Quote:
Originally Posted by FC
I agree with 100%. I understand what a Wrangler is about. That is why I like it. Now, that doesn't mean I will go do serious off roading often. But I do expect to have several experiences through places normal cars (or at least MY other cars) will not be able to get through. Try going to any state park in this area in the spring or after rainy summer rainstorm and the roads/trails parking areas are are a muddy, rocky mess. The family convertible thing is also extremely appealing. I love that you can hose off the interior and in fact am bummed about no vinyl seats (although being a convertible, cloth seats are probably good to prevent 3rd degree burns in hot, sunny, summer days. I don't expect it to be refined or ride nicely. I expect it to be pretty bruttish and crappy on the street. I'm ok with that. It will be rarely driven. The only time I will care about the ride in the street is on the way to having fun - like hwy drives to NH, etc.
I am not trying to argue that I need this car. But it fills a niche and performs all the dirty work so the other cars (all of them, sporty, low, nice) don't have to. It's a luxury, a toy. If I were to spend $$$ on a snowmobile and a jet ski nobody would care. But I think of spend money on a Wrangler and all of a sudden some of you start telling me it doesn't make sense for me to buy one?
I see this potential future wrangler purchase as nothing more than a cooler and more expensive version of the Jeep Cherokee idea I've floated around a lot in the past here.
Would a Wrangler be underused if I owned one? Sure, but so are many people's pick up trucks. And not for lack of wanting.
If I buy a weekend sportscar, I honestly feel it would actually make less sense than a wrangler. A roadster would be used purely for fun drives. It would perform no other fucntion than to attempt to make me smile. A Wrangler would actually do stuff no other car in the garage can do and perform other needs better.
FWIW, other options for the spare SUV include the 4Runner, TLC, GM SUV, etc. I just feel that if it's going to fill a niche, better go all out and get something special. The idea of taking the whole family + dog in a convertible jeep out for ice cream in the summer seems like fun. They hold their value ridiculously well too, so that's good.
Anyhow, I don't feel I need to explain myself, but I just did anyhow. This was simply a thread on my impressions of the car.
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Ah. . . sorry about that. I just wanted to make sure you weren't setting yourself up for, um, disappointment in the ride/handling department. From reading other posts you seem very particular in your other cars.
I didn't want to talk you out of it. . . hell, I think they're fun as all get-out! They're just a different kind of fun than sports cars and performance sedans. And you're right, the Wranglers are a very particular breed that I think would fulfill many of your needs/wants in a utility vehicle while offering some fun features the others won't (convertivle, doors off, etc., etc.).
To my warped Jeeper mind they seem like a logical choice if one doesn't do a lot of heavy towing.
As for retaining their value. . . Oof! Tell me about it. That's good for owners. . . bad for potential used Wrangler buyers.