Looking to buy a Jeep - Please help me out!

[Cyberfire]

Hello Jeep owners...I've got some questions for you.

I'm looking to buy a Jeep, as a daily driver (about 50-60 mi a week) and as a weekend offroad vehicle, capable of handling most of what my local offroad park can dish out (Hollister Offroad park). Whether I get one stock or already somewhat modified, I'd probably add a few things down the road as I learned more about the sport, and the car.

My background is from the sport compact world, which is pretty different from offroad.

Now, I've been offroading with a friend in his Toyota Tocoma a few times, and that vehicle is extremely capable off road. I was wondering if the Jeep is comparable in offroad performance.

Now for the questions:

Are there any major reliability issues I should know about that are pretty common among the TJ model's?

How about safety? Anyone ever get into a crash with one of these things? I've read consumer reports, doesn't give much info. I don't plan on any major collisions, but it would be nice to know I'd survive one.

What are the biggest things I should look for when buying used?

What about the mileage on the V6 engines? How much is too much? I see anywhere from 60K to 150K, how strong do these motors run?

Now I am very much a DIY'er, so how easy are these vehicles to work on? Parts cost and availability?

And any other info you might want to throw in to help out a potential new jeep owner out would be great, thanks!

 

[Ken72]

For your first question I have not seen any major reliabilty issues. My TJ is a daily driver and there are no problems there.
I haven't wrecked yet (don't plan on it.... Famous last words) but they are alot tougher than most cars you'll hit.
Biggest issue would be Frame rust. you can replace everything for a TJ but you just need a good platform. By the way you can replace the frame too.
TJs (97-06) come with a straight 6 the newer JKs(2007) come with the V-6, I've heard they are almost bullet proof.
For parts there's quadratec.com, 4wd.com...... etc. just google jeep parts

 

[Utah_jeepster]

Now, I've been offroading with a friend in his Toyota Tocoma a few times, and that vehicle is extremely capable off road. I was wondering if the Jeep is comparable in offroad performance.

Now for the questions:

Are there any major reliability issues I should know about that are pretty common among the TJ model's?

Off Road there is no comparing a jeep to a Toy. The jeep is lighter and narrower. The weight to power ratio (4.0L) is better than most off road vehicles today. As to amenities, power windows electric heated seats..well your buying a jeep to go off road in.

As for the known problems of the TJ's. The radiator is weak, plastic upper and lower section clamped to a metal core. All 4.0 TJ's have a exhaust header cracking problem. Early TJ's had a CPS sensor problem that had the potential to take out the computer(97-98)?.
After that...the rear axle Dana 35 is the weakest link.

 

[TwistedCU]

Whatever Jeep you buy will run circles around your buddy's Toyota.

The TJ's are very reliable, and the longevity of the I6 (not a V6) is proven and well known.

As for safety, sitting on wider (as compared to the older CJ models) solid axles, being body-on-frame construction, having a rollbar, and the airbags in the newer models makes them very solid.

Fuel economy and creature comforts are their weaknesses, but around 17 mpg isn't too hateful. You will do slightly better than that if it is well maintained and your driving style is less aggresive than mine. As for creature comforts, you won't miss them much, and the times you do will be overshadowed greatly by the joy of driving your Jeep, especially with that top (and doors) removed.

Go test drive one. Don't forget to wave to the other Jeepers

 

[jfrabat]

I do not have a TJ, but I have a used 94YJ (basically, the same as a TJ, but with different suspension and interiors, no airbags) which I bought about 6 months ago and drive daily. So let me drop my 2 cents here for you as well...

RELIABILITY: Jeep engines are very reliable. Mine has over 115K miles on it, and still runs smoothly. And keep in mind that my Jeep has 31 inch tires and the Odometer gear has not been readjusted, so that means it actually has even more miles than what it reads! As for the weak links, the Dana 35 was mentioned; unless you do mods to yours, it should hold up fine. If you do plan to put in a locker or increase power, then it could be a problem. Same if you go for bigger tires (it is said that the Dana will only hold up 33" tires; more than that, and you will eventually break it. Probable less if you have lockers, though).

PARTS: parts are available ALL OVER THE PLACE! Just google jeep parts, and you will see what I mean. I have bought all kinds of stuff on the web for mine, from fuel injectors to distributors, and from fuel pumps to cat-back systems. Even on eBay you will find tons of parts at discounted prices (but be careful; you do get what you pay for, so I try to stick to brands I know).

DIY: I was not a DIY guy (I come from Panama, in Central America, where labor is DIRT CHEAP!), but the Jeep is a joy to work in. There manuals available that will guide you with photos and diagrams (as well as step by step instruction on doing anything you can think of doing yourself), and having the engine hood open all the way back (laying it against the windshield) simply opens up everything to comfortably work on your car.

OFFROADING: Simply put, nothing beats a Jeep. As stated before, power to weight, size of the rig, and handling (it a better turning radius than any othe 4X4), nothing is better out there. How good your particular Jeep needs, however, will depend on what you put in it (lift, tires, gears, etc.). A well built Jeep is basically unstopeable.

SAFETY: I have not been in an accident in this car (thank God! Knock on wood!), and I prefer to keep it that way. Minor crashes I suspect you will endure less damage than the other party; major crashes, well, let's just say Iwould prefer to be in another car if I had to endure one of those. But I would rather avoid these altogether. Keep in mind that in ANY SUV, because the center of gravity of the car is higher off the ground, they have a greater tendency to roll over than your average sedan, and this is also tru of Wranglers. Just dont drive your Jeep like you were in a sportscar or something, and you should be fine.

THINGS TO LOOK FOR: Rust is the main issue. As was already stated, you can buy almost any part of a Jeep. Think of it as a Lego; whatever part you need, you can replace (and probably will have a bunch of options, like for examples, you can get body panels in stock metal, aluminum or fiberglass). Second thing I looked at was the engine. You can tell a lot by listening to it for a little while. Also look at the condition of the belts and hoses. After I bought mine, the first thing I did was give it a complete maintenance to be sure everything was as it was suppossed to be (changed oil and oil filter, dropped in a K&N air filter, flushed the radiator fluid, flushed the brake fluid, changed the fuel filter, changed differential fluids, changed transmission fluid, changed spark plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor, etc.) and I started counting from that point on for the miles until changing everything again. I also put the best quality of products for each item I replaced.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: Jeeps tend to be rough and loud, especially with soft tops. Security (of your contents, stereo, etc.) is also less than you would have in a car when you have the soft top on (or no top). When driving, specially if the Jeep is lifted, try to keep your speed to a reasonable level. Just because Jeeps can hit 75 mph does not mean it should be driven at that speed. If you have to do an emergency manouver at that speed, you could flip the thing over (again, especially if lifted). Once more, just drive it right, and you should be fine. As stated before, also fuel consumption of these things is high. They are bricks with wheels, so dont expect much in the economy department. But they are not too bad either, especially if maintained propperly. You could get up to 20 mpg (by the way, this is for BOTH highway and city driving, as there is not much difference between the two in a Jeep!) if you have a light foot and give it propper maintenance.

One word of advice; if you can afford it, go for the 4.0L. I have a 2.5L and it is not bad, but I do wish I had gotten the 4.0L sometimes. Just having that extra power whenever you need it is recomforting...

Oh, and last but not least...

DONT CALL THE JEEP A CAR!!!! They dont like being called that. Trust me; the only time mine acted up was when I called it a car! :lol:

Felipe

 

[Cyberfire]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm really glad to hear that the motors are nice and reliable, and there aren't too many serious issues.

Radiator shroud issues don't sound too major, cracked headers...eh, just upgrade exhaust system I guess at that point, the only one that worries me is this CPS sensor...no idea what that is or anything about it...guess I'll have to do more research. Thanks Utah_jeepster for the info!

As far as creature comforts, let me describe my current ride...It's a VW Corrado, stripped out, all solid motormounts, so it's super super loud inside, you get a full body massage everytime you drive it, and any big bumps or potholes almost burst a kidney. There is no heat, lots of electrical problems, etc...so I think a Jeep would actually have MORE creature comforts than what I have right now.

 

[TwistedCU]

As far as creature comforts, let me describe my current ride...It's a VW Corrado, stripped out, all solid motormounts, so it's super super loud inside, you get a full body massage everytime you drive it, and any big bumps or potholes almost burst a kidney. There is no heat, lots of electrical problems, etc...so I think a Jeep would actually have MORE creature comforts than what I have right now.

You are Jeep material, you just need to convert from the thrill that can be felt from your back being thrown against the seat to the thrill that we know and love at crawling speeds :lol:

 

[fast_Z28_guy]

our 03 wrangler with the 4L runs a consistent 20mpg mild city (short trips, less than 45mph, not many stops) and easily 22mpg highway.

this is with just a low restriction air intake...which picked up a consistent 2mpg in mileage.

the 4L engine is a time tested bulletproof motor. and parts for every aspect of the vehicle are more than plentiful

 

[Cyberfire]

Thanks for all the tips and advice guys!