Set my expectations: Downsides to Jeep ownership

[m.cami]

Keep in mind, people posting have different types of Wranglers from different years. The Sahara has the most plush feeling suspension compared to other trims. The new steering box that you'll get in your model year will be a vast improvement over what the JL started with for on-center play. The longer wheelbase of the four door should provide a more stable feel at higher speeds. The plugin hybrid should give you better fuel economy than any comparable vehicle with a gas or diesel powertrain under most circumstances.

excellent! Thanks for answering based on the actual vehicle I’m getting. This helps me a lot!

Sponsored

 

[stumblinhorse]

After reading some of the later posts here, I am reminded of a couple of items that may help.

First mod I bought was a dead pedal (the MORE one). Used to having 1 in all the Toyotas I've owned, now I can't drive without it. Some are a real PITA to install, the Quadratec one looks pretty easy to install.

About 1.5 years of ownership I got the Desert Does It front seat jackers (for both driver & passenger), made a BIG difference to me. Otherwise I have no problems on a 6+ hour drive with it. Haven't had a longer trip, yet...
And I'm 55yo with a destroyed body from my profession & 5 years of the Marines before my current career.

Those on here who say they ride & drive like crap I guess have never driven a deuce & a half or farm truck. I think my JLUR is the best riding, nicest vehicle I've ever owned.

I don’t think many Jeep loyalist say they ride And drive like crap. It is just that people, coming to a Jeep for the first time are the ones that mostly are dissatisfied. Many cannot understand why they bought a new vehicle that doesn’t handle like or better than the one they sold or traded.

Jeep model is mostly irrelevant, since most Jeeps are 99% the same parts. This one makes me laugh with the $100k 392 crowd. It is the same parts and components as the lowest end sport. The suspension, besides a few fiddly bits, is the same. geometry and design is the same. Same as it was in the jk.

As I said before it is not the manufactures quality or even the actual Jeeps fault that they are so lowly rated. It is a mismatch of expectations between the actual vehicle and the new owner. Very few multi Jeep model owners have the steering and tracking complaints.

Love my Jeep. I only have straight axle vehicles…. Drives exactly how it should. I added mopar lift LCAs and a fox SS. Best wrangler yet…. I have owned every model since it came out….

 

[The Last Cowboy]

5 years in, and the troublesome dual battery ESS system is still being produced. for 2022 and 2023, when you get a V6 with an automatic, it comes with the far less troublesome mild hybrid system called eTorque. 2.0 turbos still get the ESS with the auxiliary battery. Understand that in most cases that setup will cause problems with the first 2 years or so of ownership.

As for quality rating, the Jeep often comes in low because there are a certain number of owners who abuse the vehicle and expect it to be fixed under warranty. They will rate it negatively, and that adds to overall warranty claims. It's amazing some of the posts you see here, where someone inexperienced in driving a 4x4 breaks their new Wrangler and then expects Jeep to fix it under warranty.

That having been said, Jeep is stingy with warranty repairs, both in what they will cover and what they pay the dealer to do the work. This leads to quite a bit of frustration, and there are many threads on this site that are based on that. However, if you take reasonable care of it and keep it well maintained, I believe the reliability is well into the average side of the scale. Because, if these things really were a POS no one would be buying them and the resale wouldn't be at the very top of the scale for used vehicles.

Find a great dealer, with a great service dept. Or order one from one of the dealers that sell for a great price, then find a dealer with a great service dept local to you. Having a dealer that can do simple things, like an oil change, quickly and properly is a good indication that the service dept is probably well managed.

 

[Joaquim]

I’ve wanted a Jeep since I was a teenager and last week I ordered my first Jeep. My twins are about to graduate high school this year so I’m trading in the sweet ass minivan for a sweet ass 4xe Sahara - after all, I’m not a regular mom, I’m a cool mom.

Consumer Reports has historically rated them super low, which is why we’ve never bought one before, but I figured YOLO and all that. Time for fun.

Despite the excitement for having a fun new car, I’d like to know what to expect negatively so I’m not surprised.


I saw a tiktok the other day that basically was like:

what’s the best part of owning a jeep?

It’s a Jeep!

What’s the worst part of owning a jeep?

It’s a Jeep

avoid the angry eyes

 

[mtbjeep]

The biggest downside is definitely all the SDS's and back problems your going to have from sleeping with all the gorgeous people who can't resist you in your Jeep. Obviously

 

[Heimkehr]

Those on here who say they ride & drive like crap I guess have never driven a deuce & a half or farm truck.

One of my barracks roommates worked 3rd shift at our squadron's brand new vehicle maintenance facility. He suggested that I come over around midnight on a Friday for a free tour.

While there, we took a brand new 5 ton out for a joyride. Anything that looked like suspension on that truck was there in name only. I'd wager that the buckboard seen on Little House on the Prairie had a smoother ride. My kidneys were sore for a couple days after my visit.

Good times.

 

[DanB]

I would highly recommend renting one for a weekend. That is a cheap way to find out if you like driving a Jeep.

My latest Jeep is a 2018 JLU Sport. I have 2 issues with it. No dead pedal, easy fix, and the defroster barely works. In cold snowy conditions I have to get out to clean the windshield. This seems to be a random issue. Some people have it, some don't. Not an easy fix.

Would I buy another JLU? Definitely.

 

[Old Jeeper]

The worst part is they ride like crap and are somewhat loud.

Best part is they can be modified more than any other vehicle that I can think of.

That seem to be a prevailing theme. I will disagree, they don't ride like crap, in fact its a rather good ride.

Back when I had my shop I often had someone come in with my Jeep rides like crap, can anything be done?

First thing I did was check the psi and the shocks.

What do I find? Every tire is at a different psi and and don't mean with in +/- .5...none of them are even close to each other in psi and all are over and way over the psi they should be running. Get your TP right and +/- .5 lbs and if OEM tires follow the door jam psi.

Then the guy would come in tell his ride is insane it so bad. Well it's a DD for him M-F and S-S he hits the local trails. I go out and he is running Black Mambas. 14 ply tread, 14 ply sidewalls and he is running 40 lb psi. I tell him what do expect from a tire with 14 plys. This tire will not run flat if you shot it with a 30-06. I look at the sidewall and it made by Long Dong Wong Off Road Tire, May-Pop Prophylactic and Chinese Take Out.. The tire is so stiff it does not even need air!

Then another guy come with his crap ride story. His psi is good, but the tread shows signs of cupping. This comes from unbalanced tires and or leaking shocks...in his case, BOTH!

Then I get the guy who is pissed off on his bad ride and poor mpg. So he was told to run more psi and he said how much more. Ohh look on the sidewall of your tire and it will tell you. He does and it says: Max psi 90 psi...

There is YOUR Crappy ride, the fix: Keep balanced especially if you wheel it often. Insure your shocks are good and not leaking and they you run the proper psi. As most Jeepers on the forums do NOT run the proper psi. What is the proper psi? Simple just do a contact patch test and that will tell you. Door jam psi and what other run in psi do not count, match your vehicle to the psi.

There you go!

 

[ronstar]

Millions of upsides can be lumped into one category - Fun.

Only downside I can think of is that you get wet when it rains when you have the top off.

 

[Somnium]

Upsides and downsides can be one in the same, depending upon your views.

You're going to have random people waving at you, throwing you compliments, and wanting to be your friend... with the occasional weirdo trying to throw you their rubber ducky.
You're going to be spending more money on sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses, because the top is going to be down/off more then people who own convertible coupes. (Not to mention, no matter how cloudy, snowy, foggy, or rainy it may be, the sun ALWAYS shines down on the cool - so put on your sunglasses.)
You're going to get really good at reading a map and using a compass, because the Jeep will have no problems getting you WAY off the road to the most beautiful places you've ever been. Which usually means your cell phone stopped receiving a signal quite a while ago.
You're going to stop thinking in Miles Per Gallon when fueling up, and think about Smiles Per Gallon... and with that, your face will hurt the entire time your driving, do to your inability to wipe the smile from it.

Welcome to the Family, your going to love it!

 

[m.cami]

Upsides and downsides can be one in the same, depending upon your views.

You're going to have random people waving at you, throwing you compliments, and wanting to be your friend... with the occasional weirdo trying to throw you their rubber ducky.
You're going to be spending more money on sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses, because the top is going to be down/off more then people who own convertible coupes. (Not to mention, no matter how cloudy, snowy, foggy, or rainy it may be, the sun ALWAYS shines down on the cool - so put on your sunglasses.)
You're going to get really good at reading a map and using a compass, because the Jeep will have no problems getting you WAY off the road to the most beautiful places you've ever been. Which usually means your cell phone stopped receiving a signal quite a while ago.
You're going to stop thinking in Miles Per Gallon when fueling up, and think about Smiles Per Gallon... and with that, your face will hurt the entire time your driving, do to your inability to wipe the smile from it.

Welcome to the Family, your going to love it!

This reply made me smile! I can't wait!

 

[Chocolate Thunder]

OP, you didn’t mention what vehicle you’d be leaving behind. That makes a difference.

 

[Shark01]

Millions of upsides can be lumped into one category - Fun.

Only downside I can think of is that you get wet when it rains when you have the top off.

That is why God used the 8th day to invent the SOT

Finally a religion I can deal with

 

[ArmyRN]

It is all about expectation management.

I've got a new 2023 JLU 2.0T with the XR package to be my daily driver. I think it drives great! It isn't a sports car, but I find it very comfortable (will be even better once I order the Desert Does It front seat jackers - I'm kinda tall). My wife (who drives a Subaru Crosstrek) thinks it drives nice too. I also partly bought it so we could take us and the dogs on long trips. I've also got a modified TJ - this new one runs and drives so much nicer than the older Jeeps.

Think of Jeeps as fun-mobiles. They're not just a way to get from point A to point B. Be sure and wave to other Jeepers! Have fun with it! Be proud to be driving a Jeep! Folks will be jealous of you. Get a Jeep hat and a Jeep hoodie. You'll be part of the Jeep community. Join a local Jeep club - go camping - get off pavement (you don't have to take it hard-core four wheeling). Attend a Jeep Jamboree.

And this whole argument about solid axles vs. independent suspension is very much overrated. There are arguments you could make for either, but for daily driving there's really no difference. You can set either one up to drive nicely. We had a 1989 Range Rover Classic years ago - it was the top luxury vehicle of its time. It rode extremely nice. The suspension: solid axles with coil springs front and rear.

 

[SofiaGirl]

I'm truly perplexed when I read comments about the JL's rough handling, poor road manners, noisiness, low tech, etc ....

I test drove a Mazda CX5 for 4 days before I ordered my '21 JLU Sports Altitude MT.
My Jeep is a much better ride than the CX5 (the CX5 is a good car, it just doesn't suit me).

I'm in a total love affair with my JLU - she drives smooth, quiet, and I'm in awe with the inside technology.
Coming from owning a '98 TJ for years, my JLU with the bigger turn radius steers like a boat but ... you know, it's part of learning what my new Jeep can do and man does she make me happy.

Sponsored