Moving to Minnesota for school.

[tmac1521]

Hi all,
I am moving to Minnesota from San Diego for school. I love being out doors from snowboarding, rock climbing, hiking etc. I currently drive a Kia Forte and want to upgrade to something bigger. I found a 2010 Jeep Wrangler unlimited sport with 41k miles for a great price in San Diego and would drive it from SD to Minnesota. I am not the most knowledgeable about Jeep’s and have been doing a lot of research on my own, but just wanted help to see if this is a good call purchase. My main concern is the engine I have been seeing a lot of mixed reviews about 3.8L engine. Is 2010 a good year to purchase and will it be a good car to handle MN winters?

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[GATORB8]

Hi all,
I am moving to Minnesota from San Diego for school. I love being out doors from snowboarding, rock climbing, hiking etc. I currently drive a Kia Forte and want to upgrade to something bigger. I found a 2010 Jeep Wrangler unlimited sport with 41k miles for a great price in San Diego and would drive it from SD to Minnesota. I am not the most knowledgeable about Jeep’s and have been doing a lot of research on my own, but just wanted help to see if this is a good call purchase. My main concern is the engine I have been seeing a lot of mixed reviews about 3.8L engine. Is 2010 a good year to purchase and will it be a good car to handle MN winters?

2010 is a JK, this forum is for the 2018+ JL, but there’s plenty of repeat offenders here that will probably chime in with some advice.

 

[LarryB]

I live in the great white north. Plenty of JKs on the road here. Wranglers do well in snow if you don’t drive like a moron. Like any vehicle, the grip on the tires goes down when the temp plunges, so winter tires are not a bad idea. The extra ground clearance is good for unplowed roads. I can’t speak to the 3.8L reliability firsthand, only from what I have read.

 

[aldo98229]

In the 1980s I moved from Peru, South America to Sudbury, ON, Canada, to attend school. It was a complete shock.

In hindsight I am glad I experienced 4 years of winter in northern Canada; now I can say I’ve done it and I don’t want to have anything to do with it.

Per a 2010 Wrangler...it’s not the most desirable year for a Wrangler.

I’d drive the Forte to MN and figure out what you want/need once you get there. You will find that a lot people get around in the frozen snow perfectly fine in FWD sedans; much of it is driver skill.

“Fargo” is one of my all-time favorite movies; it depicts very realistically what’s like to live in the frozen tundra. Here’s the opening scene



Good luck.

 

[Jebiruph]

In the 1980s I moved from Peru, South America to Sudbury, ON, Canada, to attend school. It was a complete shock.

In hindsight I am glad I experienced 4 years of winter in northern Canada; now I can say I’ve done it and I don’t want to have anything to do with it.

Per a 2010 Wrangler...it’s not the most desirable year for a Wrangler.

I’d drive the Forte to MN and figure out what you want/need once you get there. You will find that a lot people get around in the frozen snow perfectly fine in FWD sedans; much of it is driver skill.

“Fargo” is one of my all-time favorite movies; it depicts very realistically what’s like to live in the frozen tundra. Here’s the opening scene



Good luck.

If you are going to get a Wrangler, get it in San Diego before you leave. There's a lot of rust buckets in Minnesota due to the chemicals used on the roads in the winter.

 

[viper88]

Hi all,
I am moving to Minnesota from San Diego for school. I love being out doors from snowboarding, rock climbing, hiking etc. I currently drive a Kia Forte and want to upgrade to something bigger. I found a 2010 Jeep Wrangler unlimited sport with 41k miles for a great price in San Diego and would drive it from SD to Minnesota. I am not the most knowledgeable about Jeep’s and have been doing a lot of research on my own, but just wanted help to see if this is a good call purchase. My main concern is the engine I have been seeing a lot of mixed reviews about 3.8L engine. Is 2010 a good year to purchase and will it be a good car to handle MN winters?

How much is the 2010 you are interested in? What is your budget?

 

[LarryB]

In the 1980s I moved from Peru, South America to Sudbury, ON, Canada, to attend school. It was a complete shock.

In hindsight I am glad I experienced 4 years of winter in northern Canada; now I can say I’ve done it and I don’t want to have anything to do with it.

Per a 2010 Wrangler...it’s not the most desirable year for a Wrangler.

I’d drive the Forte to MN and figure out what you want/need once you get there. You will find that a lot people get around in the frozen snow perfectly fine in FWD sedans; much of it is driver skill.

“Fargo” is one of my all-time favorite movies; it depicts very realistically what’s like to live in the frozen tundra. Here’s the opening scene



Good luck.

I’m from Toronto and I would find life in the Big Nickel to be a surprise … =)

 

[openingshok]

If you are going to get a Wrangler, get it in San Diego before you leave. There's a lot of rust buckets in Minnesota due to the chemicals used on the roads in the winter.

From my very limited experience there are more rust buckets on the coast than you think! My son left Kansas for San Diego with his 2008 Mazda with no rust and came back 6 months later with a lot more rust. I'd take a northern car with half year exposure and car washes over one that lives in the salt air, breathes desert dust and constant sun exposure year round any day. A quick look over underneath and along panel edges will tell you what you need to know either way.

 

[sconrad24]

If I were you I’d look for another vehicle. The 3.8 has a reputation for burning oil and is a little under powered. If looking at Jks I’d look for ‘13 or newer because in 2012 they switched to the still used 3.6. 2012s had a cylinder head issue, although I didn’t on mine. My biggest reason to pass though is wranglers in snow. They aren’t the best vehicles for the inexperienced in snow driving. 4wd is all or nothing. You are either in 2wd or 4wd. The vehicle doesn’t automatically do this for you. And you can’t switch to 4wd above 45mph and 4wd on dry surfaces will cause binding. So there’s alot of switching in and out of 4wd. A lot of times I get caught in 2wd when I wanted to be in 4wd. This especially happens when turning on plowed to unplowed surfaces. If you are caught in 2wd, it can fish tail on you. Now a good set of tires will do a lot to help. In my opinion awd vehicles with a good set of tires are best for snow.

 

[Jebiruph]

From my very limited experience there are more rust buckets on the coast than you think! My son left Kansas for San Diego with his 2008 Mazda with no rust and came back 6 months later with a lot more rust. I'd take a northern car with half year exposure and car washes over one that lives in the salt air, breathes desert dust and constant sun exposure year round any day. A quick look over underneath and along panel edges will tell you what you need to know either way.

As a person who frequently looks at Wranglers on the Minneapolis Craigslist, my advice is to not count on finding a rust free Wrangler there for a reasonable price. A person should at least look at Wranglers before they move from the San Diego area.

 

[Old Dogger]

Brrr... Make sure that you have the correct antifreeze 50/50 Mix. I hope that you will have a garage to keep it in, during the -30° nights. Its best to install a new Battery in it, and use 5W20 Synthetic oil in your 3.8 engine.
Good Luck.........

 

[GATORB8]

Brrr... Make sure that you have the correct antifreeze 50/50 Mix. I hope that you will have a garage to keep it in, during the -30° nights. Its best to install a new Battery in it, and use 5W20 Synthetic oil in your 3.8 engine.
Good Luck.........

And swap the washer fluid to low temp!

 

[aldo98229]

I’m from Toronto and I would find life in the Big Nickel to be a surprise … =)

True but funny story: when I first landed in TO, the immigration officer refused to grant me the 4-year student visa I was entitled to. He said “you will be switching schools after your first year; you won’t like it up there. We we will renew your visa then...”

I think I stayed there all 4 years just to prove him wrong... ?

 

[Volstock]

One thing you most likely won't find on a Jeep in San Diego is the block heater. If you have to park outside it is definitely worth having a block heater to keep the oil more fluid.

 

[Kllrbee]

You dont need a 4 wheel drive vehicle to live in the upper midwest. Believe me, been here my whole life. Most FWD vehicles will do just fine. Esp if your in a populated area like a college campus where they will plow religiously. Keep your Kia. Dont make a knee jerk reaction to a situation you have no experience with.

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