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Jeep owners?

gmcunni

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i'm pursing several strategies on acquiring my next vehicle. Currently we have a large SUV that my wife drives and a 97 Camry which is technically my son's car. the 3rd car will be primarily mine (i work from home and don't drive much during the week) but depending on what it is i'll likely share it with my son since his car isn't "cool".

Plan A - shopping for a used Subi hatchback or wagon. decent gas mileage and tough enough to get me skiing in almost all weather conditions

Plan B - lease new car, preferably hatchback, with AWD and good gas mileage (Subi is really the only car that meets this criteria)

Plan C - The most recent (and most exciting to me) plan is to pick up a used Jeep Wrangler. since i don't drive much the poor gas mileage doesn't kill me. certainly tough enough for winter driving and the soft top makes it FUN!!

so , jeep owners out there - i know there are a few - what do you love/hate about your jeep? would you buy it again?
 

campgottagopee

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Wranglers are cool...get one

I've never owned one but have always wanted one as a toy. You know, some old CJ7, rip the top off and drop in a built 350....vroom, vroom.


I just took a 2009 in on trade for a subi. Drove it a couple days for the hell of it and loved the thing.
 

tjf67

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I drove a wrangler for 110k miles. Was not bad to drive but the passengers hated it.
 

Grassi21

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i'm pursing several strategies on acquiring my next vehicle. Currently we have a large SUV that my wife drives and a 97 Camry which is technically my son's car. the 3rd car will be primarily mine (i work from home and don't drive much during the week) but depending on what it is i'll likely share it with my son since his car isn't "cool".

Plan A - shopping for a used Subi hatchback or wagon. decent gas mileage and tough enough to get me skiing in almost all weather conditions

Plan B - lease new car, preferably hatchback, with AWD and good gas mileage (Subi is really the only car that meets this criteria)

Plan C - The most recent (and most exciting to me) plan is to pick up a used Jeep Wrangler. since i don't drive much the poor gas mileage doesn't kill me. certainly tough enough for winter driving and the soft top makes it FUN!!

so , jeep owners out there - i know there are a few - what do you love/hate about your jeep? would you buy it again?

I traded my Wrangler in for a 2011 Subi Forester. Best car decision I ever made. The Subi kicks ass in the snow and is comfy to ride in. If you ever get stuck taking a Wrangler to VT it is not comfy and the road noise is obnoxious. I even got to the point where driving it to Sundown was annoying. The fun factor on the Jeep wears out quickly in my opinion.

Now... if I had cash to burn I would totally have a Jeep in the drive way for summer cruising.
 

o3jeff

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2 door or 4 door Wrangler?

I had a 2003 Wrangler for about a year and traded it in for a 2010 two door. I found that for around town it is fun, but once I took a trip with it I hated it, the ride(4 door ride might be better with the longer wheelbase) and seats I found were terrible. Like you said, don't expect good gas mileage from it. I had the hard top which had removable panels which was a good concept, but with that many seams on a roof it is bound for failure. It leaked from day one and they never could find the leak, I'll have to see if I still have a pic of the "fixes" the dealer did, looked like shit(extra foam, caulk, etc). The company that was making them I think has since gone out of business so I can't comment on if the new ones don't leak. I also had a soft top that I never put on, ended up selling it on craigslist last summer.

Only good thing is they do hold their value, when I traded it in last fall I ended up getting more than I paid for it.
 

Kerovick

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LOVE me a Jeep, Currently drive a 2002 wrangler with 113k Not planning on getting rid of it ever.

Down sides
It is a convertable so there is alot of road noise, I like listen to music so that's no biggy for me.
MPG (you know that already)
you'll start looking at snow mounds/rocks/ditched and gullies as obsticales not obstructions.
2 doors have very little cargo space and a low tow weight rating.


Up sides
It's more that a convertible, THE DOORS COME OFF TOO!!!!!
You'll soon find that it's chew up snow mounds/rocks/ditched and gullies for breakfast.

Would I buy another, absolutly.
Heck I might just keep my 2 door and buy a 4 door for space and towing capacity.
 

Grassi21

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MPG (you know that already)
you'll start looking at snow mounds/rocks/ditched and gullies as obsticales not obstructions.

Soooo true. I eyeball stuff now in my Subi that I want to roll over and then I realize that I am not in the Jeep anymore.
 

snowmonster

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Would you consider a Jeep Patriot? Good gas mileage and good in the snow. Hauls all your ski gear in the winter and surfing gear in the summer. Sunroof gives me the sun and the wind that I would get from a Wrangler. I would love to have a Wrangler too as a second car but gas mileage tilts the scale towards the Patriot.
 

campgottagopee

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Would you consider a Jeep Patriot? Good gas mileage and good in the snow. Hauls all your ski gear in the winter and surfing gear in the summer. Sunroof gives me the sun and the wind that I would get from a Wrangler. I would love to have a Wrangler too as a second car but gas mileage tilts the scale towards the Patriot.

Meh, not cool
 

powhunter

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Have an 06 wrangler right now its the 4th one Ive owned. Great for a personal vehicle..Not so great for a family vehicle.. Pop out the back seat and ya have plenty of storage room..Soft top is all ya really need, if ya dont mind a litttle noise....

Steveo
 

Warp Daddy

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Never owned one BUT my BIL had a new 96 wrangler w/ fibreglass removable top - sharp, fun on short hops . Bullet proof in terms of going thru chit, both sand and snow.


BUT on long hauls to ski it was NOT the best riding thing or steering thing i've ever ridden in .

Sloooow and on loong trips with the short wheelbase your az took a beating on the twisty mtn roads He got rid of it in a yr and half
 

gmcunni

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thanks for the feedback everyone. this would be my primary ski car. SUV would stay with the wife unless it was a family trip (which is rare) so i'd suspect 10 day trips north and 10/15 day trips to Sundown (1 hour drive).
 

deadheadskier

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Are you looking at the 2 door or 4 door model?

You should get the 4 door and let me borrow it for a weekend
 

bvibert

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I rode in powhunter's Jeep up to Magic this past winter. The road noise with the soft top does take a little getting used it. I also felt a bit cramped in the should room department. IIRC the roll bar came down right where my shoulder was, being that I have rather wide shoulders meant that I had to ride leaning to the left the whole time. That obviously wouldn't be a problem for everyone though. Aside from that it was fine, and I definitely appreciated the ride up in the shitty conditions.

I've considered getting one myself a few times, but it's just not right for me... right now anyway...
 

deadheadskier

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i've only see 2 door for sale in the used market. i drove 4 door on the beach in North Carolina, that was a blast!


Before they came out with the 4 door Unlimited, they had just an extended 2 door version, believe it was model years 04-06. Might be one of those out there for a touch more storage space and a slightly better ride than the standard 2 door.
 
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