Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I gave up relying on CR . Nine times out of ten they give the best bets to the cheapest brand that does not completely break down.
I know there are deals out there and the most expensive is not always the best but CR consistently gives the nod to the cheapies.
I tried another year subscription but it just ran out and I will not renew. Some things just never change.
Neither CR nor Jeep fanboys are wrong about these.
The Jeep is a terrible, uncomfortable, impractical, and not so reliable or efficient vehicle for on road use. But it is really good at being a Jeep.
Most of the people I know that have Wranglers bought them for the lifestyle image. The furthest offroad they go is to take their mountain bike to a group ride (which starts close to a highway). These people also don't lift them, nor put 37 inch tires.
A few are diehards and go all in for the offroad thing. Heavily modified.
I had two jeeps. The newer sissy Wrangler and older CJ7
My 1976 CJ7 with a 302 V8 and a three speed stick, big CB whip antenna and a flaming Eagle on hood and the Levi package with a three inch lift kit and push bar and two hook was a super cool car. Seats were actually made of Levi Denim material and had the Levi logo on car. Had a kinds of Smokey and the Bandit big screaming Eagle on the hood of it.
Wranglers today are young girls cars or white middle aged men cars
Pretty much every car AMC/Jeep made in the 70's was available with a "Levi" package. There was a Levi Gremlin and if memory serves a Levi Hornet.
I have more experience with both Jeeps and hard core 4-wheeling than most. I would not own a Wrangler because of its reliability issues alone. Understand, that the Wrangler is superbly suited mechanically for off-road use, but that does not carry over to the areas where it has reliability issues--particularly annoying and often expensive to diagnose and repair are electrical issues--a common problem with many Jeep models, by the way. Jeep sells mostly on its name now, not by the excellence of its vehicles. If Toyota would bring the FJ-70 to the US that it sells overseas, it would probably take half the Wrangler market away from Jeep. The concept Ford Troller that will likely come to market in Brazil would also take a chunk out of Wrangler sales it were ever to be offered in the US. And, with the TRD Pro 4Runner now being sold by Toyota--well, it will likely be nearly as off-road capable as the Wrangler, while maintaining some decent on-road comfort and performance. Jeep can only sell on its name for so long, and I think that time is running out for them.
I don't think Jeep is selling on name only - the new Grand Cherokee's sell like gangbusters and have gotten awards out the wazoo, and the new Cherokee, while ripped a new one by every "hardcore" Jeep fan, is selling well too. I've had 2 GC's and loved 'em both, plus an '01 Cherokee. Great SUV...drove like a tank though.
That said, I'd never buy a 4 door Wrangler off road. Too long. The 2 door is a great size. I know guys who swear by Tacomas too, but then get them out on the trail and realize that they're just too damn big sometimes.
Did you the Jeep was a character in Popeye cartoons and that is why the Jeep is called a Jeep
Quote:
Origin of the name
Many explanations of the origin of the word jeep have proven difficult to verify. The most widely held theory is that the military designation GP (for Government Purposes or General Purpose) was slurred into the word Jeep in the same way that the contemporary HMMWV (for High-Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle) has become known as the Humvee. Joe Frazer, Willys-Overland President from 1939 to 1944, claimed to have coined the word jeep by slurring the initials G.P.[8]
An alternative view launched by R. Lee Ermey, on his television series Mail Call, disputes this "slurred GP" origin, saying that the vehicle was designed for specific duties, and was never referred to as "General Purpose" and it is highly unlikely that the average jeep-driving GI would have been familiar with this designation. The Ford GPW abbreviation actually meant G for government use, P to designate its 80-inch (2,000 mm) wheelbase and W to indicate its Willys-Overland designed engine. Ermey suggests that soldiers at the time were so impressed with the new vehicles that they informally named it after Eugene the Jeep, a character in the Popeye comic strip and cartoons created by E. C. Segar, as early as mid-March 1936. Eugene the Jeep was Popeye's "jungle pet" and was "small, able to move between dimensions and could solve seemingly impossible problems."[9][10]
The word jeep, however, was used as early as 1914 by US Army mechanics assigned to test new vehicles. In 1937, tractors which were supplied by Minneapolis Moline to the US Army were called jeeps. A precursor of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was also referred to as the jeep.[8] Words of the Fighting Forces by Clinton A. Sanders, a dictionary of military slang, published in 1942, in the library at The Pentagon gives this definition: Jeep: A four-wheel drive vehicle of one-half- to one-and-one-half-ton capacity for reconnaissance or other army duty. A term applied to the bantam-cars, and occasionally to other motor vehicles (U.S.A.) in the Air Corps, the Link Trainer; in the armored forces, the ½-ton command vehicle. Also referred to as "any small plane, helicopter, or gadget."[citation needed] This definition is supported by the use of the term "jeep carrier" to refer to the Navy's small escort carriers.
Early in 1941, Willys-Overland demonstrated the vehicle's off-road capability by having it drive up the steps of the United States Capitol, driven by Willys test driver Irving "Red" Haussman, who had recently heard soldiers at Fort Holabird calling it a "jeep." When asked by syndicated columnist Katharine Hillyer for the Washington Daily News (or by a bystander, according to another account) what it was called, Irving answered, "It's a jeep."
Katharine Hillyer's article was published nationally on February 19, 1941, and included a picture of the vehicle with the caption:
LAWMAKERS TAKE A RIDE- With Senator Meade, of New York, at the wheel, and Representative Thomas, of New Jersey, sitting beside him, one of the Army's new scout cars, known as "jeeps" or "quads", climbs up the Capitol steps in a demonstration yesterday. Soldiers in the rear seat for gunners were unperturbed. Although the term was also military slang for vehicles that were untried or untested, this exposure caused all other jeep references to fade, leaving the 4x4 with the name.
"The last time we did research, 85 percent of Wrangler owners reported going off-road," said Jim Repp, vehicle development manager for the Wrangler.
That percentage, he added, is for both the traditional two-door Wrangler and the stretched, four-door Wrangler Unlimited. For the regular two-door model, the off-road percentage rises to 93 - which is about the reverse of the total SUV population.
That's a pretty high number, I'd wager that many of those Jeep owners are stretching "off pavement" into "off road", but it's still way more than the average 4x4 owner who never even get off pavement (60% of them).
The original replies are right on - if you have driven or ridden in a Wrangler and didn't enjoy it, then that's it, that is your opinion and it isn't likely to be changed by anything I or anyone else writes. In that case, this thread is simply trolling to bash Wranglers and to instigate Jeep-lovers to respond.
I have an Ex that was a Jeep hater and I should have realized early on that was a solid indication of some major difference of opinion issues to come. Some people like Jeeps, some people like cars; just like some love to camp and others would rather not experience "roughing it" in the great outdoors for a couple days. There is a life style preference for those people that like Wranglers - a choice that isn't popular, a choice which I share. It's not about "acting" it's about how I like to off-road, I like to camp, I like to work on my own vehicles, I like to ride topless so I can see the sun or moon and stars and feel the wind in my hair. I also enjoy driving in snow and in other weather conditions that other vehicles cannot handle. That's not for everyone, but it is for me.
Regarding the reliability issues quoted in this thread, I think they are a joke. I've owned two Wranglers and have never had an ongoing significant issue of any kind - nor have I ever had a problem from the factory. I may have just gotten lucky, but it is what it is, my experience is that Wranglers are very solid, very reliable vehicles. I'm not saying that others haven't had problems, I'm just saying I'm two for two with reliable Wranglers; meanwhile I have owned other vehicles that seemed to be in for service and repair constantly each year I had them - with issues I couldn't resolve on my own.
I've said it before and I'll state it again; I think CR has become irrelevant... their opinion matters nothing to me. In the 90s I used them and respected them but after few years I began to see through the patterns of their reviews. Today, I'd rather read reviews of products by actual consumers and those are available online everywhere.
I've never owned a Wrangler (prefer the old 'CJ' tag btw), but have often thought about it. I still might buy one as my next vehicle, even though it's been eons since I even drove down a logging trail. I just like the way they look. I wish that they would build one with a small truck bed--I would snap that up in a heartbeat.
Soft cushy rides are for soft cushy people. My hobby is running marathons.
Part of the appeal of the Wrangler is that it is a platform. It's modular. I like things that are modular. If you just want to get from point A to point B, it is not a good choice. But if you wish to get from A to B with a little flair, maybe it is.
Own a 2013 JK Sport, have put 50k miles on it since Feb of 2013. I've tracked the mileage since new, getting 18.6 MPG with 3.21 gears and the auto tranny, stock tires. They eat rear brakes, but it is super easy to diy. Only issues so far were both covered under warranty, one was a defective tube on the evap system, the other was a passenger rear axle seal. The Pentastar motor is great, much more refined than previous motors. You can order them any way you want, but I have AC and power windows, otherwise still very spartan interior. Ride is a little rough sometimes, but quiet with the hard top. I think it is a great New England vechicle if you have the soft/hard tops.
I bought it because I work for the electric company and need to report to work no matter what. I tend to get called in when the weather is the worst and I have never been in a situation with snow that I couldn't get through. In the summer it spends quite a few days on the beach down the Cape.
Wranglers are no longer known for any type of electrical issues, and the motor in them is available in almost every Chrysler vehicle on the market with few problems since the early head related issues were squashed.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
