Thinking about buying a Jeep

A

archer75

New member
I have a 98 Dodge Dakota now and while I don't have very many miles on it, 44,000, it has been giving me alot of problems and is known for various ongoing suspension problems. And even with dumping alot of money into it it still continues to have issues. All in all it's just becoming more unreliable.

So I was thinking about selling it and getting a jeep. I've always wanted one. Should provide me with much better mileage and hopefully cheaper parts as there are a ton of aftermaket parts out there. I'm always hoping they are easier to work on and more reliable than my truck.

So are there any certain years of Wranglers that should be avoided? Anything I should know about purchasing a used one and what to look for? I figure I have about $10,000 to spend.
 

If you're interested in a 5spd, make sure it shifts smoothly. Slightly notchy shifting can be improved with the right fluid, but any difficulty between gears generally means big trouble.

Check out the belly skid, it will show signs of wheelin if the jeep's been abused (scratches on bottom, mud on top).
 
archer75 said:
I have a 98 Dodge Dakota now and while I don't have very many miles on it, 44,000, it has been giving me alot of problems and is known for various ongoing suspension problems. And even with dumping alot of money into it it still continues to have issues. All in all it's just becoming more unreliable.

So I was thinking about selling it and getting a jeep. I've always wanted one. Should provide me with much better mileage and hopefully cheaper parts as there are a ton of aftermaket parts out there. I'm always hoping they are easier to work on and more reliable than my truck.

So are there any certain years of Wranglers that should be avoided? Anything I should know about purchasing a used one and what to look for? I figure I have about $10,000 to spend.
Click to expand...

It really depends on what you want. Do you want a dependable vehicle for everyday driving, or would you rather have a toy that you can try taking offroad. A Jeep with big tires tires or a lift would leave me to believe that it's been offroad (doesn't mean it was abused, but a greater possibility), however if you like that, you could save money - buying one with tires and a lift already installed.

I don't think there are any real years of jeeps to avoid, it's more of a personal taste than anything - besides if we're talking 10K, you'll probably get a newer (1995+) TJ Wrangler.

Hardtop / softtop is a hard decision.
- Hardtops are pretty much impossible to take off by yourself (it's a job for 2 men). but the ride will be much quieter / nicer. They also take a backyard for storage.
- softtops are noiser, and colder, but can be dropped whenever you like.

or you could get both.
 
archer75 said:
Should provide me with much better mileage...
Click to expand...

Don't count on it. Check out this thread.
http://www.jeepz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17197

That said, if you do go Jeep, you'll never regret it. Unless you like to have a ton of room for hauling stuff but there are ways around that. I haven't seen anyone here that really doesn't like their Jeep. People are usually pretty much in love with them from the beginning.

Good luck with your decision.
 

south442 said:
Don't count on it. Check out this thread.
http://www.jeepz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17197

That said, if you do go Jeep, you'll never regret it. Unless you like to have a ton of room for hauling stuff but there are ways around that. I haven't seen anyone here that really doesn't like their Jeep. People are usually pretty much in love with them from the beginning.

Good luck with your decision.
Click to expand...

If it gets more than 10mpg it's an improvement. I would like to have more room for hauling camping gear. I suppose I could get some sort of a roof rack.

It's mainly a daily driver vehicle. Getting me to and from work. Something that is cheap and easy to maintain and something I won't freak out about if it gets scratched. I like that they have drain plugs on the interior, I could just hose it out to clean it.
It just needs to be reliable and last forever. All the damn issues i've been having with my truck are things I can't fix on my own and are quite expensive. Hell, I had to buy lower control arms just to get new bushings. Nobody sells lower control arm bushings for a 4x4 dakota. Gotta replace the whole damn thing. And dealing with a torsion bar suspension can be a pain.
 
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archer75 said:
TJ. 1998+. Whatever I can get for $10k.
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Here's a thought: Look for a cherry YJ like I found. It had 54,000 miles on it was garaged all it's life, never driven off-road, or even in the rain. Perfect shape when I bought it. Anyway, spend $6-8,000 on a YJ, then use the rest for mods like tires, lift, roof-rack, etc.

Or if you'd rather have a Jeep with a car's dash board and a car's suspension, I guess you could go ahead and get a TJ.:purple:
 
For that price I'd go for a 2000 or 2001 sport with the 4.0, 5 spd manual, dana 44 rear, soft top and half doors. The key issues being the 4.0, manual transmission, and the 44 rear.
 

All Jeeps have similar dashboards of the cars from the respective era :lol: Your YJ just shares its dash with the Gremlin... :p
 
OutOfStep said:
For that price I'd go for a 2000 or 2001 sport with the 4.0, 5 spd manual, dana 44 rear, soft top and half doors. The key issues being the 4.0, manual transmission, and the 44 rear.
Click to expand...

Sounds good. But i'm thinking about getting it with a hard top for the winter months and then ordering an aftermarket soft top for warmer months.

I'm also having a tough time finding anything newer than 99 for under $10k. Most everything is 98 for that price. Alittle on the high side. I've got a guy looking though.
 

Sparky-Watts said:
Here's a thought: Look for a cherry YJ like I found. It had 54,000 miles on it was garaged all it's life, never driven off-road, or even in the rain. Perfect shape when I bought it. Anyway, spend $6-8,000 on a YJ, then use the rest for mods like tires, lift, roof-rack, etc.

Or if you'd rather have a Jeep with a car's dash board and a car's suspension, I guess you could go ahead and get a TJ.:purple:
Click to expand...

If I could find a YJ in that good of a condition I may do just that.
 
Hardtops are somewhat easy to remove by yourself. It might be a little redneck, but it saves your back and top from getting messed up. Mount some eyelets in the roof of the top and you can use a couple of ropes to lift it. All you need is a pulley and a sturdy overhead point to mount it too. Unbolt the top and lift it right off. I know it works well with CJ tops, and I don't imagine YJ or TJ tops are any weaker or more prone to cracking. I think someone either made or makes a lift system for them that is basically the same thing. Lift it up out of the way and just drive out from under it.
 

I had always thought about making / buying a pully system, but you still need a garage or huge tree for that.
 
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TerryMason said:
I had always thought about making / buying a pully system, but you still need a garage or huge tree for that.
Click to expand...

Well, you've got at least three options:

  1. Build a garage.
  2. Plant a tree.
  3. Get an old weather balloon from the Army Surplus Store and a bottle of helium.

:purple: :p
 

I swear my father in law bought a second Jeep just so he could store his hard top when it wasnt in use :lol: I go over and switch it out for him three or four times a year
 
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