Is Jeep Wrangler A Good First Car?

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Jeep is an icon that was originally intended for the American army in World War 2, but later on, was made for the general public as well. It also appeared in the famous Jurassic Park movie through which it received mainstream recognition.

If you have already been driving cars i.e your family car and now you are looking for YOUR first car then, of course, you can have the Jeep Wrangler as your first car. But if you are a noob in driving then you should go for something smaller with good visibility and is easy to maneuver.

After getting comfortable driving on the road, go ahead and buy your first jeep. The only drawback of having a Jeep Wrangler is the low gas mileage. However, the thing that irritates the most is the uncomfortable ride quality; which is expected, because it’s a Jeep after all.

But if you are a noob and you want it regardless, then you can remove the top along with the doors to have better visibility. Another thing to consider is “the 2 door variant”, as it will be a bit smaller and easier to maneuver than a 4 door.

Here are some things that you can expect in a Jeep Wrangler when you have one. It will help you get a better understanding of what you are getting into.

Price

If you are looking for a brand new 2021 Jeep Wrangler, you are probably going to spend a lot, as their price tag is around $30,000 just for the base model. If you are looking to add extra features then the price can easily go up about 10k more.

You can find a good deal if you are looking for a Wrangler in the used market, but you should be very careful when buying off of the used market. Make sure that EVERYTHING is in working condition without any weird noises from the engine and the suspension components.

A Jeep Wrangler on average goes for $10k in the used market. The prices vary depending on the trim level and the extra features that it provides.

Safety & Comfort

They are not that comfortable. These are specially made for off-roading, Overlanding, rock crawling, mud bogging, and even for going underwater.

They don’t have a lot of safety features but they do come with classic grab handles, roll bar, roof pillars, etc.

The Quadra Coil Four-Link Suspension System offers “some comfort” along with a better and more stable off road driving experience. The axle is one the toughest Dena-44 making it even more sturdy for off-road bashing.

Not only is it good on the bumpy terrain but it also works fine on highways, given that you have a hardtop while you are going over 60 mph.

With the soft top, you would have to bear with a lot of road noise and wind noise as well so it won’t be comfortable to your ears at all.

Usability

It gives plenty of utility as it can hold a lot of stuff in the back, especially in the four dour variants. You can take it for offroading adventures whenever you like. And even if you need to haul some stuff in a trailer, you’ve got that covered as well.

You want to drive without the roof and enjoy the weather? No problem, you can do that as well. But removing/installing the roof can be quite a task and is not easy, and sometimes impossible for a single person if the roof in question is a hardtop.

It can easily be your daily driver, but the fuel economy won’t be that great. If you want to have a good fuel economy then you can also opt for the Hybrid model that significantly increases the fuel economy by several notches.

Drivability

If you are an inexperienced driver and you haven’t learned how to drive then don’t just hop directly on a jeep after attending the driving school thinking that you can easily maneuver it.

You should first make yourself comfortable on the road with a smaller, more compact vehicle.

Jeep Wrangler has poor visibility when the top is still intact. The doors are removable though, and after removing them, we would have much better visibility but it’s not the safest option for an inexperienced driver.

On top of that, you can’t really have it topless all the time, and in those unfortunate times, it will become really hard to cope with.

What are those times you ask? It’s when the rain is pouring down on you or when it’s freezing cold. Worst case scenario, it’s cold and it’s raining/snowing.

Appearance

The Jeep Wrangler has one of the most iconic appearances in the whole of the automotive world. Anyone who sees it knows instantly that it’s a Jeep. On top of that, the Jeep community is super nice and you’ll also experience their love first hand.

You’ll be receiving the Jeep waves whenever you see another Jeep crossing your path. The community not only gives these waves but they are also willing to help other jeep owners as well.

The thing that damages appearance the most would be the rust problem. They tend to rust a lot so make sure that you have checked the panels and components under the jeep before buying. And lift the carpets as well to see the condition of the floor panels.

Tons Of Aftermarket Stuff

The whole community is an enthusiast who likes to put on mods and accessories and because of that, the aftermarket provides a lot of stuff to enhance your jeep. Having your jeep customized is not a difficult thing “when money is not a problem”.

The sky’s the limit to how much you can modify a jeep. Parts are readily available and since jeeps are very simple in their design, they are easy to work on as well.

Are There Any Issues That Jeep Wranglers Have?

Yes, there are issues with the Jeep Wrangler; especially, If you go for the older models with high miles on the clock. But the Wranglers can be reliable, given that the periodic maintenance has been done regularly.

The maintenance also includes protecting the jeep from rust. Otherwise, it will damage the whole body.

To know if a previous owner had properly maintained his/her jeep. You can check whether there has been a rust protection treatment or not, if not, then the general maintenance has probably been ignored as well.

Is It Cheap To Maintain A Jeep Wrangler?

Yes, they are relatively cheap to maintain, but the most expensive maintenance item would be the tires. Tires don’t come cheap for a Wrangler, especially when you are having huge aftermarket tires.

You can save some bucks by having smaller tires but it defeats the purpose of having a Jeep when you aren’t putting on big tires.

Other than that you’ll be replacing the parts that need replacement after about 100k miles on the clock i.e fuel injectors, sensors, spark plugs, ignition coils, etc.

Are Jeep Wranglers Fast?

No, they are not. You can try to try to go fast but if you go past a certain speed, the whole Jeep would start shaking, and you’ll experience this phenomenon which is known as the death wobble.

And this is definitely not a good thing to experience. If the steering starts moving about and you aren’t able to keep it steady then you’ll be having a major accident as these jeeps can easily tip over due to a short wheelbase and high center of gravity.

It is recommended to have an aftermarket sway bar that can help keep the body firm and prevent it from rolling over while cornering. Even if you have a sway bar installed, you should not go fast while turning.

Do Jeep Wranglers Retain Their Value

Yes, jeep wranglers do retain their value much better than a lot of other vehicles out there. Not only the new ones but the older ones also keep their value to a good extent. The one who buys it new faces the most depreciation though.

While those who buy it in the used market won’t lose a lot of money when reselling their Jeep.