SWB Jeep Wrangler

[Desert Dweller]

Hello everyone,

I am considering switching to a SWB car. Already test driven SWB Pajeros and Wranglers; automatic and manual. I remember reading somewhere that Wranglers from a certain year till another year were to avoid due to some issues they had. Any thoughts and opinions?

I want it to off-road. My drive to work is cut down to 10 minutes only (although I've been working from home since March 2020), so that won't be a problem. I don't necessarily want a super cheap one, as the resale value of Wranglers holds pretty well, I think.

Thank you in advance!

[Craig Finlayson]

I recall hearing the 2012 wrangler was bad for the “death wobble”. Which was apparently the most extreme year for the wobble. 
The website below covers other years and other issues but nothing overly concerning that can’t be fixed or hasn’t already been recalled and fixed. 
https://www.motorbiscuit.com/never-buy-a-jeep-wrangler-from-these-model-years/

 

[Rahimdad]

My favorite years for Wranglers personally were from 2000 - 2004 TJs manual, which were built to last, although the TJ continued through to 2005 & 2006, but manual came with the 6 speed instead of the 5 speed on my favorite models. Off-roader did complaint about the 6 speed manuals, however automatics should be just fine. If you are going manual you will take a few outings to get the right gear and clutch use, lucky you can learn from the very best of @Gaurav, @Srikumar and @Frederic. Plus older models are cheaper so should give you some extra cash in pocket for any repair jobs. @Wrangeld can help you with what to look for in SWB Pajero, I would recommend a 2014 model or later for the gear upshift issue with the automatic in the previous years. Like before I would again recommend the Prado SWB 6 cylinder 4.0 if you can find one in good condition. A Prado too will hardly loose its resale value.

[Srikumar]

Automatic vs manual, the discussion will never end. Automatics in my honest opinion for the desert would be more easier to maintain than a manual purely because despite how many ever years you have driven manual on the road, in offroad you will burn through a couple of clutches till you get it right. And each original set including labor can set you back by approx AED 2000 - 2500 depending on what all parts are changed. Having said that, the guys who drive a manual would always vouch for it as it gives them more control on which gear to be used at what moment. Plus with self recovery, a manual would beat an automatic any day as they can easily be rocked by pressing and releasing the clutch. In automatic, as long as you have a proper '1' gear then you should be fine.

Wranglers are definitely more fun to drive compared to the Pajeros but since they are normally abused, to get a clean one needs a bit of searching. But the number of options or upgrades for a Wrangler are endless, and while I personally dont endorse all of them, some of them are really nice. Plus the parts are quite easily available either locally or from the US. The negative of the Wrangler is that they can be a can of worms and you need lots of patience to get it desert ready (which can take a bit of time).

Wrangler TJ : Till 2005 (TJ Model) - 4.0 i6 engine - 5 speed auto / 4 manual - Awesome car if you can get it clean

Wrangler JL : 2006 to 2011 - 3.8 V6 Engine - Reliable engine but has some heating issues and the engine is not powerful enough

Wrangler JL : 2012 onwards - 3.6 V6 Pentastar Engine - Powerful but earlier year models had a knockings issue after 100K km, but in newer models this problem has been fixed 

Pajeros are definitely more reliable in terms of all their components. And its relatively more easy to find a clean vehicle as they are quite a few that are 100% driven on the road. But you need to stay away from the 2008 - 2011 year models as these cars have an upshifting problem. In the Pajero a 3.8 SWB should be a very strong vehicle as it not only gives you the added power at high RPMs, but also has the rear difflock.

 

1 hour ago, Craig Finlayson said:

I recall hearing the 2012 wrangler was bad for the “death wobble”. Which was apparently the most extreme year for the wobble. 
The website below covers other years and other issues but nothing overly concerning that can’t be fixed or hasn’t already been recalled and fixed. 
https://www.motorbiscuit.com/never-buy-a-jeep-wrangler-from-these-model-years/

 

Regarding the death wobble, thats a common problem in all solid axle cars and not specific to a particular year. That happens when you have worn out bushings or tyres. I had it during the first year of my XJ where I could bring the entire traffic to a standstill once they saw the death wobble. But once I changed all the front bushing and steering linkages plus tyre I have not had the DW in the past 3 years.

[Chaitanya D]

We are looking at losing one fan and an awesome xterra offroad driver.

Why you are not considering the SWB patrol Y61.?

[Srikumar]

1 minute ago, Chaitanya D said:

We are looking at losing one fan and an awesome xterra offroad driver.

Thats what we call an upgrade. 😅

[Gaurav]

53 minutes ago, Chaitanya D said:

Why you are not considering the SWB patrol Y61.?

That's a very good contender too, if you can get the clean one. Any day better than Pajero, Prado and Wranglers tbh.

BUT it should be 2012 and upward with 4800 VTEC Engine. And  NOT with 4.5 Engine.

Another good contender could be FJ Cruiser, known and proven for years.

[Rahimdad]

@Srikumar you are a little off with your years, let me put this correctly.

Wrangler TJ : Till 2000 - 2004 (TJ Model) - 4.0 i6 engine - 5 speed manual / 4 auto - Awesome car if you can get it clean

Wrangler TJ : Till 2005 - 2006 (TJ Model) - 4.0 i6 engine - 6 speed manual / 4 auto - Awesome car if you can get it clean

Wrangler JL : 2007 to 2011 - 3.8 V6 Engine - Reliable engine but has some heating issues and the engine is not powerful enough

Y61 of the old used to come with 4.5 liter engine with a pathetic gear box, and the newer Y61 with the 4.8 liter engine and great gear box is damn expensive, specially during the season. Plus they would 99% be abused.

[Gaurav]

1 hour ago, Srikumar said:

despite how many ever years you have driven manual on the road, in offroad you will burn through a couple of clutches till you get it right.

Not quite applicable to all cars and drivers, tbh.

1 hour ago, Srikumar said:

Plus with self recovery, a manual would beat an automatic any day as they can easily be rocked by pressing and releasing the clutch. In automatic, as long as you have a proper '1' gear then you should be fine.

Very nicely written with layers of thinking

[Srikumar]

17 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

Not quite applicable to all cars and drivers, tbh.

You are an exception and don't feature in the general public category. 😁