Was looking at Jeep Wrangler YJs as a first car/daily driver.

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I was in the same place as you about 5 years ago. Looked at YJs and TJs.

They are ALL rusty as fuck, especially under the carpets. The one in your picture has plus-size wheels/tires, which means they DEFINITELY rub when the vehicle is turned. Those things will be scraping the inside of the fenders for sure.

They're not overly reliable, and build quality is quite poor. The interior uses the cheapest, most brittle plastics. The seats are made with cheap foam that bottoms out after a few years of use.

The joints/hinges all rust and split. The rear tailgate has weatherstripping held on with GLUE, but the metal behind it rusts and the weight of the weatherstripping pulls the metal away each time you open the tailgate. You won't get a proper seal, and it will continue to rust from the inside out.

Taking the fibreglass top off is harder than it looks (without damaging it). They're terrible in the winter because the HVAC is shit and they don't retain any heat.

The 4 cylinder is insanely gutless and disappointing. The manual trannies are known to destroy clutch discs without reason or warning (probably cheap pressure plates not releasing properly).

Overall they are a BAD purchase for a first car, even though they look cool. Be smart, buy something like a small car and maintain it. You can probably find something that was hardly driven, being sold by a senior or their kids. That's where I got my first car, and it was great. It was a Mazda3 GT.

When the mileage on a YJ/TJ gets over 120,000, they will start to nickel-and-dime you with repairs. Might not be $1,000 at once, but several small, irritating things will start to add up.

YJs/TJs are only good as a secondary vehicle, and only if you've taken the time to clean out all the rust, lift them with a proper offset/spacers to prevent rubbing, replace the stock sound system, and buy an aftermarket soft-top that will seal out rain (stock ones are SHIT). Then only drive it in the summer to impress QTs.

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>>17565512
Thanks, how about an XJ then? I plan on using an SUV for work purposes so a car is kind of out of the question. A wrangler was as small as I'm willing to go since it is also tall. I'm pretty interested in 90s SUVs since they are more rugged and easier to work on.

>>17565541
The answer to your question is a 1991 Ford Bronco.

>>17565471
Don't get a YJ. Get a TJ if you really want the classic Jeep. If you're more flexible, I'd consider an XJ or ZJ. Just as capable as a Wrangler while being much more comfortable and practical.

>>17565772
>if you really want the classic Jeep
Other than the headlights, there's really nothing notable between the YJ and the TJ. Also, ZJ a shit.
>>17565471
Get a Tracker and be done with it.

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>>17566017
The TJ is a little shorter and a little less aggressive and square. I like the YJ because it's so basic and rugged. Comes with less electric work and what not. The TJ is cool but the YJ has simply won my affection more.

>>17565754
Broncos look pretty intimidating to me, not sure if I could handle one myself because most of the ones I see being sold require some work.

>>17565471
I love my YJ, but I've had to work on it. New throttle position sensor, new hydraulic clutch linkage, new headlights. Don't buy one for your first vehicle unless you have tools and want to learn to use them. I intentionally purchased it as a project vehicle, but the frame and HVAC are so clean I'm having a hard time tearing down a running vehicle. The I4 engine IS gutless. Very gutless. You'll have trouble passing semis going uphill, and may have to go down to 2nd or 1st on long grades (happened to me heading west over the eastern continental divide).

It's a great platform, but be prepared to spend some dollars. If I could do it over, I'd get an old IROC-Z, or some older RWD muscle car where I don't have to worry about transfer case fitment and front axle diff being on the wrong side from the swap component. Just engine->trans->rear.

For a daily driver, I'm seconding a small cheap economical car. Or even an old Ranger if you can find one cheap. Those are great if you need a bed.

>>17566237
Idk dude I really want a YJ. how much has it cost you total in problems since you bought it? I don't mind a small issue here or there but I don't want to buy something that will leave me stranded.

>>17565512
>Giving up being an Olympic gymnast to become an Instragram whore with lip injections

>>17566237
>I love my YJ, but I've had to work on it. New throttle position sensor, new hydraulic clutch linkage, new headlights

What's so weird about that for a 25 year old car? I did more than that after buying my Miata and it was cherry with 82K.

>>17566670
supposedly she stopped due to health issues. something about a knee surgery and adrenal fatigue

>>17566699
This is enough for me to justify going for it, are those things easy to fix?

>>17566843

Yeah, if you're comfortable working on cars. But Wranglers are shitboxes unless you want one for off-roading. They're the same low quality as other '80s American cars and they handle and ride like shit.

>>17567049
I've never worked on a car before, I am mechanically inclined however and have experience working on appliances in general so I assume I'll learn pretty fast.

>>17567049
Also I'd be using mine primarily for city driving and road trips. Am I totally crazy? I'd do some off-roading but I'm not going to lie and say I give a shit about going off-road. I just think wranglers are cool as fuck and I figure they'll get me through winters reliably as long as I get the good engine.

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>>17565471
Ex YJ owner here. DO NOT GET A 4.2 one. The motor runs WAY too lean and the motor is completely shot by 75k miles.

Be on the lookout for rust. Actually, don't bother... EXPECT rust. It will rear its nasty when you least expect it somewhere critical.

As a first car I would advise against it. The short wheelbase on these make for a very twitchy wheel. That combined with the top-heavyness of the vehicle make it very unforgiving at higher speeds (think the inexperienced wheel jerk of a new driver at highway speeds). Inclement weather worsens this...

>>17567325
Well, at least you have that going for you... Expect to spend a lot of time working on it.

>>17567340
>Road tripping in a YJ
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T DO IT ANON! These are horrible for long distance road trips. They have minimal cargo capacity, handle poorly when weighed down with gear/luggage, and are miserable in the extreme heat/cold

I get it... you see a topless Jeep and want that image. There are some good times to be had in a YJ. Hell, I still miss mine! Just think twice before buying one, especially for a 1st car. There are countless people who buy these for the image, and end up getting rid of them because they expect an econobox road car from something that isn't.