The Jeep,.. Jeep owners input wanted,..
Massachusetts
So I am looking at buying a four wheel drive vehicle,.. first time ever. Jeeps have caught my eye,.. but I am stunned at how they hold their value,.. remind me of Harley's. Drove my first one at a dealership today.
So I can get a Jeep 3 years old for the price of a brand new Silverado,.. ??????
Thoughts?,.. Jeep owners views sought,.. if any here?
So far I am liking the ideal of no roof, no doors, roll bar,... have fun in life, it is short after all. I was a motorcycle rider back in the day and this might be the old guys version of that fun back then ,.. riders know what I mean. Wrangler,..
Still the variations in Jeeps amazes me,. they are like the transformers of cars! Mods and all ,.. Christ, it feels like you are breaking the law when you drive around with no doors, roof or windshield,.. just saying.
Views,.. input,.. sought,....
Have had 2 so far. 6 cyl engine is bullet proof, gas isn’t that bad and real fun to drive in the summer. In the fall take the doors and top off so you can stuff the deer into the passenger seat. Only drawback is no cargo space to put anything in. If you are a DIYer you are not going to like it. If that isn’t a concern go for it. I am looking at bartering a house painting job for another Jeep. Can’t get them out of my blood !!!!
A guy I work with is die hard Jeep but all his jeeps (3) have issues and two don’t even run anymore. They look cool but reliability from what I hear sucks. If you want reliable and bullet proof value holding then Tacoma wins it. I hate the boringness of mine but you can’t kill them. 133,000 miles on my 06 and only replaced brakes and oil changes so far. I have no doubt it will go 300,000 easy.
I've owned 8 4WD vehicles over the years and toyed with the same ideas, wind in your face, sun on your body, etc. Reality set in needing a air conditioned comfortable, reliable, roomy vehicle with off road capability. Few people have gone the same places I have taken my 6 pickups and SUV's. Jeeps are not that reliable. Buy it only as a third (play) vehicle.
If you get a Jeep, please put a small plow on it, you will be the most surgical plow guy around. Small, tight turning radius, and more than enough juice for 98% of plowing.
jeep are great if you treat them like a toy. drive it occasionally wheeling or hunting. if you have to daily drive it you will hate it.....every jeep owner new and old out there will tell you the same....
Jd is spot on. Jeeps are cool but just a toy. Short wheel base gives a crappy ride for daily use. Take the pickup any day
Thanks guys for the input,..
JEEP = Just Empty Every Pocket sorta like owning a boat....only 2 good days...they day you buy it, and the day you sell it. :)
Bought one in 2008 loved it for the first week hated it the next. It drove like a stagecoach and burned tons of oil.
on the plus side if you're handy the parts are easy to come by even on the older models... my old man just rebuilt one from '56 i believe? i'll see if i can find a pic
I was a “Jeep” guy. I currently own a 2017 Chief with 4,300 miles (four thousand). $45K after title, taxes, etc. I bought in new last July.
I also have a 2016 Tacoma and a few cars. I have owned 4 other Jeeps YJ, TJ, JK, TJ,JK and sometimes owned 2 at the same time.
My current Jeep has paint failing on a fender. When I brought it to be looked at, the dealer thought I had done something to cause the failure. Unfortunately other Jeeps in their showroom had the same issue.
The current JK (and now JL) have a much better engine than the 2007-2012 models. Those were dogs. My 2008 JK Sahara was slow, and sucked on gas.
I prefer the Tacoma 100% of the time to the Jeep. The Taco was $10K cheaper, much better on gas and also holds the resale value. Both are off-road capable.
BB if you want something jeep like and reliable look into getting one of these!
What is that Spike,..
I have been turned away from the Jeep by the reviews on this sight,..
Toyota FJ Cruiser. Bomb proof engine on them and good cargo space in the back. Also great off roading as that was Toyota’s answer to the Jeeps.
Wow that does get awesome reviews indeed! Nice call Spike but looks like hard to find. Will keep my eyes open though!
That Toyota FJ Cruiser is a sweet SUV. I would say probably the coolest, most capable, most reliable SUV.
Question on the FJ Cruiser. When I got my Tacoma (2010) I looked at FJ's. The dealer at the time claimed you "had" to run high test fuel through them (IE, 93 octane). Is that true? I wanted the truck more, so didnt investigate... but that could increase fuel cost pretty solidly.
Re: Regular gas or premium gas? I live in Colorado where we don't actually have 87 octane fuel. We have 85 because of our elevation. Our 87 is our mid grade and it is not true 87 it is a mix of 85 and 91. My FJ has no issues with 85. If I am going offroading I will fill it with premium but that is the only time. Toyota advertised premium only the first year or two because that was the only way to get the gas mileage advertised on the marone sticker. The FJ uses the exact same engine as the Taco and the taco does not require premium. FYI I sold Toyota for 3 years between 2006-2009
And
The 07-09 were designed to run on premium: but timing was retarded when reguar was used! Not to be permanately run on regular though! 10-12 were re-engineered to run on regular! Using higher octane than specified by manufacturer is a waste of money! Go ahead and pay an extra 30-40 cents if you want to do so.
I read a lot on them and I don’t recommend the 07 year as they had some major issues. To locate them just go on Cargurus and type in FJ Cruiser and it will show you all of them for sale in area.
i owned a fj cruiser.....was great only got rid of it because it didnt have a bed.... used to get some thumbs up and some middle fingers going up the merrit parkway in ct with 2-3 deer on the hitch hauler. but ya better than a jeep imop
You know, I don’t know how I survived without a truck. Countless ways that bed is useful. BB you might consider a truck?
looks like the fj cruiser was discontinued in 2014.
Hunterma, yes it was which is one reason why prices are high but on the bright side they will hold value for a long time.
Love the FJ. Too bad a low mileage 2014 (last year mde will cost you $25K and they were <$30K new
I think the biggest problem here is we were all anxiously awaiting the pictures of you driving around in the mustang with a deer riding shotgun
You know if you do that you can use the HOV lane, right?
GED more like $30,000 for a 2014. If I saw a 2014 for $25000 I would jump on it. Even after 10 years someone would buy it not being made anymore. The cool thing about FJs is that they still have companies making after market mods for them. Go on an FJ enthusiast forum and you will see some wild looking FJs!
BQP,.. I would be keeping the Mustang,.. so no worries you can still get that picture.
The bigger worry is will I even get a shot at a deer?,.. only second year into trying,.. so even with food plot odds are still pretty dang low at best!
Bb, you're gonna nail a big one this year!!
I'm with Moons... I feel it for BB. Oddly, I think it will be near the swamp he muddied up in last year... but I feel it. This fall, we see BB with a Mustang deer...
Ya ya I know ,.. its sorta like when your rooting for that Special Olympics kid to make it to the finish line,.. :/
LOL
BB, that's alot of tractor and implents for that kind of money, just saying. You tube search, Ron White- the yellow blur !
I have a JK. First off, I like my Jeep. Second, Jeeps suck as an everyday. It just sucks. When I got my Jeep I loved it, then I hated it, now I like it but only certain times of the year. I'm only hanging onto it so I can trade it in on an F150.
Don't get me wrong, it clowns off-road, even a stock jeep will make even the most modded truck look stupid when it comes to off-road prowess. However, there are some drawbacks. First off, the interior of a two-door is the size of a Dodge Neon, and the "trunk" space is non-existent. If you go to the grocery store and fill up one of those little two level half-carriages that most stores have now, not even to overflowing, there isn't enough trunk space to handle that pittance of groceries. It's about 14" x 36" x 14".
Road noise is ridiculous, and a hardtop is no quieter. The stereo sucks, don't get the LCD touch display because you can't see it when the top is down due to sun, and you'll cook the interface after two summers (happened to my next door neighbor). If you're doing off-roading, get a manual (period end of conversation). Be prepared to replace the bushings in your track bar, if not your track bar, along with the control arms. The stock ones blow and are the source of the dreaded Jeep Death Wobble. Finally, unless you're getting a Rubicon, there is ZERO reason to buy a Saraha or Willies, or any other derivative other than the Sport. Any other added amenities, even a hitch, can be added by you, after market, for about 70% less. Watch your gearing. I believe all the new ones (2018), other than the Rubicon, come with a 3.45 axle ratio, which is meh for off-roading. 2017 and prior get a 3.71 or a 4.1. Additionally, with the 2018s, the only model with truly lockable axles is the Rubicon. All of the others are electronic. So, 2018s may look like the old standard, but they new jeeps are all basically really bad grocery getters.
If you want to mod it in MA, it's going to cost you about $3000 to do it right. That's before tires. 2DR tow capacity is 2000lbs, 4DR tow capacity is 3500lbs (low tow capacity has to do with wheel base, not the engine or trans).
The Pros I guess are, they don't get stuck. They climb like a mother. Riding with the top down and doors off is amazing, they are infinitely configurable, insurance is really really low, and they're super easy to fix if something goes wrong. If you're worried about reliability, they're middle of the road, but they have 120K mile bumper to bumper you can get from the dealer for $1200. And they hold their value amazingly well so when you want to move to a Truck, you have solid trade in value.
Finally, if you're going to hunt with it, you're going to need a cargo carrier. Cuz it's a dodge neon, and if you get the four door, it's a Toyota Camry inside (size wise). Get a used one, put some money into it, call it a day. DO NOT get it as a daily driver...just don't, please for the love of god.
2008 Wrangler (Sahara) 2 dr. under 45K miles. 3.8 V6
I bought it with 4k miles on it. Hardtop with T top front. No issues so far. I seldom have the back seat in so there is plenty of storage. I do have a homemade cargo/deer carrier but could stuff a deer inside if needed. I was surprised at how comfortable the ride is and the seats are. No issue there on my ride. I don't notice the noise issue but then again my ears are shit so I can't comment beyond that.
The handling is great and if not for that I would probably be dead. I Avoided a "cell phone gabbing kid " on a fast curve , would have been a head-on at 40 mph. then a few trees to dodge, off the road, across a lawn and back onto the road. It just did what I needed it to do. I don't "Off-road" like my Step-Kid does but I am more interested in getting back "on the road" and it has performed very well for that. ( discreet parking is an eastern Ma. must have) .
I like it but an extended-cab short bed truck has my interest as well for the next one, if ever. ( Jeep is in the process of making one right now )
The only hunting experience "downside" is the loud doors when shutting them. There is a hip check technique that helps. Also, having a cargo carrier makes for a long stretch when getting gear. I drilled a second hole in my homemade which it thinner than store-bought, to begin with. The second hole in the stem of my carrier allows it to slide forward to the point of almost touching the muffler. Saves several inches more of reaching into the back.
Good luck BB.
