quote:

Originally posted by josp:
Jeeps were meant for off road, period.

And then WW2 ended.


I'm 6'4"... or at least I was at one point. I don't even have my driver's seat all the way to the rear.


I'm not sticking up for Jeeps, at least now the "newer" ones. I'd take one as a gift, but I sure wouldn't buy one. They are sort of "pointless" in that they're like pickup trucks, sold primarily to people who don't need them. They've been turned into giant cars and priced into the stratosphere.

When I bought my Jeep my father looked at it and said "Did you really pay money for this? There's no interior at all!" I said "I know, that's what I like most about it!"

I would never drive it off road, even with mucho repairs, the frame is far too bad for the twisting and stresses. I view it sort of like a golf cart I can drive on the road.

I love my 03 wrangler sport. 4.0 L 6 cylinder with stock 30" A/T tires and 5 speed. It spends more time on dirt than pavement and has never let me down. I also have a 2020 tacoma 4x4 and it's a great ride but there's nothing like a jeep for off road.

In Maine, I seriously doubt the frame is still good anyway.

My first wrangler was a 2000, second an 09. Loved them both. Still miss having one. I beat the snot out of them and they kept running. The older one was given to a friend and now is over 300K and still rolling. In context they are certainly not luxury cars, and should not be expected to provide the comfort todays Uber plush pickups and SUV’s do. I also don’t have the height challenges mentioned. When the prices on wranglers went crazy I decided that was the end of that ride. (40K plus for essentially a basic jeep is ludicrous)

I'm 6'5 and 230 pounds and I fit perfectly into my 1993 Wrangler sport. It was the perfect second vehicle. I was looking for a new vehicle last year and I tried on a new Wrangler and my head hits the roll cage and my knees are on the dash. How did Jeep manage to make the drivers area so much smaller?

quote:

Try an old CJ-7.

I was a huge Jeep fan back in the CJ-7 days.
In my opinion, the Chrysler buyout of Jeep and the end of the CJ-7 killed a great thing.
But... the newer ones are cool looking.

I've been driving a 4Runner for about 10 years and loving it. It's plenty off-road capable for me and much better on roads than a Jeep.

We have a 2002 Jeep TJ (Auto, 4.0). My 16yo drives to school, practice and work in it. It’s a fun car to own and you can customize anything you can imagine on it. Not something for a daily driver or long trips but fun for sure.

My last 2 JKs hauled me thru 11 years of mostly
daily road use. They always brought a
smile to my face...always when getting in, Somes
when getting out. Many 2k+ road trips survived
despite quirks etc.

I drive a JT daily, my commute is only about 5 minutes, but I do drive it to Houston or San Antonio occasionally and love it. I bought it for fun and I'm only 5'4" if it matters and I've got no problems in and out except having to use the grab straps to get in. There are aftermarket brackets for the overly-tall folks that lower the seat if anyone cares.

That being said, it is indeed a non-aerodynamic brick with an underpowered V6 but I'm not in a race.

My sister in law has a 2018 wrangler with a lift and enormous tires. It's been driven entirely on paved roads. She regrets buying it, but like a lot of other women, she had this obsession with living on the beach and driving a jeep. Oh, and she lives 300 miles from the nearest beach.

I'm 6', 200 lbs and have no problem with Wranglers. I had a 2005 LJUR that was no problem to get in and out of. It was lifted with larger, 33", tires and my wife at 5'4" didn't have issues.

I wrecked that and bought a 2014 JKUR and again no issues. This is lifted. too, 35" rubber. We do have rock rails to help my wife getting in. We do some desert and forest roads and it's my go to for errands. I'm now 80 years old and am considering something different, maybe a 2025 4Runner or Land Cruiser.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: UTsig,

quote:

Originally posted by TexasScrub:
I drive a JT daily, my commute is only about 5 minutes, but I do drive it to Houston or San Antonio occasionally and love it. I bought it for fun and I'm only 5'4" if it matters and I've got no problems in and out except having to use the grab straps to get in. There are aftermarket brackets for the overly-tall folks that lower the seat if anyone cares.

That being said, it is indeed a non-aerodynamic brick with an underpowered V6 but I'm not in a race.

Friend of mine has a bare bones JT Sport automatic.
He's probably 6'2" 225lbs
No issue for him driving his.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Yep. I loathe Wranglers. They're uncomfortable, loud, rattly, unrefined, and just not fun to drive (or even ride in).

After many hours banging around in one with a good friend who absolutely loves them, I'm convinced that is the appeal. There was one trip where we hit up a bunch of gun stores on our day off, and at the furthest point in the drive, my back went out from all the bouncing around. I spent a good forty minutes hanging from the rollbar to keep the suspension from finishing me off, I was in absolute agony.

quote:

ppl buy lambos dont run the nuremburg ring

Um, because on the first lap it would likely find a way to catch itself on fire before you'd even get halfway running down the Nordschleife to Karussell.

People who 'like' Wranglers love them for the image and the "liestyle" (yes, intentionally misspelled) that owning one implies. I think that they suck at pretty much everything that they're called on to do, other than maybe rock crawling.

There can be nothing more painful than having to drive any kind of distance in a Jeep Wrangler. My best buddy has one because he sees himself as this big time offroader, which he most certainly is not. I figure he loves his because it reminds him of all those HUMMV's he drove in the Marines, so I don't argue with it. But good lord, driving in it is punishment.

quote:

But good lord, driving in it is punishment.

We got one as an "upgrade" on a rental in CO a couple years ago. Lord yes it was awful. Weird tracking was the first thing you notice, and it just gets worse from there.

I wouldn't buy one for highway traveling. Probably not even a new one.

I'm 6.0" and 230 lbs (right now) and I'm quite comfortable in my YJ. 4.2L 5 spd, I've still got 2 stops that I can move the seat backwards. It's infinitely more comfortable than the 2018 Polaris Ranger XP1000 it replaced.

I use it as my daily driver, which entails 45-55 mph mostly for about 10 minutes until I get to town, then 25-35 around town for my errands or to park at my office. A trip that is quite wearing and not preferred in my F250 diesel. The temps don't get up to operating temp in my diesel for that. I also intend to use it to run about 15 minutes to the beach, and then up and down the beach to run the dogs and let the 12 year old play with his RC truck. Another thing I'd rather not do in my F250. I may consider taking the YJ hunting, if I can get the reliability kinks worked out in time this year and get a winch on it. I test drove a TJ and did find it cramped. I also found rust on the frame beyond what would be treatable and safe...so the YJ with significantly less and treatable rust was the clear choice for me.

Get a newer 4 door. Way more power reliability and room.

I looked at a Wrangler as I have a hobby that takes me into places a good 4X4 is needed. The test drive told me it would be great off road but a less than suitable daily driver. I bought a Cherokee Trailhawk instead. Good off road capability (locking differentials and low range, even} with a strong V6. Good around town errand runner too. My only complaint is the stupid 8 speed transmission, which is 3 speeds more than it needs. And since its a Jeep, I went with an extended warranty.

I put a Falcon Adjustable Steering Stabilizer on my buddy’s Jeep and it was an absolute game changer in regard to drivability!!
https://www.falconshocks.com/p...steering-stabilizers

I have a Falcon suspension system on my Tundra and love it!