24hourcampfire.com
24hourcampfire.com
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Hop To
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 4,187
K1500 Offline OP
Campfire Tracker
OP Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 4,187
My kid wants a Jeep wrangler as her first car. Anything I need to know? Years to avoid? What to look for? Looking at used rigs.

I think a 4 door for more space makes sense as a daily driver. I have never even driven one of the things, but they look fun. Should I can the whole idea as unsafe and get something else? Also, are they capable of towing a bass boat or a trailer with 2-4 4 wheelers? Thanks for any and all insight.

GB2

Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 13,205
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 13,205
I have a 1997 Wrangler that I've had since new.
Look any Jeep over real well, especially underneath to see if there is any evidence of off road abuse, damage, etc.
I would not buy an inexperienced driver any vehicle that has been lifted or has other off road modifications to the sway bars, track bars, control arms, etc.
My jeep is a two door model and I've never towed anything with it. If you get a 4 door model it should have a higher tow capacity due to the longer wheel base.
They are fun vehicles to drive around town or offroad, but not much fun on the freeway or long trips.


Let's Go Brandon! FJB
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,999
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,999
Not my idea of the first vehicle. To much temptation to take it off road and do things like they do in TV Adds:-(

I owned a 2005 Rubicon and thought it was a POS. It was cool to drive and did great off road, but there was some thing going wrong with it ALL the time. Look up Wrangler Death Wobble.

The older straight axle Jeeps were real Jeeps.

I will never own another Chrysler product, or who ever builds them now...............

She needs to tow a Bass Boat? Can it be done? Yes and it will be real fun with a short wheel base!

Don't do it!


When the tailgate drops the BS stops.
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,667
O
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
O
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,667
I've owned two and am on my 3rd. Wrangler.
They are cool, and very popular among the people in my area including the young. Unfortunately, they are not what many think they are off road. As long as she gets extensive training in how to drive it off road, she should be OK there.
As to a first car, I wouldn't recommend one to either of my daughters. They are much more expensive to maintain, and they are not good highway cars. Lots of cars get much better fuel mileage, etc.
Have a family member who did buy one for her daughter's first car. It was sold for something else in less than two years.
They are not designed to tow much. Nobody I know tows anything more than a small camp trailer with one. E

Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 4,147
Owl Offline
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 4,147
My youngest daughter had a 1998 Wrangler Sport. Had a hard top, soft top, bikini top. Had both full doors and half doors. It was lifted with 35" tires. Had a Terraflex suspension. Also had different gears placed in the axles due to the large tires. Put a cam in the engine to increase torque and HP. Added a tuned header and Banks exhaust system.

Her first car was a Toyota Yaris. She learned how to drive a manual transmission etc.

Then came the Jeep. At 17 years old, she had every kid in high school jealous with that thing.

It served her well. She knew how to drive a lifted truck. Did pretty good off road too.

If I could figure out how to post a pic, I would.


James Pepper: There's no law west of Dodge and no God west of the Pecos. Right, Mr. Chisum? John Chisum: Wrong, Mr. Pepper. Because no matter where people go, sooner or later there's the law. And sooner or later they find God's already been there.
IC B2

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 47,713
B
Campfire 'Bwana
Offline
Campfire 'Bwana
B
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 47,713
Originally Posted by Reba
Not my idea of the first vehicle. To much temptation to take it off road and do things like they do in TV Adds:-(

I owned a 2005 Rubicon and thought it was a POS. It was cool to drive and did great off road, but there was some thing going wrong with it ALL the time. Look up Wrangler Death Wobble.

The older straight axle Jeeps were real Jeeps.

I will never own another Chrysler product, or who ever builds them now...............

She needs to tow a Bass Boat? Can it be done? Yes and it will be real fun with a short wheel base!

Don't do it!


I agree with Reba..


Originally Posted by raybass
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style.
Originally Posted by Pharmseller
You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole.

BSA MAGA
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32,029
Campfire 'Bwana
Offline
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32,029
I would NEVER consider a Jeep Wrangler to be a safe vehicle for a new driver. A few years ago, I watched high school girl roll a Wrangler with three other kids in it when she misjudged a turn and hit a curb. They were all wearing seat-belts and the Wrangler had a roll bar, but one of the kids in back had his left forearm crushed. I don't think that any of them would have been injured if they had had the same accident in either a GC or Liberty.

My daughter has a 1998 Nissan Pathfinder and seems happy with it. Happy enough to name it "Francois".

If your daughter isn't bonded to a Jeep, the Nissan Xterra or Toyota Highlander or 4Runner might be worth considering.

Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,389
M
Campfire Regular
Online Content
Campfire Regular
M
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,389
A Wrangler isn't a great first vehicle. The "roll" bar is just for looks. Its actually called a sport bar and isn't designed to protect occupants in a roll over.

The doors and top aren't designed to protect occupants either. Jeep advises the doors and top are for protection from the elements only.

Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,182
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,182
Jeep Wranglers are fun for weekends and sunny days, but suck as daily drivers, especially for new drivers. The big 4-door model, not so much. If it is not lifted, the 4-doors are actually pretty stable and they also aren't speed demons. I'd probably go for a 4Runner, XTerra, or maybe even an FJ Cruiser.


Now with even more aplomb
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,067
Campfire Kahuna
Offline
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,067
Originally Posted by 260Remguy
I would NEVER consider a Jeep Wrangler to be a safe vehicle for a new driver. A few years ago, I watched high school girl roll a Wrangler with three other kids in it when she misjudged a turn and hit a curb. They were all wearing seat-belts and the Wrangler had a roll bar, but one of the kids in back had his left forearm crushed. I don't think that any of them would have been injured if they had had the same accident in either a GC or Liberty.

My daughter has a 1998 Nissan Pathfinder and seems happy with it. Happy enough to name it "Francois".

If your daughter isn't bonded to a Jeep, the Nissan Xterra or Toyota Highlander or 4Runner might be worth considering.
Years ago a co-worker's high school son went for a ride in his buddy's new CJ5. They went hill climbing and the first thing they did was try a hill that was too steep. When they couldn't climb it, the kid pulled a classic 1st timer's stunt - he tried to turn around. The roll bar saved them both.

The thing is, they're kids. They will take any car and push it to see what it will do. A kids with a muscle car will flex it's muscles and a kid with a 4x4 will HAVE to see what it will climb. It's part of being a kid.


“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
― George Orwell

It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
IC B3

Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32,029
Campfire 'Bwana
Offline
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32,029
Originally Posted by Rock Chuck
Originally Posted by 260Remguy
I would NEVER consider a Jeep Wrangler to be a safe vehicle for a new driver. A few years ago, I watched high school girl roll a Wrangler with three other kids in it when she misjudged a turn and hit a curb. They were all wearing seat-belts and the Wrangler had a roll bar, but one of the kids in back had his left forearm crushed. I don't think that any of them would have been injured if they had had the same accident in either a GC or Liberty.

My daughter has a 1998 Nissan Pathfinder and seems happy with it. Happy enough to name it "Francois".

If your daughter isn't bonded to a Jeep, the Nissan Xterra or Toyota Highlander or 4Runner might be worth considering.
Years ago a co-worker's high school son went for a ride in his buddy's new CJ5. They went hill climbing and the first thing they did was try a hill that was too steep. When they couldn't climb it, the kid pulled a classic 1st timer's stunt - he tried to turn around. The roll bar saved them both.

The thing is, they're kids. They will take any car and push it to see what it will do. A kids with a muscle car will flex it's muscles and a kid with a 4x4 will HAVE to see what it will climb. It's part of being a kid.


Yes, just like riding a crotch rocket makes people ride too fast and speed down the centerline between cars on a divided highway.

Joined: May 2005
Posts: 14,104
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 14,104
Everybody has horror stories, but the current generation Wranglers are pretty civilized vehicles. As long as you stay away from lifted platforms with oversized tires, they are pretty stable. We bought a fairly new CJ-5 when the daughters started high school. They handled it very well driving it 25 miles to school, the first 19 miles of which was a county-maintained gravel road in the Nebraska sand hills.

The only prank that I heard about was a game that they called "smush the mouse". This involved swerving across the road to nail field mice scurrying across the road. They admitted that one effort took them on a detour into the borrow ditch and we chalked that up to a single-trial learning experience. They pulled a variety of farm implements from place to place on the ranch, and occasionally to a neighboring ranch without incident.

My wife had a '97 Wrangler as her daily driver on the ranch down here for a few years. It handled very well on wash-board county roads and on the highway, and on two-tracks and ranch roads that were only sporadically maintained. She often pulled a small utility trailer with it.

If your daughter is at all responsible, I don't think that you need to worry about her any more than you would if you bought her a Mustang GT or something similar.

I see Wranglers traveling up and down the interstates these days, pulling camping trailers and boats, as well as utility trailers and flatbeds loaded with who knows what. As long as you keep within the recommended parameters of tongue weight and GVWR, you should have no problems.


Ben

Some days it takes most of the day for me to do practically nothing...
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 4,187
K1500 Offline OP
Campfire Tracker
OP Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 4,187
Thanks for the info and keep it coming. She is incredibly responsible but kids are still kids. I have never even ridden in a wrangler, so the only thing I know about how they handle is what I hear on the net. The 4 door looks more stable to me.

No bass boat yet, but I was hoping it would handle a boat or trailer with four wheelers as I tow a camper with my truck. It would be nice to have a rig that would handle toys, assuming I have any money left to buy them after paying a teenagers insurance bill. She also likes the looks of the Xterra, and they are quite a bit cheaper (and less 'cool').

Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,813
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,813
No. A 2 wheel drive regular cab pickup would be my choice. Preferably with buckets. Everyone I knew beat the piss out of and took chances with their first car. More doors equals more people in the vehicle. TBH I personally should be dead from the stuff I did with my first car. She will be mad and huffy but facts are facts. She would rather drive the truck than walk. I personally would want as few as possible passengers in the vehicle (liability). $hit happens and 16 year olds are inexperienced drivers. I am a truck driver with nearly 2 million miles over the road. Hands down the worst drivers on the road are old men and young women.

Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,408
R
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
R
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,408
before you buy look at crash test reports. i agree that a jeep wrangler is not a good vehicle for a kid.


My diploma is a DD214
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,667
O
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
O
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,667
The "roll bar" in the Wranglers is not designed to protect the occupants ? That's funny, I've known of several that did just that. They were installed in the old solid front axle CJ's that would roll easily if pushed too hard in turns. They worked back then and do today as well.
Don't tell me they aren't fast. Mine's got the latest V-6 and 3.73 gears.
And they do feel and act like a very reponsive sports car. They trouble is they don't handle like one if you break the tires loose. But the current ones have come a long way from the old CJ's when it comes to handling at speed. E

Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 7,884
J
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
J
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 7,884
The Wranglers made since 1982 are no more prone to roll over than a pickup assuming they have not been lifted. Even if they have been lifted they are no more prone to roll over if the truck is also lifted. They are rated as one of the safest to drive and one the cheapest vehicles to insure in the USA.

The versions made prior to 2007 will suck gas. Expect better fuel mileage in a Suburban or full size truck, even with the 4 cyl. Both the 3.8 and 3.6 engines made since then are capable of 20-24 mpg hwy if driven sensibly.

The 3.8 was used 2007-2011 and isn't terribly fast on the road but is perfectly capable off road and acceptable as long as you stay with stock 32" tires.

The 3.6 was introduced in 2012 and has 85 more HP. It will get down the road in a hurry and is a better choice if bigger 33-35" tires are wanted.

They all SUCK at towing. Most are rated at 2000 lbs, 3500 at most with 3.73 gears and only the 4 door version. If I planned on towing anything I'd look elsewhere.

I've had 4 over the years. They are a fun toy and I'd have no issues letting a teen drive one of the 1982 or newer versions. I know several people who died in accidents in the older CJ's. Lots of people rolled them, many slow roll overs off road where no one was injured. Wouldn't touch another of those and I've driven them plenty


Most people don't really want the truth.

They just want constant reassurance that what they believe is the truth.
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 4,187
K1500 Offline OP
Campfire Tracker
OP Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 4,187
^ good info that I was unaware of, thanks.

Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,252
B
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
B
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,252
We've had three Jeep's prior to the 4 door Wrangler my wife is driving now. It's a 08 Rubicon and she loves it. No trouble in 136k miles. It only gets sixteen mpg with slightly bigger tires than stock. It has 4:10s in Dana 44s an I wouldn't hesitate to put a responsible young driver in one. My youngest is driving a 4runner.

I took my kids driving to teach what it will do, but also highlighted what weaknesses they were dealing with.


“You never need fear a man, no matter what his size. When danger threatens, call on me, and I will equalize.”
Samuel Colt.

�Common sense is genius dressed up in work clothes.� - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,866
S
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
S
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,866
I have driven a jeep sinice 2002. It's my daily driver but it really isn't a great daily driver unless your oblivious to road noise don't care if you can hear the radio and can drive something that handles a bit mean. That said I love mine but I wouldn't buy a girl one for her first ride. No way.


Eating fried chicken and watermelon since 1972.

You tell me how I ought to be, yet you don't even know your own sexuality,, the philosopher,,, you know so much about nothing at all. Chuck Schuldiner
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Moderated by  RickBin 

Link Copied to Clipboard
YB23

Who's Online Now
490 members (17CalFan, 10gaugeman, 1Longbow, 160user, 10ring1, 1lesfox, 45 invisible), 2,187 guests, and 1,013 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums81
Topics1,187,596
Posts18,398,160
Members73,815
Most Online11,491
Jul 7th, 2023


 







Fish & Game Departments | Solunar Tables | Mission Statement | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA
Hunting | Fishing | Camping | Backpacking | Reloading | Campfire Forums | Gear Shop
Copyright © 2000-2024 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.3.33 Page Time: 0.141s Queries: 15 (0.005s) Memory: 0.9030 MB (Peak: 1.0612 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-28 12:15:09 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS