89 MJ

Up to 650 miles and I’m still liking it. Tons of power and evening running around town, I’m averaging 21 mpg, per the gauge cluster. More importantly, my door ding protection came in. The bolt to the body, so they aren’t going to help a ton off road, but they’ll add a little more protection off road and more importantly they will help prevent door dings in parking lots. It was tricky finding some that weren’t going to look completely out of place. I ended up with these: https://www.extremeterrain.com/barricade-enahnced-rubi-rails-textured-black-2018-jeep-jl-2-door-jeep.html

I’m really enjoying this thread so far! Kudos for keeping the 2.5L instead of swapping to the 4.0

Maybe some air shocks to add some load capacity? Then deflate them when you’re not hauling?

I love that electric lime LJ! That MJ looks great too!

Ditch the V8 and IFS and they might have something. I’d like to see something fill the void between a JL and a JLU though. A 2 door Wrangler with a foot longer body would be about perfect, like the original Scrambler.

What do you need the vehicle to do? Performance, space, etc.. If money is no object, I’d get a Wrangler 392, Ram TRX, or a Raptor R. Off road capable, yet fast enough to get you out of harms way should the storm turn on you. If you want to build a Jeep, I’d look at an SJ Cherokee Chief and then add a set of 1 ton axles, a 4 link at least in the front, and an LS engine.

Perfect!

I think that depends on a lot of factors. The biggest factors are the amount you’re willing to spend and your ability to build what you want. If I were you, I’d start with a list of wants and needs that you’d have for the vehicle, then choose the vehicle based on that. If you’re unsure, the Pub would be a good place for a bunch of us to help with the list. In no particular order, here’s some of the stuff I’d be looking for. The ability to outrun a tornado. Seats/suspension that make the vehicle comfortable for hours. Easy to find parts for and easy to fix. Strong frame and axles. Ability to go anywhere. My brother has two J10s like Jo’s truck was. While they’re super cool trucks, I wouldn’t use a stock one for storm chasing. There’s also someone here on CC with a Comanche painted up like Jo’s truck.

I would think so. It would require changing window regulators most likely. And then to do it my definition of “right”, I would have to get the power window switch delete stuff. All in all, it would cost money to go backwards in terms of technology. For the time being, this is just a daily driver, not much of a project. Yes, it’s getting rock sliders right now, but that’s for door ding protection more than it’s for off road protection. For the same reason, it’s not getting lifted, bumpers, or wheels and tires right now. I would love to do a ton of stuff to it, but right now I’m living in an apartment, the Jeep is still under warranty, and it’s getting 21 mpg. Basically nothing is getting upgraded until parts are worn out, having problems, or I have a garage to work in, whichever comes first.

It makes me so happy to see that she is working on her Comanche

That looks really nice. Good protection without looking obnoxious.

Thanks! It does have power windows though

Also, this Jeep does not have the 3.6L V6, it has the turbo 4cyl instead. With 400 miles on it, I must say that I am impressed. First adventure was up Mt Lemmon near Tucson, AZ. 27 twisty, turny miles. The thing handles great and makes good power. I learned the Jeep needs a few things though. Firstly is a mesh sunshade for when the top is off. I didn’t, but some of my passengers got sunburned on the drive. Secondly is a set of rock sliders/running boards. Mostly for door ding protection.

Better window sticker pics

I wasn’t going to start a build thread for this, but I’ve already ordered some stuff for it and I also want a thread to document adventures. This is my brand new 2025 Jeep Wrangler Sport S. Yes, it’s a base model, but at the same time, it’s almost fully loaded as best as I can tell. The big features are the D44 with an LSD, heated seats and steering wheel, hard top, trailer hitch, aux switches, and garage door opener (window sticker pic included for other options). Sticker was $46k, but being a leftover 2025 when the 2027s are right around the corner, I got this 25 with 54 miles on it for only a few thousand more than a 2020 with 82k miles on it.

Smokey and the Bandit Smokey and the Bandit II Convoy The Great Escape Ford v Ferrari Cannonball Run

It is the ZF.

Vector is my top choice by far. Period correct, looks a little bit sporty, and has a nice combination of bright aluminum and black. To me, but of the steel options don’t stand out enough and the chrome seems out of place being that there isn’t much, if any, other chrome on the truck.

I remember you saying that a few weeks ago. And the auto really is excellent.

This 4cyl with the auto is every bit as quick or maybe even quicker than the 3.6 with the auto. I never drove one with a stick because they were roughly 3-4k more expensive.

It definitely will get some sort of stripe someday. Thank you! I would’ve preferred green, but I like black too. With the 27s hitting the lot soon, leftover 25s are getting pretty cheap.

I’m sure there will be more once I start a build thread for it

Thank you! It really has been a nice toy. A lot of advancements over a JK, but still very much a Jeep. Thank you! So far. About 200 of the 230 miles have had 4 people in it the whole time, so interior space has been very limited, but still a little more than the MJ.

Lol! Stripes and the right wheels and we’ll get it looking right

With graduation and my brother taking our shared Honda CRV with him to NC, I decided it was time for me to get a fairly modern vehicle to daily drive. Problem was, nothing was even remotely interesting to me. I ended up deciding I wanted a 2 door Wrangler JL. I had a heck of a time finding a used one for a reasonable price. I finally found a 2020 with a 3.6, auto, heated seats and steering wheel LSD and D44 rear, and towing package locally for a decent price. It had 82k miles, which seemed high, but was about average for the year. It wasn’t free from issues though. It had a couple of dings, a small crack in the windshield, and the windows of the soft top were all foggy from the sun. The biggest problem was the cams were replaced very recently (within 30 miles) and the dealership was not wanting to do more than their standard 30 day warranty unless I was willing to fork out another 5k for a 2.5 year 30k mile warranty. To me, it seemed that they did not want to stand behind their work. By the time I factored in the warranty, I was looking near the pricing of a brand new one (within a few thousand or so). At another dealer, I found a brand new one that was almost identical in terms of options, except it had a hard top, was black instead of dark grey, and it had the 2.0 Turbo. It was also a brand new leftover 2025. For the pricing difference, I almost had to go with the brand new one. So yeah, I bought a brand new 2025 JL Sport S (but very well loaded in terms of options). I never thought I would’ve bought a brand new vehicle ever, but here we are. And I have to say, I have enjoyed every minute of the 230 miles I’ve put on it so far. It handles well, rides well, and is properly quick. It’s also done very well on fuel mileage, considering I have been driving it pretty hard. Now for everyone’s favorite part, pictures At the dealer Heading up Mt Lemmon near Tucson, AZ