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Comments
Save your money and buy the suv you really want.
By the way, my hard top dolly comes in on Monday!! I can't WAIT to go topless. Chicago weather is usually completely unpredictable, yet the past 5 days have been... SUN!
Scott
P.S. Do you know if any of the wheels can be "locked" in place? That's be helpful when trying to drop the top down on the dolly.
Oh, my gosh, I had to laugh at the question...not at you. I'm in Alabama, and I think the founders invented the notorious red dirt, which is...everywhere....
It just looks horrible on any body color, and particularly the undercarriage. That's probably why, subconsciously, I picked Red for eXcalibur's color (along with many of your recommendations). So, easy dirt roads..or...challenging ones, there's no way around it.....eXcalibur's gonna get red "stuff" all over her....
On another topic, I attended my grandson's little league ball game yesterday, and ran into a guy driving what I estimated to be a mid-80's Wranger. Soft top completely removed, both doors off, and all-vinyl interior that apparently has seen lots of inclement weather.
I was curious about his driving without the outside mirrors, and he gave a surprising...and interesting...answer. He said, "hummm....I never really thought about it. Guess I just turn around alot".
Wasn't until I was in eXcalibur before the answer's potential impact hit me...does he even look behind him, other than the windshield mirror? Horrors! Alabama drivers are always a bit confused at times. You know that stick-thingy on the left side of our steering columns? You know---it sorta goes "click, click, click" when it is inadvertently pulled up or down? Most souls here somehow think it's a convenient place to hang air fresheners, extra keys, hair brushes, etc.
Most are horrified...and confused...when they're told they are in truth an apparatus that, when used, will actually tell other drivers which way they're about to cut in front on them!
Well, just a bit of southern anecdotes this morning. Going to be a sunny day here in Tuscaloosa, so...off we go!
Randy
The fuel injection keeps the engine running when the Jeep is pointed straight up at the sky in a steep climb. I know the four banger YJ's were all fuel injected, and the 4.2 L six got fuel injection starting in 91, but the pre-YJ Jeeps had carburetors. Carburetors don't like steep angles: they want to flood the engine. I have seen older Jeeps have some real problems on the same climbs that I do with ease in Thelma Jane.
I guess what I am saying is that I think DC and the previous owners of the Jeep brand have done a super good job of designing the succeeding generations of Jeeps to be true to their off road heritage, even to the point of enhancing their capabilities. I hope this will continue to be case for each new generation of the Jeep Wrangler, or whatever the short wheel base Jeep will be called, if they drop the "Wrangler" name.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
The dimensions specs for the Unlimited are nearly identical to those for my '91 YJ; it's just that for some reason Chrysler deemed it desirable to invade an already fairly small cockpit with extrusive molded this and rounded that. There's no apparent logic to most of the changes at all. The redesign seems to have been made specifically for tall males, and in stark contrast to my YJ, no longer accommodates drivers of different sizes (it was very flexible). My husband is 6'1" and I'm an average size adult female at 5'4" who can't use the seating that comes with the vehicle because it's too long and low. It seems that Jeep/Chrysler completely overlooked a good half or more of the potential drivers for this vehicle with the redesign. For anyone who might watch "Trading Spaces" on TLC, you might suspect that the redesign was done by Hildie! Also most of the interior is, frankly, pretty cheap, so I have no conscience about ripping it out.
Within about a week and a half I should have a vehicle that will be mechanically sound, have the air that I so desperately need, and be something that I'm comfortable driving on a daily basis. I looked at many other vehicles over the past year and a half, and always came back to Jeep. What fooled me was that the dimensions published didn't cover those alterations that made the cabin unuseable, but which I'm going to fix. :mad:
Having said that, if that is all it takes, then go for it. Hope you have many happy miles in that Unlimited.
However, as I said earlier, good luck (and let us know how it all turns out).
The Unlimited's seats are still 100% better than the awful seats in that (hated) 2000 Tacoma.
If you think that you will be happy with the Unlimited then go ahead and get it - your project sounds interesting. However, if you have any doubts, don't get it. We bought the Taco after too short of a test drive. A month after we got it we both agreed that it was by far the MOST uncomfortable vehicle either one of us had ever owned. We couldn't afford to dump it so were stuck with it for 4 very long years (and 177,000 miles). I hope never to do that again!
And while I don't subscribe to this, people like my professor say after the CJs ceased, and AMC was sold to Chrysler, that was it for "real" Jeeps. Square lights and all. Wranglers were made for about a year under AMC, and from there on (including your '91) they became the purview of Chrysler's Jeep/Eagle division.
Consumer Reports (can we cite them on Edmunds?) generally poo poos the Wrangler, but also offers this backhanded compliment. They allude to Wrangler's impeccable off road capabilities, and consider it to be otherwise "too true to its roots."
I think the "logic" -- if that's the right word -- of the interior is extreme mass production. Easy to swap steering from left to right. Well, that's the only one I can think of, but I'm sure I read somewhere there were other modular benefits which translates into cost effectiveness, blah, blah, blah.
Your 1991 worked great for you, and that's awesome, but that doesn't mean everything else is garbage. There's a huuuge school of thought to the contrary. For that matter, I've heard people say a/c in a Jeep is sacrilege. (Though, again, I looove my a/c). And I'm sure when they intro a new Wrangler I'll be all upset about how they screwed it up too, and I'll never want anything other than my '04.
Anyways, hope it all works out for you. Keep us posted.
-Mike
-Mike
LOL! Actually, mechanically it wasn't that bad of a vehicle. If we had replaced the seats early on, I might still have it (well, maybe not, since it had so many miles on it when I sold it a year ago).
I've left the choice of our next vehicle totally up to my other half. At first he was leaning toward an Unlimited Rubicon, but now he's talking about getting a full sized pick-up (model changes weekly). We do miss the extra hauling capacity of a pick-up every so often. Renting full sized SUVs or pickups for a week to haul junk around can get expensive quickly. We aren't in any rush (can't do anything about it now anyway) and the decision, when the time comes, will be his (do you know how hard it is to not put my 2 cents in?!).
It's not a problem. They are not an automotive siter per se and you're obviously not soliciting for them.
tidester, host
I'm with John, show us the pictures!
Just computed my mpg on eXcalibur's first tankfull....came out to 16.68; I'd estimate 90 percent of that was tooling around town...and a/c usage at about 20 percent.
Seems on target to Edmund's listed estimate of 15 in town. I left my lead foot back in the 70's someplace, so with conservative driving, I'm pleased.
Am I about on average for the rest of you?
Speaking of bugs (did I mention I HATE those?), took eXcalibur and my pooch out for a spin at dusk Saturday evening, and of course was on the alert for those things bent on permanently altering their composition on my windshield.
Now, I'm not kidding....I never in a million years thought that bug shield I put on last week would really help, but I truly saw some nasties get caught in the updraft from the shield and went up and over the cab. Yoweeee!
Some of them were desperate enough to get through, but it was nowhere near as bad as my first night-time outing when eXcalibur eliminated roughly 1,000,000 of them. I know the consensus here is that the shields look unsightly, but thought I'd share my $.02 worth.
Randy
Looking at nasty trails and trusting a jeep to make it up or down them is incredible! We learned that a just because a trail only has "one" black diamond it doesn't mean it's the easiest trail. I only backed down twice. Once on a double black diamond trail with white rocks and nasty boulders. And later a giggle-fest of a dirt mound that spit dirt into the jeep and refused to let us get over.
I let my daughter drive it up a 200-300 yard soft dirt grade of at least 50-60 degrees. All I know is that I looked back and it looked straight down. And while I was verbally cheering her on, I was quietly dreading the possibilities if she stopped.
I admit my jeep with less than 2500 miles looked a bit overdressed and wayyy too clean. But the other jeepers there were nice. One even advised that since I have the longer Unlimited wheelbase that I would need an 8inch (!) lift for maximum capability. I don't plan going further than a 3.5" lift but 8" sounds awesome.
No pictures, I'll get some next time. I want some with mud. The scratches should buff out and the interior cleans out fine. Easily worth the price of admission.
WAY TO GO!
You didn't waste any time getting that Jeep into its natural habitat. Your Jeep will love you for letting it do what it was born to do.
yeeeeeeeeehawwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!
Tomster
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
To be fair, Saturday I took the Sport out on a forest service road that is normally steep and rough enough to think about shifting into 4Hi. However, since the national forest sustained so much damage this past winter, they've ended up grading many of the roads in order to get heavy equipment in to clear the fallen trees, etc. All except for a few motorcycle trails are now open, but they're all easier than they were last year. That's OK with me - at least they are open, and I can get away now.
As we walked over to te Jeep, I jokingly told him that since the rear seat was out, he could either ride in the passenger seat, or just stand on the back bumper. I figured he'd opt for some degree of safety, right? Well, he said "Great! I'll ride back here!". Fortunately he wasn't too disappointed when I explained he really had to ride in the seat. (He's a gutsy little 4-yr old, in case I hadn't mentioned that before. He likes to show us how he figured out how to ride his bike without training wheels, but while wearing his rollerblades!) :surprise:
Anyway, we had a great ride and spent a fair amount of time in the dirt, driving up dirt mounds and the like. We even drove down into a lower area, where the rains had made some good mud. That entailed shifting into 4-Hi for good measure - - he seemed to like that a lot! I stopped and let him look back at our tire tracks; that was even better!
We drove back home and checked out the mud-caked tires. Let me tell you, that's cool stuff even when you're 4! After a brief pause to see our dogs, I took him back to his house (just around the corner) - - he voted to ride in the Jeep instead of walking. He opened the passenger door, and given his size, bonked himself in the head when it opened. He's tough, and mentioned that "Eugene said he was sorry"! I did mention that I hoped we wouldn't leave any mud in his driveway; he said it would be OK! Next we told his Dad all about the trip and the mud and 4-wheel drive and that the Jeep was named "Eugene" and was a boy. Dad mentioned he really wanted to get a Jeep, and wished he had gone that route instead of the 300Z a year or so ago. It's been traded since, and I quote "I lost a ton of money on that! I'd still have the Jeep!"
I figure it's just a matter of time!
I'm installing windshield fog light brackets and, of course, fog lights. Question: Is there someplace to run these wires into the vehicle? If I need to drill, is there a safe place to do so or is there someplace absolutely NOT to drill? Any light anyone can shed on this would be appreciated.
Glad to be back and glad to be on-board.
Steve
couple of questions.
1. why are wrangler's SO expensive?
2. Manual or automatic?
3. Where to off road in southern california?
4. is it possible to get a tape player? i want to hook my ipod through my current tape adaptor.
You're probably best off with narrow beam spots, rather than driving lights which would reflect back off the hood. Also be aware that using lights mounted at that height is illegal in all states unless you're off road.
You can remove the grille under the windshield to help run the wiring into the engine compartment, then come back through a grommet in the firewall to get to the passenger compartment.
1. Because that's what people will pay.
2. Your choice. Each is different to the other, not better.
3. Can't help with that one, not my area.
4. Not that I'm aware of on the latest models, but try Crutchfield. Prior to '03, yes.
Where in OK do you live? I was born in Okmulgee, about 35 miles south of Tulsa.
Terry
1. every car is somewhat expensive but the fun you will have with a Wrangler makes it well worth it.
2. to each his own ( I have a manual)
3. Not sure but I am sure there is someone here that can tell you.
4. I have a new Sport and just installed an IPOD adaptor from Crutchfield that ran $119.00 with free shipping (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-9Kgj7SvUfiX/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=227450&I=581PA10CHR)
it is really easy to install and was much better option than a tape deck IMHO.
Laura
2. I prefer manual, but if you deal with soCal traffic, opt for auto (just ask mtngal!).
3. Hungry Valley OHV near Gorman (north of LA on I-5) is supposed to be decent. You can ride is some places out in the desert. I'd need more info on where in soCal you are before specifying additional spots.
4. I have an Alpine CD in my Wrangler (CDA-9827) with an AiNet interface running XM AND my iPod. No more AM/FM for me! The XM interface was 99.00 for the two pieces and 99 for the iPod interface. This is a standard price available pretty much anywhere (BestBuy, local audio shops, etc).
-Paul
If you want to go a little further north, there are lots of interesting places to explore in the Sierras - roads to fire lookout towers, ones to old abandoned mines, etc. There are quite a few books that cover trails in the area.
As far as auto or manual - I have one of each. I like the manual for the lower first gear when going down steep hills. I like the automatic for sand and soft stuff - you aren't as likely to spin your wheels probably stick with the auto now, even though I still think the manual is more fun.
No matter which Wrangler you get, have fun with it!
-Paul
I live in Edmond, about 15 miles North of OKC along I-35. Moved here 8 years ago from central Indiana. It was really strange listening to weather reports mentioning all these towns and counties which were totally unfamiliar to me! Guess that's the same for anyone who moves into a new region of the country; but we have some peculiar names in this state!
(I'm also a mechanical engineer, who branched off into magnetics.)
Gary
2. I live in So Cal and make do just fine with the manual. Barely give it a second thought, even in sluggish traffic. Of course, I don't do the 9-5 commute every day, but I also keep tabs on traffic and take alternate routes. Sounds like you'll be on a college schedule so I wouldn't worrry about it. It is personal preference, but if you really like manual, it won't be a burden.
4. Not quite an answer, but just a heads up. Do not, do not, do not get an iPod FM transmitter if you're living in L.A. or a large market. With all the radio traffic, they are useless. You have to be in rural sticks-ville (where Mac lives if I recall) to get those things to work.
A little more cumbersome, but I just burn CDs.
Best,
Mike
P.S. If you're headed to USC, Fight On! And if not, well, that's coo too.
Thanks,
Mike
The recent batch of posts about the bad changes from YJ's to LJ's and TJ's got me thinking. Personally, this is my third Jeep (04 LJ) and I'm thrilled so far. I got started with an 89 YJ that I bought in 91 while working for a Chrysler dealer. While I loved it, I traded it because there's situations it just couldn't handle. I drove a 96 XJ for awhile, lifted it, modified it, and finally sold it. It was a good option for things the YJ didn't do, but nothing compares to my Unlimited.
1. The 4.2 was the last carbuerated engine sold in a passenger car in the US for A REASON. If it wasn't stalled, it was in the process of stalling. No tuning could fix it, because that version was never designed for smog stuff.
2. It rode like a coal-cart. This was ok on the beach, and the sand of the rivers in Oklahoma (I'm a fellow native okie for all you recent posters) but not on the street. Leaf springs have advantages sometimes, but the LJ can cruise through the city traffic all day. Here in KC, the metal plate has become the new paving material of choice.
3. Taking the top off required at least 10 sheet metal screws. And that's just the front!
4. The AMC dash, chrysler radio, and GM steering column was just weird. And the keychain would rub all the paint off the side.
5. The newer hard doors are lighter by a bunch. Don't know for sure, as I've never weighed either set, but carrying the LJ's doors to the garage was much easier than I remember with the YJ.
6. I drove the LJ recently on a 6-hour drive. You could do this in the YJ, if you wanted to feel like you'd been in a boxing match.
There are more, and don't get me wrong, I bought this one BECAUSE my wife said she was tired of how much I was missing the old one. If I wasn't driving it, I was working on it before hours at the dealership or reading about it. Yes, I had to replace the main seal at 29k miles, but that was part of the charm. The point is, congrats to DC for managing to hang onto this much character for this long. Imagine going to Ford or GM or Nissan top brass as an engineer with an idea for a new TJ...
Engineer: "We want to build a new SUV"...
GM: "GREAT. Tell us about it before we make a decision on the project."
Engineer: "Two doors. Removable. Huge soft-top. We'll use that old AMC tractor motor from the early 60's. Square as a brick. Kinda tough to get up into. No cargo space. Tips over kinda easy. Guaranteed to scare away the soccer-mom market. Whadya think?..."
With Toyota green-lighting the FJ, and Hummer finally coming to it's senses and building the smaller H3, we could be on the edge of a new off-road renaissance. We could even get a new Nissan Patrol or Ford early-Bronco! They did do a concept vehicle...
Go Bruins!
-Mike
Thanks, I couldn't figure that out last night
Laura
I enjoyed reading your post - though I had no direct experience with YJ's, several of my friends did and make similar comments after riding in the TJ. I'm sure they still have fond recollections of their Jeeps, but were pleasantly surprised by the TJ's ride as well as the stats about standard wheel travel. When DC does make changes, we all run the risk of commiserating about the good old days....
I've taken some extended rides in my Jeep as well (even longer than 6 hours), and survived pretty well. I've got the original '98 soft top, so the flapping makes it hard to hear the radio at interstate speeds... but I just acknowledge that it's a Jeep, and that's part of it. If it were a big deal, I'd upgrade to a sail-cloth top and reduce my noise level several decibels! Listening to too much Sammy Hagar makes it hard to drive 55, anyway!
That's a Power Wheels Jeep, and I got it at Walmart. Those Power Wheels vehicles are tough. That little Jeep handles kids up to 90 lbs!
I think it was about $250 that I paid for it.
Tomster
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
Yeah, they're actually spot lights and also serve another function that I intend to use them for. I realize fog lights aren't much good mounted higher than the top of the bumper. Thanks for the thought on the grille mount.
By the way, does anyone know of a good 4x4 (Jeep) shop in the Baltimore/Annapolis (Maryland) area? I'm looking for someone that can do work on the vehicle, more so than buying parts or accessories.
Thanks
Steve
So where do you go off-road in our area?
Yours in Jeep Coolness,
Dave
Annapolis, MD