Why are Jeep Wranglers so expensive? (vehicle, convertible, best, buying)

[MountainGuy74]

I've been browsing Craigslist recently and often come across ads for older Jeep Wranglers and despite high miles and their age they seem to be asking quite a lot. I've seen 20 year old Jeeps for sale at nearly 10K.
These aren't the occasional wack job seller that thinks their car is worth more then everyone else, these are most Jeep sellers. Is there really that high of a demand for these Wranglers? I've never driven one but know people who do and from what I have observed is that they are slow, easy to tip over if you turn too quickly, not cheap to fix and pretty much look the same since day one.

[stan4]

I don't get it.
I don't get why they are expensive new or old.
It baffles me.
I think my 4x4 fully equipped 4Runner is a WAY better car, more reliable, and has off-road capability, and it is cheaper than similarly equipped Jeeps that will have all sorts of crap fall apart on it in a matter of years (my wife's chronically falling window comes to mind, as does my best friend's constant leaking roof, etc).
Every time I indulge in a look or test drive, I walk away thinking, "Wtf? Really?"

[Sweet*Tea]

I don't have a Wrangler but I do have a 1999 Jeep Cherokee Sport and people frequently ask me about selling it. Of course it's been well maintained and only has 86,000 miles on it but most of these people don't even know that when they ask me about it. It amazes me. Of course there's no way I want to sell it. I love that Jeep.

[wamer27]

Originally Posted by stan4

I don't get it.
I don't get why they are expensive new or old.
It baffles me.
I think my 4x4 fully equipped 4Runner is a WAY better car, more reliable, and has off-road capability, and it is cheaper than similarly equipped Jeeps that will have all sorts of crap fall apart on it in a matter of years (my wife's chronically falling window comes to mind, as does my best friend's constant leaking roof, etc).
Every time I indulge in a look or test drive, I walk away thinking, "Wtf? Really?"

You can't take the top and doors off a 4Runner and have a blast driving it around on a warm day. They have a cult following, which is going to keep the pricing up. I took my 94 YJ around the mountain dirt/4wheeling trails weekly in Colorado when I lived there, 4wheeling is where it shined! I did roll it getting on a freeway in the rain, but it landed back on its wheels (was actually kinda fun) but totaled. I also don't understand how the new ones are so expensive. I looked at buying an 06 rubicon (last good year for the wrangler IMO) a few months ago for $17-22k range, but I remember how impractical my other one was. It's also a niche market vehicle with no competitors, the land rover jeep, the defender 90's hold their value even more!

[GregW]

A friend of mine had one of these and it swallowed three valves at just over 100 k miles. She says, and I agree, that JEEP stands for Just Empty Every Pocket. IMHO these care are overpriced, over weight and over hyped.

[Fargobound]

Originally Posted by GregW

A friend of mine had one of these and it swallowed three valves at just over 100 k miles. She says, and I agree, that JEEP stands for Just Empty Every Pocket. IMHO these care are overpriced, over weight and over hyped.

I think JEEP stands for

Junk
Each and
Every
Part

[jaydez]

I have a friend with a 95 YJ with well over 200k miles that he has built up and off roads really, really hard. The engine and transmission are original and it starts on the first try every time.

TO say that the 4.0L I-6 is a reliable engine is an understatement by a long shot.

[blktoptrvl]

They retain their value because:

1. they are unique in the car world
2. they really can take you almost anywhere
3. they have a macho appeal
4. they are very simple - mechanically speaking
5. they are very simple - electronics wise.
6. they are almost bulletproof (at least they used to be)
7. their parts are highly coveted even after the vehicle dies
8. they are the ultimate convertible - i used to remove the top in early spring and replace it in late fall - if it got wet, it got wet.

[Hemlock140]

The 4.0 was the best and most durable engine for many years, going back to the 70s. It was a shame that they finally replaced it in the 2007 year for the Wrabgler with the 3.8L V-6, a minivan engine.We had 2 different 4.9 Cherokees (1988 & 1997) that were great, but then a 2002 Liberty 3.7 that was a money pit after about 85,000 miles. The Wranglers keep their value because Chrysler didn't mess them up for many years.

[Checkered24]

Wranglers are consistently near or at the top of the lists of vehicles with the lowest depreciation year in and year out. This is because the demand for them, even as they age, remains extraordinarily high

So yes, that means it is hard to pick one up cheap. On the flip side, the true cost to own remains low, because you will get your money back out of it when you sell it.

I have also found both of the Wranglers I have owned to be very reliable mechanically. I sold my last a few years back when gas hit $4 a gallon, and with my commute I was paying over $400 a month at the pump!