First Jeep

Martynt74

Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2023
Messages
73
Location
Spain
Hi All,

I've just bought my first Jeep. Should be delivered on Friday although there's a chance i have to wait another weekend!

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I'm from the UK, and so a Jeep never quite suited a family of 4 or the UK weather. However we're in the process of moving to Spain and without the kids and so my wife gave me full decision making authority and i jumped at the chance to finally get one after years of admiring them when we've been here visiting.

The Jeep itself is pretty much standard with the 4.0 engine and 3 speed auto box. The requirements was for something small to navigate the narrow windy Spanish streets and the JK seemed to grow quite a bit. As such i sacrificed comfort for size.

Have a few plans, but initially just plan to enjoy it and protect the frame from rust. Annoyingly i can't get Lanoguard here so will either look for alternatives, or buy some in the UK and bring it with me when i move over properly.
 
Congrats and welcome. The bumper end caps made me pause for a second. Forgot they were different overseas.
 
Welcome. When you get it, we'll want more pictures so we can enjoy it along with you. It's interesting to see the different details for different countries.

I notice it's left hand drive. Which side of the road do you drive on in Spain?
 
Welcome. When you get it, we'll want more pictures so we can enjoy it along with you. It's interesting to see the different details for different countries.

I notice it's left hand drive. Which side of the road do you drive on in Spain?

Cheers, it's currently on a transport loader and so hoping it gets to me ok. I had to give my landlords phone number as the driver needed a Spanish number, so praying she answers and helps them as there's no chance it'll make it to the house, so i'm hoping between me, the driver and the landlord, we can communicate and get it sorted.

Here's the dealer link with pictures.
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In Spain you drive on the right so LHD is correct. It's a shame it's different to the UK as cars are really expensive here vs the UK, and it would've been cheaper to buy from the UK and import. This has cost €16k so ~$18k USD. It's only on 58km though, but i'd have preferred a highly mileage one that was cheaper. This leaves questions as to whether there are various bits which will have degraded from not being used, but not been replaced.

it's a very limited market here vs the US though.
 
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Dude I wish mine was that clean! Congrats! Planning on keeping it stock or what's your long term plan on it for now? No idea what offroading is like in Spain.


Sadly for many on here, it's very rarely ever going to go off road! I've just wanted one since i was a kid for beach trips etc with a surfboard on the roof!. Closest it'll get to trails is with me being about to go running in the mountains!

We're from the UK initially and planning to relocate here at the end of the year. This is an extended trip to settle on an area, and i figured it made sense to buy a car now so we have one ready for when we arrive properly and remove one element of stress.

Plans are fairly minimal. Currently i have some soundproofing i bought which i'm going to use in the cabin and engine bay. Then when we're here for good I'll switch out the lights for LED, add a tow bar for a bike rack, buy a soft top for it, stick a double din stereo in and then add some side steps. Possibly some Cherokee seats for comfort. Might look at a small lift and wider wheels at some point as i prefer the look.

Also has some surface rust underneath i need to brush off and cover. Will likely use Lanoguard.
 
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My current Jeep is my first, and these are pictures I took the day I noticed it appear on my shop's lot, several months before finally buying it. It's still fairly stock because my budget is zero right now for mods, so I've been building my own DIY mods, and trying to get work done when I can.

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Well, i was pretty damn awful at updating this it seems! Time for an almost 1 years later post and it's been eventful....

We left Spain for 3 months in June 23 to head back to the UK with the intention to sell the house and move back to Spain permenantly. As such i parked the car up at my parents place.

Arrived back in Spain in October and went to pick the Jeep up. It started first time which was nice (although i had bought a new battery in May). Downside being that we've decided to relocate to an area further from my parents than first planned. As such it turned out a return trip to visit them costs around $75 (i'll convert everything to USD for the target audience in here!)

As such i've also bought a diesel Kia Sportage for cheap, comfy long distance driving.

As we were loading the van up to relocate i kept telling my wife we needed to be ruthless as we only had a LWB Ford Transit for all our posessions. I quickly decided this didn't apply to me and bought a Smittybilt Frameless top, Hyundai Tiburon leather seats, full sized centre console and a TJ soundbar which took up lots of space.

I fitted a slightly more retro looking single din stereo. Had considered going double din, but i preferred to keep it cleaner.

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Full sized centre console is also fitted. It's got a little warped and doesn't sit cleanly, but i'm hoping some blocks of wood wedged in strategic places and a heat gun might sort that.

Main job was to try and get the subframe straightened, and i wanted to get a thorough service done to replace any dried rubber etc. Dropped it at a garage on the 23rd November and then proceeded to hear nothing for 5 weeks, when i finally went, only for them to admit they don't have the equipment to adjust the frame and so handed me the keys back and sent me on my way! A very frustrating situation, alas "this is Spain".

I was then driving up to my parents place to house sit their cat whilst they were on holiday when things took a bad turn. The battery had started dying a bit and the Jeep had a period of idling at 2k rpm on startup for around 20 seconds before calming back down.

Only around 5 miles from my parents place and coming off a slip road to a roundabout, i lost steering and braking. This was on a very sharp turn and before i had much time to react i was in a lamp post. From posts on here, it seems the engine stalled which causes these things to happen.
Main thread here
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/steering-locked-up-on-a-roundabout.76554/


The car is now sat at a 4x4 specialist garage and i'm currently awaiting considerable parts to try and rebuild :)
 
Cheers @Chris for moving the post

Went to visit the Jeep yesterday at the mechanics. Lots of massive off road machines parked up. Made my Kia Sportage look tiny when next to a Nissan Patrol!

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Parts are being accumulated as we speak. Have ordered some LED headlights and 31*10.5 tyres so at least the whole repair feels a little like an upgrade!

Hoping they can get it on the ramp this week so i know the final requirements. Going to take a while as some parts are coming from a member on here in the USA as availability over here is massively limited
 
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