We're looking into trading our 98 Contour LX V-6 in for an older Jeep YJ. Something around 92-95. (Her car, her money). Anyways, she's hoping to end up with a little cash after the trade to help with school in the fall. But, I don't know anything about Jeeps........Anybody have any experience or heard good or bad? We'd prefer a 4 cyl. , (not going to be used for anything except back and forth to work), and it doesn't matter if it's AT or a 5-speed.

Is there anything special I should be looking for? Any known defects? (Other then being a Dodge product? Heh...Heh....J/K)

Sorry for posting this on a Ford website, but everyone here is always very helpful when it comes to anything else.....so.....?

Thanks in advance!

 

the only thing that i can say is get the inline 6

you will want the six because eventually you will probably decide that the little pizza cutter tires don't look good so you will want to put some bigger more aggressive tires and the 4 banger will not be able to handle the tires as well as the six

other than that all I know is that the mopar inline six is a good motor but it has always had problems with oil leaking out on the back side of the valve cover gasket

i fixed many of them when i worked as a mechanic

 

http://www.jeepforums.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi

(but don't forget to come back)

 

I had a 94 Wrangler. It was fun to drive and I did not have any problems with it. I would definatly try to get a 6cyl. There is a reason why there are so many 4cyl 5spd for sale. I just helped a friend find and buy a 92. Atleast around here the biggest problem was, pretty much every jeep we looked at was real beat up.

 

holy crap jleinweber,
You must of got the same talking to last night as me...
Very similar, wife has 96 contour....tired of looking up at everyone. Decided she wants a jeep. Getting ready to head to dealership as I type, just going to post same question here.
Jeep, good or bad?

Probably will opt for the I6 and a/c.

I even drive a 2000 4x4 OPR Lariat that looks similar to your sig. photo.

 

My buddy had one(5 years ago) with the 4 banger and it was fine with the stock donut tires but it turned into a gutless wonder when he decided to put some bigger tires on it.He ended up selling to it some poor soul.He bought a 98 Jeep with the six a few months ago.Current mods- 2" body lift,4"suspension lift and 35s(?) BFG mud tires.I can personally say (having ridden in it) that the 6 has no problem turning those tires. Good Luck,

 

Well this didn't take long. The wifes new Jeep Wrangler Sport. 1999 4.0 I6 5 speed with low miles....

 

NSS, that is the same problem around here. Every one of them is a little too beat up for my liking. And it seems like every one we drive, there is a grind between 2nd and 3rd. Any ideas?? Are they all bad for this?

HarleyRider, That is a sweet looking Jeep! I'll bet your wife is happy now! Must've been nice to find one right away, We're going out almost every day looking at Jeeps, and it's starting to drive me nuts!

 

jleinweber, The 92' 4cyl my buddy just bought also grinds between 2nd and 3rd, I do not know what the problem is. Jeeps have high resale value, which is good when you sell it, but tough when your are looking to buy. Not only are most jeeps beat up real bad, but most people seem to go over board on the accesories, like lights, racks, stereo, bars...etc. Which don't allways look good and are often not working or starting to rust. So when you find one in good shape, you almost have to get it reguardless if it's the 4 or 6 cylinder. When I bought my 94', I ended up getting it new because my dad and I were tired of looking for used ones. Good luck.

Harleyrider, That's a nice jeep. Good luck with it.

 

You will ove it

Go for the 4 or the 6 cyl. My brother a few years ago owned a 95 YJ 4 cyl. He put on the FActory bigger wheels. It was awsome. Handles the weight of the tires and had enough power to get him around where ever he needed to go. Sometimes even off the trails. You really don't need the 6 cyl unless you off roading. It will be hard to find one for a good price because they hold there value very well. My brother drove his for 2 years and only lost a 1 thousand off the what he paid for it. He has owned many diffrent cars and trucks and drove all sorts. He still says he wishes he owned that jeep still.

 

Thanks for the complements guys...she is all ready loving it. I did an internet search of a 250 mile radius of our town and ended up finding that one in a dealership 85 miles away. One owner, garage kept. It has tilt, cruise, wheels, w/matching spare, running boards, dual 2nd gen. air bags, about everything her car had. Only $15,200. I couldn't hardly find any 97' or 98's that cheap. No trans grinding(which is a syncro problem), or no cracked manifold. I looked at the Jeep forums and new what to look for before making the trip. Has the D35C rear, 3:07 I think with the 5 speed and hopefully LS. Got to get the wife to stop long enough for me to crawl under neath it and look for the tag.
The plastic window are even 95% scratch free, bel;ieve that or not....

HR

 

My brother has a jeep, here are two of the sites he likes:

4 Bangers United

Jeeps Unlimited Forum