Faults:

- The cat started to crumble out at 190,000, and stuffed my muffler full.

- Driver's seat is a little worn out, but still comfortable.

General Comments:

- This Jeep will go anywhere a normal vehicle shouldn't think about going.

- The stock rag top in the winter time will let a lot of air in, and pops your ears in high winds.

- But, there is a saying about Jeeps; "you love them or you don't".

Faults:

Body rust issues all over in the grueling Quebec salty sand roads. After about 5 years, I began to touch up paint nicks or rust by hand with gloss black paint. but have had to have both lower right and left sides, and part of floor metal, replaced at the 15 year point.

Door lock mechanisms are glitchy, window handles replaced each twice or 3 times, and full hard-top doors have had to be adjusted a couple of times as they needed to be slammed HARD to get them to close properly. Driver's side lower back of window frame cracked and needed welding. Passenger side window gaskets dried out, blocking the window from going up without difficulty.

Hard top hydraulic supports are tired after 18 years.

Driver seat belt clip won't click-in after 18 years.

Soft top was toast after 15 years; the last 7 in the Mexican sun.

Windshield washer reservoir has sprung leaks after 18 years.

Console lock died after 5 or 6 years.

First one speaker died, then Std AM/FM radio died too around the 10 year point.

Horn stopped working reliably after only 3 or 4 years.

Water leaks onto passenger side floor in rain since 8 or 9 years old.

Driver's seat began to tear and sag at 18 years.

With just routine maintenance, and replaced valve cover gasket, the original engine still performs well, even towing, and complies with California smog limits.

General Comments:

This Jeep was seriously wrapped around a telephone pole once at 5 years, but came out of the body shop raring to go. I flipped it onto its side in a snow-filled ditch on an icy winter road. My friend and I were able to tip it back up on its wheels by ourselves. I put it into 4x4, and drove out of that snow-filled ditch.

I have driven this Jeep across Canada, and from Canada to Puerto Vallarta Mexico twice, towing a trailer that out weighed it, and it has performed extremely well. Service and parts are easy to find, and aside from the clutch hiding in the bell housing, easily accessible.

This year, 2010, at almost 20 years old, I have just spent about $3,000 in long overdue maintenance to the transmission, clutch, brakes, radiator and a complete tune up, replaced the worn out non-drive train parts, and I feel like I've got a new vehicle. I look forward to driving this Jeep YJ for another 20 years if it will let me.

Faults:

I had to respond to another reviewer who has the Olympic wrangler. I have this same car in red. I bought it from a guy in Va. a couple of months ago. It idled terribly so he had a hard time selling it. I got it and replaced the vacuum advance. It ran better.

Then I noticed a vacuum line below the carburetor with a screw in it; I took it out and it idled much better. Then one day the car started idling much higher. I took a screwdriver and lowered the idle, and now the car is almost normal - but misses just a little.

I also grabbed the distributor - it was not completely tight - and moved it counterclockwise until the engine sounded better. Now the gas smell is about gone and I can put the top down.

The car's body is in perfect shape.

I had to spend $950 to replace the front bearings and joints.

I love tinkering with cars, and new cars are all electronic.