Weighing My Options: Suggestions, please

[yokramer]

I would love to order a new one, but I suspect that would destroy our budget. The idea of renting one for a week is a great idea. I have driven two different ones, but a demo drive and living with one are not in the same conversation. While I fully love the way it drives for the 15 minutes I have driven one, after a long day, or on a windy day, I may not. So, here is a question: I never see them on rental lots. Where can a person rent a Jeep for a week in the Triad of North Carolina?

A lot of times car rental agencies have them but you have to reach out directly to them. And there is always Turo which is renting someones personal car.

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[Ratbert]

I would love to order a new one, but I suspect that would destroy our budget. The idea of renting one for a week is a great idea. I have driven two different ones, but a demo drive and living with one are not in the same conversation. While I fully love the way it drives for the 15 minutes I have driven one, after a long day, or on a windy day, I may not. So, here is a question: I never see them on rental lots. Where can a person rent a Jeep for a week in the Triad of North Carolina?
Never mind, according to chat GPT I should find a wrangler at many companies.

Contact one of the dealerships in the spreadsheet in my sig. The discounts can be massive when ordering, and you get to spec it out like you want

 

[Foxmannc]

A lot of times car rental agencies have them but you have to reach out directly to them. And there is always Turo which is renting someones personal car.

Yep, I just rented one from Enterprise for a week starting tomorrow. Great suggestion.

 

[Foxmannc]

Contact one of the dealerships in the spreadsheet in my sig. The discounts can be massive when ordering, and you get to spec it out like you want

Before I make a purchase on a used, I will check that out. Thank you.

 

[RubiSc0tt]

Not sure if said yet, but avoid the manual transmission. This comes from a die hard manual guy- I've been driving stick since 2003 and loved my 2 Manual TJ's.

I love my 2019 JLUR, but this manual and clutch ain't it. Clutch is light and doesn't slip well, which sucks off road (I do a lot of heavy, technical off roading in the Northeastern US) and the shifts feel mushy and sloppy on the highway. Aftermarket options have issues too- they either don't disengage and get stuck in gear, or have issues going into gear.

 

[Ratbert]

Yep, I just rented one from Enterprise for a week starting tomorrow. Great suggestion.

As @yokramer suggested, check Turo.com too. It could be significantly cheaper.

 

[alphawolff]

1. Willys is best bang for your buck, given the options you want. That said, from your brief description, I don't think you'd need the rear locker which would expand your range to look at other trims.

2. Engines are an emotional conversation around here, but anecdotally, the 2.0L is more reliable than the 3.6L. The 3.6 has had rocker arm and cylinder head issues forever and the 3.6L tick is infamous. There's no real widely known issues with the 2.0L. It does sound like a sewing machine tho. I've had both, and have appreciated the drama free nature of the 2.0.

3. Sounds like the only things you'll need are the convenience pack (has the heated seats, and the options ticked for a tow hitch and hardtop. LED headlights are standard on the Willys and up.

4. It'll tow your lawn mower. Unless it's over 2 tons.

The 2.0L is not more reliable. They are identical in reliability except the 3.6 is MUCH easier to repair.



OP, look into a 2026. The prices have come down a lot. 2024 was a really bad year for build quality overall, and 2025s had insane MSRP before they were cut in 2026.

 

[yokramer]

The 2.0L is not more reliable. They are identical in reliability except the 3.6 is MUCH easier to repair.



OP, look into a 2026. The prices have come down a lot. 2024 was a really bad year for build quality overall, and 2025s had insane MSRP before they were cut in 2026.

Oh yes cause oil leaks are equal to cams made of cheese ....

 

[alphawolff]

Oh yes cause oil leaks are equal to cams made of cheese ....

You can replace all four cams quicker than you can replace the oil cooler on a 2.0. it's that big of a difference. the 2.0l just pisses your technician off by its very existence.

 

[yokramer]

You can replace all four cams quicker than you can replace the oil cooler on a 2.0. it's that big of a difference.

Again, thats just the process of working on it not the severity of failure.

Most people if they hear one engine has oil leaks, and the other has cams that fail they wouldnt consider them equal in reliability.

 

[MaineBumpkin]

Hello Russ,

Good idea to rent one, maybe even keep it for a month if you can. To me, it's all about what your goal is. Seems to me you just like the looks of, and the idea of having a Jeep and may go off-road once in a while? A fun car.. as some may say. Let me tell you a quick story...

Late 2020, I decided I would get my wife a 'fun car' (she had a little Jeep Renegade) and it was between a 69 GTO and a Wangler. Well, we don't have 'weekend car' money so the GTO was out. When I settled on a Wrangler it had to be the Rubicon because I wanted stock lockers, we lived in Maine and I wanted every possible chance to avoid my wife being stuck in a snow drift. It also had to be a 6-speed (my wife's demand). So, that was the plan... a fun car for my wife. Just for context ... I had a RAM 2500 and we had a 35' camper at the time.

By the time the Jeep was delivered in April 2021, we had been pulled DEEP into the Rabbit hole. I had a garage full of mods waiting for install and the dealer had a lift kit and 35's waiting to install. The camper was for sale and we had ordered an off-road teardrop camper on 35' tires. Flash forward 5+ years and we now live in SW Utah, the Jeep has 75k (not gentle) miles on it and we absolutely LOVE to explore, way off-grid, every chance we get.

The point to my story? Plans / goals may change If I could go back in time, I would have gone with a 4D Sport, 8SP Auto, tow package and built it myself, but that's just me. Regardless of the direction you take, you will be happy with some choices and want a do-over on others. However you go, have fun!

 

[Trout Trekker]

So, my wife's daily driver is a stock* '23 JL Willys S-2.0 L - LSD - Auto in Earl. The only non-stock thing on it is the 2" receiver for towing I added.

I drive the '18 JLU S/S (Mojito seen in the profile pic to the left) - 3.6 L- Auto. Also, with an aftermarket 2" receiver package.

Our use of 4WD has more to do with poorly maintained forest service roads, logging roads and riverside wilderness launches.

We tow our boat with both, but I use my rig for longer tows - out of state, etc.. While her JL is used only for the shorter runs.

That 2.0 makes a racquet on start up by comparison to the 3.6.

The 3.6 when towing gets up to freeway speed (if you want to call anything a Wrangler does "Speed") with more authority than the 2.0.

The undulations in the 2.0's oil pressure display gives me reason to pause every time we're on a long harsh grade in 100 degree temps, but always gains its wits again once we crest the summit.
The 3.6's display hardly budges under that same load.

The actual fuel economy between them (2.0 JL & 3.6 JLU) is within 1 m.p.g. of each other, regardless of whose driving.

There is a real difference in ride quality which isn't a big deal until you're on the road for twelve hours in one day.

 

[James Westfall]

Most people if they hear one engine has oil leaks, and the other has cams that fail they wouldnt consider them equal in reliability.

smh...oil and coolant leaks lead to engine failure. So yeah that's a pretty big deal.

The fact of the matter is that neither engine is "more reliable". Members here who have been immersed in everything Jeep for as long as they can remember have completely lost touch with what "reliable" means outside of their world. To anyone who has come from makes like GM, Toyota, and Honda, it's like choosing between AliExpress and Temu.

The 3.6l has one big problem, and many don't even suffer from it. The 2.0l has a myriad of smaller problems which means you are far more likely to experience one of them...though it may be fixable in your garage. Also as Alphawolf pointed out, the 2.0l is a nightmare to work on. That matters a lot for reasons that should be obvious.

I've had two of each motor and as i've said many times, when someone asks me which is "better" I tell them "flip a coin".

 

[yokramer]

smh...oil and coolant leaks lead to engine failure. So yeah that's a pretty big deal.

The fact of the matter is that neither engine is "more reliable". Members here who have been immersed in everything Jeep for as long as they can remember have completely lost touch with what "reliable" means outside of their world. To anyone who has come from makes like GM, Toyota, and Honda, it's like choosing between AliExpress and Temu.

The 3.6l has one big problem, and many don't even suffer from it. The 2.0l has a myriad of smaller problems which means you are far more likely to experience one of them...though it may be fixable in your garage. Also as Alphawolf pointed out, the 2.0l is a nightmare to work on. That matters a lot for reasons that should be obvious.

I've had two of each motor and as i've said many times, when someone asks me which is "better" I tell them "flip a coin".

And yet the sub-forum with the most threads with legit issues still is the 3.6 and it isnt even close.

 

[James Westfall]

And yet the sub-forum with the most threads with legit issues still is the 3.6 and it isnt even close.

Lets see those numbers, and a definition of your metric for "legit issues".

I call BS on this.

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