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Are Jeeps trashy vehicles?

4K views 36 replies 34 participants last post by  mississippi_xj 
#1 ·
Okay, listen, I know everyone on here are huge jeep fans, but are jeeps more prone to extra vehicle problems than other makes? This is only my second vehicle. My first was a Ford Ranger and I bought it with higer mileage than I did the Jeep and two years older, and hardly ever had any large problems with it. I've had this Jeep for not even two months and payed a lot more for it than I did my last vehicle and it has all sorts of problems that are noticeable. I'm not slamming Jeeps, but are Ford's just a higher quality vehicle?
 
#2 ·
What exactly has gone wrong, and where did you get the Jeep from? I think you will find the 4.0 engine will last 200K+ miles easily, if well taken care of. Your sig shows it is an SE model. Did you buy yours at a government auction?
 
#3 ·
Chrysler

insurrection151 said:
Okay, listen, I know everyone on here are huge jeep fans, but are jeeps more prone to extra vehicle problems than other makes? This is only my second vehicle. My first was a Ford Ranger and I bought it with higer mileage than I did the Jeep and two years older, and hardly ever had any large problems with it. I've had this Jeep for not even two months and payed a lot more for it than I did my last vehicle and it has all sorts of problems that are noticeable. I'm not slamming Jeeps, but are Ford's just a higher quality vehicle?
I've been working at an auto auction for the past 8 years, trust me, EVERY CAR can trashy. Chrysler's obviously do tend to go through transmissions and have more problems relating to accessories (a/c, starters, etc...) However, I'll step out on a limb to say that the jeep line (4.0L engines) is one of the most reliable of the chrysler products.

I'd feel much better in a 92-98 cherokee or grand cherokee than a same year gmc / chevy blazer or ford explorer, those things always seem to have problems here. Both of which are about the same size / price vehicles.

Just my 2 cents,
 
#4 ·
Depending on your primary reason for owning a suv.

Say a ford explorer vs Jeep Xj ..

The cost of anew/used ford is hier and are prone to tranny and elec problems.

Where the jeep XJ so far seems to need regular maintance unless a offroad machine and I think every one here will agree Jeep rule the off road.

I read once that 70% of offroaders drive jeeps 25% drive toyotas and 5% all other makes.

Then i have to say the jeep XJ and the comache truck are the tuffest looking beasts on the road or off.

And jeep owner loyaty is right up there with a lil american company that makes motercycles(HD)

MY biggest problem is that DIamler crysler owns the rights..thats why i refused to buy a new jeep I refuse to give mopar my money directly..lol

I can get any mopar with the A_plan most of my family retired from their.
 
#5 ·
JUST
EMPTY
EVERY
POCKET
 
#6 ·
Fix
Or
Repair
Daily

Found
On
Road
Dead

Honestly, Family members of mine have owned Fords, and they were pieces of crap.. It all depends on previous owners if it was used, and how you actually drive it.

It's really hard to say since you arent the orig. owner. This argument could go on all day, but it really all comes down to that. I wouldnt trade my Jeep for anything.
 
#7 ·
I read that Jeep acronym in a Jeep mag several years ago, and found it funny. I think it referenced the high cost of jeep parts vs. other manufacturers.

No offence was meant. :thumbsup:
 
#8 ·
JEEPS are Trashy

All you have to do to make a Jeep "trashy" is to NOT clean it out every now and then, like mine. It's been cleaned out twice a year now for the last 10 years and no more.

I LOVE my Trashy Jeeps.

Now IMHO, putting a Jeep up against any other vehicle is ridiculous. Jeeps are in a class all by themselves as all other SUV and Utility type vehicles have copied what Willys, AMC and now Chrysler has done with them.

There have been improvements made with other makes, but nothing can out perform a real JEEP.

Like when Bantam motors designed and built the very first "Jeep". Ford copied the design and mass produced the vehicle that was "taken" from them for the "war effort". So, you see, every "jeep" type vehicle is just a copy of the original so why not own an original instead of a "clone"?

Sarcasm abounds when I'm in this mood....... :cool:
 
#9 ·
When I got my Jeep last year, it had been sitting. I don't think it was ever driven aggressively much but it WAS driven plenty offroad. All I've had to replace to this day is a belt and alternator, and I do love to drive my Jeep aggressively sometimes ;) Gotta love the 4.0L.

~Mellow
 
#10 ·
Jeeper's Keepers

Would I own another vehicle instead of my XJ? Not a chance. I love that machine! I bought it in the fall of 1999, when it had 123K on the clock. It now has 242K, and still runs like a top (frantically looking for a piece of wood to knock on...). It's reliable, dependable, tough and kicks *** off road.

The PO had let it fall into various stages of disrepair, but I saw the potential through all its problems (mostly oil leaks and in need of a major tune up). Being this is an early vintage XJ, I had the typical closed system cooling problems, but that has now been remedied into an open system.

The overall design of the rig is simplistic in nature, making most mods fairly easy. Locating upgrades for it is absolutely no problem, as it is a very popular vehicle to modify. I agree, the 4.0's are strong runners. So far, the automatic tranny and xfer case seem to be bullet proof. What more can I ask for?

When Jeeps break, we fix them...
 
#11 ·
I have to say that I really like my jeeps nothing will beat them off road that is for sure and that's why I own them. I live off road and don't have any maintenance on my road that goes for snow to and they have never let me down. But one thing is for sure is that they are very high maintenance. I have owned 4 jeeps now and they all have had very costly problems. That's why when I get one I always make sure to go with a warranty on it :rtft: . I may just have bad luck but after 4 jeeps all having major problems :brickwall , and we always take care of them and don't abuse them. I think personally that Chrysler could do a few more things to them to make them a little more reliable, IMO most of the things that I have had go up in my jeeps there was no excuse for breaking. I mean if you just look at the stats on jeep reliability they speak for themselves so do the stats off road ;) . Don't get me wrong I still like them a lot and they are the best off road. If you are planning on getting something to take off road look no further than a jeep :thumbsup: . But if not, if you are just looking for a daily driver try something a little more reliable. I'm not meaning to piss anyone off I still love jeeps I'm just saying how things are. And be prepared to work on them a good bit at least in my experience :laugh:. But like I've been saying over and over nothing comes close to them off road :D
 
#12 ·
Since I bought my 88 XJ almost three two and half years I never replace anything major. So far all I replace was the Alt, water pump, oil pump, timing chain, starter, belt and battery. In any vehicle this stuff is going to go sooner or later. The oil pump and timing chain did not needed to be replace but I did as a safety precaution so I didn't get stuck in the middle of winter trying to replace them. The motor is going to get replaced because it is finally starting to show how the previous owner took care of it. I will never own anything else other then a jeep.
I don't do no offroading but during the winter this jeep kicks a$$ everytime. I live in WNY so winters tend to get bad up here but I never got stuck in my xj. My father owned a 86 xj back when we got the seven foot of snow up here three years. There was seven people stuck in the jeep for 17 hours. We went where ever we wanted to (if there was no vehicles stuck ahead of us). The snow was up around the headlights and not once did we spin a tire. It was stock setup the tires were only 225/75/R15.
As for the ford saying I got a good I made up with my father
F'king
Old
Roach
Died.
He had asthma when I told him this one he laughed so much he took an asthma attack.
 
#13 ·
My favorite line is, "It doesn't matter what ya got, it's gonna break!"

The vehicle I have with the fewest problems is my 73 VW Beetle. The VW engine matches the Jeeps off-road presence. Most sand rails use air-cooled VWs than any other engine. Then there's all those VW Bajas out there. The Jeeps have probably the best engineered drivelines, go Dana!!! I've owned 3 Jeeps (a full sized Cherokee, a CJ, and an XJ) and each of them used Dana axles. I don't have any beefs with GM or any other manufacturer, but I've had more mechanical problems with my 83 S-10. My sister had a Ranger 4x4 that I felt was junk because it was always breaking down.

Yes, Jeeps have not had very good transmissions, especially the manuals. They have used the BA-10 from Peugot and the Asin which is used in Toyotas. Jeeps also have the weakest leaf springs I've ever seen. Not a day goes by I don't see a CJ or XJ or even an old Wagoneer sagging in the rear.

Ford has made a few crappy auto trannies, the A4LD, the C-3 and the AOD has given people the most trouble. GMs have the TH 200 series that isn't very strong. Chrysler automatics are among the most dependable that I've owned. I had 67 Plymouth fury with the TF 727 that was awesome and 902 is a durable trans.

Anything will break!
 
#14 ·
I agree with the above comments. Jeeps have excellent power trains. I have 222, 000 k on my rig, and have the original transmission (knock on wood). This is made more impressive by the fact that the p/o towed a trailer half way across the country every summer. I change the fluids and filters RELIGIOUSLY so I think this helps avoid potential problems.

I think some casual owners or people who aren't in the know, have had a tendancy to bag the hell out of their Jeeps, then complain that the Jeep costs a lot to maintain as they put on yet another new part. These Jeeps can go almost anywhere, they just need to be driven carefully and with some degree of intelligence.

There's an old saying coined by U.S. army tankers: "take care of your tank, and it will take care of you." I can easily equate this to my Jeep. :thumbsup:
 
#15 ·
My Jeep is a daily driver, and it has over 200k miles on it. It has the original powertrain and motor. I don't do offroading in the winter, aside from leveling snowbanks in my front yard trying to get through, and I rarely use 4WD in the summer, even when I'm in the couny forest hauling a ton of wood. ;) Though I'd probably use my 4WD more if I didn't have a bad front axle. It "tings" when you use it LOL :p

~Mellow
 
#16 ·
I have a buddy whose been a mechanic for ten years and works at a dealership.

He assures me that all cars are junk.

;)

Hope this helps.

Steve

PS I'm traditionally a Ford guy. Late model Mustangs are super reliable cars, as are F-150s, 250s etc.

However, Tempos, 80s rangers and Bronco IIs, and anything with a 3.8 V6 is a POS that it will make your wallet *bleed*. A new Ranger with a 4.0 SOHC is an M80 with the fuse lit.
 
#17 ·
I strongly believe that XJ's are actually quite reliable vehicles give that the previous owners took good care of them and that you do the same. Doing regular maintainence goes a long way. I've owned 2 XJ's and both have been very reliable for me. If your going to lift them and go 4x4'ing all the time, well expect to pay a lot more in maintainence when things break on the trails due to direct damage and/or extra wear and tear. I'm not by any means saying you shouldn't go off road in fear that something will break! That's what Jeeps are built for. I am saying that a daily driver XJ that is well taken care of is a very reliable vehicle in my opinion. If they were such unreliable vehicles, then why do they seem to get good ratings from sites like the following as well?

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/default.aspx?state=used&make=Jeep&model=Cherokee&src=LeftNav#used

XJ's are simply the best SUV out there in my opinion :) and i'm not biased in any way of course either! :)
 
#18 ·
this jeep is my 3rd vehicle. my first was a 1987 mazda truck given to me by my dad. i drove the hell out of it and never had a problem with it, which suprised me considering the shape it was in. i next got a honda accord and also drove the hell out of it with few problems, now my sister is driving it. now i am in the jeep and the problem is when i drive it hard stuff breaks. as long as im not too hard on it its very reliable. sure, its not the most reliable car, but i wouldnt trade it for anything.
 
#19 ·
I've had My 96' XJ for about four months now and the only thing that's given Me a problem is the lack of stuff to fidle with. :p It's down right boring not having stuff to fix like I did with My Ford F150. :laugh: :rofl: But seriously I've had a few old rusty bolts give Me a hard time but that's about it. :D I LOVE MY XJ. I woulden't trade it for a chance to live twice. :laugh:
 
#20 ·
My jeep has been sucking the money out of my pocket like mad. I havent even gotten to drive it anywhere other than a repair shop.

My '96 Ford windstar my parents bought used in 98. Its held up to all my friends stuffing our bikes in it and sliding around corners, burn outs in the parking lot, monster trucking over curbs and everything. Its great.

I cant even drive my jeep down the road without problems. Hopefully they will be fixed soon though.
 
#21 ·
I used to have a buddy who worked in a DC shop, and I have seen copies of receipts of older XJs with 500K+ on the odometer. The engines were rebuilt, but the point remains. Jeep is by far the best line that DC puts out for American vehicles.
 
#22 ·
I have owned a majority of GM vehicles. Everything from a sports car, a older hot rod, a K5 4wd blazer, and a pickup. I currently own the 93 XJ, a 96 GMC (1500 sierra) pickup, and a 88 Mustang GT. Out of all of them, the XJ has been the most fun to work on.

I curse the day I ever picked up that mustang! The GMC is my baby, it runs like a top. I have barely had to put any cash into the truck at all. It's a 96 with only 79K on the odo.

I treat the GMC and the XJ like they are part of the family. In return they treat me great.













 
#23 ·
The Illness

I have owned my 94 XJ since April of this year. I have the Jeep bug! I had a friend back in the day that was into lifting Jeeps and only had Jeeps for the most part, like 4 of them. He died in a violent car wreck a couple years ago, but I swear the bug is contagious. I owned 2 Plymouth cars, 3 Ford Rangers, and Isuzu pickup, a now my XJ. The Rangers were all new and never had a chance to break, but the last 2001 was a heap. It lacked power and wheeled like a brick. They looked sweet, but were ineffective against the bug. I researched Jeeps for a good year before I got one, and I cannot stop spending money on it, a small obsession. Part of it is the community in which you belong. Other Jeep owners always give that knowing glance, that yeah, we have kick *** vehicles...stock or modified. I would not trade my Jeep for anything, but another Jeep. Trashy...I think not, I think the perception is skewed if anyone thinks that. They obviously never went on a Jeep adventure, try itand you will see :drool:
 
#24 ·
The only major problems i've had with my xj is stuff i've caused by wheelin' it hard off road. other than stuff broken off road i've have very few problems. i had to replace both brake and clutch master cylenders but other than that i've had no problems (knock on wood). most of my friends have cars that have problems all the time. one of them has an old bronco and it sits in his driveway more than anywhere else. he's had so many problems with that thing. not to mess with fords, i'd rather have a ford over other makes beside jeep of course. but from my experience the xj is very reliable.
dave
 
#25 ·
this completely turned into a "the truth abou tyour love for your jeep" thread.

As far as Ford's go, if they're bought new and taken care of regularly, they will last you beautifully. My dad has a 94 aerostar that's in as good condition as my 98 XJ. As far as used Ford's, it all depends on thep revious owner, but I haven't really heard good things from that. My friend had a 90 mustang that didn't cause him any problems... but it was a 4 banger... I never knew Ford put 4 cylinder engines in mustangs... they should be slapped for that. :mad:

Really though, I do greatly find the XJ quite easy to work on compared to other vehicles. I just changed out the radiator yesterday in an Isuzu Rodeo and oh my goodness the difficulty to just reach some of those parts and pieces was insane. :brickwall I never have those problems when I do work on the XJ.

A lot of people think that Jeeps take in large amounts of money cuz they're problem cars... it's not really the case. At least not for the majority. But with any car it all depends on previous owner and/or age. I agree with an above posts that all cars can be classified as a POS. I will say that Jeeps completely rock when it comes to off-roading though, very few other vehicles can meet the class that jeep is in. :thumbsup:
 
#26 ·
It is after all, A Chrysler product. I own one and although the engine will last, every thing else arround it will fall apart!

insurrection151 said:
Okay, listen, I know everyone on here are huge jeep fans, but are jeeps more prone to extra vehicle problems than other makes? This is only my second vehicle. My first was a Ford Ranger and I bought it with higer mileage than I did the Jeep and two years older, and hardly ever had any large problems with it. I've had this Jeep for not even two months and payed a lot more for it than I did my last vehicle and it has all sorts of problems that are noticeable. I'm not slamming Jeeps, but are Ford's just a higher quality vehicle?
 
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