Anyone also own a Jeep Wrangler?

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Oddly enough I traded in a 2012 Jeep Wrangler JK on my 2025 Tacoma. My Jeep was my daily driver. Had 212K miles on it, I commute 62 miles each day for work. The Jeep wore me out. The first 10 or so years were okay, the last 2-3 wore me out. I guess I forgot how good a regular automobile drives. I have been extremely impressed with my Tacoma. Very well built truck.

 

I'm actually thinking about getting rid of an '09 Mini Cabrio I bought for about $10K and then proceeded to put another $10K into. And it is still tempermental.

It's super fun to drive, spools the turbo up fast and chirps the tires, turns like a go-cart; and I got it so my fiancee and I could take a long summer driving trip with the top down for her birthday a few years ago.

She is now semi-obsessed with the 2-door Wrangler Sport.

I have been trying to figure out if it is worth buying used, but I fear I'd be in for the same thing. Anyway, that's my sense and everyone says tells me that I'd only want to rely on the warranty from new.

Maybe one in a loud green or orange will be there at the end of the quarter or by the end of the year...

 

Which 2 door? Like a newer one on a dealer lot? Rubicon or sport?

 

also depends on which one you get.... from the jeep forums, looks like the most reliable have been the non-hybrids and non-sticks. Toss up between the turbo-4 and V6. Figure everything else should be about the same between them

 

The 3.6L V6 is hot garbage, they eat cams (which are often on intergalactic backorder) and it's not a matter of if but when the oil cooler is gona start leaking.
Don't know much about the 2.0L 4 cyl turbo but I've seen a few and they don't look fun to work on. If it's like most other current era Chrsyler engines I don't expect it's gona be much better.

 

$0.02

if you’re getting a newer jeep 2.0 or 3.6 just opt for the manual transmission where you can… the 8spd transmission has a garbage feel.

 

Does the new manuals have a break on the clutch to help with hill starts?

 

Yes. They have hill start assist.

 

Thx

 

don't think they every mechanically fixed the problem with those manuals bursting into flames. Pretty sure they limited power to the clutch through a software update and called it good. Not saying that didn't work, just seemed like a shortcut. Wonder if the next gen will continue to have the manual..... only things pushing it along are probably the 4th gen Tacoma and the Bronco

 

Hey, thanks for the thoughts, everyone.

The idea is for it to be the 5-months-a-year top-off fun car that the BMW/Mini is supposed to be. And it is -- but is too tempermental and I cannot do any work on it myself because a Mini is insane to work on, and the engine bay is so jammed that you cannot even reach anything without disassembling so much. And frankly, when my limited patience runs out, there seem to be 2 shops in 100 miles that really know what they are doing with them.

So, yes, I was thinking as an anniversary gift to get a Wrangler 2-door Sport, depending on a number of factors. She test drove one in "mojito" and is in love (2.0L I-4T, auto), but people tell me that the best Wrangler is a new Wrangler -- or as late a model of the TJ with the AMC 4.0L I-6 and as low mileage as I can find (generally hovering around 150K). But even the latter is at least a 20-year old vehicle, which, with Stellantis's legendary reliability... well, even if it was well-taken care-of, what am I looking at?

 

That old inline six 4.0 was awesome, as were those transmissions. But, in the end, an old car is an old car and you should only get a vehicle that old with the full understanding that it will need a lot of work (relatively). Before my Tacoma I had a Tundra with over 300k miles and as "reliable" as it was (engine and trans might just go forever), it was still a lot of maintenance. Same with my buddy that has an old Wrangler... Super well maintained but old is old.

 

agreed - my brothers and dad have manual TJs and the drivetrains have been very reliable. The rest of the vehicle bits are like any other old car

 

Yea my son wants my TJ 04 with 110k miles on it.. i just dont know if i want him driving such an old jeep around especially a manual

 

That's better than my son wanting my 2021 6MT Pro I guess lol

I got my boys a Ford Escape AWD for the record. Cheap cheap cheap

 

Yea while I'm not a fan of Jeeps in general the ones with 4.0L I6 and even the 3.8L v6 were at least generally reliable, lasted a long time, and weren't terrible to work on, since they started putting the 3.6L in them that all went out the window but many people still buy them "because it's a Jeep"

 

Yea i am debating about the trail hunter, LC or the new Zr2 Bison..

 

I am trying to justify a 70K+ 4cyl hybrid.

 

Real talk, how do you like your WRX? I've been seriously considering a '24 (I know yours is a different gen)