Jeep Wrangler

tsjay · July 2004

Man, since you have something more practical for family transportation, and since this vehicle is YOUR baby, and since you have ALWAYS wanted a Jeep.... GO FOR IT!

Dave, there is simply no way to convey to you how much fun a Jeep really is. You THINK you know how much fun it would be, but when you finally get one, you will realize that they are a hundred times more fun than you thought they would be.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!

Get that Jeep! Do it, do it, do it. You know you want one and HAVE wanted one a long time. Why not do it?????

The first time you take a drive topless and doorless you will know that you did the right thing. The first time you get that puppy out in the woods, you will be even more sure that you did the right thing.

There just plain ain't nothin' like a Jeep!

If you will really watch your speed, you can get probably 18 MPG or maybe 19 MPG on your commute. Keep it at about 65 MPH or less, and you can get some decent mileage.

Tom

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

P.S. I have always been one to get excited over a vehicle (or anything else, for that matter) and then get bored with it in just a short time. It may not sound like a long time; but, considering my history, it is AMAZING that I am still just as enthusiastic about my Jeep as I was the day I picked her up, three and a half years ago! Heck, I think I am even MORE enthusiastic about her now.

tsjay · July 2004

You ought to check on the Rubicon Unlimited. I know there are a few, and I have even seen pics.

They may not be generally available yet, but you should ask about them. You can get a six speed manual tranny, and that oughta be great for your commute. Also, you get SELECTABLE lockers front and back (and the back is limited slip when not engaged as a full locker). You get the Dana 44 axle front and rear. You get SYE right from the factory. You get a 4:1 low range transfer case (std is 2.72:1). You get those beautiful Moab style wheels (16") and some 31 x 10.50 MTR tires.

The Rubicon edition is a super, super bargain for all that you get with it! You would spend three or four times as much money modifying a regular Wrangler to get the same features that a Rubi has right from the factory.

So, if there really is a Rubicon edtion of the Unlimited, then you should definitely go for it.

Tom

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

erickpl · July 2004

My TJ is NOT my daily driver (120+ miles on the highway in a windy desert), but I have my top off and doors off now.

One thing to consider besides dual tops is a bikini/safari top for summer. In the high desert here, the sun is VERY intense and as much as I love the top off during the summer, the sun is just too intense, so a safari top is a good way to go as well.

I'm looking at the various trail covers offered that cover the cabin when not in use and with the top/doors off to keep dust, water, and such out. Has anybody tried any of these? Does Bestop make one that will cover the holes left by removed lower doors?

-Paul

goducks1 · July 2004

For a trail cover that will cover the entire door area for when you go doorless, try the ones by Rain Gear. I had one but sold it on ebay this year, because I have garage space now, not because it didn't work.

tsjay · July 2004

I bought a full cover from Quadratec. It is custom made for the Wrangler and fits perfectly.

I have had it two or three years, and it was about $100 back then.

Mine is the DuraVent style full cover (think that's what they called it).

Tom

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

goducks1 · July 2004

In answer to my own question from last week: a guy with a Rubicon down the street lent me a bottle of stuff called "Revive" by Car Brite. It did a very good job of cleaning up my bleached-out fender flares, which is what it is designed to do. Highly recommended. I don't know how much it cost because I borrowed his bottle but he said it's cheap. I think he got it from a specialty store.

tsjay · July 2004

Been a long time! How ya doin'? How's that self employment thing workin' out for ya?

Maybe I'll catch ya in Gill's chat room one of these nights.

Tom

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

goducks1 · July 2004

The biz is good, was out of town for a few weeks but back now. I think we keep missing each other at Gill's but I'll catch you one of these nights.

erickpl · July 2004

Tom, I was looking for just the cab cover area, not the whole vehicle. But with all the dust blowing around right now and the sappy stuff still coming off trees, the full cover may be a good way to go and one I can use with the top on (hopefully).

Does the full cover fit in the TJ okay or do you just leave it at home?

-Paul

davesbrew · July 2004

Heh. Thanks Tom.

And congrats on being smoke free!

mtngal · July 2004

I have a 150 mile commute (glad to know there are other crazy folks out there) and used my Wrangler for a daily driver for about 6 months. It worked out fine, but we decided to get something more economical for a daily driver. We still use the Wrangler as a daily driver whenever it snows or it sounds like the roads will be bad - they often have chain requirements and I just have a thing about chains and snow shovels at 4am!

Now that our daily driver (the disliked Y2K Tacoma) has 167,000 miles on it, we're thinking of replacing it. About the only vehicle we REALLY like is the Wrangler, so we are thinking of getting an Unlimited. The cost isn't as big of a concern with us, and I'm now thinking of going with an auto tranny (both our vehicles now are 5 speeds). My husband prefers a car to be quieter for such a long trip and the Unlimited is a whole lot quieter.

If you get a Wrangler (and I think you should if you want one), be aware that you are getting a thirsty vehicle with the aerodynamics of a brick wall. It is NOT designed to go fast, but it is tough and will get you there no matter what. We bought ours new in 1998 and I still love it after 6 years.

tsjay · July 2004

Paul:

I didn't get the bag that is made for storage of the full cover, but I guess I should have. I suppose any old bad that is big enough would do, though.

I roll up the cover and can take it with me if I am going somewhere while topless and doorless and thinkin' it might rain.

Tom

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

tsjay · July 2004

Well, got it yet????

Seriously, PLEASE, PLEASE let us know how this goes. I am rooting SO HARD for you to get that Jeep. You will not regret it, if you do!

Tom

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

proc2000 · July 2004

I am on the verge of purchasing a new Wrangler. Either the Sport or the Unlimited. Like most of you, its a vehicle I have always wanted. As I get near my 4th decade, I have always put off the purchase for one reason or another. Here's my dilemma. I work as a contractor to one of the "Big 3" (not DCX). I have been in a contract role for a few years and get the other company's supplier discount, but their vehicles have run their course with me and I really would like the Jeep. Do I go with what I want or should I be "loyal" to the company who indirectly employs me? Tough call. Any guidance would be appreciated (FWIW, I get the DCX employee discount from my father-in-law which is better than my supplier/contractor discount with the other company).

mtngal · July 2004

Separate work from fun. Buy the Jeep. That is as long as there is no clause in your contract that requires you to buy/drive their cars (don't think that would be legal, but I don't know).

I wanted a Wrangler (well, a CJ) when I was in my 20s. I always found a reason why I needed something else until I finally gave up and bought one. For over 20 years that Wrangler itch didn't go away, so save yourself that 20 year itch and buy the Wrangler now.

tsjay · July 2004

Well, bet you know what I am gonna say.

JEEP!

That "other" company should not have a problem with your buying a one of a kind vehicle like a Jeep Wrangler. It's not like they have something that directly competes with the Jeep Wrangler (no one does!).

Tom

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

davesbrew · July 2004

Well, something to consider: I've got a bro-in-law that works for GM. He was telling me that at the plant they have close parking for GM-only cars and far parking for other makes. (I'm guessing they allow disabled people to park close regardless of make.)
But you said you work for a contractor/supplier, so I'd say, unless you'd catch a lot of flak from your boss/directors, or unless they have a silly parking policy like that, get what you want.

Also, thanks all for the input. When my 94 altima (170k) dies, I'm going with the jeep!

(Weird that i find myself wishing that my engine block would crack...)

tsjay · July 2004

A little sugar in the old gas tank would work wonders on that Altima. Maybe you could "forget" to refill the crank case during your next oil change?

Seriously, Dave, why wait? Heck that stupid Altima just might go 300K miles! Why don't you check on that Rubicon Unlimited? See when it is going to be available. Consider a factory order on your Jeep. That way you get exactly what you want, no one else will have driven it (it will be YOUR Jeep from the day it is assembled), it will give you something to look forward to, and the window sticker will have your name on it.

Come on, Dave, GO FOR IT!

Tom

Have you hugged your Jeep today?

goducks1 · July 2004

You're asking whether you should buy from a company whose vehicles "have run their course" with you? Not much of a debate. Why would you make payments on something you don't want? Get the Jeep. The discount makes it even more of a cinch.

erickpl · July 2004

If anybody gives you flak about not buying your customer's cars, tell them, "Well, if they made something like a Wrangler, I would."

There is only one Jeep.

-Paul

BTW, 78 degrees, 5% humidity, doorless, topless drive in to work today. Will be 105 and 5% humidity after work so the safari will be on this afternoon!

proc2000 · July 2004

Thank you all for the replies. I've pretty much made up my mind that the next ride will be a Wrangler.

I test drove the Unlimited and liked it quite a bit (the extra room is nice), but the regular Wrangler has a 1K rebate (and 1K customer cash) right now, which makes look attractive. I priced out a loaded up Sport with dual tops and w/2K off and DCX employee pricing and tax, it comes out to just over $23K. Now, I just need to sell my current ride.

goducks1 · July 2004

Well, that stuff looked like it had cleared up the flares yesterday. Then we got monsoon rain last night and they look back to normal (faded). So much for the quick fix. I think I'll try a heat gun next.

erickpl: FYI, the Rain Gear cover includes a stuff sack about the size of a small sleeping bag.

proc2000: honestly, if I were to get a Jeep today, I wouldn't bother with the hard top at all. The new soft tops are pretty quiet.

erickpl · July 2004

I love my soft top, but when it snows, I worry about the weight of the snow on a soft top.

If I go with a Bestop hard top, I'll probably get the slider upper half doors too. Should be a lot quieter.

-Paul

twylie · July 2004

I've seen some chatter on other boards about using penetrol on the flares and people have had good results. Might be worth a shot before the heat gun comes out.

-twylie

drosketer · July 2004

Wow, the whole lotta new posting happening. Welcome aboard all.

My $0.02 (for a number of the issues that have been discussed recently)... get the Jeep, get the dual tops (unless you don't get much in the way of snow or ice buildup (you don't want to scrape the soft top windows)), the heater is great even with some damningly frigid temperatures, and lastly - buy it and love the ride! ;-)

Andrew

goducks1 · July 2004

Are you serious? Just apply it on the flares straight-up with a rag? Would it hurt the paint on the body if some gets on? There's a Lowe's right around the corner.

proc2000 · July 2004

I was thinking dual tops...its gets cold here in Michigan...snow, etc. If I am hearing correctly, many of you think the soft top is adequate for Midwest winters?

mtngal · July 2004

I would think the soft top would be fine temperature-wise for a midwest winter (at least from what I remember of my college days living near Coldwater).

I'm like Paul - I worry about some of the huge snow dumps we mountain dwellers get every so often. My hard top didn't have a problem with the 30 inches of wet snow we got one night a couple of years ago (though I got stuck in the road outside my driveway, luckily). I'm not sure how a soft top would have handled that. If I were lucky enough to have a garage, I would definitely get the dual tops. Since I don't, I have a hard top. I may take a chance and get a soft top next time around, though it will be hard convincing my other half (he prefers the hard top).

twylie · July 2004

Just echoing what I've read. Most people are applying it straight on after cleaning the flares well. Using everything from a brush to a rag with decent results. Might want to test it out on a small area first to make sure it will have a finish you're pleased with. AGAIN, no personal experience with it, just a few threads and almost universal satisfaction in the posts I've seen. Advice given is apply in a garage or similar wind/dust free environment to keep dirt out while it dries.

-twylie

twylie · July 2004

another option, although more time consuming is to use Krylon Fusion spray paint (bonds to plastic). An individuals Jeep site with the review: http://www.4x4icon.com/offroad/fender_flares/index.htm

-twylie

davids1 · July 2004

I have used Mothers "Back to Black" on the flares on my 95 Wrangler. The first time it takes a few applications/re-applications. Then it seems to hold up well. I have the top off now so it stays in the garage so that helps. I put it on heavy with a foam paint brush and let it sit overnight. Most of the time the excess soaks in and leave a nice finish. Other times a slight wipe with a clean cloth does the trick.

bamatazz · July 2004

Wow, have I been gone that long?
108 post to catch up on..

Congrats TOM on 6 months no smoking..

Been on vacation last week, saw lots of jeeps on the Bama gulf coast. Didnt take mine. No room for 4 people & luggage in a JEEP.

Had a half day topless yesterday, started raining.. had to put it back up

BEEN a hot few days here 98 tomorrow.. WHEW

Great catching up with everyone.

Keep jeepin

BAMA

99tj · July 2004

I can't believe all the posts in just a few days!

Go with the DUAL tops. I can't imagine looking through my plastic rear window covered in ice and snow. (I grew up in Ohio and now live in CT).
Nothing beats a rear wiper and defrost!

You SoCals have it good. I wish I could leave my top off for weeks on end. Too much rain here to pull that off, besides I don't have a garage and my 99 TJ is my Daily driver.

-Dan

goducks1 · July 2004

thanks for all the input. I think I'll try penetrol tomorrow (that sounds a little, I don't know, racy) followed by testing a small patch with the heat gun if the penetrol doesn't work. If all else fails then I'll consider spray-painting them with that special paint.

99tj · July 2004

I can't believe all the posts in just a few days!

Go with the DUAL tops. I can't imagine looking through my plastic rear window covered in ice and snow. (I grew up in Ohio and now live in CT).
Nothing beats a rear wiper and defrost!

You SoCals have it good. I wish I could leave my top off for weeks on end. Too much rain here to pull that off, besides I don't have a garage and my 99 TJ is my Daily driver.

-Dan

fairview · July 2004

I tried the heat gun on my flares. I took probably about an hour to do all four and they looked OK for a couple of months, then turned very spotty. I then used Rhino Shine, which is a liquid sold by Rhino Lining dealers to keep the Rhino in your truck bed (or wherever) looking nice. I put it on about 1 year ago and they still look good. One bottle cost $17.95 and would do one set of flares several times. I used the black Rhino Shine but they have several colors so you could possibly make the flares your body color. Hey, how about each flare a different color?

mtngal · July 2004

I'm not so sure right now. There's another brush fire burning about 30 miles from me. That would not normally be a big deal - it is too far away to really threaten us - but it has closed the road I take to Vegas. We've got to go this Friday and I just hope they have the fire out and the road open by then.

There are downsides to all that cloudless, 20% humidity, 100 plus weather. It's going to be a long summer.

erickpl · July 2004

Looks like the Pine fire is out so 138 should be open again soon, if it isn't already. The ash and smoke was going right up to and through Tehachapi. THAT was fun driving my TJ in with no doors or windows. We had ash on the ground from it. The inside of my TJ is gonna be a mess (it's not in the garage). Time for that Rain Gear cover.

-Paul

fenris99 · July 2004

I know this isn't the season to be asking, but how are Wranglers in the snow?

davids1 · July 2004

I'd like to know too. My neighbor told me to park the Wrangler when it snows and to drive my Tahoe. His son had a Wrangler with the 4 cylinder and said it was a "no-go-in-the-snow". Is this true. The 4 cylinder is certainly lighter than the 6, and the short wheel base would make it highly susceptible to doing unplanned donuts.

Enquiring minds want to know.

drosketer · July 2004

I had my first winter experience in the Jeep just this year and I found it great. If conditions warrant it, just drop into 4wd and off you go while others are sitting around spinning their tires (and or buried in the snow). I loved it in the wintertime, and love it even more in the summer!

On the "top" issue... We get plenty of snow and cold around here. Even when the temperatures were hitting -30 C, the heater kept me plenty warm!

Andrew

erickpl · July 2004

I'm in soCal and I get snow. I live in the mountains, so throw in uphill/downhill along with the wet snow we get here, and it gets rather slick.

My TJ handled great in the snow. Now keep in mind, you DO have a shorter wheelbase and you DO have a higher CG.

Tires will play a big role here too, just as with any other car. I have the BFG All Terrain KO's on mine and they tread design works well with the snow. Mud Terrains would handle it just as well, if not better.

When I've taken my TJ in the snow, I didn't even need to use 4wd, the grip of the tires was that good. Slowing down was just as easy, but you still have to realize you are on partially frozen water (snow) or frozen water (ice).

If the snow is deep enough, you may have issues with the skid plates (t-case) working as a snowplow and building up under your rig. If it is that deep though, do you REALLY want to go to work?

More fun to play! hehe Either way, you'll get further with the TJ than most other cars. With that though, a TJ can only do so much, so consider the weather conditions before you venture out. If you already have 18" on the ground and you're expecting another 2', going out may not be the best choice.

-Paul

goducks1 · July 2004

My Jeep spent lots of time in the Oregon Cascades when I first bought it and did outstanding. The roads up there are completely covered with packed-down snow for much of the winter as you can frequently measure daily snowfall in terms of feet, not inches, and the plows can't get all the way down to the road surface. The ABS and limited slip rear differential helped too, as did having a stick shift. But I never got stuck. That was a good reason for having a hard top, though. Snow bombs used to fall the time off of the Douglas firs onto the roof when the branches would get too loaded down.

div2 · July 2004

Your neighbor's kid must have obtained his drivers license at K Mart. Like erickpl, I rarely use 4WD in the slick stuff since my TJ does just fine in 2WD. Also note that I'm running on those crummy Goodyear RT/S tires; they were on the TJ when I bought it. I plan to switch to Pirelli Scorpion A/Ts when the Goodyears wear out-and that can't happen a moment too soon...

gman1259 · July 2004

That's great...I will have to ask him.

davids1 · July 2004

Thands for the snow info.

01r1 · July 2004

Greta- I tried the self-check you described, kind of cool - too bad I don't know what it all means. Mine starts off with S of 2.1, No Faults and then tests the warning lights and gauges. I like that it tests lights that don't apply to my Jeep, like Cruise and Full-Time. Weird that the 4wd Low light didn't light up, then again, it's never come on since I've owned it.

I found it interesting during the gauge test, that it seems to display a few different levels on each gauge. On the speedo, for example, it showed 76 MPH as the highest - which is the fastest I've probably gone in recent memory. I wonder if it's recording maximum levels for each gauge.

Tom or Mac, do your books give any information about this self-test and what those gauge readings mean? Does the 2.1 that mine starts with mean firmware version?

Thanks,
Pete

gman1259 · July 2004

Dave,

If the Wrangler is your second vehicle then I believe you will be extremely satisfied with it. I do like the Cooper though, but I have recently given up my Porsche (it gave up after almost 250,000 miles), which was a fun car on the road, and I can say I find the Wrangler much more fun to drive (and that is with an auto trans). I have a 62 mile round trip daily and a small car would be easier on gas consumption, but there something about the freedom of driving with the top off through and over things the Porsche would have stranded me on.

If it fits your life style get the Wrangler. I wanted a Wrangler for some twenty years before I finely bought one. No matter what car I was driving I just could not get the desire for a Wrangler out of my system, and I am willing to bet that it is the same for you. Right now the Wrangler is the best it has ever been, and it may not get any betterunless they put a diesel engine in it.

Good luck

Glen

gman1259 · July 2004

Get what makes you happy.

Glen

gman1259 · July 2004

I had the same infliction. It's better now.

Glen

Jeep Wrangler

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