Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Jeep Wranglers

I'm thinking about buying a used Jeep Wrangler, about 19997- 2004 which have a coil spring suspension, for a good ride,

Use would be light four wheeling, and just a fun vehicle.

Want a manual transmission, and 6 cylinder motor.

I've owned; '47, '49, '52, '58, '69, and two '73's but would like something with more "creature comforts" now that I'm getting older.

Any feedback on these Wranglers with the coli spring suspension? Anything to watch out for on these?

Thanks! Virgil B.

I had a 2000 Wrangler for almost 14 yrs. Mine had a manual transmission. But it didn't have the six. It had the 4 cly. If you don't have to have something that performs better on the highway, I'd recommend the 4 cly. Good gas mileage, more low end power off road, and better gearing for off roading.. That period's Wranglers don't do well with oversized tires and wheels. Stick with close to factory size with good off road tires and you can do lots of things that might surprise you. E

I have a 98 model 6cyl with low miles and it's a fun rig for pretty days and weekends.








The latter models of TJ had a 6spd manual instead of the 5spd like I have, which would be nice, as they had a granny 1st and their 6th was really not far from the overdrive ratio of the 5spd models. If wanting to keep it simple and fun, I would hunt for a model with the Dana 44 rear end, which was optional on the Sport and Sahara trim models. It got you 3.73 gears instead of the 3.07's that were standard with the smaller Dana 35 that came standard. That gearset lets you have plenty of power with 31-32" tires, which are easily accommodated with an inexpensive 2-2.5" lift. Mine has worn 31's, then 32's with a 2" spacer lift, then 33's with a 4" lift, and now 35's (regearing this summer). The 32's/spacers was the best combo for looks, handling, and power with the factory gearing. It would have been a dog with the 3.07 gears. Also, the Rubicon model came with dual Dana 44's and 4.10 gears, but they are spendy on the used market. The long-wheelbase Unlimited version also came with a standard 3.73 Dana 44 rear, but they are tough to find at a decent price too. If money is not an object, those two models are great.

Regarding things to watch out for, it's the same as any other Jeep, just more comfortable. Mine handles and rides better with 35's than my factory CJ did with 29's, as cool as the CJ was....lol. Check for floorpan rust and signs of abuse. The 4.0 goes forever and makes good power, plus the aftermarket still has great support for these rigs.

Good thread, I have an old 89 I bought new. It's been good. I'm thinking about a newer one also. I'm thinking a 2014 or so. Here is pic of old 89

A well-cared for Wrangler does hold its value pretty well around these parts, just like a Tacoma. A jeep that was $17-19k in the late 90's is still worth $11-13k now, provided mileage is reasonable. 30-35% depreciation for 20 years of use is not too bad.

Got off my ass and cleaned it up

I had '99 4 banger manual. Squirreliest POS I ever drove. Was glad to see it go.

The last jeep I had I put 300,000 miles on it was a 93 Sahara, with out any major repairs just tires and tune ups 4.0 inline 6, 5 speed, bought it new and drove it up on a flat bed and hauled it to the ranch, never licensed or insured never left the ranch, sold it 2 yrs ago to a local rancher for $ 5000.00, bought a 2004 LJ unlimited from a friend, that had 24,000 miles on it in line 4.0 6 with a 6 speed, liked the 5 speed better for ranch work, I drive a jeep all day every day here on the ranch doing ranch work and during hunting season my jeep is known as the bone collector, as I haul in a lot of game animals in with it.

my trap line in the winter is a little over 26 miles long and I can drive most of it in my jeep, I have worn out more pickups than the average fella will ever own,and for ranch work I learned to hate doors. open and close and walk around doors about 150 times a day and you will learn to love a jeep with no doors.

I do get wet and muddy when it rains, it rarely gets real cold here and we don't get snow, I just dress for the weather and drive a jeep it works for me, drive what ever works for you. My go to town car is a 2017 bright red Rubicon, Guess I am just a jeep guy. Rio7

My last Wrangler was a 1987 with a 4.2 six and 5 speed manual. It had a hardtop and hard doors. A/C and a radio too. It was mostly my duck hunting rig with a few big game hunts pulling a trailer to haul the animals in and some of the camp gear. Mine was pretty reliable over the ten years or so I had it. It was never lifted or had larger tires put on it. Been thinking of getting another one but they are hard to find without a lot of miles or a lot of beat up sheet metal around these parts. They do hold their value well.

1997 Wrangler Sport; here in Moab a few years back. Still under 40,000 miles on it.

Thanks for the replies!

And the pictures! Lots of good information here.

Now I know some good stuff to be looking for, such as the Dana 44 rear ends.

Going today to look at a 2002 Wrangler. It's $15,000. but only has 69,00 miles on it.


Thanks again! Virgil B.

I had a '98 TJ and an '05 Unlimited .. stretched TJ, what some people call an "LJ" even though Jeep didn't. Both had the 4.0L I-6. Jeep had bumped the power up a little by '05. The '98 had an AX-15 5 speed, the '05 had a then-new aluminum cased 6 speed. (From about 2002-2004 the manual was an NVG 3550. Some of those had problems popping out of gear under heavy load.) The AX-15 was a little shorter and a little stronger, however, the 6 speed was geared deeper. Net result was the older '98 had to be regeared with 4.10s to turn 33s but the '05 handled them very nicely with stock 3.73 R&P gears. I didn't leave either one stock very long. Simplest, cheapest way to get to 33s on a TJ is with a 2" suspension lift, 1" body lift, and 1" taller Currie motor mounts. They allow you to tip the motor by raising the front maintaining near-stock driveline angle, otherwise you have to drop the transfer case which defeats having taller tires in the first place. Either way, I'd recommend upgrading the steering. Currie's system has a new tie rod and drag link which are vastly stouter than stock. If you get a TJ make sure it has the factory option Dana 44 rear. The normal 35C prone to breakage under heavy use.

If I could find another '05 Unlimited with a manual transmission, I'd be on it like flies on stink. I got rid of mine in late 2007 'cause my kid tricked me into thinking we'd be meeting midway from Oregon to Colorado a lot after she graduated so I wanted something that did road trips better ... swapped the Unlimited for a Nissan Frontier. Frontier is a good truck but it's not a jeep. Those trips never happened. Bait 'n' switch.

Tom

Found a 2001 Sahara in a local add for $11,900. with 78,000 miles on it.

It has the Dana 44 rear end. and a 2.5" lift. 4.0 W/five speed

From the pictures, it looks really nice.

Trying to contact the owner, but he must be away for the three day week end.

Hope to check this one out this week some time.


Thanks again for the help! Virgil B.

If your not already aware of it you may want to GOGGLE for info on the 0331 head cracking issue on the 2000-01 Jeep 4.0s. In short there can be obvious signs but in many cases if the crack has just started it's hard to tell without doing a test for exhaust gases in the cooling system or sending an oil sample away for diagnosis of content.

I hate compromises. A Jeep is great once you get to the hills but it can't haul much, let alone pull a decent sized camper. It's great once you get there, though. It's much more maneuverable that most pickups and they're built for the rough stuff.
My choice is a big pickup with either my Polaris RZR or my llamas in the back. Then I can pull my camp trailer and still have the wheels, or legs, for the rough stuff.

There is a compromise though true Jeep enthusiasts won't admit it. For hunting-type tasks my 1st gen Grand Cherokee was just as capable as a Wrangler, a hell of a lot more stable with a trailer and had a heck of a lot more room inside to haul stuff. There is a lot of aftermarket support for them, the downfall is it'll cost you more to build equivalent capability in a Grand Cherokee than a Wrangler.

For many, an older Wrangler is a second vehicle. No need to compromise there or be overly practical, just enjoyable.....

If you bothered to read the OP, he said. "Use would be light four wheeling, and just a fun vehicle." Nothing about pulling trailers, hauling llamas or stuffing the back with a week or two's worth of camping gear.

Mine was a deer lease vehicle, but I have a Polaris now. So I drive it to work to save miles in my Dodge truck.

I did read it. Yes, they're fun for his purpose. However, if you want to have the same fun 300 miles from home, you might want to have some camping gear along or it will be a very long day.