What older Jeep Wranglers to avoid

trnfla wrote:
Hi, I am looking to pick up an older jeep wrangler to use as my toad. I understand as long as it is 4wd it can be towed 4 down both auto and manual.

Looking between late 80's to 2000 due to not wanting to spend more than $8K.

Should I only be looking at 6 cyl or are 4 cyl ok even with 150K miles?

What years should I avoid and what are common problems to look for.

Do I need to purchase a special tow bar or will a old fashion bar work?

correction...as long as the transfer case has a manually selectable neutral position it can be towed 4 down both auto and manual.

i'd be looking at a 6. my opinion is the 4's are vastly underpowered.

not sure what you mean by an "old fashioned" towbar. if by "old fashopned you mean an A-Frame towbar then yes, avoid those. they're very heavy. i'd be looking at a Blue Ox aluminum towbar.

You can't tow a older jeep, no matter if it is 4wd or not. Even putting the tranfer case in neutral will not help. On long towes, you will smoke the tranny. Trust me, I towed for a living,for 27 yrs.

<--- another vote for a Rubicon LJ
I have a 2005 Rubicon Unlimited.

Can't even feel it behind the RV or even my 3/4 ton truck. Tows great and easy.

I picked up my towbar on craigslist for $60 and then bought adapters from Warrior Products to hook the towbar to the shackle points on the Jeep's front bumper.

Personally, I would look for a 1998 to 2006 Wrangler. 2007 and up, I don't like the body style (yes, it IS a little different than the earlier ones.)
But then, extending it a little further, I would look for an '03-'06 Rubicon, just because I like the added features of the Rubicon models.
For extra comfort, I would look for an Unlimited model. It has a little longer wheelbase, which makes for a much nicer ride. Also, there is a 30 gallon gas tank available from Gen-Right for the Unlimited.
Obviously, I like my '06 Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited. Yes, it has the 30 gallon tank. It is great having that much fuel on board!
As for the towbar, I have been using a Reese (at least I think it is a Reese, it could be from Valley Industries!) fixed arm adjustable width "old fashioned" 5000 lb. capacity towbar that I purchased from Walmart many years ago. I have had it on several Jeeps, a Datsun diesel pickup, and a Dodge Dakota. Mostly it has been bolted to the stock bumpers, with good backup plates. It has never let me down, never broke, never bent, no troubles at all. The best part of it is, it only cost $145! The last time I looked at one at Walmart, I think it was $165. That was a year or two ago.

I've never had the honor of owning a Jeep Wrangler but have wanted one for decades and I've driven or rode in several variations over the years. The TJ w/ 4.0 would be my choice as they are more comfortable than the older leaf springs and they are smaller / lighter than the new JK's. Prices seem to have risen over the last couple of years on TJ's for some reason.

1991+ had the 4.0l 6cyl inline engine. Not sure about towing all 4 down. 1991 - 1995 (YJ) had leaf spring suspension. 1997+ (TJ) have coil sprung suspension. The 97+ will have a nicer ride. Highly recommend the 6cyl. It gets the same gas mileage as the 4cyl. Quite a bit more power.

You should be able to get a 1999 or 2000 for $8K though it will have a few miles on it. I wouldln't go any older than when the 4.0 6 cyl started, but I don't know what year that was. Preferably look for a year that doesn't have a steering pin lock- but you can remove it.

An old fashioned tow bar will work as long as the bumper is such that it allows you to bolt it in solid. I have a lot more miles with home built tow bars than I do factory ones.

The Wrangler I bought last year is a 2002 with 144,000 miles on it. Runs fine. Had to change the water pump, greased the front wheel bearings, changed the left front axle u-joint, changed oil in the front and rear ends, transfer case and transmission since I didn't know how long since it'd been done, flushed / changed the antifreeze and changed the oil twice so that it was nice and clean.

I didn't realize until I bought this 2002 that they quit putting front locking hubs on them. To me that's a plus and someday I'll probably put some on this jeep.

Bill