Hey there Guys and Gals.

As someone whose Jeep is supposed to be delivered THIS WEEK (finally!), I actually find myself losing enthusiasm over the purchase, before I even have it… :sad: and the reason is all these gripes I’m reading about from the few of us that have experienced serious issues with our JKs. It seems to me that:

A) The JK is a first-year production vehicle – these WILL have annoyances that get worked out under warranty, but are aggravating for their owners nonetheless.
B) The number of people that have experienced SERIOUS mechanical defects with their JKs are probably well less than 1 in 20 (5%), but because all those negative opinions are collected in one place, it distorts the perception of those of us without our JKs yet…

Please don’t misunderstand – you paid a lot of money for your Jeep, and have EVERY right to expect it to be damn near perfect. I’m not questioning your opinions or your decisions to share your experiences with the forum – in fact, I appreciate all of the “problem posts” as potential “heads-up” warnings. So don’t misunderstand – not trying to start a war here, or criticize your sharing of your negative experiences.

What I AM saying is that the wait is hard enough, but when you’re waiting AND you read all these complaints and “lemon”-type stories, it really can discourage you and make you question your purchase… So, I’m hoping that this can be a “positive” thread that can psyche-up people who find themselves in the same state of mind as me. We all know that the JK is awesome – that’s why we bought, and/or ordered and endured (or still are enduring) some pretty insane wait times.

I KNOW that my JK may not be “perfect,” but I still can’t wait to get it. I was really enthusiastic about my new JK, and while I’m more than ready to get my hands on it, the negativity makes me question the decision to trade in a perfectly good (read: reliable as the sun and moon) vehicle for my JK. Help me out boys and girls:

What do you love most about your JK? How happy are you that you bought it? If you had it to do over again, leaks/squeaks/rattles and all, would you do it again?

Thanks for your honest input, and hopefully some great reasons to look forward to an awesome beast of a vehicle.

 

So far in my first week of ownership I really like it. I had a TJ from 96-03 so I have a familiarity with Jeeps. I have an annoying whistle or creeking sound coming from the passenger side somewhere starting at about 40mph that drives me nuts but am having it looked at tomorrow. Mods are coming, trying to decide about tires and such. When I mod it to my liking I think i will be totally happy.

 

Great idea MJS. I should be getting mine by the end of the month and would like to hear some possitive feed back..

 

This is my second JK, first one was a 2 door X with 6 speed, soft top and 4:10. I put 5,000 miles on it and traded for a 4 door X 6 speed with 3:21 and soft top which I have replaced with a Freedom top and have 3,000 miles on it. Only problems with both was they needed the Nov. 18 TSB. The Freedom top has not leaked does not whistle and I love it (dealer purchased and dealer installed). Fuel mileage is not great (16.5 mpg) but what can you expect. The only regret I have now is the 3:21 gears, there is not any gain in economy and a big loss with power. I put 16" Pro-Comp extreme wheels with 265/75/16 Nitto Terra Grapplers on it and wish for the 4:10 gears which I will change out eventually befor epulling my bass boat. The plastic scratching is a dissappointing issue...would it keep me from buying it if I knew in advance..no I bought a second one after knowing it. All in all, I look forward to driving it, modifying it, and looking back over my shoulder at it when I'm walking away. Oh it as well as my first one is Light Greystone Pearl. Looking at possibly installing the 2 1/2" tera-flex econolift in the future.
Jim

 

Well..... Jeeps are Jeeps and not Lexus'... So you will always have a few annoying things from the factory.. I have had a '75 a '97 TJ,Sahara..an '00 TJ an a
'03 Rubi and now a JK RUBI. So I have a lot to compare. My Tj's were modified quite a bit. All of them had different quirks from the factory..leaks..wind noise..squeaks..pedal control rattles..etc.etc.etc.. nothing ever major and I loved every one!! And I drove every one mostly off road.. so they were not babied.
I have yet to put any mods on the JK or put it through it's paces. but I love it! You cannot compare a TJ and JK.. part for part they are entirely different. The Jk has beefier underpinnings all around.. ...a new 18 bolt transfer case..axles..etc. The Jeep engineers have done in my opinion just about everything they could do within liability limits. 33's and a suspension raise would have been great! A switch from the factory so I can use my lockers in
4wd hi...Instead of me having to figure out the wiring.. But they have put in the sway bar disconnnect, changed the crawl ratio from 64:1 to 73:1....electronic insted of pneumatic lockers..(I found they respond much faster). they stiffened the frame.
They basically did what they had to do to stay with what we might see from the competition and government safety requirements in the future. They had to change it or lose it!! I'm glad it's still here!!! I think it's more "SUV like" and could not care less.
It is still more capable and stonger than my TJ's were!! Some of the perks like starting in gear when rock crawling are things that are not new but sure convenient and not incorporated on the TJ. The JK's might be electronic nightmares (thats one of the places where i fall short). But they are warranteed....although it's back to 3 years 36.000. So heck whats not to like???? A few glitches will be there!! See you at the dealer..lol.. Any way those are my thoughts. Ask 10 people you'll probably get 10 different answers.

 

Thanks bleblanc - I figured I wasn't alone in feeling this way (after all, hardly anyone posts stories about how awesome their Jeep is - they'd be preaching to the choir). But we need to hear it just the same, or else it comes off as one-sided JK-bashing!... in fact, I think another forum (JU) has had some issues with non-JK owners posting a bunch of negative crap about JKs... must be jealous!

 

Its JU. I would go there for JK info. They like to stir the pot..


I voted the 2nd choice. its an awesome jeep. I just had small issues with DC not owning up the their errors.


That said if the wife and I made lots of Cash, we would probley have went with a Rubicon and bought a 4 door for a DD and to keep it stock

 

No real increase in gas milage? I'm surprised at that. I really wanted the 4:10 gearing. I got that and more with my rubicon. I'm really satisfied with the gas milage. I'm getting from 19-22 mpg on the interstate. I drive 109 miles a day to and from work. A lot less in town and in the hill country in 4wheel drive, but I don't care about that since it's so much fun.

 

Boy are you right. I bought a yj new in 94. I put 220,000 miles on that jeep. I had issues from day one. I kept it anyway and was very satisfied in the long run. A tj guy told me the other day my jk won't last as long as my yj. What is it about jeepers that makes so unwilling to like the new models?

I would also like to say I really like this jeep. I'm dropping it off at the dealership tonight to fix the top and seal around the door. I'm not looking forward to it at all! I'm missing it already.

 

Yeah, My friends laughed when I bought a jeep with coil springs... Then there is the "you didn't build it ya bought" thing. Heck I built enough stuff.. If I can buy it with most of it done and add the rest, I don't mind. Change is good. The JK will be a winner as were the TJ's and YJ's!
I remember my carburator coughing and spitting while my CJ5 struggled up the hill..lol