2003 Jeep Wrangler Sahara from North America - Comments

I have had Jeeps since 1966, a CJ6A Tuxedo Park Mark IV, a 1979, 1982, and a 1986 CJ7, still have all of them. I skipped the next 10 years because of the stupid, ugly square head lights.

I could not pass up a 2000 TJ, and a 2001 60th Anniversary Edition, both in primo condition, each with less than 40,000 miles and all kinds of good stuff. I have no idea what the good stuff does.

The mini-van engine, and the very ugly plastic fenders on the 2007 on models are unreasonable, unwanted additions to these Jeeps. Please Chrysler, let a few thousand of us Jeep heads help you design the next generation of Jeeps before you kill it. I will not buy another Jeep until you get back to what Jeeps really were and should return to. The designers are wasting time and money. They have no clue. Who wants a second rate ugly baby Hummer ?

PS: the hard tops for the 2007 Wranglers on, the squareness of the back SUCKS. THANKS VERY MUCH.

To 23:13 - You say "I skipped the next 10 years because of the stupid, ugly square head lights."

Well, you missed out on a superb Jeep because of your dislike of rectangular headlights.

The YJ's are exceptional Jeeps, and just as worthy as any other to wear the Jeep name.

"The designers are wasting time and money. They have no clue. Who wants a second rate ugly baby Hummer. The squareness of the back SUCKS."

Almost all new trucks/SUVS are going way overboard on the whole square thing. Ugly.

"Who wants a second rate ugly baby Hummer. The squareness of the back SUCKS."

I like it. It's all subjective. The old CJs (2s,3s,5s) had square backed, sometimes aluminum hard tops. You guys are just used to more recent models with rounded roofs. Moreover you confuse opinion with fact.

While you pine for the past, Congress is making it ever harder for Jeep to build ANY kind of Wrangler. You can wish that you were involved in the design process, but in the end you'd design a vehicle that was not legal to produce any more. The Wrangler is being squeezed by CAFE, safety standards, and the expectations of the consumer. Wake up boys. More changes are on the way... I guarantee it.

I own a 2004 Wrangler TJ Columbia edition, and have had no problems at all, and I beat the crap out of my Jeep too.

I've owned a YJ and a TJ and I liked them both respectively... I thought the improvements in the TJ weighed in far more than the changes I didn't like (should have kept the horizontal gauge layout - I really loved that). The JK on the other hand is definitely taking a step in the wrong direction. Lose the curved windshield and those those awful, cheap looking plastic fenders - and Chrysler really PO'd a lot of Jeep ol'timers when they did away with the venerable old AMC engines.

I have a 2003 Wrangler which has had a couple of episodes of not starting, even when the battery is fully charged and the lights, etc. work. Any suggestions?

"I have a 2003 Wrangler which has had a couple of episodes of not starting, even when the battery is fully charged and the lights, etc. work. Any suggestions?"

Your starter is probably beginning to die. When a starter starts to die, it will still work on occasion, but not every time like it should. Starter's aren't very expensive, and if you have even a small amount of mechanical knowledge, they are an easy fix. If you're having a mechanic replace the starter for you, you're looking at about a $300-$400 repair. It's up to you whether or not you see the vehicle as be worth repairing, but if it is just the starter, then your car is just fine and once you replace the starter, it shouldn't have anymore problems.

I have a 2003 TJ Sahara, 3" lift, 33" M/T tires, and take it off road several times a year. No problems. Just replaced the clutch at about 90k miles and the TPS at about the same mileage. No other problems. Sold my hard top as I never used it. Soft tops are the way to go.

Regarding the JK's plastic fenders... just think of them as detatchable clearance indicators!

Regarding water leaking under the dash on TJs, if you get mud in the cowl vent it can clog up the thin drain inside and cause water to flow inside through the vents.

I love my TJ and wouldn't ever think of selling it. I've had several other 4x4s prior to this and wish I had bought a Jeep sooner.

As for people hating different model years... get over it. There's always going to be any product that appeals to 100% of the market. Chrysler is screwing things up, but they did offer the Rubicon with all those goodies straight from the factory... so someone on the inside is still trying to provide a good product.

As a longtime Wrangler owner who has owned both YJ's & TJ's (currently a mint YJ that I love), I must agree that Chrysler has "screwed things up", and also voice my concern about Fiat controlling the fate of Jeep.