My daughter is looking for her first jeep Wrangler. I am partial to the 4.0L, but she is looking newer and they have the 3.8L in them. So I would like to throw it out there and see what everyone else thinks. Gotta admit, I do like my 2012 with the 3.6L but the price is to high for her so she needs to go older.

 

I would go with a 4.0

 

IN my opinion, the 4.0 is far superior of an engine than a 3.8. I had my 99TJ for 13 years and not one issue with the engine. It was a great vehicle.

 

I had a 4.0L XJ for 14 years with no issues. Now, I've had a 3.8L JK for 8 years with no issues.

That means nothing to your daughter. She may get a good one; she may get a bad one.

She should make a decision based on which Jeep platform she likes more, and close inspections of the candidates.

 

Neither engine is without their problems. Especially since the newest TJ you can find will be 10 years old. Overall the JK is more stable, refined, and comfortable. For those reasons alone, I would go with the JK.

 

IF the 4.0 were in the JK with the shitty auto people would hate it as well. Not to mention the JK is quite a bit heavier then the TJ and has larger tires. Size is a big difference in the two and they feel way different when you drive the two. I would have her drive both and see what she feels more comfortable with and not worry about the motor. You also can get into a 3.6 v6 with a much better transmission in the 2012+ models.

 

Safety Safety Safety. I put my son in a TJ in 2010 and he flipped it in 2011. I have owned a 2007 and now have a 2012. With airbags, ABS brakes, ESP and other newer safety features I would get the JK for a new driver. I considered a JK for my daughter who just started driving and wound up getting her a 4cyl 2014 Compass for $14,000. The insurance was much cheaper by almost a thousand bucks a year, the vehicle was cheaper and believe it or not it got a better safety rating.