[mcd227]

Hey everyone- i just joined the forum as I think I have seen the light and am going to purchase a Wrangler

Now the question is which years do i look at and which to kinda avoid.

Some info might help- I live in Florida and it will be my daily driver. Not much daily driving >7 miles each way to work and Home depot on the weekends.... (You know the game...) I may use the rig to occasionally pull a small trailer and a 16' boat. Boat, motor and trailer will weigh only about 1200lbs dry and the trip to the docks is short.
I would possibly lift it in the future and may even do some light trail stuff as well.

I have been looking at 1991-1996 wranglers online and even a couple 1988 and 1989's. Auto or stick doesn't matter and most here in Florida have no rust which is cool.

I guess the questions I am concerned about are:

1) 2.5 4 Cyl Engine- Are the ok for in town( less than 50 mph) driving and will they pull the boat? Gas prices being what they are what kind of mileage will it get?
2) Is the 4.0 engines gas mileage only slightly worse but the power is worth the tradeoff?

3)Any years to tend to stay away from?

I have had a couple 4x4's before, 1988 Toyota 4runner and a 1995 full sized Montero and liked them both. Both were fairly stable and I know with used Jeeps there is a bit more maintanance with them but that's part of the fun I guess.

Thanks in advance to any and all who can offer some advice. It may open up a great can of worms to get this discussion going!!

Mac-D

[WVUJeeper]

Just go new. Run out and ger an Unlimited....right now.

[shunt]

Get one with 4WD...

[Hoobly_Goob]

for towing something, you should probably get an I6, which pretty much gets the same mpg as the I4 does.
I know that earlier year YJs has a 4.2L carbed I6, which aint that great. What you should look for is a 4.0L EFI I6. Which came out around '91 or '92 (I think). If you get a 5 speed, I suggest looking for one that has an external clutch slave cylinder, which I believe began on '92 or '93 models (again, not really sure). Best of luck to ya!

[Piet]

The cheapest way to get a dependable Wrangler is a '92 - '95 YJ with a I6
(Fuel Injected and External Slave on the Transmission)
I have a '94 I4, but I don't tow anything....

Drive it... see if you like it. They are at the bottom og the depreciation curve.... you could always re-sell it for essentially what you paid for it if you don't like it.

[jay-h]

If you go for an older (88-89), an auto will be better for towing, the manuals had problems. Sensibly driven the I6 is not that much worse on gas than the i4 (which was underpowered)

[BamianYJ]

Since most of your driving is around town don't worry about getting "only" a 6 cyl. The 4cyl will do just fine for your use, and i have used mine to pull a few trailers also.

The only time i ever really feel a difference between the 6 and the 4 is on the trails (and sometimes as high speeds, which shouldn't be done anyways)

I would try to steer clear of 87-90's just because they were carb'd and most have the Peugot BA-10 transimission in them, which is definitley not a good thing.

In 1992, the roll cage was extended to allow for rear seat belts, and this was the start of the "full" roll cage.

In 93', Anti-lock brakes were added.

94' wranglers came with a center high-mounted stop light and the slave cylinder was moved outside the transmission's bellhousing for easier access.

And in 95' larger u-joints were used.

The 6 cylinders are a 'little' worse on gas. Not too much, but it will be a slight noticable. Depending on how you operate it.

Good luck man!

[UltimatE]

The 6 cylinder usually gets around the same mileage as the 4 because of the weight to power ratio. Even though its a bigger engine, it has to work a lot less to move the Jeep.

[coachchuck]

I would stay 91 or newer because of fuel injection. But that is just me personally.
How heavy is the boat you are looking at towing?

[mcd227]

Originally Posted by coachchuck

I would stay 91 or newer because of fuel injection. But that is just me personally.
How heavy is the boat you are looking at towing?

Thanks to everyone for all the solid advice on each model. I think 91-95 are where I am going to start looking more seriously.
Although I did ask about the gas mileage it isn't too much of a concern. They do use it but the fun factor is worth more to me that a few extra bucks at the pump.

The boat is fairly light - Boat motor and trailer are about 1100lbs. The majority of the time I will be towing it 1 mile to the intercoastal here in Florida. I probably will not go more that 10 miles each way to a ramp but wanted to make sure the 2.5 could do it and get it out with not a lot of issues.

Thanks again keep you posted.

JM

[UltimatE]

From what I've seen looking for a wrangler up here, all YJ's of the same year go for the same price, regardless of engine.

Might be a different market in FL though. You sure won't be disappointed with a YJ