Jeep Wrangler?

[DRKWNG]

As some of you know, I am splitting with the wife and am looking to streamline autos from one sports car (S2000) & one older hatchback ('00 GTI/VR6) to one much more practical vehicle in order to carry my dog, bicycles and a bunch of other various crap.  With that in mind, I ran across a really good deal on a lightly used '08 Jeep Wrangler 4dr with the Rubicon package.  Wanted to see if anyone here had any experience with this vehicle and what your overall thoughts on it are.  The biggest thing holding me back is what the milage looks like.  Neither of the cars that I have now are especially frugal, but DAMN that Jeep is thirsty!  Anyhow, any insight would be greatly appreciated. 

[Mad Duc]

Most stock wranglers will get 16-19 MPG. If you chip it for economy mode then you can hit 21 highway if you're lucky.

2 door Wrangler suck for storage space. There isn't much. The secret is to get a trailer. Then you have an awesome stuff hauler. 2 door's are a little harder to reverse a trailer due to the short wheel base but you get used to it fast. 4 door wranglers have good storage space. 2 door's are great city vehicles, short wheel base, easy to maneuver. Softtops are super easy to break into so don't keep expensive stuff in there. And it's a Wrangler. Dents and dings aren't a worry once you get the first one. They are super simple to work on and most parts are cheap.

If you have a wrangler personality you will love it despite the negatives. I'm soon to be on my 3rd.   Go to 4wd.com to see all the good stuff that they offer for it. The Smittybuilt GEAR seat covers are awesome. I had something close to it and it's great, the GEAR stuff is even better.

Pros:
TOP OFF!!!!
Great city vehicle
good hauler for up to 4000lbs
FUN AS HELL!
Tons of accessories


Cons:
Gas mileage
2 door has little internal storage
Any major mod will kill mileage
Soft top is easy to break into

[teddy037.2]

just do it, nancy 

you don't live that far from work

[derby]

Cons:
Gas mileage
2 door has little internal storage
Any major mod will kill mileage
Soft top is easy to break into

what mod would you do? the rubis pretty much come "done."

ok, so maybe you'll put big tires on it, but the poor mileage is due to the fact that you're pushing a brick wall through the air with super-low gears.

[factorPlayer]

i've been thinking about getting the 'stretch' 2-door model they made from 04-06 with the long wheelbase - in silver to match my S2R 

would be great for riding around with the doors off and the top down.... (must cultivate manly image!)

[Mad Duc]

what mod would you do? the rubis pretty much come "done."

ok, so maybe you'll put big tires on it, but the poor mileage is due to the fact that you're pushing a brick wall through the air with super-low gears.

Big tires = more rotational mass = lower mileage
Better exhaust = lower mileage
Cold air intake = lower mileage
Lower gears = lower mileage

JK's (07+) come with 31's tires stock, TJ's (97-06) come with 29's but can fit 30's with some small rubbing. There's a lot of good options for JK's in 31's so if you wanted to do some light off roading then you'll be covered.

And Land Rovers/Range Rovers are crap. Very unreliable. When running they are great but it's expensive to keep them up.

[triangleforge]

To play Captain Obvious, the driving experience is going to be a bit different in a mildly built Wrangler (which is how I'd describe the Rubicon) than in an S2000 or GTI. I wouldn't call any Wrangler a more "practical" vehicle than what you've currently got, just impractical in different ways -- if your life is going to include a lot more off-road driving than it did with your current vehicles, then that might be a shift worth making. Otherwise, weigh the PITA factor of lumbering around corners instead of driving around them & (if you've got a fair amount of city driving) the extra hassle of driving and parking a bigger vehicle.

When I was in shoes a lot like yours & had to streamline, I went from two old, radically different vehicles: a modded 1973 FJ40 LandCruiser with a surplus military trailer & a 1985 Toyota Supra. I went probably too far on the "practical" side and looked at lots of chick vehicles -- mostly Subaru Outbacks & Toy RAV4s. Wound up with the RAV4 I've still got, invested some money in a good roof rack, and it now works really well as a bike/kayak/crap hauler at 28 mpg and 130K miles on the clock. No, it can't go to places the FJ40 (or a Wrangler) could go or get into as much trouble (fun) as the Supra, but it does do the things I need it to for now.

And to continue being the practical nag, aren't you considering an imminent move to DC? Might want to start haunting the DC CraigsList and other classifieds just to see what the same money will buy on the mainland. And as a Cruiser snob, I've got to put it out there; the first sentence my godson put together (after a solid month of indoctrination) was "Jeeps break, Uncle Brad!" Truer words were never spoken, but it made me real popular with his Cherokee-driving grandmother.

But if the Rubicon makes you happy, just ignore me and get it!

[derby]

Big tires = more rotational mass = lower mileage

larger rolling circumference, though.

Better exhaust = lower mileage
Cold air intake = lower mileage

depends entirely on your foot.

Lower gears = lower mileage

how much lower than 4.10 would you want to go?

JK's (07+) come with 31's tires stock, TJ's (97-06) come with 29's but can fit 30's with some small rubbing. There's a lot of good options for JK's in 31's so if you wanted to do some light off roading then you'll be covered.

And Land Rovers/Range Rovers are crap. Very unreliable. When running they are great but it's expensive to keep them up.

a few of my friends have had defenders and never had problems with them.

i had a "wiring harness issue" with my discovery that was replaced under warranty. it think the tech was just too lazy to really track down the problem. the disco is in a different category than the wrangler and def, though.

[Porsche Monkey]

MMMM JEEP!!!!!  Heres mine

[derby]

MMMM JEEP!!!!!  Heres mine

looks like you need a tad more articulation (in the rear). 

[Porsche Monkey]

looks like you need a tad more articulation (in the rear).  

Still at street pressure. It would be on the ground if the tires flexed more.

[Mad Duc]

larger rolling circumference, though.

It's matter of physics. It takes more energy to accelerate larger tires. Once moving it doesn't matter except the lower RPMS's might be able to compensate a bit. It takes more energy to accelerate than to cruise regardless of tire size. Slowing down it will also be harder on the braking system. If you're a highway warrior the difference in mileage might be minimal, an urbanite will notice more difference because of stop and go driving.

http://stephenmason.com/cars/rotationalinertia.html#wheelstires

[Markus]

I've owned 2 previous-gen TJ's, and the second one became a rockcrawler project/obsession. It's now rolling on 35s with 4.88 gears and lockers, 6" long-arm suspension lift, +600lbs in skidplates and bumpers, winch, blah blah blah. Jeeps are a bit like Monsters - you can customise them all day long and modding them can be as enjoyable as driving them.

Bottom line, Jeeps are about being fun and frivilous. Sounds like you could use a little of that right now. The '08 Rubicon might be exactly what the doctor ordered.

[DRKWNG]

To play Captain Obvious, the driving experience is going to be a bit different in a mildly built Wrangler (which is how I'd describe the Rubicon) than in an S2000 or GTI. I wouldn't call any Wrangler a more "practical" vehicle than what you've currently got, just impractical in different ways -- if your life is going to include a lot more off-road driving than it did with your current vehicles, then that might be a shift worth making. Otherwise, weigh the PITA factor of lumbering around corners instead of driving around them & (if you've got a fair amount of city driving) the extra hassle of driving and parking a bigger vehicle.

When I was in shoes a lot like yours & had to streamline, I went from two old, radically different vehicles: a modded 1973 FJ40 LandCruiser with a surplus military trailer & a 1985 Toyota Supra. I went probably too far on the "practical" side and looked at lots of chick vehicles -- mostly Subaru Outbacks & Toy RAV4s. Wound up with the RAV4 I've still got, invested some money in a good roof rack, and it now works really well as a bike/kayak/crap hauler at 28 mpg and 130K miles on the clock. No, it can't go to places the FJ40 (or a Wrangler) could go or get into as much trouble (fun) as the Supra, but it does do the things I need it to for now.

And to continue being the practical nag, aren't you considering an imminent move to DC? Might want to start haunting the DC CraigsList and other classifieds just to see what the same money will buy on the mainland. And as a Cruiser snob, I've got to put it out there; the first sentence my godson put together (after a solid month of indoctrination) was "Jeeps break, Uncle Brad!" Truer words were never spoken, but it made me real popular with his Cherokee-driving grandmother.

But if the Rubicon makes you happy, just ignore me and get it!

I know that the jeep will be radically different from what I have now, but to be honest I almost think I will be ok with that.  I started this entire thing off looking at the new GTI.  Took a few for test drives and walked away feeling a bit flat about the car.  It has all the practicality that I thought I would want/need in a car and was still fun to drive.  Well, the problem is that it wasn't anywhere near as fun to drive as I thought it would have been.  As said in one of the other threads, I have just gotten spoiled with the drive of the S; with how raw and "connected" it is.  Don't really think I will find something that drives as well as this car unless I go mid-engined, and that means more money and less practicality. So in effect, not going to happen.  lol  So with that in mind, I think going the polar opposite direction makes more sense.  It's a vehicle that I would not be tempted to rip around in so I wouldn't be disappointed at the end of the day when it wasn't capable of ripping around. 

As far as practicality of the Wrangler goes, I am looking at the 4dr Unlimited model, so it has a lot more storage/cargo space than either the vehicles I have now.  Plus, the rear seats are easily removed to open up even more cargo room if needed.  Also, one thing that did not even occur to me at first is that with the Jeep, all I need is a trailer and I would be able to tow my bike/bikes to a trackday once I get off this island (big plus there).  The biggest significant downfall I see is the reduced fuel efficiency that the Jeep would have when compared to the S2000. 

As far as the move to DC goes: it looks likely, but is still far from being certain.  I am having to work a special duty slot to get up there, but the hiring authority for the position stated that he was going to create one specially for me.  All in all, it is still in the hands of big Air Force.  BUT, having said that, I would almost think that the Wrangler would be a better DC vehicle than the S2000.  I mean, the little Honda wouldn't be anywhere near as good in crappy winter weather as the Jeep would be.  Plus, the Jeep could open up the door of 4 wheeling in the winter, when the bikes are put away. 

Bottom line, Jeeps are about being fun and frivilous. Sounds like you could use a little of that right now. The '08 Rubicon might be exactly what the doctor ordered.

This is what everyone tells me down here.  But, I already had a large deposit on a Super Duke before this entire thing blew up in my face, and that is probably as frivolous as you can get without going to jail. 

[Jeff_S2R1K]

What?!  First you're thinking about coming to DC, now a Jeep Wrangler.  You're probably handsome too!  We don't need any more competition up here - driving around in a rugged Jeep, lookin' all buff.  You buy yourself a '68 Biscayne with mismatched hubcaps and a passenger door that doesn't match the rest.   

Honestly if you get up here you'll have some good riding company, and some decent roads west of the city.