New to Jeeps: Looking for opinion on 4 cylinder models

Well I'm going to tell you a true story-

We recently had a member purchase a Jeep for around $6,500.

I would say once he fixed all the issues and put tires on it it has taken about $5,000 to make it safely driveable.

I have seen guys do this with dirt bikes over and over... They get a bike that has a lot of wear and tear and it hundred dollars them to death with tires, brake, pads ,chains, sprockets , tubes , cables, handle bars, levers, graphics and so on....

The same thing happens with a Jeep but it's not $100.

I'm not saying you can't do okay spending less money but I'm going to tell you what happened to me:

I paid $20,000 for a TJ and didn't know what I was looking for... It came out of Knoxville and it was Rubicon with about 20,000 miles.

once I straightened everything out and got it to where I wanted it ... I'm nearly 30,000 in . Based on what I know today... I could have two that are just about as nice for that.

The reason I'm able to post that I got a second one at a good deal is I knew more of what I was looking for when I was considering purchasing another one.

....also I knew what I was going to spend after I purchased it because I could look at the vehicle and tell what it needed and what it didn't.

if you don't know any particular model of vehicle get somebody that's really familiar with them and check it out.

We love pics ..but getting feedback from us can be too slow if the TJ is a steal...they sell fast.
 
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lol at some of the comments. Don't get scared off. I got a used 1998 2.5 with 31" tires for $5000 Canadian a year ago and knew it needed some TLC. If your willing to do the work yourself you will save a lot of money. I could've spent that amount easily at a mechanic, most likely more but so far it's been less then half that. My jeep is my first and I drive it daily through the mountains sun, rain, and snow and it's a solid vehicle for me to get to work in. Sure it can drive up the hills, I just gear down as needed to maintain 100 Km/h easily but if I wanted to pass everyone I see I would've gotten a different vehicle, not what this Jeep is designed for. If you need a daily driver that can do mild trails then this is a good choice. If you want extensive modifications with added parts and more weight then yes it will be costly to reconfigure your rig, then I would consider the 4.0L. At the time I bought my jeep I needed something right away and saw 3 options and took the best one at that time. If I had time I would've waited but I don't regret my choice as it's taken care of me well so far out there.
 
Wasn't so bad. I actually found a buyer who was specifically looking for a 2.5 TJ, so I came out ok. I will say, however, that 5-spd manual/2.5L/4.10 axle ratio TJ climbed like a mountain goat off road. It was just getting TO the mountains that got old quick. It was my DD, so I really needed more power. As a run-around-town-with-the-top-down 2nd vehicle, it would be fine.
 
My old wheeling buddy swore by his 4cyl, wouldn't swap it out no matter how much I pestered him about it. His argument was that with fewer cylinders it was simpler and more reliable, as well as more fuel efficient. Whether he was right I don't know, but those old Willys never did come with a 6cyl.
 
This thread can make 4 banger guys feel like trash about what they own, and it shouldn't... My first tj was a daily driver 4 cylinder manual trans, 4:10 with 31s and was only good on I5 Highway for about 55mph, and large grade hills it slowed down a bit, but oh well, it never let me down, and had cars flying by me at 75mph, but I tell you all what, as soon as I was in the woods, the thing crawled awesome and was extremely reliable. At the time the sports where out of my budget this was back in 2008 and I paid 8800 for it.

I bought it with 38k miles I believe, and sold it around 70k miles. I had a lot of fun in it, my girlfriend at the time didn't like how gutless it was, so then got the sport, then was harassed by the Dana 44 and one ton guys that my axles where junk and blah blah blah

Now, if you where to ask me if I could do it all over again would I have gone that route..I would say definitely!!! If a 4 cylinder and 4.0 where the same price with the same miles and condition than yeah a 4.0l is the better buy we all know this... No matter what you own there are haters, you can be the nicest person and still find out people have a problem with you or what you own! F THEM! A good deal is a good deal. If it's a 4 cylinder than oh well its not about having the best in life it's about having fun, and I had a lot of fun in my 4 cylinder offroad!!!
 
I bought my daughter a new 95 rag top, 2,5, manual tranny when she went to college. basically, it was the cheapest one the lot but I didn't want to worry about her.

it was fine on level ground, but up and down mountains in North Alabama it was down to 3rd gear and pedal to the floor board. I didn't keep it when she started a family and was ready to move on.

edit to correct it was a 95 not 97. think it was the last year for square headlights. anyway, I worked for and retired from Chrysler, Daimler/Chrysler, FiatChrysler, bought lots of Jeeps at employee price and have not nor ever will own another 2.5.
 
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I put an offer in on a 4cyl jeep back when I was looking. Cant remember the year but it only had 30k miles which is what made it tempting. I took it up the mountain on the test drive and even with the stock sized tires, it struggled a bit. Not long after I found my 4.0, it has much more power. Mileage between the two is going to be the same, find one with just that little bit more oomph.
 
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Looking into buying a TJ what's the thoughts on the 4 cylinder?

I have a 2.5L and I love my car. I’m not doing any trails yet so I don’t have that experience. However, I would say for mine, as soon as it gets to 65mph, it starts to struggle abit. It doesnt feel like it’s gonna explode or anything, but it wants to move around because of the wind, etc. I drove the 4.0 recently and it felt more like a regular car. I wouldnt say it was more fun though, I thought it kinda took away from the Jeep experience, however, what I feel is the main difference is the acceleration. With my 2.5 it just kinda gets up to 3rd gear but when I drove the 4.0 it fucking launched haha.

If you find a 2.5 for a good price, no rust, good engine. I say go for it. That’s what happened to me. I lucked out and bought it from a mechanic’s sons
 
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LOL, I'm thinking LJ also has some first hand experience.

I think the 2.5 is the perfect choice for new, first time 16 y.o.

My son has my 04 LJ 4.0 and so far he is the only one of his "crew" who does not have a ticket (tickets for a couple of them)

these ain't muscle cars, but I just found the 4 cylinder to be very weak sauce.

just for the record, my oldest daughter got a 92 4 cyl. Sundance for college and that would top the same mountain at 70+.
 
Threads like this crack me up.

They inform me about some people skills and experience or their susceptibility to group think more than they inform a reader about the utility of a wrangler SE.

Carry on, carry on...

Could not agree more.
 
I’ve owned both. Neither is a powerhouse.
$500 or $1000 won't make anyone rich, but I'd rather have $1000 than $500.

I'd rather have the 4.0 than the 2.4 or 2.5, and just like the above money example, no one would rather have less. One can make do with less, but they don't prefer it.
 
^Agreed. When I replaced my '97 SE with the same year Sport, while it was certainly better than the 2.5, I was actually surprised that the 4.0 wasn't all that gutsy either. So both are just varying degrees of underpoweredness.
 
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