Quote:
Originally Posted by 1911
2006 jeep wrangler
since i live in glorious booneytown i need to find stuff to do. so i went to the dealership the other day and test drove a 2006 wrangler for a nice long drive. i am really tempted but i have the feeling that i might regret it. any thoughts from people who own one or know of close friends that have one?
i want to use it to explore the numerous trails here and tow my boat and go skiing etc....
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As someone who's previously owned a number of Jeeps ('83 DJ (Postal Jeep), '78 CJ-5 Golden Eagle, '86 CJ-7, '99 TJ (Wrangler), '99 WJ (Grand Cherokee) Limited, and '04 Rubicon) it's usually a love-hate thing. '97-'06 Wranglers, while a huge improvement over the '88-'95 Wranglers, are still not very easy to live with day to day. They're loud, still rough-riding compared to conventional vehicles, and even the 4.0 straight-6 isn't a whole lot of fun to drive. That said, once you've owned a CJ/YJ/TJ, it's tough to live without one. There's just something about driving a Jeep w/ no top, no doors and not a care in the world.
If it will be your primary vehicle and you drive a lot, I'd really think long and hard if you can live with a loud, unrefined vehicle with no cargo space. If you can, great. If not, you can pick up a CJ, YJ or even one of the earlier TJ's pretty cheap used as a second vehicle. As for towing, the standard TJ only has a 2000 lb capacity, due to the short wheelbase. I thought the Unlimtited had a 3500 lb capacity, but I didn't see it listed on Jeep.com. Anyway, you might want to hold out for the '07 redesigned Wrangler (with a 3.8L V-6 from DC's minivan line, not the 3.7L out of the Liberty) to drop. It could be win-win... you could try the new one and see if the further refinement is worth it, or you could pick up a left over '06 even cheaper.
I have the best of both worlds now... an '02 WJ Overland and a '62 CJ-5 Universal. The Grand Cherokee is great for road trips and winters, and the CJ is a blast hitting trails and cruising during the summer.