Looking into buying a Wrangler.

[Classicrocjunkie]

Well i have decided to move on in life and grow out of the car tuner phase since i am now getting married and my soon to be wife and I are only 20, she cannot afford a new car. While on the other hand i make a bit more money than she does and have good credit. I own a 99 cavalier and a 03 PT cruiser (26K miles) which i am going to give to her. While i am sadly going to trade in my baby ( 99 cav) for somthing more practical. For what i love to do i was thinking a used Wrangler would be just that! Can some of you vets point me in a good direction as to which version i should go with. I was thinking an "X" or a "sport" and with a price tag around 15K used which the milage has been around 30-40K miles. Also how reliable are they in the long run. I baby all the cars i have and maintain them like no tomorrow. I don't plan on doing anything modding wise to it, but i would like to take on some minor 4x4 fun down dirt roads or mud pits. Thanks in advance guys/girls.

[Ray H]

You said you are looking a X or sport TJ. That tells me you want the 4.0. Theres really not much difference between the two. The sport offers more options than the X, the 30" tire package and D44 rearend come to mind right now. For $15000 you are looking at about a 2003 in the mileage range you mentioned.

You will have a choice between a 5 speed manual or 3 speed auto tranny. Neither of them are problematic for steet and light off road use. The 3 speed auto is a strong, reliable tranny but doesnt like mud, the vent is really placed low.

In the Sport you will have a choice of rearends, the D35 or D44. I would suggest the D44 if you plan to build the Jeep up much, say over 31" tires. But again, the D35 is fine for street and light off road. If you want to do any off roading, you can run 31" tires without any lift, just slap them on and the Jeep will become very capable off road.

The drivetrain should easily last past 200,000 miles with no major breakdowns. Jeep has used the same basic drivetrain, with few changes, for over 15 years in both the Wrangler and Cherokee with great success.

There arent any major problems that stand out but a few pesky ones.
Some of the most common problem areas to look for are:
cracked exhaust manifold, coolant leak at top seam of radiator, squeaky front driveshaft and pinion seal leaks, valve cover leaks, interior sqeaks. The worst and most expensive being the cracked manifold which can run $200-$300 if YOU do the work to replace it and double that to pay someone else to do it. Jeep did change the manifold design to correct the cracking (they have a "bellos" area to absorb vibration) but Im not sure when. The older TJs seem to have more of a problem than the newer ones. The other issues are easy fixes generally under $200.

Expect maintenance cost to be a little higher than a car simply because you have more mechanical parts under it, such as two differentials and driveshafts and a transfer case. If you do your own work, the Jeep will be so much easier to work on than most any newer vehicle and the parts are plentiful and inexpensive. The aftermarket is huge for Jeeps so modifying and personalizing your Jeep is easy. If you do hit the mud, expect to pay for it. Mud isnt good for anything under a vehicle and will require alot more maintenance.

Expect between 15-17 MPG. Some get more, some less, probably depending driving style.

[Classicrocjunkie]

Thanks for the info man, i have been looking into these a little bit more and the 2 biggies i can see are what you meantioned above, i DO want the 30" wheel package and the Dana-44 rear. I own a boat and would like to be able to tow her with my jeep instead of my uncles chevy silverado. I also haven't been able to find alot of bad things wrong with these either.