Considering Selling my 3rd Gen for a Wrangler JLU Rubicon

I guess I'll just stick with my SR5 for hunting and daily driving, and my well abused but still going strong TJ for any real off road use.

 

EVERYONE owns a wrangler it seems. It looks the same as it did years ago. Sure, it's better offroad in the hardcore stuff but 99% of people who buy them don't rock crawl them. All your getting with a wrangler is something that can go where no other 4x4's can go- if you ever go there I mean. You are also getting a lack of reliability as compared to toyota. I actually own a jeep product, my 2017 patriot 4x4. i will say that jeeps stomp the competition in each class BUT there are long term reliability issues. When it came time for me to replace my 3rd vehicle with something i would actually use- i had a 2019 mustang gt with the notorious coyote tick- i thought about a gladiator but 50k for that? no way. It's not that special IMHO. And it looks like ass. IMHO. I didn't want a wrangler because everyone has them! And i really don't care much for the look- i see them everywhere. I wanted something more unique and more reliable. I thought about a 4runner BUT as i have an xterra and a patriot- both 4x4 suvs- did i need a 3rd suv? So i chose the taco. The taco gets decent mpgs, has the offroad options i wanted - not like i will ever use them- and it has the reliability and rep. I see alot of bitching and moaning about the v6 and auto working together and yeah, it's not the quickest thing in my fleet, but it has a bed and awesome 4x4 ability- as far as i will be concerned.

jeep used to have a lifetime warranty option up until the end of 2018. They no longer offer that, which is sad. at the end of the day, the jeep is going to break down due to electrical issues well before most other makes and especially a yota. Get the taco.

 

Yup.

The question I now have is: now that FCA has spent billions of dollars expanding JL’s plant capacity, is it going to satisfy itself with running the plant at low utilization to allow inventories to go down, protect dealers’ margins, and defend owners’ resale values? Or is FCA going to keep cranking them out to maximize plant utilization and sales today; dealers and customers be damned?

I don’t know the answer to that. If it were Toyota or Honda, I’d think they would ease production to allow supply and demand to balance out, and in doing so help dealers and customers.

But with FCA all bets are off. Over the past 6-7 years, I have seen FCA become greedier, increasingly fixated on maximizing plant utilization and quarterly profits, with little regard for the long term wellbeing of its brands, its dealers or its customers.

 

Well, it seems like the overwhelming majority of problems with the wrangler are related to reliability issues and FCA destroying the wranglers resale value. As far as reliability goes, is it well documented issues or just through experience with friends or family who have wranglers?

 

How good are you at throwing darts...? LOL

I wouldn’t worry about engine, transmission, warped brakes, serious frame or body rust problems for 100,000 miles. They have them pretty well nailed down. Having said that, I know people who lost the TIPM on their Wrangler after 4-5 years; it was a $800 repair.

JL owners have been having issues with the steering: lack of feel, excessive wandering, etc.

My JK had assembly issues, which the dealer made worse. Rattles, squeaks, misaligned panels, crooked switches and decals, things like that. Top leaks are an ongoing Jeep tradition. I never had them, fortunately.

JK had notoriously weak ball joints. If you mount large heavy tires, they may go as early as 10,000 miles. I don’t know if they got upgraded for JL. JK and JL share many components underneath. People take it as an opportunity to upgrade from the factory components.

Head units, navigation units are notorious for needing replacing under warranty. JL has significantly more electronics than JK; those still remain unproven —i.e., backup cameras, blind spot monitor, rear sensors, etc. BTW, if you are serious about off-roading, I’d forgo the optional Safety Package - more stuff to break on the trail. The BSM sensors are mounted inside the tail lights, which are highly exposed.

Windshields are considered a wear item on Wranglers. JL windshields have been showing a high failure rate.

Water pumps, gas pumps, usually need replacing on Chrysler products after 60,000 miles.

That’s all I can think of right the top of my head.

 

jeeps are a lot of fun.
i had a small lift and off road tires.
when i drove it nice i could get almost 10mpg.
it rides rough, the cab is loud, no storage, something always
needs work. its a fun weekend car but i wouldnt use it as a daily driver.

did they ever fix the famous death wobble they are known for?

 

Another vehicle you might consider. Toyota FJ cruiser. Kind of a cross between the two. Cant buy it new but can find low mileage used ones.

 

To each his own but the statement I didn't want a wrangler because everyone had one but then you bought a tacoma, that was funny to me sorry.

 

Off the top of your head? Jeez, well I think I’ve made my decision. That sounds like way more of a headache than I anticipated the new Wranglers being.

 

if you can drive a stick, well worth taking a look at the MT on these trucks, it's fantastic.....

 

Bottom line go with your heart, but you can’t beat the resale value and dependability of Toyota

 

ESS = Deal Killer all day every day for me

 

There's like 5 different ways to disable it.

 

so not trying to prod here, but genuinely curious as to why? I've driven a bunch of cars in Europe (all MTs) that had ESS and it wasn't the worst thing in the world.....only thing I didn't like was that the AC didn't blow cold when the engine shut off, but even on those days, there was an ESS-disable button.

It'd really be a dealbreaker, like you're not gonna buy the vehicle? I think if my Tacoma had ESS I'd just live with it...

 

I owned a 2014 JKR in a 2 door, on the trail it was a lot of fun! But, after my 2.5" AEV lift, 35" tires, AEV front & rear bumpers, and winch it became too much for my daily driver. However, my TRD Off Road Tacoma strikes the perfect balance of utility, daily driver, and weekend warrior. Not to mention I don't ever worry wether or not my truck can hit 300K+ miles.

 

I guess it depends because he is already complaining about random sounds and squeaks, all of which I don't have. As far as capability, off the the lot the JLU has some advantages but the $15k I saved and put towards mods surpassed his Rubicon. I'll bet on Tacoma any day.

Other than dedicated rock crawling trails there are few places a Jeep can go that a Tacoma, LC, or 4 runner can't.

Ironically, the more capable a Jeep becomes, the less Jeep parts it actually has

 

I have a 2013 jk rubicon since new, absolutely no issues other than dead battery. I also have a 2016 Tacoma trd or 4x4. With its lockers, the stock Jeep will go straight up the side of a mountain, but will beat you up at freeway speeds. I would not take truck on same trails but the ride to the trails would be much more pleasurable. Both vehicles stock. Funny, when I bought the Jeep, bought the lifetime warentee, thinking might need. With Tacoma, didn’t bother. Neither vehicle had needed any repairs

 

I agree with 100% on price for sure, that is why I went with the Tacoma over a Gladiator, there was going to be an investment after purchase and I will make out better with the Tacoma aftermarket. I'm a first time Tacoma owner so I'm hoping all the research I did about the truck turns out to be true. There are some gremlins with my Tacoma and I will make an appointment to see if they get can get taken care of, will be a couple months before it's built out to try and shake everything out while its stock.

As far as "the more capable a Jeep becomes, the less Jeep parts it actually has", I agree with that as well but that is true of the Tacoma and pretty much any other off-road vehicle.

 

Drive it on the interstate. Test the steering. My daughter had a JLUR with the Mopar lift and 35’s and the steering would wander. In a curve it would scare the crap out of you. She got rid of it after 3 months and only 2500 miles.