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Which do you think was the most "iconic" Wrangler?

the "best of the rest" Wrangler?


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Horsemover

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Love my JLURD but the TJ will always have its place and lucky for me I still have one to wrench on.
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Burt

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Where’s the love for CJs, oh, not a Wrangler!

Still some of my best memories, even though I loved my TJ, love all the technologies in my JL.

942760FF-92B8-4CA6-A157-FB30F019FC03.jpeg
 

The Last Cowboy

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The TJ had the last of the CJ DNA in it. The tub, dimensions, size. The 4.0, which is the son of the 258. The last, and best bits of AMC died with it. It's new suspension paved the way for what was to come.

The JK and JL are very different Jeeps but they do adhere to the original formula somewhat.

As for me, a 72-72 CJ5 with a 258 would be my pick.
 

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asuperheat

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The CJ was what defined Jeep so it has always been the most Jeep of the bunch for me but if we are only talking wranglers It would be the TJ.

I just don't like the styling of the YJ. Jeeps need round lights I'm sorry YJ fans is what it is. Chrysler took some of the Jeep out of each progressing model for me. They Just are a little less Jeep at every redesign.
 

Zandcwhite

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Hagerty's "sweet spot" statement is exactly my question for this thread. Which model is the "sweet spot"?

With a manual transmission, I never really felt the 4.0 lacked power. Having said that, the 3.6 Pentastar offers @50% more power than the 4.0. I have no doubt I will be adequately impressed by the more modern motor! I am beyond "Christmas morning" excited to take possession, whenever that turns out to be, and am open to the possibility that owning a JL will supplant my romantic obsession with the TJ. But, that is a pretty high bar to clear!


That is the crux of the question. How do YOU define it? Highway driveability? Off-road capability? Safety or tech features? Comfort? There is no one right answer. Pinging the latest of the Wrangler ownership, I am curious to see how the majority defines what makes the "best" of a Wrangler.
In my opinion a true jeep is defined by off road capability period. A new JL Rubicon performs better in every off road environment I've ever been in stock vs stock than any previous model. The added power makes it vastly better in terrain where wheel speed and power matter from sand dunes to mud holes to deep snow. The modern midarm suspension makes it vastly better in the open environments like the desert where you can run high speeds over semi- rough terrain. The factory 33's and much lower 1st gear in the 8 speed make it better in the rocks. I can't think of a single terrain where any previous wrangler was better. Even modified the JL is better. With a 2.5" spacer lift, longer shocks, and 37's our jeep is every bit as capable as the ones we fully built on coilovers and long arms in the past. The creature comforts, safety tech, adaptive cruise control,, and massively improved street manners are just a bonus.
 

wv18jl

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Owned 'em all ...
JL by a mile, not even close.
 

WreckEm711

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Objectively the JL is the most capable, and I love it.

But, I think the TJ is the most iconic, and what I picture as the quintessential Jeep: A small, nimble mountain goat bouncing along places where most vehicles have no business being, not the gigantic mountain-dozing mini-monster trucks of today.
 

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Pig-Pen

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The best Wrangler is the one that has your name on the title.
exactly. the one thats paid off! lol.

in reality, you would be driving the one YOU think is the best. have a TJ and a JL but you DD the JL and the TJ is occasionally driven? then obviously you think the JL is the best, despite what you think you feel lol.

i love the LJs. i almost bought one. ended up in the JLU. sooooo glad i did.

same with fox body mustangs. some people are die hard and think theyre the peak of mustangs. they dont even compare to a modern mustang GT. like the TJ, they have their characteristics that make them charming and what we like about them but overall, there just really is no comparison. and much like a fox body mustang, you have to put a ton of $$ into a TJ just to get it to keep up with a bone stock JL lol.

69 camaro ss, best camaro ever made, hands down!!! yeah.....put a bone stock 69 camaro against a stock 2020 camaro SS and see what its better at, besides maybe looks (subjective). of course, dump $50k+ into it like my buddy and then you're starting to get somewhere..lol
 

JeepFiend

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Generally when I think "Jeep" I think either CJ or Willy's. The YJ (Yuppie Jeep) with the square headlights was a bit of a turn off, but it's wider stance and still being leaf sprung was nice. I had a '93 with HO motor and AX5, and it would go anywhere, parts were abundant and moderately affordable and still had that "We die like men" feel to it, and if you had the manual you could run through 4-5' of water and drive it away as long you had a snorkel and didn't depress the clutch. The TJ rode a lot nicer but introduced a lot luxury items that I felt took the "Yuppie" to a whole new level and component prices skyrocketed. And now all this auto start, remote keyless entry, etc. is going even further. It used to be, if you wanted remote keyless entry, you took your doors off. =)
 

Chupacabra

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I had a 2003 TJ 4.0 before getting my JLU. I still miss it sometimes, it just felt "Jeepier" to me. The JL is great and better in almost every regard, but the TJ just felt "different" and unrefined - and I kind of liked that about it. It was also much easier to work on and just simpler all around if you're into that kind of thing.
 

mwilk012

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My 98 TJ was an absolute piece of crap and I loved it. It was getting towed into the shop about once a month when I was in high school. I didn’t even have the 4.0l. The thing was downright dangerous driving onto the highway with fast traffic.
It was the best Jeep I’ve ever owned. Nostalgia is tough to beat.
 

Pinion

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