Jeep YJ/TJ

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When I'm done with college in a few months, I consider buying one of these. Does anyone on this board have firsthand experience with them? How are these cars when it comes to rust, reliability issues and so on? Spare parts seem rather cheap, and I get the impression that it's fairly easy to do basic repairs on the yourself. Are there any good alternatives (apart from the Land Rover Defender, which is too expensive for my taste)?

I own a 1999 Jeep Wrangler TJ SE. It's a manual (can't pay attention in an automatic). I like it. I have a hard top with full doors so it's a lot quieter than a soft top. (I've had a jeep with a soft top). Mine does really well on gas if it is on open highway, but not as well in the city. I've used it for fun, doing farm work, and just as my everyday car all without any problems.

As far as maintenance, they are very easy to maintain. The engines don't tend to be filled to the brim with all the extras that you find on most cars. Making them very easy to work on. You can pretty much access the entire engine without pulling it. They are a little expensive when it comes to tires so I suggest buying the best you can afford so you aren't doing it often. Otherwise parts are really easy and inexpensive to come by. They even have companies that specialize in custom parts for what ever your taste.

I really enjoy it and like my Jeep. The only thing I really have a complaint about with it is that it isn't a 4 door one. Keep up with oil changes and regular maintenance and it will last for a very very long time. Oh and be sure to rinse the undercarriage if you are in an area that uses salt or seaside as to prevent rust. People comment on how well my jeep runs quite frequently especially after they hear how long I have had it.

Hope that helps.

Now let me play the devils advocate they are noisy, tend to leak water in, only comfortable for 2, and not the most fuel efficient. Just be aware of the tendencys and if you don't mind them you should love your jeep. All vehicles have pros and cons.

I'm sure you could get the fuel and tire expenses down with tires meant for on road use only(the ones with shallow and smooth lugs that don't make that awful noise driving down the road) if its not going to see off road use. Another thing to look into is transmission and more so rear end gearing, I have no experience with Jeeps however I imagine they build some with really high gearing, say a 3:92 for driving slow and climbing over things off road and towing, Others may get say a 3:55 or even lower for city and highway fuel economy as well is the other benefits of keeping the RPMs lower. Worth looking into.

I can honestly say I have never had water issues with either of my jeeps (Unless i left the top off/down and it rained) The people who do aren't taking care of their top correctly or don't have it fastened right.

The tires are more expensive because they are SUV tires as compared to car/sedan tires (bigger = more $$$$). Just the way it works in the US. I buy the all terrain, because quite frankly I drive it on all terrains. The gas issue for me is that I live in a major metropolitan city (6+ million) and the traffic can be very stop and go especially during rush hour. It can take up to an hour to go 15 miles sometimes on the hwy.

I would think you will be very hard pressed to find a whole lot of actual jeep owners who didn't love their jeep.

Michelin tires for the Wrangler doesn't seem to be that expensive, given that there's no import duty on car parts here.