Close to pulling the trigger

B

buggs

New member
About to purchase my first Jeep. Unless you guys say no. A 2004 Wrangler SE 5M, 2.4L. I research a vehicle to death before buying. Reading allot of reviews that they are happy but the 2.4L is under powered. Here in central Texas dont have too many hills to roll over or mountains to confront.. But if I decide to shoot out to Utah or Colorado will I be happy? Jeep has stock P215/75R15 all-terrain Wranglers, Dana 30/186MM front axle, Dana M35/194MM rear axle, 4.11 axle ratio. Hope I posted in the right forum.

buggs
 

buggs said:
About to purchase my first Jeep. Unless you guys say no. A 2004 Wrangler SE 5M, 2.4L. I research a vehicle to death before buying. Reading allot of reviews that they are happy but the 2.4L is under powered. Here in central Texas dont have too many hills to roll over or mountains to confront.. But if I decide to shoot out to Utah or Colorado will I be happy? Jeep has stock P215/75R15 all-terrain Wranglers, Dana 30/186MM front axle, Dana M35/194MM rear axle, 4.11 axle ratio. Hope I posted in the right forum.

buggs
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I'd go with the 6. But beyond that, for here in the US where you are near diagnostic centers and tow facilities and all that makes this country the "wide place", you should have no problem at all. Let everyone know how you do, what you get and post photos. Cool. What color is it?

Robert
 
Robert_Stephens said:
I'd go with the 6. But beyond that, for here in the US where you are near diagnostic centers and tow facilities and all that makes this country the "wide place", you should have no problem at all. Let everyone know how you do, what you get and post photos. Cool. What color is it?

Robert
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Metallic Silver. Not sure if this will be the one. With gas prices on the rise seeing more and more around my area for sale.
 
buggs said:
About to purchase my first Jeep. Unless you guys say no. A 2004 Wrangler SE 5M, 2.4L. I research a vehicle to death before buying. Reading allot of reviews that they are happy but the 2.4L is under powered. Here in central Texas dont have too many hills to roll over or mountains to confront.. But if I decide to shoot out to Utah or Colorado will I be happy? Jeep has stock P215/75R15 all-terrain Wranglers, Dana 30/186MM front axle, Dana M35/194MM rear axle, 4.11 axle ratio. Hope I posted in the right forum.

buggs
Click to expand...


I had a 2001 4 banger that I got a great deal on in south florida, I lived in north florida at the time. About 3 months later, I moved to Colorado. I got out of the flats and into the hills and with the 33s I was running, I could not get over 45MPH and it took forever to get there.

Like the others mentioned, I would shoot for the 6.
 
f you are near rio frio or fredricksburg, i would imagine those hills are enough to want a 6 cylinder. i know when we go up that way, i am glad all our wranglers had 6 cylinders in them
 

Zombie-Sniper said:
I had a 2001 4 banger that I got a great deal on in south florida, I lived in north florida at the time. About 3 months later, I moved to Colorado. I got out of the flats and into the hills and with the 33s I was running, I could not get over 45MPH and it took forever to get there.

Like the others mentioned, I would shoot for the 6.
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WOW, Not over 45mph and took forever to get there. I did read somewhere that 2.4l is the same in dodge neon. I really dont want be limited and that wont work for me so 2.4L is out and 6 cylinder will be the way to go so the search continues. This is why for many reasons I am here. I really appreciate everyone.
 
check houston and dallas. houston has a huge amount of wranglers for sale. i got my 87 from there in a straight trade fro my 87 cherokee. i had about 3500 in the cherokee including the price i paid for it.

there was a guy on the north west side of san antonio that had a late 80s wrangler for 3k a few months ago. he as out in the country do it might still be there.
 
buggs said:
WOW, Not over 45mph and took forever to get there. I did read somewhere that 2.4l is the same in dodge neon. I really dont want be limited and that wont work for me so 2.4L is out and 6 cylinder will be the way to go so the search continues. This is why for many reasons I am here. I really appreciate everyone.
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Another cool idea would be to go totally retro: Get an inline 258 6 from SS engines, put in a points and condenser ignition, headers, RV cam, Holley 390 4 barrel, and clifford header and then watch the Jeep rock. VEX weighs 3 tons and can go 85 up long grades here in NM and up in Montana and do 70 pulling the army trailer. Its nice for traveling and knowing when those secondaries open up you have, "VEX, Go For Throttle Up!"--ha!

Robert
 

Robert, what ignition are you running in your jeep? Points and condensors don't scare me, I had a karmann ghia for 10 years
 
I'd say "buy it" assuming it checks out mechanically.

FYI-add Don like bumpers and other Jeep goodies are most affordable when they come on a used vehicle. Adding some of these yourself can be expensive.

Enjoy your rig!
 

superj said:
Robert, what ignition are you running in your jeep? Points and condensors don't scare me, I had a karmann ghia for 10 years
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The distributor is out of a 1980 GTO hottie, 440 magnum. The power valve and carb is holley with the anti-slog set, and the rest is clifford and the other addons for carb-ignition. Clifford Headers and high rise intake manifold. It does rock with the RV cam. I just will not do computers in VEX and haven't in any of the Jeeps past. Where I end up you just can't do it.

The USA is what it is-- the world's biggest Nirvana. Simply, there is no diagnostic center or tow facility in Patagonia, Gobi Desert, The Sahara, etc etc., and if you break, you die.....

Too, sadly, a new JK would not even leave the dock, literally, in 95% of the planet.

Off topic a second, but had to point that out. So, you would be very pleased with the manual carb-ignition as described. Besides, "mommy earth" don't care about EPA emissions!-ha!

Robert
 
I have a 90 yj with the 2.5 running 35s highway speeds are hard to reach, but nothing some lower gears wont fix. And I live in Arkansas and have had no problems on the trails at all if im in 4 low in high it is gutless but its never told me no going up or over anything the tires either spin or it goes but never because of lack of power, I will agree resale is harder with the 4 banger though
 
Robert, you cannot receive private messages.

i would have to find an old school 6 cylinder distributor to run in my 87 then.
 

Seems the 4 cylinders are sitting for sale longer than the 6. But not much longer in my area. No lie, a couple of 6 cylinder Jeeps I looked at last week actually went up in price. Guess they felt gas was going up, so will the price of the Jeep. Go figure. So maybe I'll put th 2.4L SMFI I4 on the table again. Reading mixed reviews about 2.4L good and bad. Having allot of fun looking though. I'll snap it up when I see it. You just know it. I have read so many times that the straight 6 is bullet proof. Started focusing on the classic CJ5 and CJ7 now. Something about them has drawn me in. Simple design. I am willing to roll my sleeves up and get dirty in restoration for the right one. Buy maybe I'll find one already done. Will keep updating as I go along.
Thanks
 

Zombie-Sniper said:
I had a 2001 4 banger that I got a great deal on in south florida, I lived in north florida at the time. About 3 months later, I moved to Colorado. I got out of the flats and into the hills and with the 33s I was running, I could not get over 45MPH and it took forever to get there.

Like the others mentioned, I would shoot for the 6.
Click to expand...

What was your gearing? I drive between Panama and Costa Rica, and with 33's and 4.88 gears, I can hold 50 at least going uphill (depends on the hill), and most of the time I am at 60 mph heading uphill...
 
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