This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
I don't blame you at all.....the newer jeeps are downright luxurious compared to the older ones but still nothing close to other current vehicles.I was coming from driving a Jaguar so can you blame me? I still think they're cool but I couldn't drive one daily.yikes don't go drive an older jeep
I have a 95 Wrangler in good mechanical condition, 4.0L with 160k + miles, and if I'm driving nice on flat surfaces I can get close to 20 mpg fairly consistently even with a catalytic converter. You'd have to beat the hell out of it to get worse than 13mpg. But it won't have the power of that Silverado and you'll sacrifice room and comfort.
I have a 2008 Unlimited and I average about 17-18 MPG.
If the jeep originally came with only the hard top you'll need the soft top hardware.I've always used www.4wd.com and www.quadratec.com never had any problems with either of them
In the same boat. Does the soft top hardware need to come off each time you want to go back to the hard top?
![[icon]](/data/avatars/m/5/5167.jpg?1660313464){kind=avatar}
Bestop and Warn are two companies that offer better pricing to their larger sellers. This means companies like Quadratec and 4 Wheel Parts are typically able to beat most prices. I recently got a new softtop for my TJ and Amazon.com had the best price by a good bit. Upside was no tax and free shipping (amazon prime).
The soft top (on TJ's at least) Is incredible simple to remove. There are two attachment points on the roll cage on either side. Simple phillips screws. Undo 4 screws and the whole top (fabric and boughs) comes right off.
Some of it does, some of it can be left on.
Thanks for all of the info, guys.Good god, these soft tops are expensive when you need to buy the hardware.
Did he try and start it before changing all the fluids?
I'm thinking anything that is immersed in salt water is automatically totaled. I could be wrong.
Very tough to tell from what you've provided. If you had a Diff fluid change 10k ago and you trust the shop then it's MOST LIKELY not that. I would pull the plug and check the fluid look/feel and level with your finger. Should be relatively clear... not black or gunky. Should be filled pretty close to the hole level as well. Another option is possibly a U Joint failing at the driveshaft. Get under there and start yanking around looking for play.
Poor Jeep. Lumpy is right... depending on how long it was under there...there is an OUTSIDE chance that changing fluids/plugs MIGHT have gotten it to fire. That said that's usually the case for mild submersions. A jeep that far under water and for that long that hasn't been prepared for it (proper greasing of all electrical components, etc) is very likely toast. Sucks!
As long as it's tied in properly you should be fine. Be sure the load ratings are sufficient. The JGC is a unibody and without a proper frame there are limited spots to tie in properly that will tow heavy loads.
The load ratings on the trailer hitch or JGC or both? My boat is an aluminum and pretty light, all things considered.
both, you want to make sure the hitch and the JGC have the same/similar ratings.
Thanks
It was submerged for about an hour and a half. Its toast. It was one of the craziest things Ive ever seen. I was literally 6 feet away from it on the dock when it rolled right by me into the abyss.'[icon] said:'lumpy19 said:
If ride quality is a factor then lookin into the newer JK Models (redesigned in 2007). They are wider, longer, more spacious, and ride better. They retain most of what made jeeps great while adding some creature comforts. You'll still be able to pull doors off and fold the roof back when the mood strikes, but in the winter they'll be warmer and your wife will be just fine with the ride quality (unless she's a stuck up ##### who has to glide around in a luxury car). The old leaf sprung CJs and YJs (square headlights) rode like ####... bouncy and unrefined. Of course, its these ride qualities that make some folks love them. IT just depends on what you're looking for. The TJ editions (97-06) went to quadra-coil suspension that improved ride quality a good bit. They still kept a lot of the "lack of refinement" that made a wrangler the true "Jeep". Mine is fine in the winter with the soft top and even better with a hard top. Even long drives aren't bad in these... I've driven cross country twice in mine and it was fine. I'd say you'd be able to get by with anything from 97 on, but if the wife is really a concern take her for a test drive in one of the new JK's. They even have a 4 door model that's more spacious and family friendly these days. Just don't get a 2 wheel drive model... please!
I have a 95 Wrangler and it's always had a soft top. Drove it for years in MN winters and was never cold. Great heater. Rough riding, but you get used to it. It can get a little crazy if the winds are really bad, but otherwise it's no worse than any other smallish SUV. Warning: you buy a Jeep and you'll never want to part with it, so if wifey doesn't like it, you might be screwed. Emphasize the versatility and the top-down summer cruises that are in store for her. Also, when the zombie apocalypse hits, you won't need no stinkin roads to evacuate to the countryside...
If you were on the fence before this post, its now an easy choice.
Moab is amazing. What trails are you looking to ride? Renting a rig? Self-guided or rolling with a guide?
Herb is correct. I will never sell my Jeep. I have over $15k in mods into a jeep I paid $15k for. Two of the 4 greatest vacations of my life were in that thing. Too many memories. There is NOTHING like rolling around top down and doors off on a gorgeous day... the whole "It's a jeep thing" is cliche as hell, but people really don't understand until you've owned one. And with regards to the zombie apocalypse... there is NOTHING else out there that will go where a stock Rubicon will go off the showroom floor. Not a chance.
I looked at a Jeep before I bought my 4Runner last year...if the salesman would have said this to me, Id be driving that Jeep today.
I'm a amateur, so I'll be sticking to some easy, more populated trails. I've rented Jeeps in Moab almost a half dozen times, and done the same trails each time. I'll be there with my wife and kids, and my parents. If it was a group of guys or some more adventerous type, we'd be branching out. But as it is, we'll stick to the Shaffer Canyon Trail and the like. We go out by ourselves, so we stick to the fairly well beaten Jeep paths.Last time I was there with my gf, a friend and his gf, we found a fun trail in Arches that was a dry river bed. That was a blast too, but far too short for the time it took to get there.
I know the trail in arches that you're talking about. Had signs saying "Deep sand, impassable in summer" and such? Good times that trail was! The sign was very wrong. Had the GF drive and and just told her that any time the jeep started to lose momentum to lean on the gas more. She was giggling like a school girl the whole time.
That's the one. We went in college, and my gf was the only one of us that had a decent credit card at the time, so the Jeeps were in her name. She was #####ing at me the whole time about we have to turn around because she wanted to and since they were in her name she was in charge. It ruined that excursion but helped me realize I needed to get away from her.I do still have the picture of the four of us by that sign, me and the other guy with our thumbs up, and the two girls with the thumbs down. OK, maybe I'm going to have to search that one out to relive the memories after all.I know the trail in arches that you're talking about. Had signs saying "Deep sand, impassable in summer" and such? Good times that trail was! The sign was very wrong. Had the GF drive and and just told her that any time the jeep started to lose momentum to lean on the gas more. She was giggling like a school girl the whole time.
aw man. Your girl didn't sound very fun. We had 5 fairly built rigs with experienced drivers so we had no worries... but I could see how a sign like that might be intimidating to folks in rentals 
I'm so freakin jealous! Moab is like Disneyland and Hedonism combined for Jeep owners/ drivers. By far my favorite place to go if I'm trying to center a trip around Jeeping. There's so many awesome trails that even if you're sticking to the easier stuff you'll have an amazing time. Wish I could get there more often. Enjoy!!!That's the one. We went in college, and my gf was the only one of us that had a decent credit card at the time, so the Jeeps were in her name. She was #####ing at me the whole time about we have to turn around because she wanted to and since they were in her name she was in charge. It ruined that excursion but helped me realize I needed to get away from her.I do still have the picture of the four of us by that sign, me and the other guy with our thumbs up, and the two girls with the thumbs down. OK, maybe I'm going to have to search that one out to relive the memories after all.I know the trail in arches that you're talking about. Had signs saying "Deep sand, impassable in summer" and such? Good times that trail was! The sign was very wrong. Had the GF drive and and just told her that any time the jeep started to lose momentum to lean on the gas more. She was giggling like a school girl the whole time.
Not sure what the newer ones are getting, but I regularly get at least 19mpg if I'm out on the highway around home. Little less going 70 on the freeways. Using 4 WD is what will kill your mileage. I would think the newer ones would be a bit better than my old clunker, though.For the amount you drive, what's the point of getting something lame like a hybrid?
Just thinking about almost never having to get gas. The jeep stories in here have me jonesing pretty hard though.
I don't know much on the price (shop around) but that's a very nice looking rig. Here's some basics:1) Model Breakdown: the Rubicon is the top of the line. It adds a lot of serious offroad features. Stronger Axles, Lockers, 4:1 Transfer Case, electronic sway bar disconnect, 4.11 gearing , etc. If you ever plan on taking it offroad or think there's even a chance, then go with a Rubicon. If there is no chance the rig will ever be used offroad and funds are tight then lower end models are fine too. 2) Mileage: Never a bad thing but don't be swayed by a bit higher mileage (I realize that has low mileage... just sayin). The engine in these JK's is the same motor that has been getting 200k miles on a dodge caravan for years. It's not quite as durable as the 4.0 Inline 6 that was in the TJ's but it's still a great motor.
No, she was a major PITA, but wasn't exactly a ladies man in those days so I took what I could get.
Moab is awesome in rentals, I can't imagine what it would be like in a fully tricked out rig. Some day when the boys are out of school and I have some serious fun money I'll get my own real Jeep put together and get out there for some serious fun.
Just got back from my week in Moab, and what I learned is that I sure do miss my Jeep (bought a '99 as my first new car out of college, traded it in less than two years later for a minivan for the wife when the first kid arrived).Anyway, Jeep rental day was a bummer. First, we usually get them the evening before our actual day, but we couldn't get them until 8 am this time, so we only had them 8 am to 6 pm. We had a 2-door and a 4-door, both Rubicons. I loved the 4-door and will definitely be getting one of those eventually. I loved driving them as always, but it was sort of a bummer of a day. First, my wife starts to actually cry as we are driving up the switchbacks on the Shaefer Canyon trail leading up to the main road in Canyonlands National Park. She's already done this trail, mind you, and she knows I've driven this trail a half dozen times. But, she gets freaked out and starts crying. Thanks, dear. Then, apparently bouncing around in the back of a Jeep all day was too much for my boys. Both of them fell asleep, yep, fell asleep in the back while we were doing the Tower Arch trail in Arches National Park. For those that haven't done that trail, it is the rockiest slow going trail of any of the novice trails I've been on. There are stretches of sand when you can go fast and smooth, but 75% was up or downhill with big rocks, where you have to crawl. Both boys took a turn with me and fell asleep in the back seat. It was funny to see them sleeping while bouncing around like crazy.I told the wife, next time we make it to Moab, Jeep day will be a day for her to find something to do with the kids without me. I'd rather take the trails alone to relive that, though.No, she was a major PITA, but wasn't exactly a ladies man in those days so I took what I could get.Moab is awesome in rentals, I can't imagine what it would be like in a fully tricked out rig. Some day when the boys are out of school and I have some serious fun money I'll get my own real Jeep put together and get out there for some serious fun.
