2004 Jeep Wrangler Sport from North America - Comments

Nothing so far.

Okay, lets face it. If you are looking for a luxury vehicle this is not it. Buy a Landcruiser if you need leather and off road capability. Buy a Wrangler if you need a world-class off road vehicle that you can scratch up and still love to look at. I bought this Wrangler (my third) because I am working in Mexico and need a vehicle that will go absolutely anywhere and can maneuver in some of the worst traffic in the world (Monterrey, Mexico). It is not comfortable, but anyone who has owned a Wrangler knows that and anyone who hasn't will learn about wind noise and road feel in real way. If you are looking for a vehicle that is truly able to take you over the Rubicon Trail and manuever you through some of the worlds worst traffic with bad road conditions this is the one. I feel a sense of security in knowing that I can take this vehicle anyplace I need to go and although it may not come back looking pretty, it will come back. Buy a Wrangler if you need a real four wheel drive, because nothing else even comes close and I have tried them all.

Hmm the land rover discovery would easily give the wrangler a run for its money.

I rented a Discovery for week on a trip to Scotland. It was a wonderful vehicle except for its turning radius which is very large. We were very surprised it took a 5 point turn to turn around on a two lane road. This was the single biggest factor that convinced us to buy a Jeep Wrangler.

The discovery wouldn't "easily" give a wrangler a run for it's money. I've seen these things in action against wranglers and even pulled some out with my wrangler (2005 rocky mountain edition) with no trouble at all. The discovery is a capable "off-road" vehicle compared to most other supposed off-road capable suv's. If your just as concerned with comfort and status as you are with off-road prowess, then the discovery is perfect. If you're not concerned with much else other than pure off-road ability, then get a wrangler. Now the Land Rover defender would very easily give a wrangler a run for it's money and in a lot of situations could pull out ahead. Now they were great off-road vehicles and it's a shame Land Rover stopped sending their true off-road vehicle over here to the U.S.

Price is a factor too.

I used to think that Landrovers were top-notch, myself, but surprisingly the reviews on here suggest that the quality has slipped and allowed quite a number of annoying problems to crop up. Meanwhile, the $70,000 price tag here in the States precludes the average 20- or 30-something off-road enthusiast from buying into the Landrover. That pretty much leaves the Wrangler as the top contender. I agree, I was impressed by the Landrovers of the 1980's and also the Defenders of the mid-1990's. Now I wouldn't be so sure.

You've also gotta figure that parts and general maintenance will be a big factor into the price.

My 2004 Wrangler Sport is a real winner. I am comparing to the military HMMWV that I spent about five years in doing a lot of traveling and off-roading.

All the large SUVs that are glutting the market today have wheelbases that are much too long for trail use, are way too heavy.. and while they have plenty of HP, they only 'burrow' instead of crawl from the mud and rocks.

I waited 25 years to buy a new Jeep Wrangler. It was worth the wait. I have had it now for just over a year and not a single issue. In fact.. I almost wished it didn't have a such a great warranty package...'cause I really want to do some add ons!

I have heard that the in-line 6 is going to go away. Bad, bad, move. This is a motor that has been proven under fire and is great for the low end torque thingy.

In sum...it's still the leader in off-road vehicles.

I've had my 2004 Sport model for 3.5 years now and 90k miles. I love it. Yup, it is bumpy on the road, but this is usually not a surprise to anyone. I don't feel "tippy" in it. At <$25k, I have a 4WD off road machine, and a convertible and a reasonable commuter mobile.

BTW, my repair bills are ridiculously low. I used to drive a Volvo and my typical bill when leaving the maintenance counter is now about 1/4 what I was used to.