Smokee

I've got a '91 YJ. I wouldn't buy anything older than this as that was the first year of the 4.0 fuel injected engine, 6 cyl inline, which I'd recommend over the 4-banger. The TJ, '97, came after the YJ and is a much better choice most will agree.

The bad, rough ride, bad gas mileage, 17-21 for me, the soft top is a PITA so you'll see a lot of tops up on a sunny day, many female passengers don't appreciate the 'jeepness' of the jeep.

The good, for zipping around town, you can't beat a Wrangler. Even though the soft top is a PITA it's still a convertible. A really hot sunny day, put on the bikini top and you've still got a convertible without cooking under the sun. Explore those off beat roads. Mine has been remarkabley trouble free, although that isn't their reputation so I really haven't spent much $$. More after market stuff than you can imagine.

NFRs2000NYC

Who cares about the females?

Here is how a wrangler should be done...

4.0L or 4.2 Rebuilt (fuel injected if you can spare 1000)

Danas front and rear

AX-15 Tranny upgrade

8-10" lift of your choice.

1-3" Body lift

1-3" Shackle lift

16x10s all around, with 33-36" Tires

Neoprene interior (so its waterproof)

No Top, No doors, No crying.


This is a fun MAN'S car. You can climb over small cars and ALWAYS want to take the side roads.

No 4 bangers tho.

Chris Stack

I spent a month driving an automatic 4cyl white Wrangler (total girl package) around Oahu, and had a friggin BALL doing it. I remember mileage somewhere in the mid-teens. The top was a little annoying, but not horrible.

That said, if I was in a rainy/seasonal climate, I think it wouldn't be nearly as fun to own one. Screwing with side curtains or storing a hardtop seems like a total PITA. Also, I've heard that security is pretty much non-existant in those cars; as a guy who keeps his golf clubs in the trunk all the time, that pretty much rules it out for me.

Scott Evil

Wranglers hold their value very well. They generally sell for more than black book.

My fiancee drives a 2002. We flipped 90,000 in the mud over the weekend. It is a Sport model and bone stock. The only problems to date were a leaky from pinion seal (evidently a common problem) and a bad resistor on the fan motor--only ran on high setting (also a common Jeep problem). One scary problem that I noticed last week was a broken front anti-swaybar end link. It broke just above the weld on the lower mount. Easy to fix, but a Jeep needs all the anti-roll help it can get.

Saki GT

Have you thought about buying a Cherokee instead? I think they are nicer as second cars, can be modified easily and are good offroad, but are a bit more civilized and are hard tops. Of course, if you want the ability to peel the roof off, the Wranglers are what you want. Also, I think 2007s will have section-removable hard tops.

Erick S

Thanks for the replys...I drove one this weekend, but it was really beat up..still looking.

Erick