V8 Jeep Wrangler on 35's . . . running fast on a road corse (vid)

[kognito]

Originally Posted by lupinsea

Well, if you're serious you might be in luck.


AEV Brute Double Cab info.




Also, if you're looking for some kind of camper set up, there are a number of companies that outfit a "regular" 4-door Wrangler with a camper setup. They aren't exactly "pretty" but they are out there and available. Here is just one of them.

Actually, the jeep dealer around the corner from me just brought in a very nice 2011 2 door Rubicon, 14K miles, fairly loaded, 6sp manual, hardtop with "T" tops in front.

Rairdon's seems like a kinda expensive dealer though, they have mark up stickers on their "Call of Duty" jeep, and mark ups on their "good" Chargers and Challengers

[Nick M3]

Lup, Mike has a rust free YJ with a V8 in it if you're in the market.

[lupinsea]

Originally Posted by kognito

Actually, the jeep dealer around the corner from me just brought in a very nice 2011 2 door Rubicon, 14K miles, fairly loaded, 6sp manual, hardtop with "T" tops in front.

Rairdon's seems like a kinda expensive dealer though, they have mark up stickers on their "Call of Duty" jeep, and mark ups on their "good" Chargers and Challengers

OOooo.... hm... Rairdon. Yeah.

My friend tried to buy his Jeep through them but they kept trying to screw him over, not honor legal obligations they had for discounts to Microsoft employees. At one point they were actually shouting and yelling at him on the show room floor.

Needless to say he bailed on them.

If you're interested in the JKs . . .

2007 - 2010
Not much had changed on these years. Might as well get the oldest version in reasonable condition to keep acquisition prices down.

2011
This was the first year with the updated interior. . . and it's a SIGNIFICANTLY nicer interior just short of the new Grand Cherokees and blows anything else from Jeep out of the water. Otherwise, drivetrain remains the same.

2012
First year of the new Pentastar V6. It adds 80hp more power AND better fuel economy. Not to mention the updated interior. But, it'll also be the most expensive at this point since it's the newest.


As to what trim line to get. . . Depends on what you want out of the vehicle.

Honestly, unless you're doing hardcore Jeep trails I don't think I'd bother with the Rubicon edition. It's cool but what makes it special are the lockers in the HD axles, the 4:1 transfer case, and the electronic swaybar disco. None of which is worth the money unless you're actually using / needing it. Even a basic Jeep will go LOTS of places should you be interested in venturing off pavement.

X Trim - Base model
Sahara - Simply cosmetics (nicer seats, body-color fender flares, etc.)
Rubicon - Offroad package


Anyways, were it me and if I wanted to keep costs down and I wanted one of the new JKs I think I'd be looking at one of the '07-10 Wranglers that's slightly beat up (some scratches or dings) but is in otherwise good conditions. These were vehicles that were made to be used, having some wear on them just adds to the charm.

But a quick survey of craigslist right now turns up insane prices, still, considering some of the Jeeps are 5 years old.

Crap, I forgot how well Wranglers retained their resale value.

[kognito]

I literally just got back again from Rairdon, and left there LMAO!! EVERYTHING on their lot is marked with at least 4999 AMV stickers! so even more than 4999


Adjusted Market Value out here in Monroe???!!!???

I think my exact words were "Adjusted value on everything?? This shows me what kind of dealer you are. Have a nice day" (laughing all the way back to my car)

But, yeah, I do want to go off road. What is consensus here?? Automatics or clutch?? Back east our trails weren't as "hairy" as some of your pictures, and most liked manuals better than automatics. I have always like the control of a stick better than an automatic, but sometimes if you are hanging half way out your window or door, it is better if your left foot doesn't have to work.

[lupinsea]

Honestly, it all comes down to personal preference and what you intend to do with the vehicle.

Guys with manuals have been wheel'n Washington's trails since the 50's. And it's probably still the dominant transmission choice. But it's changing. That said, having first cut my teeth with a manual offroad for years, and then discovering the awesomeness the automatics bring to trail work . . . I'm never going back. It's automatic from here out. And all my friends that I know who have experienced automatics on the trail also never go back to manuals. Not to mention that all the insane rock crawling competition rigs have pretty much all ditched manuals in favor of automatics for several years now.

The issue is that while manuals are "more fun" and let you have more control over the selection of gears, the automatics give more control over the whole vehicle. The autos offer smoother power delivery throughout the drivetrain, they are easier on the axles, and they have much slower "crawl ratios" for really technical terrain. On steep hills and very precarious situations you don't have to worry about juggling three pedals.

That isn't to say manuals don't have their place or that you can't work your rig over the trails with a manual. But I know my preference. One of the guys on Jeepforum who's been wheel'n for probably 40+ years coined the idea: "the tougher the trail, the more the automatics shine."

Anyways, if you're ever interested in heading out on the trail just let me know. You're more than welcome to get behind the wheel of my Jeep and give it a go.

Also, out of curiosity, what type of "offroading" are you intersted in doing?

There are the more techincal trails in the state which are a lot of fun. Stuff that I do which might require winching over rocks and logs, and slogging through mud.

There is general gravel forest road exploration with thousands and thousands of miles of state and federal forest roads to explore. You don't "need" an SUV for these types of roads, let a lone a truck or Jeep. Though trucks, SUVs, and Jeeps will be more at home in the mountains.

Then there is overlanding which usually blends a little of the forest road and offroad travel. You don't need a rig set up to the extreme for the technical trails. But it's more intense travel than simply gravel roads.

[kognito]

Originally Posted by lupinsea

Anyways, if you're ever interested in heading out on the trail just let me know. You're more than welcome to get behind the wheel of my Jeep and give it a go.

Also, out of curiosity, what type of "offroading" are you untested in doing?

Here's the thing. I am interested in heading out onto the trails in this area.

I have been trail riding enough back east to know you don't go out on trails alone. (I was painfully reminded of this rule when I was stupid enough to take our rabbit down Shafer's pass west of Moab) I also have spent more time trail riding as a passenger than as a driver, and I would like to put together a trail jeep. Could see making another trip back to Moab, once properly equipped.

Before I met her, my wife owned a Bronco 4x4 when she lived in the back woods in Colorado, so I know I have her blessing on a purchase.

Again, you and Kevin, and a few new neighbors, are the people I know here in WA, + don't go out alone = yeah, I am interested in doing something with you and your friends.

I know I have much to learn, and I am not going to buy an education at Rairdon! and once the Volvo is picked up, I know there will be some smoldering bucks in my pocket

[lupinsea]

Ok, well, this gets interesting . . .

You could go a couple ways if you're looking for a Jeep, particularly a Wrangler:

Expensive or not quite as expensive.


The Expensive way would be to get one of the later model JK Wranglers, the current generation. Then build that up.

Or, get an older Jeep and build that up.

If it is largely to be a trail machine you probably won't be driving it much on the road. . . so getting an older rig is more reasonable. To give you some idea, I use my Jeep for the trail as well as a utility vehicle (with a utility trailer) for household duties. Since I bought it I've averaged about 5,000 miles per year and it gets driven a couple times a month.

Say it (very) fast and these are some of the other costs:

$1000 - Set of knobby, big-ish tires
$1200 - Regear both axles depending on tire size / transmission combo
$500-1000 - suspension lift, good quality
$200-400 - armor (rock rails, um, maybe something else)
$500 - New rear driveshaft / t-case output modification (depending on lift ht)
$100 - CB setup
$150 - Set of recovery gear (minimum regardless of anything else)
$1000 - Winch and mounting stuff

Plus there is also always more stuff you can get. The point being is this, regardless of which vehicle (Jeep or other rig) there will be some not insignificant costs to improve it's trail prowess which increases capability and decrease potential for vehicle damage.

A stock Wrangler can drive on MOST of the WA trails but you'll be scraping and throttling your way over a lot of stuff and incurring more damage. . . but you "can" do it.

Build it up a little with a modest lift (~2") and some different tires of the knobby, mud-terrain variety and you can cover the same trails much easier with much less chance of damage and more finesse. Add a little armor, particularly some rock rails for the rocker panels and it's even better.

Of course, you can go nuts, too, with the full-zoot "offroad" stuff.

Boy, there's a bunch to it and I don't want to necessarily go off the deep end in this thread. Suffice to say, there is a balance point between what you want to get out of the rig, how durable you want it to be, the trails you want to run, and price point.

And it doesn't all have to be done at once, too.

Now, I'm thinking Wrangler in particular here because, well, it's what I know and they are a very good all-around trail machine. It's fun to take the top and doors off, they are light(ish), and very nimble with the short wheel base and short overhangs. Almost like they were designed for trail use. Huh, imagine that. And the Wranglers have a staggeringly phenomenal amount of aftermarket support. Just mind boggling. I have more info on these if you want to pick my brain or are looking for suggestions.

The second most popular that I see on NW trails are the Jeep Cherokees.... those old boxy ones made from 1987 to 2001. They are among the best of the SUVs, IMO, in terms of balancing size (not too big, not too heavy) and capability.

Other rigs: Next up are the FJ40 Land Cruisers. Very cool, tough, durable, and capable trail machines but they are also very old. Then there are the Toyota compact pick-up trucks. Guys chop those up into buggies and they get pretty hardcore with them. While I respect the heck of the guys and what they do they are not my thing. Also a little rednecky for me. Oh, you'll probably see a lot of them up in Monroe. Ahem. . .

[lupinsea]

To add....


Just did a quick perusal of craigslist. There are a bunch of early 2000 - 2002 4.0L I-6 TJs (my era Wrangler) with 5 spd manuals in the $9-10k asking range with about 100 - 120k miles on them.

Compare this to a lot of JKs that are still int he upper teens to low 20k asking range, even for the older ones ('07+)

Some were already lifted, though, who knows what kind of quality of lift it has or how good of job the guys did putting it together. I dont' want to dissuade you from lifted or modified rigs but buyer beware.

A friend of mine bought a massively lifted and modified rig, probably had ~$8-10k worth of quality upgrades on it, for literally just a few pennies on the dollar. In fact, I think he bought it for the same price I bought my bone stock Jeep (that I then added several thousand in parts to). But he also knew what he was looking for so . . .

Anyways, lots of info.

Let me know if you want any feed back on stuff.