I have many several questions about jeep wranglers. Please help experienced owners.?
I have always wanted a wranger, and its time for me to actually buy one…here is the thing, I just got my license, now here are my questions.
1) Is it a good first car?
2) Is there really a lot of instances of it almost tipping over/ actually tipping over?
3) How is it in the winter time(snow and ice in the suburbs of Connecticut)
4)Are hard tops removable?
5) Do jeeps stay warm in the winter? Please add some detail, hard & soft top
6) How many miles per gallon do you get?
7) How is your insurance? 
Are the tops weather proof? I don’t want a wet car aha
9) Do you have any stories to share? Bad and good please!
The reason I want a jeep is because I bmx and snowboard, I am a pretty extreme girl. I am camping from April to October. I don’t plan on really ever having long road trips but I do travel around the state a lot.
Thank you so much to who ever takes the time to help me out (:
Well all very good questions. I sold Jeeps for many years. And to answer your questions.no it is not a good first vehicle and I will share why:wranglers have a very short wheel base which with the weight of the vehicle makes the possibility of a rollover a real threat. And when you add the fact that you are young and maybe not as experienced as say 27 to 35 year old driver. Its not a good combination.I witnessed a rollover just outside of dam IA. On roads I would conciser normal winter driving. And yes the driver and occupants were young and I will add none survived. Fuel economy not great either. The hardtop option is the only way to go and I believe you have the option of removing in the summer but don’t quote me on that. Honestly Jeep is a great product but if you want Jeep I would go with the longer wheel base Jeep like the liberty …
I have driven Jeep Wranglers for 15 years. I’m sorry to say I don’t think the models I’ve driven are very good first cars, but the current model line may be different. All these comments are about the YJ and TJ wranglers, made from 1987 to 1996 (YJ, square headlights) and 1997 to 2006 (TJ). I’m sorry I can’t help you on the current models (JK 2007- )
I’ve never tipped one over, but you can’t drive it like a normal car. Slow down and you should be fine. They are very heavy and have sub-par brakes, leave a lot of room between you and the person in front of you.
It has a very short wheel base and will spin out on ice very easily. Slow down and stay off the gas pedal through the turn.
Yes, the hard tops come off. The hard part is finding a place to store it.
It will be very cold first thing, but they warm up quickly, with either top. If you have a soft top and soft upper doors be careful of the windows, they get very brittle in the cold and will actually break if you try to fold down the upper window before it warms up.
They are heavy and square, your gas mileage will be terrible no matter how you drive it. 15 mpg city streets at best, slightly higher on the highway.
Insurance for a new driver will be expensive, all 4×4′s command a premium because people tend to abuse them. Not that you in particular would, but the public as a whole. You can just call an insurance company before you buy one, give them the make and model you intend to get and they will tell you exactly how much they will charge.
All the hard and soft tops are weather proof, in my experience anyway. The soft tops are noisy. If you’re buying a TJ (1997-2006) try to get one after 2003 model year, they used different canvas and its much quieter, but still loud.
1) Is it a good first car?-it can be depending on what you want to do with it, if you love the out of doors and like to get out and hunt fish camp they are great and give you all kinda of freedom a car never could
Are the tops weather proof?- I don’t want a wet car aha yes, kinda hard tops are good but soft tops tend to leak at the seams
2) Is there really a lot of instances of it almost tipping over/ actually tipping over?-sadly yes they can be quite tipsy when driven like a car the short and narrow wheel base makes it a very different animal but if you drive it like a jeep and respect its advantages and limitations you should be fine
3) How is it in the winter time(snow and ice in the suburbs of Connecticut)-cold, and a little squirrely on icy roads but with good winter tires and a respectful right foot it can be a more reliable winter 4×4 then you would ever expect
4)Are hard tops removable?- yep come right off best if you have 2 or more people but i have rigged up a hoist to lift it up in the garage
5) Do jeeps stay warm in the winter?- Please add some detail, hard & soft top- kinda…hard tops tend to do better but i had a cj5 with a soft top and an auxiliary heater i could drive with the doors off in November that heater cranked it out
6) How many miles per gallon do you get?- depends on tires and your right foot but you can get up around 17 many depending on the gas in your area
7) How is your insurance? – I pay 1200 a year for full coverage in a 1983 cj7 and that’s in BC and our insurance here is expensive
9) Do you have any stories to share?- Bad and good please! All you have to know about being a jeeper is its rude not to wave at other jeep guys jk guys are A$$ holes about it most flip you off they just don’t get it but i had one guy driving a stock jk give me this big goofy thumbs up grin when i drove past him in my lifted CJ with my super swappers on top and doors off in early fall.