Need a new DD Jeep for my wife - WK/JK/????

Blaze

Blaze

The Jeeper Reaper
Joined
Aug 9, 2005
Location
Wake Forest, NC
So my wife's Trailblazer is getting a little long in the tooth and we are needing to get her a good replacement. It has 240k miles and we've had it since it was almost new. Last night the cat plugged up on her way home and it came to the shop on the hook. It is a good vehicle, but she drives 30 miles each way to work in the morning down I-85 and through Durham, so I really want to get her into something that is a little newer. She was luckily a couple exits outside of Durham when she broke down, can't imagine a pretty little white chick sitting on E. Club Blvd.........

But I digress.

I want to put her in a Jeep this time, because we obviously have a Jeep business and if she ever needs parts it will be easy to just grab some parts off the shelf. We are going back and forth about what to get, and are thinking either a WK Grand or a JK Wrangler. We are obviously going to pay more for a JK over a WK, but it will hold its value better. I prefer to get a JK, but she said she is worried it won't be as comfortable driving to work and get a lot worse gas mileage. Plus she says she doesn't want to get it just because it is cooler than a WK, and that we have the CJ8 and XJ as our cool Jeeps.

I have a lot of customers who come in here with both Jeeps and talk to them all and they all seem to like them, so not sure which way to go. Anyone own them, and have any advice? All of the Jeeps we run through here are WJ and older so don't have much experience with these newer ones.
 
My wife DDs a 2007 JK rubicon and has done so since we bought it new. Not lifted, stock tires, auto.

It is REALLY just an SUV! It is comparable in size, ride and comfort to my Grand Wagoneers (Full-size jeep not WJ or XJ).

with a LIGHT foot I can average 19+ MPGs even city driving. I've had it well over 20 mpg on the highway. With mash and go driving it will probably get more in the 15-17 range.

Not quite as comfortable/posh as a WJ though.
 
My wife drove a 95 ZJ for the last 13 years. We replaced it with an 08 4runner last year and I don't regret it one bit. She was set on a WK Grand Cherokee, but after driving a ton of different SUV's, we both liked the 4runner more than any of them. The build quality was top notch, and nothing else had as much cargo space in a similarly sized SUV. Also the combination of power and fuel economy seemed better on the Toyota 4.0 V6 than anything else (because I couldn't talk her in to a diesel SUV).

I know thats not a Jeep, but I say this because we were dead set on a WK, and pretty much completely against a Toyota. It was the last thing we drove, and we only drove it just so that we could check it off the list and move on. Also, there's actually room under the hood to work on it, unlike most of the newer jeeps I've seen.

As far as JK vs WK, The WK is a better driver, but the JK outweighs it by a long shot as far as cool factor and resale value. They made a lot of mid-year tweaks to the 08 WK's that make the interior feel a lot nicer. The 07 WK's we drove felt cheap, the 08's felt nice. With all that said, I'd buy a wrecked JK from one of the car auctions, preferably one that had front corner damage. Put aftermarket bumper and fenders on it, and let the pretty little white chick roll around with your company logo on the side in a lifted JK ;)
 
I've been keeping my eyes open for some JKs at auction, but they still go for stupid money. Last one I saw went for around $7k and then needed a few thousand worth of work to get it on the road. Granted, I'd still come out way ahead that way, but I can't put that kind of cash out with where we're at right now with things.

And yes, the fact that I could put my business logo on a lifted JK that my wife drives did cross my mind. It is very good advertising. :lol: She gets tons of guys asking her about her lifted Trailblazer. Know how many people have asked me about it when I drive it? ZERO. :lol:
 
Get the JK, it's the only real Jeep left anyway.

Just as much room as the WK, probably same mpg. I find my JKU to be quite comfy.

Although I wouldn't get a JK with the 3.8l turd motor.
 
Toyota Sienna for the win. I know you have kids, lol.












Lifted JK with business sign on the door sounds like the clear winner.
 
No minivans, we have decided that long ago. I did own one for while.....but that was because I sold all my cars to pay for college and my dad gave me his old one. :lol:

I figure the JK has to be at least as nice, if not nicer and ride better than her current Trailblazer. She is mostly worried about it being a loud, drafty ride since she drives so much.
 
We have a 2011 Liberty. My wife was set on a new Grand when we were looking but couldn't find anything in our price range that wasn't bone stock. As we were leaving we seen the Liberty that was fully loaded for 5k less than a bone stock grand. it's got the same towing capacity as a WK and JK with the factory towing option.
 
I threw that out there last night, she wasn't crazy about the way they looked.

The big thing with the Grands is that, like you said, the ones that seem to be the most affordable look like rental cars inside.
 
Try to steer clear of JK'S with the 3.8. I had one for awhile lifted on 35's & it was horrible. They definitely aren't built for comfort or speed but have great cargo space! As much as I love Jeeps, I traded mine for an '06 4runner limited & absolutely love it! Comfortable, lots of power, decent fuel mileage, & heated seats (a luxury I can no longer live without).
 
Really the only things we are considering are the Wrangler/Grand. No foreign cars. I know blah blah blah made here, whatever. I grew up in a steel family and we only bought the Big Three and that's all I'll ever buy.

OK, so I did own a Subaru, but not for long before I sold it for a Chevy. That was my post-bailout rebellion. :lol:

Trying to stick with Jeeps because that is what my business is and I know I'll always have parts lying around for it when stuff breaks.
 
Blaze said:
I want to put her in a Jeep this time, because we obviously have a Jeep business and if she ever needs parts it will be easy to just grab some parts off the shelf....
...All of the Jeeps we run through here are WJ and older so don't have much experience with these newer ones.
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First off I'm obviously a Jeep guy, but I don't see the logic here. If you put her in a JK or WK, you're not going to be pulling WJ and older parts off the shelf for it. Completely different beasts. And as Shawn suggested, there are much better options for DDs
 
Unless your going to wheel it I'd stay clear of a JK. That's a lot of money to spend on a jeep and not use it for it's intended purpose. I would recommend a Toyota 4Runner(3rd or 4th gen) but since your dead set on imported domestics guess that won't fly.
 
cj777 said:
First off I'm obviously a Jeep guy, but I don't see the logic here. If you put her in a JK or WK, you're not going to be pulling WJ and older parts off the shelf for it. Completely different beasts. And as Shawn suggested, there are much better options for DDs
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I'll eventually have those parts, right now I only have up to WJs but will have the others since I just moved into the bigger shop and will be carrying more inventory.

And I really don't like the 4-runners. We have family with them, they are uncomfortable to me and I don't like them even if I would be inclined to buy a Toyota.
 
I drive a lifted, 6 speed, 3.8 powered JK on 35's everyday and love it. I put a shit ton of miles on it every week :)

Daily beater, beach trips, mountain trips, wheeling, etc. Don't want for nothing.

For the wife, though, I'd go with the WK. We have a WJ and she loves driving it. I can't see her in a JK unless it was a four door, stock height with a hard top (hmmm...)
 
How about this Toyota Sienna?

a2.bp.blogspot.com__Kzj6wZ23sts_VYyVi3glorI_AAAAAAAADWc_fo8xrUP32J4_s1600_toyota.jpg
 
I've been a big fan of my wife's WK. It's the Overland model, so it has a decent tow rating ~6,500lbs and a nice 0 - 60mph. We're around 95,000 miles on it (30,000 are ours).

Know this about WK's though- they all suffer from a computer glitch that causes issues with 4-low.

Here's the wife's with a 2" lift, 32"s, and a hidden winch:

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We have both a JKU and the WKII. My wife DD's the WK with the 3.6 in it and averages right at 21MPG. Its got all the creature comforts and runs great down the road. Our JK isn't even close to stock but up until the recent round of mods I drove it daily and we took it on numerous trips as far away as Florida and NJ on 40's. Nowhere near as comfy as the WK but you can put the top down and go wheeling. If I were looking for my wife again I'd say go with a WK.
 
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