Faults:

Transmission basically exploded internally at 35930 miles. About 70 miles left under warranty, luckily! Dealer repaired the transmission; no problems since.

Dashboard instruments have the typical on-again, off-again habit when hitting large bumps. This did not show up until my 4th year of ownership while speeding down a dirt washboard road. Haven't tried to get it fixed yet - will probably do it myself.

Exhaust manifold sounds cracked, but I haven't investigated it yet. Gives a somewhat cool growl to the engine...

Air conditioner condensation leaked into the passenger side floor board. Dealer "fixed" it by saying that the drain was clogged. I now know better and plan to install an elbow to the firewall drain.

When placed in low-range, the low-range light does not illuminate on the dash, but the high-range light remains illuminated. Discovered this early on and took to the original dealer, who said it wasn't supposed to do that. Right. So why are there 2 "4wd" markings if one isn't for high-range and the other low-range? Bottom line, the dealer wasn't going to fix it, but I can tell the difference between when I'm in high-range and low-range, so I let it go.

All in all, the blown transmission has been the only major repair in 6 years.

General Comments:

I recently started thinking about upgrading to a Land Rover and discovered this site. I still love my TJ, but was looking for something a little more civilized and larger. However, after reading all the reviews of Jeeps and Rovers on this excellent website, I think I'll be keeping my Wrangler!

I've taken this TJ off-road on multiple occasions, driven it for 8-10 hours at a time at highway speeds, and used it as a daily driver. With the exception of the original transmission I really haven't been disappointed. Yes, it is rather noisy. I discovered the vent trick early on (which only works with the A/C if you are NOT in the 'recycle' mode) which helps.

The stereo has been upgraded to an Eclipse aftermarket CD player.

The fuel economy really isn't that bad. Anyone who complains should see what other 4wds are getting. I average 18-20 mpg in mostly city driving. I keep track of the mileage, and after adding a K&N air filter I get about 1 mpg more on average.

All in all, this really is the perfect vehicle. It's small and maneuverable for urban areas, fun, affordable, and has been far more reliable than I expected. It feels right at home on a beach or on a somewhat muddy trail. Jeeps never go out of style, and are easy to maintain yourself (which I do for the most part). Now that I've decided to keep it, I'll start building it up for more extreme off-road use.

My biggest complaint is the noise - if Jeep would make a hard-top version where the top were an integrated steel assembly, such as the Dakar concept vehicle of a few years ago, this vehicle would be absolutely perfect. For now, I guess I just have to turn the volume on the radio up. Or start wearing earplugs...

Faults:

The top needed to be replaced at about 50,000 miles.

Catalytic converter went out at 89,000 miles.

Engine freeze seal blew at 70,000 miles.

General Comments:

Awesome truck with very few problems seeing as I give it a beating regularly.

Faults:

My '98 Jeep Wrangler is a greatly reliable car with some exceptions. Most of the things that have gone wrong would have and could been avoided if the owners manual was read correctly. The most recent thing that happened to my car is the rear axels spider gears have broken and needed to be replaced. t was about $500 for the bearings, Dana Rebuild kit and spider gears. Other small things are lots of trouble starting in the cold even with my extremely low miles.

The windshield wipers don't always work when it's cold as well.

Most people complain of transfer case problems most likely because they leave their care in 4X4, which lock the front and rear drive shafts so that they rotate at the same speed. This is bad when you try to make a turn and there is nothing to let the wheels slip, there for all that rotational force is taking out on the gears in the transfer case and in some cases causing them to break.

General Comments:

Great fun reliable car. Not a practical one, but fun. Stay away from 2.5L I4 with auto's and look for a 4.0L I-6 with manual. The auto tyranny is a poorly fitted 3 speed and the 2.5 just doesn't have enough "umph"