Jeep Wrangler Instead of a Side by Side?

[ovrszd]

Bet you can't find a single 2002 Cherokee in the US (not Grand Cherokee.)

Bruce

Maybe not. But I can find you a 8 older versions for the cost of a single new UTV. And they'll outlast it.

 

[ovrszd]

I looked at a side by side vs something else too. I bought an '87 Samurai and it's been great. Completely reliable and a closed cab for bad weather with a heater. Mine is street legal, and in excellent condition, so I can drive it home on the highway if I want to, but you could forget licensing it if it's off road all the time. Cheap to, they can be had for a few hundred dollars. There are many parts available to make them into anything you want. Probably best for someone that doesn't mind tinkering a bit because of their age, but they are well made.

But they are older and nowhere near as fast as a Razr.

Yep. Locally several farmers drive them versus a UTV for light chore work. On the highway. Legally. Year around.

 

[wmonroe]

Without even Googling it, they made several, several, several millions of those. They are not a collector's item. I can't see anything in the photo that would indicate it was a rare model. But, some people's "gold" is another person's "junk". Make him an offer, you might be able to acquire a "collector".

He was giving me a hard time for stating the wrong year of that Cherokee.

 

[4570Man]

$8000 will buy you a Jeep you can putz around in the timber with AND drive to work, vacation, grocery store, etc. $8000 will also buy a Jeep, Sami, etc., that will outlast 2 Mules. This is a matter of personal preference. My point is only to not confuse it with durability and longevity. A 42 MB is 70 years old. I'll bet my meager wealth that you will not be able to find a 70 year old mule 60 years from now.

I have a WW2 army mule. They were produced between 1956 and 1970. They are actually a pretty sweet ride with a 1,000 pound carrying capacity.

 

[EddieWalker]

$8000 will buy you a Jeep you can putz around in the timber with AND drive to work, vacation, grocery store, etc.

$8000 will also buy a Jeep, Sami, etc., that will outlast 2 Mules.

This is a matter of personal preference. My point is only to not confuse it with durability and longevity.

A 42 MB is 70 years old. I'll bet my meager wealth that you will not be able to find a 70 year old mule 60 years from now.

I'm starting to get the feeling that you have an emotional position here that is not based on reality. While I can appreciate your affection towards your choice, my experience is that if you pay $8,000 for a jeep, you are getting a beater that has had years of abuse that will require wrenching on it all the time to keep it going. Why would you want to compare dollar amounts to what you can get a BRAND NEW side by side to a very old jeep? I'm not saying the Mule is the best choice, or that a brand new Mule is better then a brand new Jeep. I am saying that for under ten grand you can get a brand new, stock UTV that will outlast and run circles around any jeep for the same amount of money.

Thank you for doing the math on how old a jeep built in 1942 is. I fail to see the point you are making that there are no Kawasaki Mules that where built during WWII? But I'm sure that you realize that every one of those jeeps that where built back then have had a ton of money into rebuilding them, or they are in need of a ton of money to get them to run again. You don't buy an old jeep expecting it to run around on a daily basis, you buy them because you love them and you enjoy the process of restoring them. Because you have the time and the money to dump into them to create something you will be proud of and enjoy having. Not to run around off road and tear up doing the things most of us do with our UTV's.

 

[Sodo]

I would like a vehicle to use on our 2-3 miles of forest trails. Uses would include hauling firewood tools (chainsaw, gas, oil, ...), sugar bush tapping supplies, winching logs onto trail and giving farm visitors a tour of our forest. A side by side would work but I'm wondering if a used Jeep Wrangler would work.

A rollover Cherokee in good mechanical shape for $1000 could compete with an $8,000 UTV for my attn Rollovers don't usually devalue a Wrangler that much.

Not sure if any SUV compares to the agility of a UTV, maybe a lifted Samurai. For example turning around on a one-lane road on a steep hillside. I'd use my (insured) pickup to go to town, and prefer the agility in my farm rig. I'd like a setup that works well without opening & closing doors. Also with a UTV everybody can pile in and out from one side. With almost any vehicle half the people have to walk around the other side. Theres a lot of utility in that U. Thats how I would do it, YMMV.

 

[ovrszd]

I'm starting to get the feeling that you have an emotional position here that is not based on reality. While I can appreciate your affection towards your choice, my experience is that if you pay $8,000 for a jeep, you are getting a beater that has had years of abuse that will require wrenching on it all the time to keep it going. Why would you want to compare dollar amounts to what you can get a BRAND NEW side by side to a very old jeep? I'm not saying the Mule is the best choice, or that a brand new Mule is better then a brand new Jeep. I am saying that for under ten grand you can get a brand new, stock UTV that will outlast and run circles around any jeep for the same amount of money.

Thank you for doing the math on how old a jeep built in 1942 is. I fail to see the point you are making that there are no Kawasaki Mules that where built during WWII? But I'm sure that you realize that every one of those jeeps that where built back then have had a ton of money into rebuilding them, or they are in need of a ton of money to get them to run again. You don't buy an old jeep expecting it to run around on a daily basis, you buy them because you love them and you enjoy the process of restoring them. Because you have the time and the money to dump into them to create something you will be proud of and enjoy having. Not to run around off road and tear up doing the things most of us do with our UTV's.

Eddie, there's no emotional attachment or position. Reality is what I'm talking about.

I'll clarify one thing before I comment further. I am not familiar with the market value of Jeeps in Texas. I'm only familiar with Missouri.

In my World $8000 will buy you a very, very nice Jeep that easily has an additional 100K miles of use in it without abnormal maintenance. And I've gotta pull the State Motto when you say a new UTV under $10K that will outlast a $10K Jeep, "Show Me".

My point in regards to your 42 MB was that 60 years from now Kawasaki Mules could be 70 years old, if you can find one, which you won't be able to.....

I bought a '53 M13A1 Jeep running for $800 10 years ago. I sold it to my Son who still has it. Parks it outside. If the battery isn't currently dead it'll crank anytime he wants to use it. Occasionally drives it to work just to keep it limbered up. He's had to replace the brake master cylinder. It's as reliable as any UTV including a new one.

Eddie I run my Jeeps offroad almost every weekend. Will be doing it tomorrow, weather permitting. Might even find myself in an upside down position before the day is over. I'll certainly have the engine in the rev limiter several times. I'll also go places and thru obstacles that your UTV isn't able to get into, let alone crawl back out of.

No personal attack here Eddie. Just clarifying things a bit.

Please excuse the one Toyota in this fleet.



This Jeep I bought running for $400. Counting everything down to new Ujoints I have $5200 in this one. I affectionately call her Mary Jane, since it's originally an MJ. It's the one I mentioned that has 270,000 miles on the powertrain.

 

[ovrszd]

I have a WW2 army mule. They were produced between 1956 and 1970. They are actually a pretty sweet ride with a 1,000 pound carrying capacity.

Yep, friend of mine has one that he drives in parades. Don't think that's the kind of Mule Eddie is talking about. Although it will definitely outlast and out work the type he's referring to.

 

[ovrszd]

A rollover Cherokee in good mechanical shape for $1000 could compete with an $8,000 UTV for my attn Rollovers don't usually devalue a Wrangler that much.

Not sure if any SUV compares to the agility of a UTV, maybe a lifted Samurai. For example turning around on a one-lane road on a steep hillside. I'd use my (insured) pickup to go to town, and prefer the agility in my farm rig. I'd like a setup that works well without opening & closing doors. Also with a UTV everybody can pile in and out from one side. With almost any vehicle half the people have to walk around the other side. Theres a lot of utility in that U. Thats how I would do it, YMMV.

I agree. I own a Rhino. I'm headed to the farm when I get off here to spray some brush. I'll use the Rhino with the sprayer tank in the bed.

I'm not Jeep biased or phobic about UTVs. They both have their place. But there's no way that I can ever compare the money spent against the reliability and workability of a Jeep versus UTV. That math just don't work.

Here's a rollover I bought for $100. Removed all the glass, doors. Welded the rear axle. Turned the grandkids loose. They named it "Mad Max". When they outgrew it I removed the engine/trans and put them in a Wrangler.

 

[bcp]

I have a WW2 army mule. They were produced between 1956 and 1970. They are actually a pretty sweet ride with a 1,000 pound carrying capacity.

WW2 lasted much longer than I thought.

From:
Home Of The M274 Army Mule at http://www.274armymules.com



Bruce