Now I’m worried

[Roky]

I have been so excited as I have been planning to purchase a new Sahara with the one touch sliding top so I joined this forum to learn all I can about the Sahara. I know I’m just beginning to dive into all the posts but now I’m having second thoughts. First and foremost is the post about the Jeep that died in the road and all functions stopped working, on more that one occasion. I’m glad he is ok and was able to use his driving skills to divert a tragedy. But that would scare the crap out of me. Then there is the complaint about the squeaky sliding top. I’m thinking now I should just keep my Ridgeline. Any encouraging words? Thanks. From a first time post

Just do it... you won’t regret it......

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[rickinAZ]

First and foremost is the post about the Jeep that died in the road and all functions stopped working, on more that one occasion.

Absolutely no different than any other brand. There are similarly angst-inducing stories like this floating around for all manufacturers. Odds are you are much more likely to die of COVID than to be killed after your Jeep quits in the middle of an intersection. That hasn't scared you into not leaving the house (me either), so why fret over this Jeep anomaly?

 

[aldo98229]

There's quite a few Wrangler owners who should not own Wranglers. They continuously compare them to their Subaru, BMW, Honda, Toyota, etc. They buy Wranglers for looks, status, etc. thinking they are just a rugged looking "car".

Owning a Wrangler means having an understanding it is an Off Road capable vehicle which is suitable for on road driving. The do not handle or steer like most other vehicles, so to compare them to other "practical" or "sensible" type vehicles is going to cause buyer remorse.

There are some negatives to having a Wrangler, with their perceived lack of quality and poor dealer service being the two main ones. But there are a lot of positives too, which have been detailed in previous posts.

For me, life is too short to drive practical or sensible vehicles, I'll do that in my 80's. I'll take the good with the bad and let others drive a boring Subaru, Camry, Accord, etc. I want a vehicle with the capability to go ANYWHERE and have the ease to be modified for whatever adventure I want.

I drive a Jeep Wrangler for the fun and it's capability and I own two. One with 29k miles and one with 8k miles......absolutely no issues with either one.

Well said.

My hunch is that with people increasingly working from home, a greater number of households are viewing a new-vehicle less as a A-to-B purchase and more as a weekend toy.

I used to put 15,000 miles on a given year on my vehicles. After its first year, my JL now has only 5,000 miles. My warranty is going to expire well before the Jeep has even 15,000 miles. At the same time, the Jeep will be still too unused to be traded in.

How we use and buy vehicles, how often, for what reason and all that are changing, for sure.

 

[CJtoJTR]

Go for the sky one top. You will get tons more use out of this top than the freedom tops. We have two Jeep’s, one with the sky one and one with freedom panels. The push button top gets used daily. We’ve had it for a year now with no issues. And it’s extremely convenient.

 

[GonnaGetLost]

Is it possible for a Honda owner to make the jump? Absolutely! But only if s/he is well aware of the rewards —and punishments— that await.

Yes we can ! ... I’m one of those guys. I have followed JL since introduction while also “stalking” this forum in order to fully educate myself on what to expect.

Guess I figured I needed some new friends since I might get to know my Jeep service adviser on a first name basis.. ..

More than happy with purchase, but still in the “honeymoon” phase since I’ve had it less than 2 weeks.

 

[Dkretden]

Go for the sky one top. You will get tons more use out of this top than the freedom tops. We have two Jeep’s, one with the sky one and one with freedom panels. The push button top gets used daily. We’ve had it for a year now with no issues. And it’s extremely convenient.

@mjindy the choice is yours should you decide to buy a Jeep at all. That said, in addition to the opinion above, I would suggest that you do get the hardtop but then buy the Bestop Sunrider to replace the freedom panels. It’s great. I never should have waited a year to install it.

 

[Chupacabra]

More than happy with purchase, but still in the “honeymoon” phase since I’ve had it less than 2 weeks.

I've had my JLU for 2 months now, and still love it. I had a TJ before so kinda know what to expect by owning a Jeep vs a Honda or Toyota. Every vehicle has its warts...

 

[mjindy]

You will find this with every vehicle out there. We have owned Honda's for 20+ years, our last one being a CRV. (Traded it for the Wrangler though my wife still owns and drives her Odyssey). The CRV was fine, but man, hop on the CRV forums and you will learn about oil dilution, failed\horrible CVT transmissions, cheap plastic interiors etc. etc. You would think it was the worst vehicle on the market.

I was a little worried with the Wrangler, but frankly, it's got a great warranty, there are thousands upon thousands on the road, and mine has been perfect to date. Besides all that, it is the first vehicle I have owned in over 35 years that I actually enjoy driving, updating, and just having fun with. (Last one was a 70's Camaro that was just FUN).

After making this purchase, I can honestly say I will always have at least one Wrangler in the garage, and I'll probably replace the Odyssey with a Grand Cherokee if they come out with a decent hybrid version down the road.

@mjindy: what I'm about to say has been well covered by members above. All I can hope to do is reiterate it via a story...a different angle/perspective.

First, if a Wrangler isn't for you then it isn't. It certainly isn't for everyone, and not owning a Wrangler is a perfectly suitable state of being, much that I love mine. People have already spoken about how forums attract the enthusiast and the disenfranchised.

But...that said, if your reasons to shy away from purchase truly lie with the infrequent Wrangler that dies, then you are making decisions based on rare outlier events that, as discussed, all vehicle models have. Tell me your decision is based on probabilities of greater reliable among other brands and you'll get no argument.

I had a friend who refused a colonoscopy at age 50: which is medical protocol. She cited the rare cases of perforated organs associated with the test and cast aside my attempt to persuade her that such rare things are overwhelmingly statistically counterbalanced with the painless removal of polyps: benign, pre-cancerous, and malignant alike before the latter metastasized. She died a year ago of easily avoidable colorectal cancer.

Buying a vehicle isn't life, but the rationale for decisions in each area is the same--statistical probability, not "rare but serious side effect.

thank you for your candid response. I’m so sorry you lost your friend. That puts life in it’s true perspective, we all have to live life for today and not get hung up on what may happen or what has happened in the past. Anyway, I truly appreciate all of the response, they have been helpful and enlightening.

 

[mjindy]

The 2020 Rubicon I spoke of in my thread you mentioned is my SIXTH Wrangler. The prior five all ran well with no major issues and aside from the 2020s major issue it is having was starting to become one of my favorites. I am NO complainer and don’t expect perfection from my Jeep’s or other vehicles, I know better. But I do expect them not to leave me stranded or place me in a dangerous situation not of my making 100% of the time. Especially when they are less then five months old and have under 4500 miles on them.

Did I get a bad one? Unfortunately yes. Have others gotten bad ones with similar issues? Yes quite a good number have, you can find several stories alone of similar events happening to JL owner here on this forum. Have most gotten good JLs? YES

Should you buy a Sahara? Well if you do you are buying one with more knowledge of what “could”go wrong and thus be in a better position to deal with it should it ever happen. And that is the hole point of my thread. To help others be better prepared should something like what happened to me happen to them and finding out the “why and how’s” of it so they can be passed along for other to benefit from. It is NOT about bashing on the JLs or “nick picking” about XYZ issues.

Thank you for your response. This entire threat has been most helpful.

 

[Obi.Wan.Shawnobi]

I have been so excited as I have been planning to purchase a new Sahara with the one touch sliding top so I joined this forum to learn all I can about the Sahara. I know I’m just beginning to dive into all the posts but now I’m having second thoughts. First and foremost is the post about the Jeep that died in the road and all functions stopped working, on more that one occasion. I’m glad he is ok and was able to use his driving skills to divert a tragedy. But that would scare the crap out of me. Then there is the complaint about the squeaky sliding top. I’m thinking now I should just keep my Ridgeline. Any encouraging words? Thanks. From a first time post

Plan a nice weekend trip and rent a wrangler. Drive it for a long road trip. Feel it. Smell it. Get to know it.

I am on my second Wrangler. My current is a 2dr Rubicon JL. It drives different than my 4dr JK did (old model).

I bought this one used with 4,500 miles on it. Never been off road. Still smelled brand new. Had one oil change because the dealership just felt like they should. They guy had put thousands of dollars into trying to get it to drive differently. Obviously couldn't deal with the way it drive, so sold it.


Point is, wranglers are not for everyone

 

[mjindy]

I love the people that join this forum, and then ask a ridiculous question. Then they never respond to anybody answering for them. It's a car. It's no different than buying a phone, toaster, computer or anything else man made with moving parts. You could get many years of great service out of it, or have problems from day one. We all hope that doesn't happen. Especially after spending our hard earned money. Don't join this forum, and ask a question, then never respond.

It has been hard to respond when the responses have come in at such a rapid pace. I will say that I have read them all and will continue to read them as they come in. They all have been very helpful and appreciated. I don’t feel it was a ridiculous question!

 

[JimLee]

I'll take the opposite tack as every one else, for every horror story you read on a forum there are thousands of horror stories that don't get posted, there's no way in hell I'm believing that just because people don't post it here they all have perfect vehicles. That being said, you take a risk with any vehicle purchase. Jeep Wranglers are a lifestyle vehicle, like Harleys, you take the good with the bad because it's what you want.

 

[mjindy]

Go for the sky one top. You will get tons more use out of this top than the freedom tops. We have two Jeep’s, one with the sky one and one with freedom panels. The push button top gets used daily. We’ve had it for a year now with no issues. And it’s extremely convenient.

That is great the hear. Thanks

 

[Chupacabra]

Jeep Wranglers are a lifestyle vehicle, like Harleys, you take the good with the bad because it's what you want.

Exactly. Until the Bronco comes out, there is no other vehicle that gives you what the Wrangler does. Removable doors, removable top, outstanding off-road performance, and a billion ways to customize it to your liking. You can choose from 100 different SUVs that all do roughly the same thing, or you can get a Wrangler.

 

[Hayseed_JLUR]

...Jeep Wranglers are a lifestyle vehicle, like Harleys, you take the good with the bad because it's what you want.

Lot of truth there. The Wrangler does not make sense on paper and if you described to someone the brick with loose steering and a perpetually broken windshield that you were designing, they would label you as nuts. However, it is a lifestyle like some have said. My daily driver is a Rover but as nice as it is - there are days I sneak home from the office and get the JLUR to drive (and just because I can). My wife makes me drive it some days because it slows me down and puts me a good mood. Says I cannot drive BMW anymore because they turn people into jerk drivers.

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