Automotive

Jeep Wrangler 2021

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  • Jul 28th, 2021 12:26 pm
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EP32k2 wrote: Jeeps have crazy resale. Buying is fine IMO.
This has been true in the past but prices have risen so much I am not sure that will continue.

When I first looked at buying a Wrangler around 2008 a new 2 dr was from $20k. I bought a low km used one a few years later at an off-brand dealer and sold it at a profit after 2 yrs. Part of the reason I was able to do this was how expensive new ones had become. I saw a 2dr Rubicon in the local dealer for over $50k recently. No way is anyone getting that amount back or close to it imo.
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Bevatron wrote: This has been true in the past but prices have risen so much I am not sure that will continue.

When I first looked at buying a Wrangler around 2008 a new 2 dr was from $20k. I bought a low km used one a few years later at an off-brand dealer and sold it at a profit after 2 yrs. Part of the reason I was able to do this was how expensive new ones had become. I saw a 2dr Rubicon in the local dealer for over $50k recently. No way is anyone getting that amount back or close to it imo.
Pretty tough to get a new Rubi for $50k, that's basically a Sahara at the present. But hey, lumber has tripled and they can't even get computer chips to make new ones. It's hard to predict what will happen. All I know is that I paid $30k for mine in 2013 and many go for $25k still, that year. Try to find one that is mint and only 50k on it as well Winking Face

Buy a 2013 Kia brand new for $25-$30k and you are getting $6000-$8000 for it, if you are lucky.
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Gibsons wrote: Pretty tough to get a new Rubi for $50k, that's basically a Sahara at the present. But hey, lumber has tripled and they can't even get computer chips to make new ones. It's hard to predict what will happen. All I know is that I paid $30k for mine in 2013 and many go for $25k still, that year. Try to find one that is mint and only 50k on it as well Winking Face

Buy a 2013 Kia brand new for $25-$30k and you are getting $6000-$8000 for it, if you are lucky.
On my third Jeep and no regrets!
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Gibsons wrote: Pretty tough to get a new Rubi for $50k, that's basically a Sahara at the present. But hey, lumber has tripled and they can't even get computer chips to make new ones. It's hard to predict what will happen. All I know is that I paid $30k for mine in 2013 and many go for $25k still, that year. Try to find one that is mint and only 50k on it as well Winking Face

Buy a 2013 Kia brand new for $25-$30k and you are getting $6000-$8000 for it, if you are lucky.
Yep. My 2012 JKUS was $35k all in and I can probably still move it here in BC for $25k to $30k with 97k on it.

Gonna be trying to snag a 4xe. It's not much more than your comparably loaded JLUs now.
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iHop wrote: Did you consider a 4Runner?

I've had plenty of time behind JK and JL as work rentals. I have my serious reservations about them but I'll keep my mouth shut because OP is a owner and there seems to be a lot of Jeep people here.
Fair criticism is fine. All Wrangler owners know we sacrifice certain things to drive one.
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Hey, I'm not prejudiced. I'd buy one of these as well... if someone gave me the money:

Image

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iHop wrote: Did you consider a 4Runner?

I've had plenty of time behind JK and JL as work rentals. I have my serious reservations about them but I'll keep my mouth shut because OP is a owner and there seems to be a lot of Jeep people here.
Wrangler has 5 engine choices, 4Runner has 1. It's easy to make a reliable vehicle when you keep making the same one for 15-20 years in a row haha.
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aleks wrote: Wrangler has 5 engine choices, 4Runner has 1. It's easy to make a reliable vehicle when you keep making the same one for 15-20 years in a row haha.
I'm not even talking about reliability here. Yes the 3.6L Pentastar in the Wrangler is pretty reliable. However, the Jeep Wrangler I think is severely underbuilt.
- Its a Dana 30/35 solid axle. Thats depressing as its 7 inch ring gear up front and 7.5 inches rear. Yes the Rubicon has Dana 44s but I've seen a 4runner differential, its bigger and more stout than the Dana 44 you get in the Rubicon. The axles aren't much bigger than those I'd find on a golf cart.

-Absolutely terrible daily driver, about the worst there is for NVH. I feel like I am driving a tupper container.

-Ergonomics are terrible, worst I've ever encountered in a vehicle.

-Theres actually 0 space inside depsite the exterior dimension. Feels awfully cramped, forget about 4 people and a road trip. Its exhausting. This is due to the fender flares being so big, leaving the body of the Wrangler to be compact.

-Have you seen the safety videos and ratings? Doesn't make for a good daily driver.

-I've had rental Jeeps with odometers anywhere from 2200km to 57000kms. Even the 2200km Jeep had ridiculous amount of steering slop and vagueness to the point it was just unpleasant. The rest of the rentals I've had that had 20-50k kms on them downright felt dangerous with how inaccurate the steering was. These Jeep front ends don't hold up. Crawl underneath it and just look at how underbuilt the bushings and control arms are. For reference, I've personally owned several 4x4s and pickups that are anywhere from new to having 400k kms on them. Nothing is comparable to what I've felt with the steering on the Wrangler. This is the biggest factor to me when it comes how tired am I going to be after driving any sort of distance due to the constant steering corrections I have to make. Its physically and mentally draining.

-You loose control hitting pothole due to solid front axle, and also a weak and worn front end. Whereas in other 4x4s I've had with independent front, I can fly across them, not care, and still be in control.

I understand its a lifestyle vehicle, but for lifestyle vehicle outdoorsy activities that Jeep people do and off-roading, you have to travel on the highway for many many hours to get there. By the time you get there, you're (at least I am) are just completely drained and tired due to the Jeeps inherent characteristics. I find it absolutely asinine that Wranglers are even considered and used as daily family vehicles. Sure theres the whole Jeep thing and arugment of offroading, but I can assure you the other 4x4s and a supplement sXs like a RZR are 1000000x better time and use offroading.
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iHop wrote: I'm not even talking about reliability here. Yes the 3.6L Pentastar in the Wrangler is pretty reliable. However, the Jeep Wrangler I think is severely underbuilt.
- Its a Dana 30/35 solid axle. Thats depressing as its 7 inch ring gear up front and 7.5 inches rear. Yes the Rubicon has Dana 44s but I've seen a 4runner differential, its bigger and more stout than the Dana 44 you get in the Rubicon. The axles aren't much bigger than those I'd find on a golf cart.

-Absolutely terrible daily driver, about the worst there is for NVH. I feel like I am driving a tupper container.

-Ergonomics are terrible, worst I've ever encountered in a vehicle.

-Theres actually 0 space inside depsite the exterior dimension. Feels awfully cramped, forget about 4 people and a road trip. Its exhausting. This is due to the fender flares being so big, leaving the body of the Wrangler to be compact.

-Have you seen the safety videos and ratings? Doesn't make for a good daily driver.

-I've had rental Jeeps with odometers anywhere from 2200km to 57000kms. Even the 2200km Jeep had ridiculous amount of steering slop and vagueness to the point it was just unpleasant. The rest of the rentals I've had that had 20-50k kms on them downright felt dangerous with how inaccurate the steering was. These Jeep front ends don't hold up. Crawl underneath it and just look at how underbuilt the bushings and control arms are. For reference, I've personally owned several 4x4s and pickups that are anywhere from new to having 400k kms on them. Nothing is comparable to what I've felt with the steering on the Wrangler. This is the biggest factor to me when it comes how tired am I going to be after driving any sort of distance due to the constant steering corrections I have to make. Its physically and mentally draining.

-You loose control hitting pothole due to solid front axle, and also a weak and worn front end. Whereas in other 4x4s I've had with independent front, I can fly across them, not care, and still be in control.

I understand its a lifestyle vehicle, but for lifestyle vehicle outdoorsy activities that Jeep people do and off-roading, you have to travel on the highway for many many hours to get there. By the time you get there, you're (at least I am) are just completely drained and tired due to the Jeeps inherent characteristics. I find it absolutely asinine that Wranglers are even considered and used as daily family vehicles. Sure theres the whole Jeep thing and arugment of offroading, but I can assure you the other 4x4s and a supplement sXs like a RZR are 1000000x better time and use offroading.
Fair assessment. We all enjoy different things and if it doesn't work for you, it doesn't work for you.

Mine is a daily and it works for me around town and I enjoy it. We're all good here.
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iHop wrote: I'm not even talking about reliability here. Yes the 3.6L Pentastar in the Wrangler is pretty reliable. However, the Jeep Wrangler I think is severely underbuilt.
- Its a Dana 30/35 solid axle. Thats depressing as its 7 inch ring gear up front and 7.5 inches rear. Yes the Rubicon has Dana 44s but I've seen a 4runner differential, its bigger and more stout than the Dana 44 you get in the Rubicon. The axles aren't much bigger than those I'd find on a golf cart.
Go through the drive thru for your Latte in your Kia, buddy.

My 2013 Sport has a Dana 44, 3.73 and Dana 30 up front. Pretty well bulletproof.

If you hate the vehicle, no biggie. Just go to your Kia section and have fun. No need to spread nonsense here about your golf cart and BMX with the banana seat wedged up your arse. And if they are so underbuilt as you say, they have the largest aftermarket industry of any vehicle on the planet. You are preaching in a thread where the guy already bought a Jeep. If they are as terrible as you say, why do you see one on every corner and not a 4Runner?

You can drive whatever you like, don't really care. Stop hating on something you've only driven as a rental, where people beat the living crap out of the vehicles.
Last edited by Gibsons on May 28th, 2021 11:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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iHop wrote: I'm not even talking about reliability here. Yes the 3.6L Pentastar in the Wrangler is pretty reliable. However, the Jeep Wrangler I think is severely underbuilt.
- Its a Dana 30/35 solid axle. Thats depressing as its 7 inch ring gear up front and 7.5 inches rear. Yes the Rubicon has Dana 44s but I've seen a 4runner differential, its bigger and more stout than the Dana 44 you get in the Rubicon. The axles aren't much bigger than those I'd find on a golf cart.

-Absolutely terrible daily driver, about the worst there is for NVH. I feel like I am driving a tupper container.

-Ergonomics are terrible, worst I've ever encountered in a vehicle.

-Theres actually 0 space inside depsite the exterior dimension. Feels awfully cramped, forget about 4 people and a road trip. Its exhausting. This is due to the fender flares being so big, leaving the body of the Wrangler to be compact.

-Have you seen the safety videos and ratings? Doesn't make for a good daily driver.

-I've had rental Jeeps with odometers anywhere from 2200km to 57000kms. Even the 2200km Jeep had ridiculous amount of steering slop and vagueness to the point it was just unpleasant. The rest of the rentals I've had that had 20-50k kms on them downright felt dangerous with how inaccurate the steering was. These Jeep front ends don't hold up. Crawl underneath it and just look at how underbuilt the bushings and control arms are. For reference, I've personally owned several 4x4s and pickups that are anywhere from new to having 400k kms on them. Nothing is comparable to what I've felt with the steering on the Wrangler. This is the biggest factor to me when it comes how tired am I going to be after driving any sort of distance due to the constant steering corrections I have to make. Its physically and mentally draining.

-You loose control hitting pothole due to solid front axle, and also a weak and worn front end. Whereas in other 4x4s I've had with independent front, I can fly across them, not care, and still be in control.

I understand its a lifestyle vehicle, but for lifestyle vehicle outdoorsy activities that Jeep people do and off-roading, you have to travel on the highway for many many hours to get there. By the time you get there, you're (at least I am) are just completely drained and tired due to the Jeeps inherent characteristics. I find it absolutely asinine that Wranglers are even considered and used as daily family vehicles. Sure theres the whole Jeep thing and arugment of offroading, but I can assure you the other 4x4s and a supplement sXs like a RZR are 1000000x better time and use offroading.
Agree with some of this. It's definitely not for everyone. I haven't seen people complain about breaking axles online, but maybe. The steering is poor, but it is recirculating ball. It's good off road, poor on road. Death wobble is rare/non-existent unless you start lifting them/putting large tires on them.

JL Wrangler has much better space / ergonomics than Tacoma for example. And 4runner safety is actually worse than wrangler. Until Bronco is out there isn't anything in Wrangler's segment. We will see how much if any better Bronco is.

They sell a ton of them, much more than 4runner, despite the price and their resale is actually pretty high too. OP's wife drives it and loves it. I doubt that would sell that many if they were truly as terrible vehicles. Eventually the sales would start to drop I think.
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aleks wrote: I haven't seen people complain about breaking axles online
Because it doesn't happen. He has no clue what he's talking about.

You give up some things with solid axles, everyone knows this. Don't like it, don't buy it. Can always by an F150 and have a nice comfortable ride. Then try to take the convertible top down... oops. Guess it's not the same, eh? Those 4Runners have removable hard tops or soft tops?
Last edited by Gibsons on May 29th, 2021 12:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Gibsons wrote: Go through the drive thru for your Latte in your Kia, buddy.

My 2013 Sport has a Dana 44, 3.73 and Dana 30 up front. Pretty well bulletproof.

If you hate the vehicle, no biggie. Just go to your Kia section and have fun. No need to spread nonsense here about your golf cart and BMX with the banana seat wedged up your arse. And if they are so underbuilt as you say, they have the largest aftermarket industry of any vehicle on the planet. Bye!
Exactly what I expected when I bring out criticisms on the Jeep. Somebody got triggered here and took my honest assessments/opinions on what they drive personally. Well I do enjoy Kias for what they are at the rental counter and they make some very fine and enjoyable cars, thank you very much. Always dreaded getting a Jeep because nothing else was left.

Also never heard of non-Rubicon models getting the Dana 44 unless it was upfitted.

Had a Ram 2500 Power Wagon. One of my favourite vehicles I've owned and talk about overbuilt. Crazy to me that the Rubicon has always costed more than the Power Wagon 2500 in Laramie trim.
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iHop wrote: Also never heard of non-Rubicon models getting the Dana 44 unless it was upfitted.
Not triggered. You are not well informed at all. You should do some searches before you print nonsense. Your honest assessments are definitely not from a mechanic or anyone who knows the vehicle.

Do a search next time. I knew I had a Dana 44.

In early two-door JK models you may find a Dana 35 in the rear (2007 2-door models), but starting in 2008 the Dana 44 is the standard rear axle on JKs. The Dana 30 is once again at the front, but all Rubicon JKs will have Dana 44s in the front and rear.
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aleks wrote:
JL Wrangler has much better space / ergonomics than Tacoma for example.
Sat in a Tacoma in a showroom once while car was being services. Couldn't believe how cramped it was for a relatively large vehicle. Floor felt too high compared to seat. Way smaller than a wrangler in the cockpit.
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I would wait for the 21 jeep wrangler hemi v8
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Am I crazy for considering a Wrangler for my next vehicle? To be honest it would never go off-road so let's get that out straight away. I'm looking for something that has an upright seating position (bad back) and have always liked Jeeps. A close friend had a Renegade way back that I used to borrow for days at a time when I was younger and I loved having the top off and just using it around town. Admittedly it was pretty rough around the edges but I understand that they're much more comfortable now.

My issue with it are that I prefer the styling of the 4 door version but 99.9% of the time it's only me in the vehicle. The 2 door would fit much more comfortably in my garage though I can make the 4 door work. Also, I really like the appearance of the Rubicon but don't need any of the off-road capabilities.

I do intend to go and drive one soon but am I crazy for considering this? I drive very little (<8K per year). I've historically driven premium/luxury SUV's and am looking for a change.
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The_Professor wrote: Am I crazy for considering a Wrangler for my next vehicle? To be honest it would never go off-road so let's get that out straight away. I'm looking for something that has an upright seating position (bad back) and have always liked Jeeps. A close friend had a Renegade way back that I used to borrow for days at a time when I was younger and I loved having the top off and just using it around town. Admittedly it was pretty rough around the edges but I understand that they're much more comfortable now.

My issue with it are that I prefer the styling of the 4 door version but 99.9% of the time it's only me in the vehicle. The 2 door would fit much more comfortably in my garage though I can make the 4 door work. Also, I really like the appearance of the Rubicon but don't need any of the off-road capabilities.

I do intend to go and drive one soon but am I crazy for considering this? I drive very little (<8K per year). I've historically driven premium/luxury SUV's and am looking for a change.
Neighbor auditioning a high end trim Defender today - really nice looking vehicle. It tries to be more basic utilitarian, but at over $90k it makes Wrangler look cheap. Defender doesn't seem to be selling well though with 2020 and 2021 new models on forecourt as 2022 arrive. I am surprised as I think its the best looking Land Rover / Range rover and is bigger than Range Rover Sport. Not sure what impact price hikes have had on Wrangler sales.
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The_Professor wrote: Am I crazy for considering a Wrangler for my next vehicle? To be honest it would never go off-road so let's get that out straight away. I'm looking for something that has an upright seating position (bad back) and have always liked Jeeps. A close friend had a Renegade way back that I used to borrow for days at a time when I was younger and I loved having the top off and just using it around town. Admittedly it was pretty rough around the edges but I understand that they're much more comfortable now.

My issue with it are that I prefer the styling of the 4 door version but 99.9% of the time it's only me in the vehicle. The 2 door would fit much more comfortably in my garage though I can make the 4 door work. Also, I really like the appearance of the Rubicon but don't need any of the off-road capabilities.

I do intend to go and drive one soon but am I crazy for considering this? I drive very little (<8K per year). I've historically driven premium/luxury SUV's and am looking for a change.
Why not? If you buy and decide in 2 years it doesn't work for you, just sell it. Low depreciation makes that easier.
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Bevatron wrote: Neighbor auditioning a high end trim Defender today - really nice looking vehicle. It tries to be more basic utilitarian, but at over $90k it makes Wrangler look cheap. Defender doesn't seem to be selling well though with 2020 and 2021 new models on forecourt as 2022 arrive. I am surprised as I think its the best looking Land Rover / Range rover and is bigger than Range Rover Sport. Not sure what impact price hikes have had on Wrangler sales.

WOW...you aren't kidding those things are expensive! Saw a couple of youtube reviews/pov drives, they look really nice and comfortable to drive. I hope your neighbour is leasing haha. And options bump up the price fast!

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