Jeep’s - which models are worth a crap?

The ones made by Jeep once upon a time.

J just
E empty
E every
P pocket


And I've got three of them

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Son will be driving soon, and of course
Wants a jeep.

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Every generation of Jeep has it's own unique issues, it's just what are you OK living with.

A TJ 98-06 is probably the best happy medium . You some new stuff like ABS (on some of the 03-06), spring suspension (instead of leaf), and a more modern interior. But it is still what people think of as "Jeep" But even they have issues like the seal leaks, OPDA for the 05-06, and ECM issues.

And at the end of the day, is your son going to want to drive a 20+ year old vehicle? If you do get a TJ, make sure it is the 6 cyl and not the 4 cyl.

The JKs 07-18 are kind of hit and miss with some years being really bad and some being fine. 2012+ years tend to be better because they don't have the 3.8 Pentastar. the engine itself is actually not bad (its a minivan engine) but it is a dog.and you are going to instantly notice how under powered it is. Some of the 2012 -2013 3.6L had cylinder head issues. A lot were fixed under warranty, and its been so long that most of the ones that would have had problems probably should have by now.

Probably stay away from the 2018+, but under no circumstances buy one that is 2021+ (when Stellantis took over Jeep).

And whatever you decide, try and find one that has not been modified at all (especially no lift whatsoever). Make sure you open the hood and look around. If there are any random wires that look like they did not come from the factory, strongly consider walking away. Lifts and electric work can range the spectrum of professionally done to a meth head installed it. And even "correctly" installed lifts can cause other problems down the road where drive lines are messed up which cause you to have to spend more money. Basically you do not want to have to inherit someone else's problems.

Now once you have the jeep yourself, then feel free to mod it any way you want - thats part of the fun of having one. But at least you would know what was and wasn't done correctly.

Get him a Buick, he will end up rolling a Jeep at 16/17

392 Hemi

The cooling system is the source of problems with jeeps.

I drove a 2000 TJ in college. It was a great vehicle, and my room mate who was kind of a shade tree mechanic taught me a lot. How to change the oil, replaced a pully, brake job, etc.

The only mistake I made was putting a lift on it after a few years. That was the beginning of the end. It rode like shite, wore out tires, started the death wobble... I got rid of it when I started driving a lot for work after college.

I'd love to have another one with a stock suspension and 31x10.50's.

My late wife's last vehicle was a JK. I loved that damn thing but didn't need the expense of an extra vehicle at that time so I sold it. I will have another one day.

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the JKs are terrible, will not get 100k out of it trouble free

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we just love speaking in absolutes dont we? wifes 2012 JK has 350K