2004 Jeep TJ Sport 4.0

Summary:

Absolutely Love It

Faults:

Nothing So far.

General Comments:

So far I love this jeep, if you know how to shift properly then gas mileage is fantastic from what I've seen. The four wheel drive is amazing I had it crawl through a few snow banks with bad tires, but the vehicle can kinda suck out in 2 wheel. The only problem I have with the jeep is the idiot light telling you when to shift although its for economy its not hard to tell when to shift anyways. I plan on raising the jeep with a 3 inch suspension lift and some bigger tires. I'm 18 and this is my first vehicle and I plan on keeping it for a long time even after I have to take it off the road it will become my off-road toy with more add-ons.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th March, 2007

2004 Jeep TJ sport 4.0L inline-6

Summary:

Always buy a jeep

Faults:

Replaced clutch. Nothing really.

General Comments:

This 4x4 is by far the nicest truck I'm had. It has some serious pick up with the mountain of low end torque. The 4 wheel drive is great I'm hit some serious trails with this thing with ease. I can cherp the tires until I get it into 3rd gear. Great overall truck.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th March, 2006

2004 Jeep TJ Sport 4.0L

Summary:

The best purchase I've ever made, hands down

Faults:

The first thing that went wrong was the fan clutch went out and no one made a replacement for it at the time, not even the manufacturer. The problem was fixed by installing a flex-lite electric fan setup. The setup actually gave gave me better gas mileage and added power too.

The second thing that went wrong was the exhaust manifold had a crack in it. The dealership told me it was due to going off roading and submerging the engine bay in cold water while the engine was hot. The dealership offered to replace it, but I decided to replace it with the Banks Turbo exhaust and the dealership installed it for free in place of the factory one.

General Comments:

I bought the jeep at an Insurance Auto Auction for just shy of $2,000. The jeep is a 2004 TJ Sport. The jeep has every option on it including hardtop, full doors and 30" tire package with 16" wheels, cd/tape cd changer and 7 speaker stereo. The jeep was a light rollover, but only damaged the front driver fender and passenger side door area. It cost me about $3,000 to fix everything and change te color from silver to black cherry.

I would recommend installing a Kenne Bell Supercharger, ARB Snorkel, Banks Exhaust, Ox Lockers and a Power Programmer. The horsepower that have now is awesome, I dynoed it at 491 horsepower, I put the jeep in 4 wheel drive and can smoke off all 4 tires on dry pavement going up hill!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th February, 2006

7th Nov 2006, 15:22

I would like to see your Dyno sheet. Have you done any internal mods to the motor?

11th Jan 2007, 23:15

I have 2004 Jeep TJ Sport. My concerns are that when you are in 4 wheel drive and want to turn, does not turn well and makes a "rubbing" sound. I also find that when shifting gears (not in 4x4, you hear a clunking sound (this sound is standard on all TJ's as I later found out). All vehicles are thirsty, but this 6 cyl is "really" thirsty, be prepared!!! Aside from those negatives, I love my Jeep and wouldn't drive anything else.

2004 Jeep TJ Sport (Columbia Ed) 4.0L inline6

Summary:

Tough, reliable, and surprisingly efficient

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong.

General Comments:

I recently bought a 2004 TJ Sport (Columbia Edition) and although I have only had it a few months, I really like it so far. Many car magazine reviews say the TJ is uncomfortable and noisy. OK, it isn't a Lexus, but the bucket seats are excellent, the ride is smooth, it has a tight turning radius, good visibility, is highly maneuverable due to its small size, and it is a ton of fun to drive on anything from highways to washed out logging roads.

Concerning unknowns and problems: First, for some reason I am not sure of yet, my Jeep came with window stickers claiming 19/26 mpg for city/highway driving. According to the EPA, it should be 16/19. In practice, so far I have gotten 19/23 – I am hoping to get close to 26 mpg on the highway after the engine is fully broken in (3200 km so far). The 4.0L inline 6 is very responsive and smooth, but my jeep does not have quite as much acceleration up steep grades as one might expect for such a big engine. Based on these observations, I am guessing this model may be geared tall - this would conserve fuel and decrease the maximum acceleration in a given gear. The control layout on the dash is a pretty archaic (why do you have to dial through the A/C to get to the fan only?). Also, make sure you have someone with decent strength to help you change the tops. It's pretty much impossible to do alone.

There were no mechanical problems at all with my new Jeep. The only issue was that the manufacturer had failed to properly seal the A/C so it was delivered without any refrigerant. The dealer replaced and tightened the fittings, no problem since.

In short, this Jeep is a ton of fun – it has made me enjoy driving again. You can take it anywhere and it is so tough you hardly have to worry. I have even gotten the roof muddy on the way to a hike in the back country – in what other new vehicle besides a jeep would you do this and not care? As an amazing bonus, in this model the fuel economy is quite respectable.

Last comment: now that I finally have the Jeep TJ I've always wanted, I begin to notice how many people own these vehicles for status only. You see kids cruising around town in shiny new Rubicons (no doubt purchased by rich parents), which probably never see anything off the pavement. Jeep as a status symbol: BAD (and stupid). Jeep as a great all-around vehicle to get you places you could never otherwise go: EXCELLENT.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th July, 2005

31st Jul 2005, 21:16

Having left this review, I just realized that my jeep's mileage stickers were given in units of UK gallons. This means that the window sticker value of 19/26 is higher than what would appear in the US by a factor of 1.2, which explains at least some of the mileage discrepancy.

2004 Jeep TJ X 4.0

Summary:

Fun in the winter and the summer!!!

Faults:

I have had no problems with my Jeep.

General Comments:

My Jeep puts a smile on my face each time I get in it. I was worried about it being too uncomfortable as many say it is. I was surprised that the ride really is not bad at all.

There are no rattles at all! Even terrible roads don't bring out rattles, just solid thumps as you cruise along. It is so easy to park and easy to zip around town.

When the weather is warm and sunny, the top comes down and I look for reasons to drive around. I just recently took the doors off and the fun doubled. In the winter, the cabin takes longer to heat up with the soft top. It is no big deal. The heater is strong.

If you let it rev a bit, the 4.0 in-line six will push you back in the seat. It is quite loud when it revs up and with the glutton of low RPM torque, you really don't need to wind it out much at all.

FUN FUN FUN!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th March, 2005