From what I know of them, they're very reliable and long-lasting and easy to work on.........However the ability and willingness to do the latter is needed for the first two.

  They last forever, reliable and rugged.....but do require maintenance.  And to get those long milages, it requires wrenching.

   

Headlines like this:  J.D. Power reliability ratings ... Jeep among the worst...

Make me think that Jeeps don't go with this:

I will add that if you look at the guys that swear by Jeep reliability they usually have an impressive mobile toolkit, often that includes a welder, in their Jeep.

I'll say that "reliability" is looked at in two ways:

#1.   putting say 50K miles on between any problem but taking it to a repair shop for a major job.
#2.  Putting 10K miles on between problems but being able to fix it yourself, quickly, easily for 1/2 the cost of the above.

  If you were going to fix it yourself and had the time and ability: Yes, a Jeep is reliable.

A vehicle that has a problem that needs mechanical repair every 10,000 miles is not reliable no matter how you rationalize it. You still end up paying a lot more, even if the job costs half as much, because you're having problems 5x as frequently.

Maybe I should just look at Hondas, then?



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Yes, or Toyota.

A vehicle that has a problem that needs mechanical repair every 10,000 miles is not reliable no matter how you rationalize it. You still end up paying a lot more, even if the job costs half as much, because you're having problems 5x as frequently.

Maybe I should just look at Hondas, then?

Depends on what you mean.    I'm including things like U-joints,etc. that are maybe....$20?  for one on like on of our 3/4T pickups.      No other $$$ put into if if you were doing it yourself.       I can work on a '90 dodge 3/4T work pickup of ours 10X easier than the new 2012 ford.   The ford sees less repair, but when it does, it's one repair costs more than 10 of our self-fixes on the '90.     Part-to-part comparison, starter,etc. are 2-3X as expensive as the older more simple vehicle.

  For get-in-and-go, probably not what you're looking for.

Subies suffer from poor mileage like jeeps. Not to mention there were years where they (the jeeps) were relatively gutless for all those expensive miles.

That's not to say don't get it if it is what you love. My personal road going vice are Saabs... with all their flaws they are fun, but not what I would recommend to someone I liked.

It depends on where you are, Hondas and Toyotas are good, but not worth what most people ask for them in Utah. They just aren't.

The truth is cars are getting better in general, I don't automatically turn my nose up at ford cars anymore (that Volvo infusion was one of the best things that happened to them).
Someday I might buy another dodge, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.

Please note my observations (rantings) are purely based on cars. I have no experience with trucks as I've never owned one or wanted one.

I really wanted another Jeep but my last one was always in need of some repair or another. Plus I needed more room and cargo space for hauling firewood, etc. I settled on another Toyota T-100. My last T-100 was a gem with 200k and I sold it to a friend. My wife put 280K on her last Toyota van with not a problem and bought a second last year. Dad has had at least two Toyotas, a Tundra and a 4Runner, With a final mileage of 250k and 300k, respectively, with nary a problem.

I assume you are referring to the Wrangler?  If so I have no direct experience other than a CJ my dad drove.

Otherwise I had a Patriot (think of it as a gutless Subaru) that I sold to a younger relative at170k and its still going.  Standard maintenaince only and I wasnt particularly kind to it driving it around the CO front range.  My kids outgrew the backseat so I got an upgrade.

This hasn't seen as much time on dirt but I only bought it last summer.  I've put around 15k on it (70k) in total, have not regretted it yet.  It shares an engine with the Wrangler and I get 23mpg mixed.



A vehicle is like any other peice of gear, unless its a total POS if you take care of it it'll take care of you. 

louie the lumberjack

I am a confirmed Jeep person and by Jeep, I mean Wrangler

My current:

Personally, I'm not a fan of most of Jeep's offerings. I'd be okay with an old CJ that's stone-axe-simple to work on, or something brand new and still under warranty.

Anything else I'll avoid - and that even includes the Cherokee in my driveway when I can help it.

Agreed.  The Older Jeep CJ's are stone axe reliable and the V-8 engines give them plenty of useable power but they are pretty well used up at this point and the ones you find tend to be junk or ground-up restorations that go for big bucks.  Gas mileage is pretty feeble compared to newer offerings.  All of them - regardless of age have rust through problems if you live in an area where that is problematic. 

If you are a serious off road driver or trail crawler there is nothing better to start with as your basic vehicle but expect to spend considerable money upgrading stock components and keeping the whole thing running long term.  Reliability is, as always, in the eye of the beholder. 

I have taken a 2004 Ford F-150 SuperCrew 4x4 all over most of Arizona ( on and off road ) since it was new and it has been spectacularly reliable if not particularly fuel efficient ( 15 mpg city and 18 mpg highway ).  Aside from a couple of warranty repairs ( engine mount and A/C compressor ) my most aggravating maintenance problem has been the three power window regulators that have failed over time.  Properly maintained ( dealer serviced at recommended intervals ) and driven sanely, it has never been bested by our terrain and operating conditions.

That said, when it became time to replace Mrs. c's Ford Escape, we settled on a Toyota Tundra Double Cab 4x4 with the 4.8 engine and an automatic transmission.  It was about $6000 less than a comparable Ford F-150 and has done about 99% of what my 2004 Ford is capable of on a real world basis.  I am increasingly fond of this truck as a basic workhorse.  The dealer service interface has been superior to my experience with Ford over the years as they appear 100% committed to customer satisfaction regardless the situation.  The truck itself is a logical extension of the older T-100 series of Toyota trucks.   My neighbor has a 1999 T - 100 and wouldn't part with it short of a ransom demand for one of his children.  They are originally from Utah and have used that truck since new all over the high mountains, snowfields and deserts of that magnificent state.  In short, Toyota seems to have their sh*t together re: the full sized truck market.

Back to the original topic - buy a Jeep if you must.  Enjoy it if you can.  Sell it if you are able.  They are not what they once were.   

Moving from moderately affected to severely afflicted mid life crisis, I have decided to start building my 2015 Wrangler JKU into an expedition vehicle:



This is about $4500 in; a Kargo Master Congo roof rack, a two inch lift, a Smittybilt front bumper and a Warn 10K winch, a trailer brake controller with seven [pin plug and a door post mounted four switch electronic connection for controlling lights.

I usually begin the next modification by starting a very mild whine which builds up to a fever pitch at about four weeks at which point she throws up her hands and says, "I don't care, do whatever you want". That campaign starts........NOW! or actually as soon as she has her coffee because even I know not to enrage her before coffee.

I am not ready for tires and rims yet as I only have about 25K on this set so I am considering a rear bumper with storage rack (fuel cans, recovery tools) fender flares or lights on all four sides.

The last is not an invitation for the usual "flashlight derailment" although i have recently found a rather nice TrustFire 2800 triple X-ML Cree light that can almost start fires

    I like the older CJ's like yours but as I pointed out previously, finding one that is still in decent shape is nearly impossible unless it has been fairly extensively restored and/or modified.