YES, I would purchase my Jeep again given the chance.
I still remember the day I found it. I was 24 years old and I was driving a 1996 Ford F150, which I hated as a daily driver. I tired to find a nice used CJ7 to have fun with on the beach, but all the ones I could find were beat to death and the owners were asking way too much. So I decided to sell my truck and just buy a newer Wrangler and buy an older pickup truck instead later on. After all, with the "new" round headlamps, the new Wrangler looked almost like a CJ, right?
My first vehicle was a 1988 Ford Bronco II (remember those?), and I loved it, so the Wrangler seemed to be the obvious choice. Except I had to have one in black (like my truck) with a hard top, and it had to have the 4.0 engine with an automatic transmission (I had to keep one hand free for the babes). But I hated the brown interiors then and I hate them now. That narrowed my choice down to a Sport model. A few months later, I found a Wrangler for sale in the local Carolina trader magazine with everything I wanted on it about an hour away that was described as having "all the toys." It had every option available, except for the Dana 44 and the 3.73 axle ratio, which might be my only regret. I didn't know anything about axles and gear ratios at the time, but it did have the larger 30" tires with Gambler wheels. (I have never needed anything more though, so I really can't complain.) It had a very cool silver stripe running down the side that I thought was unique and badass - it reminded me of something a CJ7 would have on it. I immediately bought it, and have enjoyed it ever since I purchased it in 1999. To this day, MY Jeep is still the best looking TJ I have ever seen!
As I watched the TJ change over the years, I still liked mine better. For example, I like the unique 1997/early 1998 non-cruise steering wheel and the older "slider" climate controls better than the later designs. I also really dig the seat fabric design and the Mist Gray - a color that was dropped after 1998. I like the older style turn signal switch with the push/pull headlight knob better than that cheap multifunction switch Jeep switched to later. And I like the older 3-speed automatic over the later automatic overdrive that came in the later units. I have since swapped my axle ratio from a 3.07 to a 4.10, and I plan to perhaps upgrade the rear axle to a Super 35 one day. But that is what keeps my Jeep exciting to me. I wouldn't trade my 1998 model for a newer model - not even a Rubicon!