Driving the car of my dreams: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

[Chefguy]

@Bullitt

I tend to buy new, and keep long. My last car was bought new, lasted 15 years and over 225,000 miles. Nothing major, original rings and valve seats. And it is still running strong for its second owner with 35,000+ more miles. That was a Honda. And this is a Jeep. I like reliability. We shall see.

Grand Cherokees seem to last long. Maybe it’s confirmation bias but now that I drive one I notice them all over. The 1st-gen, ZJ, was from 1993-1998 and I see them on the road all the time. And the other gens too, WJ and WK. With the Diesel engine I’d love to get half a million miles and more on my WK2. Only time will tell. I plan to post if that happens, or if it becomes time to put a bullet in its head prematurely. I’ll fess up if that happens.

Yeah yeah guys, I get it. If it ain’t a CJ then it ain’t a real Jeep. I get that. And this is coming from a retired Marine who drove the old M151s (and the old M998s too). And the YJ, TJ, and even the JK pilots dish that out too. Fair enough. But I hit the trails pretty seriously in my WK2. Seriously, that is for its factory stock suspension. Is it as capable as a stock Rubicon JK? No, but it’s pretty capable. This WK2 can do some pretty wild things, especially with the rear ELSD. As I get older, I’ll take it. I’ve always wanted a Jeep, and this baby is so cushy and luxurious and the wife loves that. Me too, no doubt. And I can cruise down the highway at 90+ MPH all day long, especially with the Diesel and its long range. (There’s a lot of open range land here out west, and on the highways there’s a whole lotta nuthin’ between small towns. 90 MPH and the WK2 is barely breaking a sweat, it’ll do that all day long. In quiet comfort.)

As we’re on the trails I see the young couples in their Wrangler types. Sometimes the guy’s young lady is quite attractive. Hot weather, skimpy shorts and all that. I almost want to pull up next to her side, roll down my window, turn down the XM radio and the A/C, and ask,

*“Pardon me, but do you have any Grey Poupon?”

“And just WTF is that?”*, I imagine his response might be, as he clears the grit from his teeth and sees me admiring his passenger.

And then she turns to him and says, “Hey, why can’t I ride in that?”

My imagination can be pretty good at times. As I like to say, I am a legend in my own mind.

I’ve never owned a CJ, as you would know if you read my first reply, and I’ve also driven the old military Jeeps when I was serving. I prefer the softer suspension of the post-1995 models, thanks, and sure don’t miss the toed in wheels of the military issue.

My '92 had leaf suspension which required the driver to wear a hardhat on a gravel road. But why would you compare the Wrangler to the Cherokee? One is traditionally a bare-bones rock climber that charged extra for carpeting, and the other has always been the high-end line for Jeep (and overpriced since forever, I might add). I’ve got nothing against the Cherokee line, just the weird shit they’re building now for hipsters.

[Bullitt]

@Chefguy

But why would you compare the Wrangler to the Cherokee? One is traditionally a bare-bones rock climber that charged extra for carpeting, and the other has always been the high-end line for Jeep (and overpriced since forever, I might add). I’ve got nothing against the Cherokee line, just the weird shit they’re building now for hipsters.

I’m not comparing the two at all. It’s because I call mine a Jeep – I never cared for the name Grand Cherokee, it seems pretentious, and also the Cherokee is a different car so the full name is sometimes warranted. When I call it my Jeep, I often get, “That’s not a Jeep” replies.

I chimed in because it was said here that Jeep has a minivan, and okay I don’t care about that but wanted to share that my JGC isn’t a mall crawler. Some JGCs do get a little mud on them. And that the JGC is a cushy, luxurious ride.

[Kimballkid]

I left my van off at the shop a couple weeks ago and they had to keep it over night. For a loaner, they gave me a 2017 Chevy Silverado with only 19 miles on the clock.

My van is a 1997 Chrysler Town and Country piece o’ shit I bought for $1,500.

I told the guy that was a mean trick to play on me.

[ReticulatingSplines]

@Surreal

As Clotaire Rapaille says, the reptilian always wins:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/persuaders/interviews/rapaille.html

That’s exactly right. I just got a Wrangler in November and everything about it is so objectively bad. It’s already been in for repairs twice, it’s the worst-handling car I’ve ever driven, it rattles everywhere, fuel economy is terrible, the hood flaps on the freeway on windy days, it’s noisy, it’s uncomfortable, and somewhat unsafe. But I still like it for some reason.

[Bullitt]

@ReticulatingSplines

That’s exactly right. I just got a Wrangler in November and everything about it is so objectively bad. It’s already been in for repairs twice, it’s the worst-handling car I’ve ever driven, it rattles everywhere, fuel economy is terrible, the hood flaps on the freeway on windy days, it’s noisy, it’s uncomfortable, and somewhat unsafe. But I still like it for some reason.

They are meant for off-road. On-road components (suspension, steering, etc) are compromised to be better off-road. They have character.

[ReticulatingSplines]

@Bullitt

They are meant for off-road. On-road components (suspension, steering, etc) are compromised to be better off-road. They have character.

Well yes, I get that. I’m not saying they should construct it differently, other than the terrible build quality. Just pointing out that my reptilian brain (much like yours, inasmuch as “character” can be a quality a car possesses) weights itself as much as actual logic.

[Chefguy]

@Bullitt

I’m not comparing the two at all. It’s because I call mine a Jeep – I never cared for the name Grand Cherokee, it seems pretentious, and also the Cherokee is a different car so the full name is sometimes warranted. When I call it my Jeep, I often get, “That’s not a Jeep” replies.

I chimed in because it was said here that Jeep has a minivan, and okay I don’t care about that but wanted to share that my JGC isn’t a mall crawler. Some JGCs do get a little mud on them. And that the JGC is a cushy, luxurious ride.

Ah, okay. I’ve also heard the “that’s not a Jeep” when driving all three of mine. When asked why (for the '92), someone actually said “Because it doesn’t have round headlights”. :rolleyes: There’s a whole subculture that worships the CJ era. I ain’t one of them. I actually really wanted a GC at one point, but just couldn’t justify the $30K pricetag at the time.

I got Jeep fever from a high school friend who had a 1947 Willys bobtail. Damn thing was dangerous; the clutch slipped, the brakes faded, the shifter would pop out of gear on a steep downhill grade, and the steering wheel had about a foot of play. But damn, we had a lot of fun in that old thing.

[gigi]

@Acsenray

But …

… I don’t fit in it!

If you weren’t joking about the “Big Bear” package, maybe that’s the one you need.

[Bullitt]

@Chefguy

Ah, okay. I’ve also heard the “that’s not a Jeep” when driving all three of mine. When asked why (for the '92), someone actually said “Because it doesn’t have round headlights”. :rolleyes: There’s a whole subculture that worships the CJ era. I ain’t one of them. I actually really wanted a GC at one point, but just couldn’t justify the $30K pricetag at the time.

I got Jeep fever from a high school friend who had a 1947 Willys bobtail. Damn thing was dangerous; the clutch slipped, the brakes faded, the shifter would pop out of gear on a steep downhill grade, and the steering wheel had about a foot of play. But damn, we had a lot of fun in that old thing.

About subcultures, they are everywhere. Motorcycles that we ride, Jeeps that we drive, branches of service that we, umm, served. People’ll be people, it’s human nature. I’m all for good natured ribbing, but if they get more serious than that, then Get A Life.

I was in college when my friend had a blue CJ. He once took me for a spin on the beach – at UCSB (you see the sexy bikinis) – and we tooled around for 5-10 minutes and it was a blast! I’ve wanted a Jeep ever since, but before I knew it I was young and married and had 3 kids. That makes you a financial pragmatist really quick.

[Chefguy]

@Bullitt

About subcultures, they are everywhere. Motorcycles that we ride, Jeeps that we drive, branches of service that we, umm, served. People’ll be people, it’s human nature. I’m all for good natured ribbing, but if they get more serious than that, then Get A Life.

I was in college when my friend had a blue CJ. He once took me for a spin on the beach – at UCSB (you see the sexy bikinis) – and we tooled around for 5-10 minutes and it was a blast! I’ve wanted a Jeep ever since, but before I knew it I was young and married and had 3 kids. That makes you a financial pragmatist really quick.

My buddy and I drove over Powerline Pass south of Anchorage. Nearly went off a cliff when the shifter popped out of gear and the brakes didn’t grab right away. Went the rest of the way down with my foot wedged between the transfer case levers and both my hands on the shift lever, while my friend fought the loose steering. Then we got stuck in a lake covering the “road” when water backed up the tailpipe and one of the battery cables broke off. We sat on the hood drinking beer until someone came along and pulled us out.

[Bullitt]

^^^ A good story, you guys were lucky. As Lefty Gomez would say, “I’d rather be lucky than good.”

[Throatwarbler_Mangrove]

There’s going to be a new Wrangler coming next year, maybe it will resolve some of the problems.

[Gatopescado]

@kayaker

People say that, but I’ve owned four Wranglers (all standard transmission two doors) and never had a problem.

But, reliability is my primary concern, so I buy new and sell when they hit 150,000 miles.

Yeah, actually I kid a lot. I’ve been broken down in my Jeep more than anything else I’ve ever owned, but more than likely, got it running and it got me home.

But you shouldn’t have to be able to pull a distributer, replace the gear, re-install and hand-time. Not skills I’m proud of. :o

My “new” (clapped out 90 Cherokee) hasn’t broken down on me yet. But I seldom drive it farther than I’m willing to walk home.

[Bullitt]

Jeep:

Just Empty Every Pocket
Just Eats Each Paycheck