Roidz

I'm currently thinking about adding a nice, semi-new, lifted (a must, makes it look so much better imo) wrangler to the stable.

I don't know a whole lot about em. My parents had a real nice one a few years ago with a 4" lift, but can you all tell me about em and what to look for? I'm gonna go sign up on a wrangler forum and learn what I can, but any one here care to help out as well?

I know I don't want the 4 door version, it has to be a hard-top, and probably manual. The ribicons look nice. Anyway...?

flametail

iTrader: (5)

once you go jeep...it's hard to go back...anytime a vehicle discussion is brought up my wife states "i miss my Jeep" lol. And she regrets selling it every time it's nice and sunny out. As far as info goes, what are you looking for?

StealthTL

iTrader: (1)

I have never had a wiper motor fail on a japanese car, in thirty years.

I replaced three on my Jeep......

Twas a piece of ****.....

monchie

Whatever drifts you. At least, you don't have to worry about engine compression...lol

200.mph

iTrader: (9)

any engine can loose compression from neglect or wear or a million other things.

i just sold my wrangler last year it was good to me. if you are getting an older one make sure to check for rust its pretty common. wranglers even old ones can be pretty pricy because everyone loves em they hold their value. imo i would only consider a manual with a 6cyl espically if you plan to lift with larger tires.

Roidz

Thanks everyone for the info, it's helpful, except Monchie's post. 200.mph, that's the kind of info I'm lookin for. Thanks.

200.mph

iTrader: (9)

np man. i know you mentioned not wanting a 4 door which makes me think you want a newer one, but if you get an older one lmk as i still have some parts in the garage you might want/need. i would get rid of em cheap as their just taking up space. if you have any other questions hit me up and ill try to help.

Roidz

Cool, yeah, I'm thinking '04-'08 or so. Thanks again man. I appreciate it.

flametail

iTrader: (5)

We had ours for around a year and a half and the only had a few issues with it, the TPS went out and had to be replaced ($30), it had a leak somewhere on the passenger's side so we tore the carpet out of it, and the AC control switches got stuck on defrost (I just never opened up the dash to see what was going on). Other than that it was great. We had a black 04 with a spacer lift and 31x10.50 ProComp All Terrains on it.

Roidz

^^Sounds like you had a nice one. Black always look good.

flametail

iTrader: (5)

That thing came to us murdered out, lol. It even had Crager Soft 8's in black, lol. She had ProComp Mud Terrains on it first and those things were hella nice.

monchie

Whenever you need help, let me know...lol

Mr.ThunderMakeR

Avoid the 4-cylinder (not available after 2003). If you want it lifted, try to find one that has had the axles re-geared for bigger tires. Big tires can easily bog a Jeep down on freeways, even the I6. If you can afford the Rubicon, deffinitely go for it. It is very capable off-road straight from the factory.

Roidz

^^Thanks man. I've read that if you raise it more than 4" it's a good idea to get a tougher rear end. I think 5" or 6" looks just about perfect.

SleepeR1st

iTrader: (2)

Don't dis-regard the automatic transmission. Standard transmissions on jeeps are cool...for about a day.

Huey52

iTrader: (2)

Wranglers are great for what they were designed - off road or low speed open Summer cruising. On road they are very noisy at highway speeds (aggressive tread, minimal insulation, engine revving much higher than off road intended). You've been forewarned.

Mr.ThunderMakeR

Meh, those are just the trade-offs you accept to have the joy of driving a Jeep. You learn to live with them. Jeeps aren't just a vehicle, they are a lifestyle, sort of like the RX-8

OP: How much you are looking to spend? For me the sweetspot in the Wrangler lineup is the 05-06 Rubicons for around 16-20k used. Find one that is low mileage and unmodified, throw the lift of your choice on it and you'll have an amazing rig. As for transmissions, AT are deffinitely easier to rock crawl with, but the MT is more fun and is more of a challenge to crawl. Plus there's just something wrong about driving an auto Jeep.

Roidz

I've got a truck with 38"s and a 12" lift so I don't mind the noise and such.

That's pretty much the range I was looking at , the $15-20k range. I was hoping to find one with a decent set up as far as lift and differential/rear end goes, but I guess I'll see what happens.

Huey52

iTrader: (2)

Oh, I agree. I've had a Cherokee, Liberty, Patriot, and Wrangler - the latter strictly for Summer cabin offroad use tho'.

Roidz

Thanks but I'm not looking to compare an rx8 and a wrangler. Completely different.

pistonhater

/\
This

The Rubicon is what you want as it has the upgraded Dana 44 axle, factory electric locker on both axles (which you activate with a switch when needed), and the much more comfortable coil/links suspension system.

The only negative is the anemic engine, but worth the risk considering everything I just mentioned.

Lifting an off-road vehicle gets pretty expensive very quickly. Same principle as modifiying your sports car: once you modify something, there's a million other things that need to be modified as well.

The amount of inches of the lift is not the determining factor for the axles. The main concern here is your tire size. The first mistake people make is install a super tall lift, which obviously calls for bigger tires. People then install bigger tires and start destroying axles like crazy.

The bigger the tire, the more stress you put in suspension/axle components. With the stock Dana 30 axles found in older Jeeps, I wouldn't go any taller than a 33" tire and that's pushing it if you do any serious off-roading. Anything taller than a 33" I would go ahead and swap the Dana 44 axles down there - which have a bigger ring/pinion, stronger differential and certainly stronger axle shafts.

Indeed, driving a 4X4 is a different animal all together!!! But as you said, you learn how to live with it. My daily driver is a lifted Tacoma truck. Not the most comfortable ride but I certainly enjoy every minute of it - like the RX-8 - and I certainly enjoying driving when the winter brings all that nasty ice and snow.

OP: my best advise for you would be to - no matter what Jeep you get - to save money and upgrade the gears in your axles after you install taller tires. If you are tires are significantly taller, meaning 35 plus inches tall, then I would bite the bullet and change the axles all together. Keep in mind that unless you buy them used, you are already looking at $4-6K in axles alone. Add a couple more thousand for the wheels and tires.

If I were you, I would just install a mild lift (3-4 inches), upgrade the tires to a max of 33" tall, and upgrade the gears in your axles to 4.88 or 5.13 depending on the engine that you have.

Roidz

Thanks man. I'm pretty familiar with lifts and what not. My daily driver in the winter is a Chevy 3/4 ton with a 12" lift and 38"s, but I don't know a whole lot about wranglers and what lift is good to go with on them, so thanks for the info.

jasonrxeight

if you have the 2005+ wrangler make sure you have the cam position sensor gear checked out.
because the material they used, the gear will get worn out, which causes cam damage and lose oil pressure (oil pump also driven by that).
wranglers are pretty simple vehicles, not so many things that can go wrong.

pistonhater

awesome! With that truck I am sure you don't have any issues driving in the snow! Glad to see other truck guys that also drive RX-8s here

I would still look for a Rubicon with the suspension setup and Dana 44 axles I mentioned above. According to many, the Rubicon it is one of the most capable Jeeps to ever come out of the assembly line. If I was in the market for a Jeep, that certainly the one I would buy.

Roidz

Thanks Jason. I've seen ya on the wrangler forum. Nice jeep man.

Yeah, it definitely goes better than the rx8 in the snow haha. But I've had a lot of people tell me to go the rubicon route so thanks for confirming it for me. Thanks for the info.