
Great info, guys. Thanks. And thanks for the website suggestions. Since I am going to sell the Buggy first I have an oppportunity to do some shopping/comparing and research.

Re: School me on Wranglers, Please [Re: 56_Royal_Lancer] #1431844
05/09/13 11:21 PM
05/09/13 11:21 PM
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,573
Rockford, IL.
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Ruppman Offline
pro stock
Ruppman  Offline
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Rockford, IL.
also wranglerforum.com is good for info. the Dana 44's come standard on the TJ Rubi's, optional in the rear on TJ Sport and Sahara's. can't get them in an X which is the base model. believe it or not, wikipedia has a good page on the Wranglers, lots of good info there! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_Wrangler







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