Test drove a 2021 Gladiator and ...

1 million mile Gladiator's already? There must be a big distance between owners and the repair shops.

 

I feel like gladiator owners could replace BMW drives as the douchiest car owners. Though I don't think they'll succeed in toppling diesel truck owners within the truck realm.

 

Maybe, but at least the transmission knows what gear to be in while on the way to the repair shop, and the frame won't be rusted when they get there LOL

 

An OV Tune to it and it will eliminate melatonin shifting problem.
Frame rust never seen one, maybe up north.
Worked at a Chrysler dealership before and those were some angry customers.
Just saying....

 

Like Jeep’s are for girls man

 

Only in a Jeep.

 

LOL, that looks like an old abused Jeep Cherokee with a loose wheel or something bent in the front suspension, but I actually I saw that shake on a Ford truck too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y_Q5QmSp0Q

 

And Tacomas are not for girls?

 

Nah, Gladiators are ugly and some trims look kind of dorky. I think that heavily-modded Tacoma drivers may be up there with Bimmers etc.

 

I hear you man. OV Tune is a recipe for warranty denials in my neck of the woods, so no thanks.

 

I'd rather have Helen Hunt's Gladiator from Twister.

 

I'll be checking out this Jeep TJ tomorrow as well. The guy selling is selling it for a much more reasonable price than the one I previously posted.

 

What's going on with the black cowl? Be sure to check that out and ask why.

 

Good eye, I honestly didn't even notice that. It may be an aftermarket part for aesthetics but I will ask for sure.

 

Most likely he plasti dipped the cowl for looks.

 

If it's plastidipped, that may be the first thing that comes off lol

 

That's a Willys

I DD'd an 02 TJ for 215K miles on the original clutch. The only reason I got into a Tacoma(and I do love the Tacoma) was b/c someone hit me at a red light doing 45 and they totaled my Jeep. I know there are A LOT of purest, but the inline 4.0 is a relative of a tractor motor. It just runs. The NV3500 5spd trans is from a Dodge 1500(I believe). I had the D44 rear end in mine, so no worries there. They are also very easy to work on

Look for head gasket leaks on the 4.0. I changed my thermo/coolant every other year just as maint. If possible, get one with the D44 rear end. The D35 is a c-clip axle and you can find stories of folks destroying them on 31's. You can get a c-clip eliminator or do a Ford Explorer 8.8 axle swap(it's within 1" WMS) and get rear discs. Also, check for rust on the Wrangler frames.

Death Wobble can be fixed with the ZJ tie rod upgrade. And you can even use ZJ rear discs and convert the TJ axle for pretty cheap.


If you're talking purely off-road, the Wrangler(pre JK's....because I didn't get into those)) is hands down better. The TJ was reliable.

That said, my Tacoma made me realize how bad that TJ was to drive everyday and I will never go back to that. I would however have one as a weekend toy or crawler.

 

I like the fact that you can put bigger 33" tires on the Gladiator effortlessly compared to the Taco.

I'm also glad the Taco has drums in the back....

 

I also considered a Jeep but after searching their forums and talking with my friends who have them, just didn't trust the reliability. Last trip to Death Valley one of the Jeeps broke on the freeway, (we plan for this now), and he had to be towed to a shop. From there he rented a Gladiator for the trip and that stock truck went EVERYWHERE we went. It was very capable and I was shocked. But then again...it was only on the trip because we needed a spare.

 

I mean the ratio of Jeep girls to Tacoma girls is less in my neck of the woods