I think I know the answer to this, but it probably wouldn't be the smartest idea to get a Wrangler for a DD when I have a 70 mile round trip for work every day? Situation is we recently moved to Colorado and looking for something to replace my '12 F-150 that's RWD. I made it through last winter, but it certainly limits us on some trips we'd like to make. Want something fairly practical but also that we can enjoy in the mountains.
Looking into:
Wrangler
JGC
4-Runner - but have heard they're kind of a dog in the mountains, but do see them all over.
Any other ideas?

Land
Cruiser

My price point probably gets in the way of that? Trying to keep it under $40k

That would be nice but not sure I could wait that long. Would like something before year-end to enjoy as much of the winter season as possible.

agdaddy04 said:

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My price point probably gets in the way of that? Trying to keep it under $40k

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2010-2014 although I'm partial to the 03-07 model

Grand Cherokee?

Yes that's at the top of my list. Just concerned about reliability some.

I do like the look of the one you posted in the other thread, congrats. Were they making any extreme deals at all? Where'd you pick it up at? Had a horrible experience with the Jeep dealer in Tomball last December.

Subaru Outback

Lesbians love them.

Seriously. Outback. Very practical DD.

I have a Wrangler and have occasionally driven it to and from work (70 mi round trip). Filling up for gas on Wednesday and Friday gets old real quickly.

A Wrangler opens up a lot of fun possibilities for the summer between western Colorado and Utah. The new JLs drive better on the highway and get better gas mileage with the turbo 4. I'm a little biased, though.

I like the Wrangler choice. Just moved to Utah and really wishing I could have convinced my wife to get the Wrangler instead of the JGC prior to moving. They're really nice on these trails.

Would consider the diesel with the 400 something torq

My daily driver is a 2020 Wrangler Rubicon. MSRP - $60K. Pretty much every option available.

I recommend buying a Grand Cherokee.

You and your wife will appreciate the full time 4WD on I-70 when you're headed to Summit County and on E470 when you're headed to the airport.

Unless you're going to go rock crawling, or let your wife drive off-road, you don't really need a Wrangler. The Grand Cherokee is pretty capable off the pavement and it's fantastic at 80 mph.

Think it'd be good idea to hold out for a V8? They're sure not very common.

dodger02 said:

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Subaru Outback

Lesbians love them.

Seriously. Outback. Very practical DD.

I have a Wrangler and have occasionally driven it to and from work (70 mi round trip). Filling up for gas on Wednesday and Friday gets old real quickly.

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I love our outback but if you're in the mountains get the turbo engine. The na engine is only good for commuting

you're going to hate that wrangler in the winter. cold, noisy, windy, no thanks.

aggiepaintrain said:

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Land
Cruiser

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This.

There is nothing practical about a Wrangler. I love mine, but it is loud, bumpy and doesn't get great mileage.

The situations where a Wrangler's capabilities would be needed vs some other 4WD SUV are the top 1% of unlikely usages. Unless you are running some insane trails, most 4WD SUVs will be fine, and they will all be more comfortable to drive/ride.

That being said, get the Wrangler anyway.

I daily drive a 2020 2 door Rubicon Recon. I have a 40 mile round trip commute. I only get around 18 mpg and it is mostly highway. It has a tiny gas tank, so 300 miles on a tank of gas isn't something I have seen yet. You need 2 hands on the wheel when it is windy. It drives like the 68 Ford F100 I had in high school and catches more bugs on the windshield in a week than any other car I have ever had did in a year. There is no room to carry anything without folding up or removing the back seat. I absolutely love it.

score4OU said:

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I daily drive a 2020 2 door Rubicon Recon. I have a 40 mile round trip commute. I only get around 18 mpg and it is mostly highway. It has a tiny gas tank, so 300 miles on a tank of gas isn't something I have seen yet. You need 2 hands on the wheel when it is windy. It drives like the 68 Ford F100 I had in high school and catches more bugs on the windshield in a week than any other car I have ever had did in a year. There is no room to carry anything without folding up or removing the back seat. I absolutely love it.

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100%

The family pricing and a few other deals were in play for 2020s still on the lot. Apparently late summer was a great time to buy because sales had tanked, but it looks they've come back a bit now. Check out River Oaks Jeep's website. All of the Jeep websites look like they will give your computer e-herpes, but once you figure it out it isn't bad.

https://www.riveroakscars.com/new/Jeep/2020-Jeep-Grand+Cherokee-houston-tx-1a9e058c0a0e0a6b2d842c1fccb54ef5.htm

Edit to add that it was an okay buying experience, I guess. I hate buying cars, and it wasn't as bad as I remember. I was driving a 2015 and my wife drives a 2013, so we hadn't bought a car in a while.

steve00 said:

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There is nothing practical about a Wrangler. I love mine, but it is loud, bumpy and doesn't get great mileage.

The situations where a Wrangler's capabilities would be needed vs some other 4WD SUV are the top 1% of unlikely usages. Unless you are running some insane trails, most 4WD SUVs will be fine, and they will all be more comfortable to drive/ride.

That being said, get the Wrangler anyway.

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Yep.

One of the reasons I bought mine this year was because my wife and I intend to retire to a mountain property in Northern Nevada at the top of a 4 wheel drive trail. You need the ground clearance and yes, you have to be in 4 wheel drive to get there. With the Wrangler Rubicon, it makes it easy for my wife to just zoom on up the trail without having to be an off-roading professional. The Rubicon model is very forgiving.

But, right now, it is also serving as my daily driver and for high-speed Vegas runs from LA, it's totally impractical. I posted on here before about the problems I had driving to Phoenix and back.
https://texags.com/forums/46/topics/3126401

And the problems I ran into driving to Vegas
https://texags.com/forums/46/topics/3134090

I'm just shy of 10,000 miles but I really do enjoy driving the Rubicon. But, a Grand Cherokee would be much more practical. And less expensive.

FYI - here's the Rule #1
https://texags.com/forums/46/topics/3095275

Obviously this is anecdotal but I'm in my 2nd GC. Bought a 00 in 03 and drove it for 12 years and 190k miles (230k total) with only an issue with a water pump.

Sold it and bought a 2015 new and 70k miles I've had not a single complaint.

I got my Wrangler to hit trails with my son. He has a built JKU sport. I wanted one to go where he can go right off the lot. It is not a practical daily driver, but it is a fun one.

Be honest with yourself about how much off road ability you actually need. I also live in CO, and used the ex-wife's 2018 wrangler for a lot of my hunting trips before she showed her true character.

Got a 2019 Tacoma Off Road to replace my GTI once she was gone. Most of the time it is massive overkill. Some of the time, usually later season hunting trips with plenty of snow, I wished I had more ground clearance and bigger tires with more bite. I don't think some people know how truly effing terrible some of the Forest Service roads out here can be, especially if the weather is bad. Ideally you would pair something more offroad capable with a more practical vehicle.

That reminds me, back in March 2015, my daughter and I rented a 4-door JKU from Washington Dulles to drive to Blacksburg Virginia to look at Virginia Tech and Lexington, VA to look at VMI (which is where she wound up going to school).

The sound in that thing at highway speeds on Interstate 81 was terrible. We had to yell at each other just to have a conversation. In my 2020 JLU with the sound deadening pads in the roof of the hard top, it's still not quiet like a car (Grand Cherokee) would be but, we can at least have a conversation.

NRH ag 10 said:

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Be honest with yourself about how much off road ability you actually need. I also live in CO, and used the ex-wife's 2018 wrangler for a lot of my hunting trips before she showed her true character.

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Since this isn't the GB, I'll leave it alone but man oh man is there a lot packed into that paragraph.

Don't worry, I've just watched my cousin start the separation proceedings from her 4th husband. This one lasted 10 months. And this is after the weight loss surgery (husband #1) and the big boobs (husband #3).

agdaddy04 said:

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Think it'd be good idea to hold out for a V8? They're sure not very common.

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The V8 and the hybrid (which they're marketing as if it is an electric vehicle), don't come out until 2021.

I would be interested in an EV Jeep but their new 4Xe is just a 4 cyl. Turbo with some battery/hybrid capabilities and blue accents instead of red for the tow hooks, etc. Looks like a pure marketing play if you ask me.

The V8 would be cool in theory but, the 6 cyl. with the 8spd automatic transmission provides plenty of power for city and trail driving. My trail driving has been a rocky mountain trail in Northern Nevada where the top speed is about 20 mph anyway.

The only place a V8 would really help would be high speed passing above 70 mph and at that point is where you start to run into the brutal reality that you're driving a rig with the aerodynamics of a rectangle.

I have had my Jeep creep up to 90 mph driving between LA and Phoenix and LA to Vegas. But, anything above about 83 mph and you're really going to struggle with handling. At least that's my experience in a Rubicon with the big BFG All Terrain KO2 tires.

Conversely, I had a 2009 BMW X5 4.8L V8 that would drive like a dream at 100 mph with plenty of horsepower left.

So, V8 Grand Cherokee I'm a huge fan. Have one parked in my backyard right now. But V8 Wrangler. No need unless you just really want one. It's about as practical as the 707 hp Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.

I should also add that my Wrangler has a trailer hitch but the only thing I've put in there has been a Trump 2020 flag. My preferred vehicle for towing a trailer is still my 1999 Ford Expedition with the 5.4L V8.

This is a really good point. I drive Lyft part time and my DD/Lyft car is a 2010 Prius. Obviously you don't buy a Prius to win cool points but it is an incredible car for Lyft and Uber. Insane in the membrane! Very low fuel costs and extremely reliable. Mine has about 204k on it now. Oil consumption is the only problem I have with it really.

My fun ride is a 2010 Tacoma TRD OR. I don't drive it that much but it's great for when I do. Mountains and fun stuff mostly along with the occasional chore that requires a pickup.

For the V8 - was meaning the Grand Cherokee. Just don't seem to be many out there and was wondering if it's worth the adder.

My 3.6 is plenty strong for anything I do in my Jeep. I can pass at highway speed with ease, reaching 90+ when I pass at 65 or so. It's not the old dog that people associate with Jeeps. Plus, oil changes take me 10 -15 minutes because the filter is topside. The only time I had issues with power was heading east on I10 coming from Alpine - the speed limit is 80 and there was a crazy headwind. I struggled to keep it at 85-90.

Something like this..
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/link/286440774

Does seem that by going to the V8 it eliminates rentals and fleet vehicles.

Good information, thanks!

aggiepaintrain said:

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Land
Cruiser

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Even when opening up the search nationwide, not many options at all.