Help please

[ick72]

Kirsten and I are looking for a new jeep wrangler and I need help or opinions , we want an every day car plus a touring tow vehicle , should I look at wrangler or unlimited and would a petrol or Desiel be better don't want to mod it only basic in tyres and snorkel and bar work for protection . Any advise or oppinions for me please ?

[Paul-JK]

My 10c worth.....if you want it for touring then I'd say the JKU. I know there are people who tour with 2drs but even with the back seats out there's not that much space. We pack our JKU to the roof when we go away so there's no way we could get a 2dr. The longer wheel base of the JKU is also better suited to touring as it gives a more stable and comfortable ride.

As for petrol v diesel, my advice is drive both and see which you prefer. Dollor for dollar you've probably go to do a lot of km's to break even on the diesel these days as the new petrol engine is supposed to be better of fuel. It's also supposed to be better on power than the old engine as well so it's probably not a bad option. You will still ultimately get better fuel consumption with the diesel though, especially when loaded for touring, so if range between fuel stops is crucial for the touring you want to do then the diesel should get the nod.

I personally prefer the way the diesel drives (at least compared to the old engine). It wasn't a financial decision when I got one, I just preferred the diesel, but that was nearly 3 years ago. The old petrol engine didn't get a look it. Might be a more difficult decision if I were to buy another one though.

[ick72]

Ok so the older petrol vers the Desiel seems the consumption cost goes to Desiel , with servicing and price of Desiel re petrol is it still worth the cost of Desiel jku we have under 30 to spend and need money still for option

[Paul-JK]

The old petrol engine was certainly heavier on fuel making the maths a bit easier to sway in the direction of the diesel but the new petrol engine is supposed to be better on fuel, though still not as good as the diesel. The diesels have always been more expensive, made worse by the fact that they are best mated to the auto due a potentially weak clutch in the manual that's expensive to replace. Not a huge issue for me as I wanted the auto anyway but if you really want the manual then it's something to take into account. The clutch in the petrol is OK as the petrol doesn't put out anywhere near as much torque as the diesel and the petrol clutches are cheaper to replace as well. If you're working it out on $'s then the higher buy in price and higher servicing costs of the diesel mean you've got to do a lot of km's (lots and lots and lots) to make it worth while. The diesels do hold their value better so eventual sell price will be better but even taking that into account, decisions purely based on $'s will still likely come back to the petrols. The diesels are very popular but are bought for reasons other than $'s.....driving style, touring tank range, stacks of torque, better for towing,.........

If you're looking to spend about $30k then depending on what you want (2dr/4dr, hard top/soft top, manual/auto), I suggest you'll be looking at a second hand models. You may still get brand new 2dr manual petrol on run out for that price if you're lucky but they will be with the old motor. The new models with the new motor start around $35k/$36k OTR as far as I know.

Hope that helps.

[Hunno]

Take into consideration that if you are financing the car in any way you will get a much better percentage (%) rate on a new car than a second hand one. So repayments may not be that far apart between new & old.
I'm not sure about it, but might be worth just having a look. Also you could hold back a bit of cash to do your mods straight away.

[ick72]

Seems the wranglers are still out of our price range unless they have big ks or. Very untidy so we decided to get in a Cherokee kj again but with more mods and set up for towing and touring then the old silver one , now just hope all can be sorted before jambo