For Jeep Wrangler Owners
 

I've been thinking for a couple of years of getting a Jeep and have just started seriously looking at them. It will be a 2nd car so I don't want anything fancy, but I do want to be able to take it offroad. It will be used because I don't want to spend more than $10K and it will be a manual 6 cyl.

Questions:

I see several with lift packages - 3 inches seems to be about standard. Good/bad?

What is a good size tire/wheel?

Bikini top - what the heck is that?

Anything I really, really need to make sure it has?

Any other advice you have will be greatly appreciated!!

The most important is after market full roll cage mounted to the frame.

I have 97 TJ with 6-7 inch lift, running 36 ss, front and back arb lockers, long arms and 4 to 1 transfer case. Not most comfortable ride but fun to drive.

Good Luck :)

Are you planning on doing any serious offroading?

a 2" lift and 31-32" tires will give it a more aggressive than stock stance without being too crazy... 33+ will be a lot noisier, burn more gas, be a pain in the ass in the rain, snow, highway driving, etc... Depends on how much time you're going to spend off the pavement and exactly what terrain (rock, mud, etc).

The bikini top looks ridiculous and eliminates your back seats, I wouldn't put one on my Jeep if you paid me.

I think an aftermarket cage is overkill. You're not going to roll your Jeep unless you're very stupid (I put mine up on two wheels for about 4 seconds while doing a 70km/hr powerslide on a gravel road) or very unlucky... Even in that event, the provided bar and windshield will be a lot more than most convertible owners have for protection.

SureFire, got any pics? Your rig sounds like a monster :)

http://www.fuzebox.org/forum/rock.jpg

Dont forget a wench on the front to help pull your self out. I am sure that you will manage to get stuck a few times. Oh, and plenty of cash for gas.

A winch isn't really necessary if you're travelling in a pair/group and have a tow strap :)

My hi-lift jack saved my ass many times too...

A jeeping buddy a couple of years ago, hit an ice patch while driving and his jeep rolled, the factory roll bar didn't help him. Taking photos for off roading events, I seen some very stupid drivers and the roll cage probably saved their lives. For an extra 300 dollar mod, I rather be safer than sorry.

here is a pic (I am not driving it)

http://jeeppix.com/labor/images/PIC00036.jpg

Hmm done any photography during the jeep rubicon?

Allrightythen. I think you guys and I have different definitions for "off roading" ;) I just want to take it down back roads and such (where I take my Exploder now). It will get more on road use so I need to make sure it's not a miserable ride there.

I live in the mountains and my house is on a 4WD only road so this will basically be my spring/summer/fall convertible sports car :)

Thanks for the info!!

Here are a couple of ads I'm seeing at the price range I want:

1997 JEEP WRANGLER, 91K mi, air bag, abs, ac, ps, tilt, 4.0L Sport, 5 spd, Exc.Cond, navy blue, 3" BDS susp. lift, 33x12.5 BFG's, new soft top, Rhino Liner interior, neoprene seats, Kenwood CD. Chrome grill, nerf bars & bumpers,glass windows,

1998 JEEP WRANGLER, 6 cyl, 5 spd, 4wd, ac, green, Sahara edition, 95K mi, hard and soft tops, MP3 cd player, 3" lift, new 32 11.50 Goodyear Wrangler MT/RS

1997 JEEP WRANGLER, 78K mi, air bag, abs, ac, ps, cc, tilt, tint, sunroof, NICE Wrangler Sahara, 4.0L has hard top w sunroof and Bestop soft top w soft doors, pop-out stereo, brush bar, towing pkg, fogs

1998 JEEP WRANGLER, 112K mi, air bag, ac, ps, cc, tint, 1998 Jeep Sahara , White with 2 inch body lift, Off Road American Racing Alloy wheels.Soft top in excellent condition.

Any glaring problems?

I'd stay away from the one with Rhino Liner :) Although practical it's not very comfortable.

I thought you were more looking for something to take on a gravel road :) Any tire/lift combo (or even stock) would be fine for you. Buy what looks good :)

OK, scratch the Rhino liner - comfort is important :)

I'll be on many gravel roads, crossing some creeks, dirt roads, etc. I ride my Exploder harder than I should for a $35K car :( But I'm not going to be rock climbing or anything.

Bikini tops are nice keeps the sun off of you in those hot ass days of stop and go traffic. As for the back seat I took mine out so the top is perfect for a fun day in the desert or rush hour traffic.

If comfort is really important then don't lift it. The ride will stifen quite a bit. A stock Jeep will do what you want. Now if you want looks, a standard is the 3" lift with 33x12.50 BFG ATs. You do NOT need any mods to the tranny for this. Again if you are not doing a lot of off roading (meaing serious off roading) the big tires are going to add a ton of noise on the streets.

I had an 88 Wrangler for a few years, lifted it and it was fun for a while. The noise, stiff ride and shitty gas mileage got to me. Plus shit like the speedometer will be wrong, and actual mileage will be off.

Again, if you're not in competetions or doing some extreme 4x4, then leave it stock. They are designed to be 4x4's and the mods are mostly for show/hobby/competitions.

:2 cents:

oh, the Bikini Top, Wind Jammer and Tanneau (sp?) look great together. In AZ having the bikini top is almost necessary. And the windjammer helps keep the AC in the cab.

AC!?

In a Jeep!?

Stock with a body lift would probably be fine for you. Check out this site, http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/ There are some pretty good deals in the forum section.


I also said I would never climb rocks...my jeep was stock when we brought and we did the jeep thing...just empty every pocket. :Oh crap

i loved my jeep, it was the second car i ever owned. i actually won some money playing blackjack at the casino when i was 20, and used that to but it. had to sell it to pay for uni tuition :(

I have a 2003 Rubicon. I love that thing. Just a thought on buying used jeeps. No matter how good it looks pretty much plan somebody beat the shit out of it. If you spend your 10 grand on one have another 1-2 grand ready to spend. You may not need it but then again............ Just in case.

I've had 2 Wranglers and I love them! The one I have right now is a '97 which I'm getting ready to put a 4" lift with 35x12.5 tires. One thing that I've learned from other friends with Jeeps that already had the lifts on when they bought the car is that you never know how much wear and tear it's been through already, and chances are it's been through a lot.

Anytime you modify a a jeep you are going to increase the likely hood of problems, things breaking, and with lifts, depending on how much of a lift, you're looking at getting it re-geared among other things which costs additional money. Personally, I'd buy a '97 (first year they upgraded the suspension, 1st year back to the round head lights among other visual changes) 6cyl, no current modifications and then do the modifying yourself. This makes the jeep more realiable, less likely to to have problems, etc. also which I think is very important, that way you know who did the installation and modifications on your vehicle, and you wont have to worry if it was poorly done by the previous owner.

Good luck to you!