Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Jeep Wrangler

1…131132134136137…455

Comments

  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    No personal experience, but I have heard that antilocks don't work very well if you ever go to bigger tires. As a matter of fact, I have heard antilocks SUCK with bigger tires.

    Tom

    Have you hugged your Jeep today?
  • wannajeepbadwannajeepbad Member Posts: 1
    I am planning on buying a '96-'00 wrangler over the next couple weeks. i am looking for a 5 spd. sport or sahara...any suggestions on the two? any advice on options or models would be very helpful. if u can give me any advice on what to look for please email me at d_allen01@yahoo.com. thank you so much!
  • mtngalmtngal Member Posts: 1,911
    I personally don't like the fabric in the Sahara, so I would go with the Sport. Another thing - everything I want is available in the Sport, so there is no reason for spending the extra money on the Sahara.

    Don't know about the '00, but earlier than that the sound bar wasn't standard (it is now). That's the only thing I wish I had on my '98 Sport. Check out the exhaust manifold - they redesigned them in '00 (I think that's the year). Previous to that they often failed and they are expensive to replace (I speak from experience!).

    Other options depend on how you plan to use it. For instance, I had no need for fog lights when I bought mine, but once I moved to my mountain pass home, I was sure glad they happened to be on the one I bought!
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Twylie, I knew it was one of you "T" guys giving me a hard time ;-)

    Advice for Wannajeepbad is best given here - that way even the lurkers can benefit from the sage advice (thx, Mtngal!).

    Steve
    Hosts, SUVs
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    So, you got Wrangler Fever, huh? I guess you know the only cure is to get one.

    First off, welcome! Glad you came here.

    For your info, there was no such thing as a 96 Wrangler: that's the year that they switched from the YJs to the TJs. So, from about 87 to 95, the Wranglers were YJs, and from 97 on up, they are TJs.

    The TJs have the round headlights (YJs' headlights are rectangular) and coil springs instead of leaf springs. The coil springs give a much smoother ride, and most people agree that the suspension of the TJs is better offroad too.

    So, you are doing well to get a 97 or newer.

    Like mtngal said, the exhaust manifolds had a design flaw and cracked on the 97s and 98s, I'm not sure when that problem was corrected, but I would guess in 99 or 2000.

    I think it was in 2000 that distributorless ignition came along, which is a nice improvement. No more distributor or spark plug wires to worry about.

    Sometime in 2000 also, I think, the NV3550 manual transmission was introduced in the TJs, but I'm not sure how important that is. I think the previous tranny was pretty good.

    Like anything else, improvements are made over time, so the newer the Jeep you buy, the more refined it is going to be.

    You wouldn't go wrong with any Jeep from 97 up, assuming you get the right deal, but be prepared to have the exhaust manifold replaced on one older than about 99 or 2000, unless it has already been replaced.

    One potential biggie, if you are gonna wheel that Jeep, and especially if you are going to go to tires bigger than 30", is to get one that has the Dana 44 rear end instead of the Dana 35. The 44s are much beefier and support the bigger tires much better. For most people, though, who only occasionally offroad and have no plans for big tires, the 35 is acceptable.

    Best thing to do is read a bunch of the old posts in here. Lots of questions have been asked and answered in here.

    Don't be afraid to ask a question, though, even if you think it might have been asked before. We don't flame folks in here, and newbies are always welcome.

    Tom

    Have you hugged your Jeep today?
  • wheelermanwheelerman Member Posts: 113
    got my new tires on sat. . went out to hollister hills on sunday and the tires where greet. i could go almost any where i would want to go . theres this one trail that we only do going down that we only did going up once before [we almost rolled last time] . so it was time to see how the new tires worked. we went right up it . wecame back around and we saw three built up jeep heading to that trail we just did . well we did the trail right be hind them and about half way up we heard them on there cb's saying that you could not do this trail with out lockers, well i don't have lockers and don't realy won't one . at the end of the trail thay took a harder line out and i thought i took the same line but as i went up the front wheel came off the ground like three feet and we almost rolled it twice .then i found the right line . nothing like almost rolling it end over end backwords . we had fun .
  • rb123rb123 Member Posts: 51
    Thanks for the info.
  • kelleyokelleyo Member Posts: 182
    The best place to start (its where I started) is

    this board as well as the TJ FAQ http://www.visi.com/~tam/tjfaq.html#sec2_5


    The FAQ will answer a ton of your questions


    Hope this helps

  • kelleyokelleyo Member Posts: 182
    the correct link is http://www.visi.com/~tam/tjfaq.html
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    "...Hope I haven't given up to much streetworthiness...."

    Probably not. Tons of hot rods use them for improved street performance.

    :-)
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/diffs.htm
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    http://www.rockcrawler.com/techreports/powertrax_tj/


    http://www.rockcrawler.com/techreports/powertrax_tj/front/index.asp


    http://www.4x4wire.com/reviews/no-slip/


    http://www.4x4wire.com/reviews/no-slip/installation/


    http://www.drivetrain.com/Powertrex.html


    http://www.2bigbroncos.com/technical/powertrax_no_slip_install/

  • saharagalsaharagal Member Posts: 88
    The other difference between the loaded Sport and the Sahara is the fender flares. On the Sahara, the flares match the Jeep's color. The Sports all have black flares. I think the Sahara's flares are wider too.

    Personally, I like the Sahara seats. I also prefer the color-coded flares. I just like the look. Mine's all white with a dark tan soft top.

    When I bought my Sahara last year, I figured out that the Sahara was around $500 more than a Sport with the identical options added. The seats and matching fender flares were well worth it to me. Plus, I just love the little Sahara decal! ;-)

    Good luck.

    Saharagal
  • papafeccipapafecci Member Posts: 1
    Ready to get my first Wrangler. Many of the used ones I've looked at have lots of rust appearing on the underside--bolt, frame, etc. Is this typical in the midwest? Or, do I need to go new and get rustproofing? Also, how do the new 2003 automatics compare to the 3 speed automatic?
    THANKS.
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Welcome to the group!

    I don't think Jeeps are any better or any worse about rusting than other makes. If you live in an area where lots of salt is used in the winter, then maybe undercoating would be a good option.

    If you can afford a new Jeep, then that's the way to go. They have some killer incentives on the left over new 02s.

    I'll bet you're gonna love that Jeep and want to keep it for a long, long time, so why not get a new one?

    Where do you live, and how do you plan to use the Jeep? Are you going to offroad it? Will it be daily transportation?

    These are important factors in determining which Jeep and which options are best for you.

    Tom

    Have you hugged your Jeep today?
  • wheelermanwheelerman Member Posts: 113
    hey tom did you get my big city wheeling photos ?? [the rx-7 stomp ]
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Yep! Got those puppies. Thanks. That was pretty cool the way you crawled up on that old car. What was it, a Corsica or a Beretta or something like that?

    Have you found a place to host your pics on the Internet somewhere? You could post some of your pics in the gallery here in Edmunds, if you had a web host for your pics that allows direct links.

    Tom

    Have you hugged your Jeep today?
  • appstate88appstate88 Member Posts: 40
    Let me echo Tsjays comments.

    We bought our Sahara while living in Chicago. The Wranglers hold their value so well that it just made sense to buy new. Plus we tend to keep cars a long time. (I'm driving the wifes 72 Beetle she drove in college...)

    Vehicles only a few years old can be pretty loaded with rust in the midwest, so if you can afford it, go new.

    Afraid I don't know on the autos, we only drive manuals in our house.

    Good luck on your Wrangler purchase!
  • mtngalmtngal Member Posts: 1,911
    Welcome to our little group.

    New vs. used - I'd probably go new in your case, also. It won't be that much more money and you don't have to worry about rust. They use sand on our roads, so I don't have any rust problems on my '98 Wrangler.

    I don't have any personal experience with AT Wranglers - we are also only MT drivers. However, a while ago there was someone who bought a new AT. I'm at work and don't have time to scroll back, but you might want to go back a month or so and take a look. They gave it a positive review, though they said it would take a while to get used to the lower RPMs, I think.
  • wheelermanwheelerman Member Posts: 113
    the car in the photos is a 78 mazda rx-7 . it just had flat tires till i got a hold of it . no i don't have any other place to post . i do have the car stomping photos up on a web site but, i had to send them to someone else then thay put them up .
  • texasjeeptexasjeep Member Posts: 270
    I came across this.


    "To anyone who is interested in 'wheelin in Kentucky, there is a new club called the Kentucky Krawlers that has just formed.

    We had our first "unofficial" run Sunday in Chromer Ridge (Livingston, KY.)

    If you would like more information about going 'wheelin with us or what we are about, then check out http://pub95.ezboard.com/bkentuckykrawlers"

  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    (maybe even year-round tires!)


    http://www.high-tec-retreading.com/


    and


    http://www.high-tec-retreading.com/diamond.html


    testimonials:

    http://www.high-tec-retreading.com/testimonials.html


    sizes and prices:

    http://www.high-tec-retreading.com/sizes.html

  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    You didn't post the most important part....
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    And since we don't allow buying and selling on Town Hall, you'll have to look on eBay Motors or our own PowerShopper to find that Jeep ;-)

    Steve
    Host
    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • christophers1christophers1 Member Posts: 18
    I am considering buying a jeep as well. I had one back in '92 but then started a family and got rid of it. Now I want a fun vehicle for cruising and 4x4 and want to know where I can find out the skinny on buying. I have used another board in town hall to buy another car and it was a great help when I went to get it.

    I am thinking of a sport or rubicon but can not tell if they are worth the money since most driving will be on road.

    Thanks for the help in advance.

    CJSoti
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    I have a jeep, and ALSO am going to probably start a family soon. I have no plans to get rid of it. If anything, I'll probably hang on to it for a while, and replace the wife's Jetta with some SUV type wagon or another. I wish they still made the Grand Wagoneer. I might look into buying one.

    There is a guy down the street from me who has a baby, and I laugh every Saturday when I see the two bald heads going up and down the street, doing errands or whatever. They both look like they're having a ball. Why deny your kids the fun?
  • mac24mac24 Member Posts: 3,910
    Only you can decide if a Jeep will be worth the money. Obviously, most here will say yes, but people with other priorities may say no.

    One thing that you should give serious attention to is that Jeep Wranglers maintain an extremely high resale value.
  • mtngalmtngal Member Posts: 1,911
    I'd look at the cost of the vehicles vs what you need. If you aren't going to be seriously off-roading, do you really need air lockers and a lift? My Sport has handled all of the off-roading I do at the moment. That isn't to say that I wouldn't change where I go if I got a Rubicon. One of the first places I'd try to head to is Moab! It seems like the Rubicon will definitely be worth the extra bucks they are asking for it, but only if you need what you get.

    I've been thinking about going to one car payment and trading in 2 cars on a new Wrangler. If I do that I'd look at both the X and the Sport with the idea that perhaps I could do without the Dana 44, since it would be a daily driver more than a dedicated off-roader and I doubt I would get a lift (better on road handling). I can get every other thing I want with the X.

    The answer to your question is yes, they are all worth the money, depending.
  • scmhockeyscmhockey Member Posts: 45
    After I posted about my Jeep 4 sale, I thought that maybe it wasn't allowed here. I guess the sponsor makes their money by buying and selling vehicles. Sorry.

    anonymous - what did I leave out?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Your contact info ;-)

    Steve
    Host
    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Too bad we'll never know either, LOLOL...

    Steve
    Host
    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • smedcougarsmedcougar Member Posts: 27
    I know that painful urge to buy a Jeep, but unfortunately my dream will have to wait a few more years. As tomster calls me "the traitor" :)

    I'll enjoy that dream eventually but I'm "getting by" with a new 2002 Mercury Cougar. The gas mileage and price I couldn't pass up...and I was really getting tired of driving my Dad's old F150 pickup....with over 130,000 miles on it and not so good gas mileage. It cost me $35 to $45 to fill up both tanks and it seemed to never last long enough :)

    To those whose financial situation allows you to get a Jeep go for it...the ride is great!...just don't wait too long if you see one that you want. Your color choice and features may not be there on the lot for long. When you get it...ENJOY!

    Hug your Jeeps for me ;)

    smedcougar..aka dwrangler
  • lvcheflvchef Member Posts: 52
    Last weekend a budy and I went offroading to a few ghost towns here in Southern Nevada. It was a blast. We took the Old Spanish Trail for about while, very nice trail. I have only a few scratches from the trip. I got rock chips on myRocker Pannel. Who makes a great rocker pannel cover? Please advise...
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    Krylon or Rustoleum!
  • twylietwylie Member Posts: 619
    I you are looking to cover the lower few inches of your rockers, the Sun guards like tsjay has are a great solution. If you want something you can use as a step as well (but give up a couple inches of ground clearance on the sides), the turbocity rails have worked out really well for me. Pricewise, they are both in the $225-250 range, but that's cheaper than any bodywork you might end up with by not having them. Since the Turbocity rails actually stick out from the tub of the jeep a few inches, they have saved me from getting rocks thrown up on gravel roads. Every now and then, I'll hear a loud "clang" as a piece of gravel smacks up against the underside of them.

    If you end up with small rock chips, I've found that factory touch up paint along with Mothers chip repair kit (gets the paint blob smoothed out) works really well on our vehicles. Plenty of paint chips and such have been treated on all ours.

    I also bought a can of spray bedliner and hit the front wheelwells with two coats. I did this initially to get them black (as opposed to body color - white for me), but the added benefit is protecting the paint from chipping and rust. I also used it to hit the undercoating spots that were missed at the factory. Whenever I have to drill through the body for mounting anything, I use the spray bedliner to cover the bolt or screw from the exposed side (bottom of tub, wheel well, etc.) as well. HTH

    -twylie
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    I thought he meant like some sort of cover.

    There are a ton of rocker panel protection companies and products.

    Most need to get bolted onto the side of the body.

    4Xdoctor comes to mind.
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Check out the picture of Thelma Jane with her Sun Performance Rocker Guards in the Jeep Owners Photo Gallery here in Edmunds.

    I really, really like them, and I think they are the best looking rocker guards out there. Like Twylie said, though, they don't have a step built into them like some do. I didn't need a step, so I just went for protection and good looks.

    I got mine through offroadtoystore.com. I would tell ya how much they were, but I couldn't find the paperwork (I'm thinkin about $225 like Twylie said). I probably posted how much I paid for them back about the time they came in, if ya want to check some old posts. I think it was Memorial Day when I put them on.

    Chef, if you're gonna wheel that Jeep, then I would certainly recommend a steering box skid and a Kilby gas tank skid also.

    Tom

    Have you hugged your Jeep today?
  • dewarsdewars Member Posts: 58
    I got mine from Four X Doctor and I really like them. They ship from California so it would be close to you.

    dewars
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Welcome to the group! Glad you joined us.

    Man, you are the one that must decide about the questions you asked. We don't know how you plan to use the Jeep, so we can't offer good advice.

    Those Rubicons are AWESOME, if you plan to do much "wheelin'" with your Jeep. They are actually a BARGAIN for what they sell for vs the cost of fixing up a Sport to the same capability. An aftermarket 4:1 transfer case alone would be about $2000. I don't know what you would pay for a Dana 44 up front if you had to buy one and install it, but I know it wouldn't be cheap. Also, dual selectable lockers??? Installed, I would guess about $2000.

    Let us know more about what you would do with the Jeep, and maybe we can help ya out.

    Tom

    Have you hugged your Jeep today?
  • oceantoadoceantoad Member Posts: 186
    I also have the Four X Doctor guards and think they are great for no lost clearance if you want a step. They are also suppose to be strong enough so that you could jack your TJ up from the side using the steps. What I didn't like was the last bolt on the top and bottom of both sides. You have to cut 2 holes through the inner wall of the TJ to get the nuts and washers on those bolts.
    The holes didn't bother me so much, but it still took a while to get those nuts and washers on. You will want to use tape on your socket to keep the nut from falling out. If you pay to have them put on then it is not your problem.

    The Kilby gas tank skid like Tsjay mentioned is not hard to get on, just a bit heavy if doing it by yourself. The Kilby also gives you an extra inch of clearance over the stock gas tank skid.

    I cheated and went with a dealer installed DC steering box skid when I bought the vehicle.

    I also have a 4XDOC guard for the rear differential which I have not put on yet.

    I am looking at Skid Row for a skid plate for my engine.
  • shill3shill3 Member Posts: 124
    I am dying to get into a wrangler, but I need to (once in a while) put three kids in the back. The rear hip room is listed as 43.5", 3.9" less than the Liberty, but 2.6" larger than the rear seat of the KIA convertable sportage which seats three. My question is, have any of you ever put in a middle lap belt in the back or know if it is even feasible? The belts in my CJ were simple to remove, but I never before considered installing any.

    Unless DC follows through on the rumored "Scrambler", this is my only option (well, dream at this point).

    I have looked into a "safari" jeep, but they are hard to come by.

    Pardon the wild idea, it must be getting late.
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Ok, it's been sitting there and no one has used it, so I'm going to have the honor of getting number 6700 post! :)

    Don't really have anything to say, except that I wish it would quit raining! I guess we are getting the remnants of Isidore here.

    Hope I can wheel tomorrow, but that place will sure be a swamp!

    Tom

    Have you hugged your Jeep today?
  • wheelermanwheelerman Member Posts: 113
    i wish it would rain here. it's so dry at hollister hills , but with my new tires who cares !! i'm not doing any wheeling this weekend ,but i'am going to a small jeep get togther on sat . that mud you got would be a good test for your new locker . CROME DON'T GET YOU HOME
  • dewarsdewars Member Posts: 58
    Tom,
    You can send that rain out here to Colorado, we need it BAD !!
    Hey gang, remember when you change gears you need to change your speedometer gear. I went from 307's to 456's and now when I'm going about 40 mph, my speedo reads about 70. I'm having it fixed soon, but it's a little wierd right now.

    dewars
  • missouri2missouri2 Member Posts: 41
    i have a 1997 big foot edition wrangler, i need to replace the steering column. have any of you done this, if so do you have any tips. thanks
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    What size tires are you running with that 4.56 gearing? That's a heck of a jump from 3.07 to 4.56! Are ya running 33s?

    Tom

    Have you hugged your Jeep today?
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Get your Jeep back from having the lift installed? How did it turn out? When do we get to see some pics?

    Tom

    Have you hugged your Jeep today?
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    What's the "Big Foot Edition" Wrangler?
  • wheelermanwheelerman Member Posts: 113
    i don't think there is a big foot edt. ? big foot is a ford thing . where did you here this ?
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles