Advice on buying a wrangler??

[Mikey0211]

Hey guys.. I'm looking at upgrading from my "cough" "cough" COURIER cough cough"

I have never had a jeep, nor do I know anyone with them....
I will be looking at a late 90's wrangler.....

I will also be looking at towing a camper trailer,
What are they like to tow
What are they like offroad. no rock crawling just medium stuff...
I have a son, are the rear seats comfy for long trips..

Economy??? normal driving aswell as towing..
Parts... are they a bit more expensive than normal...
Are they all 6 cyl??? or can u get diesel???
are there alot of aftermarket accesories for them??

Any info from you guys would be great

Cheers
Mick

[Sim79]

The wranglers are a small car so there isn't much room in the interior, they only came in a straight 4L six so fuel economey is bad 20L/100Klm. But this motor has heaps of torque at low revs which is great for offroad.
The New JK Wrangler model fixes all these problems it is longer, wider, bigger interior space and comes in turbo diesel now.

Try this link for more info.





www.ausjeepoffroad.com - Powered by vBulletin (http://www.ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/index.php)

[Mikey0211]

Thanks Sim...

the economy factor is a big one for me so I guess I better keep on lookin

Cheers

Mick

[BLU-125]

My 3 sp auto '97 with 33's and 4.1 gears gets 19l/100ks. This is as bad as it gets.

A five speed manual with sensible tyres & gears will get far better mileage than this. Some report as low as 11l/100k.

Max tow is 900kg.

Plenty of aftermarket gear & parts aren't expensive if you avoid Jeep dealers.

Try this: . | Wooders Garage - Online Store (http://www.wooders.com.au/page/merchandise.html)

[tasar]

Have a look at an XJ

they have the same motor and get very good economy and tow about 2.5 tonne

From what you say the JK wrangler would suit not the TJ

the TJ is really a 2 door with 2 seats in tha back which suit kids with booster or adults for short trips - they are for a specific market - but they are an awesome 4wd which put most other 4wd to shame - even with the shortwheel base
my 6spd manual on road tyres i get 12l per 100k with 32in muddies about 18-20l per 100k

Parts are cheap - and can get from US via internet
Can engineer to tow 1.5 tonne.

there is so much aftermarket stuff no Tj is the same

No Diesel in the wrangler till JK (current model) the 4l donk is is unbreakable and has so much torque

do some research on jeeps they have a number of other vehicles other than the TJ - there are some great diesel Jeeps

good luck looking

[matt#73]

Hey guys.. I'm looking at upgrading from my "cough" "cough" COURIER cough cough"

I have never had a jeep, nor do I know anyone with them....
I will be looking at a late 90's wrangler.....

I will also be looking at towing a camper trailer,
What are they like to tow
What are they like offroad. no rock crawling just medium stuff...
I have a son, are the rear seats comfy for long trips..

Economy??? normal driving aswell as towing..
Parts... are they a bit more expensive than normal...
Are they all 6 cyl??? or can u get diesel???
are there alot of aftermarket accesories for them??

Any info from you guys would be great

Cheers
Mick

We had a TJ for 3 years and it was the best car we have ever had. We got much better economy than the 20lt/100km, we averaged around the 12lt/100km. It was a 5spd manual and the 4lt six was awesome. I never gave it an easy time so some may get better economy.

Towing. We towed heaps with it, we towed a horse float with 1 horse (I know it was more than its surposed to tow.) and it never missed a beat. Don't worry about its towing ability.

Off road. We are not rock climbers but love mild off roading like beach and forest 4wding. We never got stuck (pulled a few toyota's and nissan's out:p ) and always had a ball.

Interior Room. It was just me and my wife plus the furry kids.. We just used a trailer and always had heaps of room. If you are towing a camper you will have heaps off room.

Just one bit of advise. Drive one and make up your mind but I can give them a 9 out of 10.

GO FOR IT................................................ .

[Jeeps]

Hey guys.. I'm looking at upgrading from my "cough" "cough" COURIER cough cough"

I have never had a jeep, nor do I know anyone with them....
I will be looking at a late 90's wrangler.....

I will also be looking at towing a camper trailer,
What are they like to tow
What are they like offroad. no rock crawling just medium stuff...
I have a son, are the rear seats comfy for long trips..

Economy??? normal driving aswell as towing..
Parts... are they a bit more expensive than normal...
Are they all 6 cyl??? or can u get diesel???
are there alot of aftermarket accesories for them??

Any info from you guys would be great

Cheers
Mick


I'll try and help out ;)

I'm into my 6th year of TJ ownership. I bought my TJ brand new and after looking at many hiluxes one test drive in a secondhand TJ was enough to sell me. The power, the softop, the SWB 'rocky' feeling. That's how 4wd's should be :) If you like car-like plush puppy camry type 4wd's, then get a Toyota or Nissan. The Jeep is designed purposefully, it feels solid, it handles terrain easily, it's fun to drive. It can be harsh and rough, especially if you've been driving around Fraser all day with the doors and roof off and you've got more wildlife in your hair than an episode on the discovery channel but i enjoy that.

The reasons i wanted to buy one:

1) Very capable/ almost unstoppable on the beach
2) Solid components, ease of maintenance (yes, reliability ;) )
3) Fun/cool factor

So i bought it and i have never regretted it. Since i bought it, i've married and had a little girl (now 16months) and i am not getting rid of it. We go camping, beach/offroad driving and my little one loves getting in the jeep every chance i let her - big softop windows mean lots to look at ;)

Now, some of your questions:

What are they like to tow I have a camping trailor and when full loaded you can definately feel it back there. On wet roads, the front wheels tend to lock up easier if you hit the brakes too hard. Otherwise, it's fine.

What are they like offroad. no rock crawling just medium stuff... I bought mine mainly for the beach. It's awesome on the beach. My last 4wd was a diesel and struggled on the beach and the TJ is a completely different beast. If you hit a sand drift and start to slow down, just stomp the throttle :)

I have a son, are the rear seats comfy for long trips..
As long as he's not a basketballer he'll be fine but there is no rear headrest. Soft top models can get tiresome on long trips due to wind noise.

Economy??? normal driving aswell as towing.. I get 13L/100klm on hwy, 15L/100klm in city/offroad/beach and 16/17L/100klm towing a heavy trailor. On high tide up at Fraser island i use less fuel than my mate's 1.3L Suzuki Jimny because i'm just idling along in high range whereas he needs to rev it's tits off in low range to try and keep up.

Parts... are they a bit more expensive than normal... Completely false. My missus has a 2.2L camry and her previous car was a 1.4 Barina and these were just as and often more expensive than the jeep to service. I had a normal scheduled service last week and i asked him the change the belt & flush the radiator too while he was at it. I think it was $200 or so... and that's from a jeep specialist in Brisbane.

Are they all 6 cyl??? or can u get diesel??? TJ's are only 6cyl petrol.

are there alot of aftermarket accesories for them?? Because the Wrangler is so revered in the US there are more aftermarket parts for them than any other make/model. I have 4 different softops and combinations, 3 sets of doors, 3 sets of rims/tyres, 3 different original mudflap combinations, 2 different bumpers, rear light guards, hand grips etc. It's amazing the stuff you can buy :)

If you really love the Wrangler you'll want one. There are few of us 'die hards' on these forums that have been around for years and years. We don't have the biggest baddest machines but love everything about them anyway. My only advice is don't let the fuel economy and servicing cost 'rumours' scare you. That may have been the case 30 years ago but these days they are on par, and in the case of the 10 year old wrangler, CHEAPER to maintain than other 4wd's of the same vintage.

Problems i've had:

1) Rear main seal (under warranty)
2) Radiator slight leak (under warranty)
3) New LSD after i shattered it on rocks (under warranty)

That's it. I didn't notice these problems, the dealer informed me and replaced them. That was at least 3 years ago .

It's the most reliable, least expensive to service, most enjoyable vehicle i've owned.

I will suggest that the 2000-2002 models are the best. Earlier models didn't have a centre console and were still ironing out the bugs, later models had a weaker gearbox.

[Mikey0211]

Thanks for putting in the effort and replying.... Are they solid front or IFS. not that it worries me much but just curious?

I best be start looking around and test driving some:waycool: :waycool: :truck:

[hillsjeep]

They are solid front diff, but be careful!! Jeeps are very addictive ;)
I've got an XJ and like Matt said, its the best vehicle I've owned by far!!

[Jeeps]

i'm with hillsjeep, they're very addictive!

[Mikey0211]

Well, I just whacked a deposit on a offroad camper trailer, so All I need now is another 4x4..... but i'm sure the courier will do till I find the right one...
Cheers Guys

Mick

[kyro]

yes dont discard the XJ they are just as good as the TJ with a bit more room

had mine since new in 99

[Jeeps]

Well, I just whacked a deposit on a offroad camper trailer, so All I need now is another 4x4..... but i'm sure the courier will do till I find the right one...
Cheers Guys

Mick

Good stuff. Make sure you buy the newest, most stock wrangler you can buy. Nothing against heavily modded TJ's but they're likely to have been...umm... used a bit more ;)

[BLU-125]

"I will be looking at a late 90's wrangler....."

Where did the need to mention XJs come from?

I sometimes wonder where the motivation for some posts come from.....

[hillsjeep]

Where did the need to mention XJs come from?

I sometimes wonder where the motivation for some posts come from.....

Umm, from a TJ owner I believe ;)

[Steve F]

The wranglers are a small car so there isn't much room in the interior, they only came in a straight 4L six so fuel economey is bad 20L/100Klm. But this motor has heaps of torque at low revs which is great for offroad.
The New JK Wrangler model fixes all these problems it is longer, wider, bigger interior space and comes in turbo diesel now.

Try this link for more info.





www.ausjeepoffroad.com - Powered by vBulletin (http://www.ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/index.php)

20L/100km!!! My XJ with 32's and 4-5" of lift does better than that at about 18L/100km as an average (With almost as much offroad as on now) but more like 16 on the freeway, stock it did 11-12 on the freeway.

Cheers
Steve

[Dan96XJ]

In my XJ, i average 15L/100km with aggressive 31s and 4.11s. on the highway down to 12-13L/100km.

[MRF-Dru]

sorry to hijack :P, but what are the new 4 door wranglers like? looking at getting the 4x4 model with the lockers in it and just wondering if anyone has driven one.

[Jeeps]

Very noice! The best feature over the old wrangler (like mine) i noticed were:

* Height adjustable seat, it goes WAY up!
* Better visibility because the side mirrors are lower and aren't in the way and the windscreen piller isn't as wide.

Other than that, i havn't driven one!

[tasar]

Be willing to wait 6 months for delivery - people who ordered in march/april are just getting there rubicons now

they are an awesome truck
;)

[fourbyconvert]

my advixce if you get a wrangler, put aside a budget for mods you wont be able to help yourself, ive had mine for 6 months at the mosat and have just got a 4.5 inch lift boggers control arms etc i cant help it and either does it seem can any jeep owners its bloody addictive.

in the past ive had a luxy and a disco and im never going back these little wranglers kick arse.

[hobnob]

Hi all, I just got my 4dr CRD Wrangler last week and am making an ever growing list of mods to add. Can't wait to hit the dirt in it for the first time.

[kyro]

try here for some pics

JK drivers post your pics - www.ausjeepoffroad.com (http://www.ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69087)