I'm looking at buying a 1995 to 2001 Wrangler. Just as a second sorta fun vehicle. What  are the very basics that you must have? Would you consider a 4cyl or is 6cyl a must? Full metal doors, hard top, A/C?

6 cyl with out a doubt





Jeeps are fun, can get addicting and are total money pits.

6 cylinder no  other way to go.
Your preference on the doors
Your in Texas I personally would prefer AC
I have dual tops hard and soft.  once again your preference but if only one I would prefer soft to be able to open it













 

Get a 97 or up, if you plan to wheel it on the rocks, get an auto.  D44 is a must, as well as the I6 (at least IMHO).  I've got ~10K invested in my 99, and that's after the purchase price.  I've still got another few K to go till I "think" I'm finished.

Aiden's right.

TJ only

I still miss my '97 TJ SE

I have a new Tacoma...and I still miss my TJ like you can't believe.

If I could, I'd have a TJ for eternity and no other vehicle would even come close for me.

HH

Dunno about the auto. It's better in many respects, but you can't crank it over a rock with the starter. You can with a manual.

I guess it depends on what you want to do with it. I have an 07 JK; I had a 92 YJ and a 2001 TJ. All were autos, all had the 4 liter I6 until the latest incarnation which has a 3.8 V6.

As a SHTF vehicle, auto or manual will fit the bill. The manual gives you more options if you make the tires big and go serious, serious offroading. The automatic makes the previous statement easier. Tradeoff; easier or more options...

The other comments (it will cost you, etc) are correct. The only thing more customizable than a jeep is a bare chassis...

You don't need to crank it over the rocks with an auto...you just crawl over if your gears are setup right.  


I'd also disagree that manual give more options...I'm running 33's now, and going to 35's soon.  The same upgrades need to be made to both auto and manual.  


For sports cars, I'll take a stick every time, but for Jeeps?  Auto all the way.


ETA:  My Heep...no action shots on that run, as I was the only one with a camera.  It's Wheeler lake, CO.

Yup.  Big difference between '95 and the others.  '95 was still the YJ with square headlights and leaf suspension, as opposed to round headlights and coil suspension.   Definitely a 4.0.  6 cyl.  It's one of the best engines ever made IMHO, and opposed to the anemic 4 bangers.  Bear in mind, you're talking to an Alaskan.....but...I HATE HATE HATE soft tops.  noisy as hell, high maintenance, a pain in the ass to remove or put on, stretching, tearing, stuck zippers, cold, etc.  My hard top comes on and off quicker than the soft top, although it does require a bit of ingenuity or a helping hand.  Depending on your intended purpose, you may or may not need a Dana 44 and may be able to get by with the standard Dana 35 and 3:07 gearing with an open diff.  If you're not looking to run a locker, or tires much larger than 31", you should be able to manage just fine.  If you want lockers, 33" or larger tires, drive very agressively, etc. you'll want a Dana 44, or at least a Ford 8.8  I consider a roofrack and a winch to be big priorities, personally, but we all have different ideas.  If you haven't noticed, the Dana 35 is kinda like the villain of the jeep world.

If you get a jeep and ever have a problem with too much cash left at the end of the month, http://www.quadratech.com or http://www.4wdhardware.com will certainly help rectify the problem.

You've seen the stickers?  Just Empty Every Pocket?  It's pretty damn accurate.....

...and the price of gearing an auto that way, vs a manual? Plus being able to crawl without a running motor? With a proper transfer box and gearing, you can literally keyturn your way over things...can't do that with an auto. If you're at an extreme angle on an old YJ w/carburation, or even a built TJ with a carburator vs injection...you can either wait for a tow, or try the starter motor..

All TJ's are fuel injected...and the torque converter makes your gearing seem to be even lower in 4lo 1st gear in an auto...it doesn't need to try to limp over obstacles, it just crawls over them.

Oh, the the price of gearing is the same for an auto or a manual, it has nothing to do with the tranny...the gears are in the diffs.

tagscribe

Go 97 or newer.  Don't even think about a 4cyl,  I def recommend the full doors, and the hard top is nice especially in winter.    Get a manual as well, real jeeps have manuals, an automatic doesn't belong in a Wrangler unless you are going to be doing some super crazy rock crawling, a manual is just plain more fun to drive around.

Jeeps belong on rocks...  Mine's not quite ready to run with the big boys, but I'm working on it.

Shit I have been thinking of buying a jeep.Just for fun.

You have a nice looking jeep, they belong in Mud but when I mean rock crawling, I mean the hardcore stuff that you wouldn't drive your Jeep to, or at least I sure hope you have some dana 60s and an on board welder.

Fun vehicle if you like rolling down the side of a cliff due to the short wheel base.




Jeeps.




Defender 90.




70's era Land Cruiser.

Come on up, and I'll show you more trails than you can count where an auto is the only way to go.  I finally did Holy Cross trail, and was thankful for an auto.  I had to winch over french creek, but with 35's I think I could have made it.  I'm locked front and rear btw.

Meh, mom mobiles...  

Only CJ's were really prone to rolling...but I still want one.

Drop a V8 in it.

we've got an 84' scrambler for sale
 

Whatever.
if you mostly do hard core rock crawling get the auto.
I prefer the manual since it works better in the deserts of northern Nevada where you can be a long ways from anything with long descents.
4.0 ftw and leaf springs all the way.
94 YJ here.

meant wahtever to the fj better at not rolling over than a Jeep. My Quote Fu is weak.

Has anyone else noticed how absurdly low the GVWR/payload rating is on Jeeps? By the time you add a hardtop, bigger tires, and a winch, you're pretty much at the max payload with two average adults and a small child, which leaves very little for luggage, tents, coolers, etc.

Do you Jeep owners just ignore the weight ratings?

So you're back to work?  Good, I know it was tough for a while.

My wife and I were looking to grab a Wrangler, couldn't decide on what to get so we bought a new Honda Shadow instead.

Dog looks like a jindo!

T

My yeep has little room for luggage, tents, coolers to start with anyways.

T