I bought this Jeep to replace my aging VW Scirocco. I wanted a car I could go camping with and take out on some trails. On one trip out to Colorado I came back through canyonlands in Utah and Monument Valley in Arizona. I missed seeing a lot of interesting sights because the Dodge Caravan I was in couldn't take the trail. I had originally thought of a Subaru or some car/SUV hybrid, but after taking an '83 Toyota Tercel 4x4 on some pretty nasty roads I realized a real SUV or 4x4 truck was the only option, no matter what Paul Hogan says. Being a graduate student my finances were pretty limited as well. I looked around at a few different makes within my price range (less than $5000) There were a few things about the Jeep that I really liked:
4WD with Select Track Transfer case - this allows 2WD, 4WD AND AWD operation. AWD is very useful in somewhat slippery conditions like partially wet or snowy roads. When the AWD is engaged the improvement in traction is amazing.
Trac Loc Differential - This Jeep came stock with the limited slip Trac-Loc differential, a nice feature for extra traction in sand, mud and snow.
Ground clearance - In addition to being able to go over rocks and stuff, I can actually work on this thing without jacking it up! Nice!
Visibiliity - The visibility in the Jeep is hands down the best of any vehicle I have owned short of a motorcycle.
Comfort - The front seats are great, very comfortble and the power adjustment on the drivers seat a real bonus, especially the height adjustment.
Cargo Capacity - While not as roomy as the Dodge Caravan the Jeep can carry a lot of stuff, very useful for those long camping trips.
Reliabilty - no problems yet, although I have heard of some problems with the ignition key at about 125k, still 20k to go till then though.
Quiet on the Highway - This Jeep is much quieter than I would have thought on the highway, This may be due to extra sound deadening on the country model, I'm not sure.
Climate Control - Wow, the AC on this thing is POWERFUL, the heater is pretty strong too.
Parts - Fairly cheap and easy to get. Thats what you get when the same basic vehicle is produced for almost 20 years!
ABS - haven't had to use it yet, but nice to know it's there.
Fold flat rear seat - no split, but still nice to have.
Fairly easy to work on - Don't need to jack it up, stuff is fairly accessable, but I have yet to do a major repair on it.
Now there are some things I would like to have seen improved, however some of these are fixable and some are just lame on Chryslers part.
Gas Mileage - No big surprise, I think I average 15 city, 17.5 highway, ugh! Fortunately I my wife and I have a daily driver that does much better.
Door Hardware - The drivers side doors rattle when closed, I have traced this problem to a crack in the inner door skin. It looks to me like this is likely caused by too thin sheet metal. It looks fixable with some JB weld. This is something that should have been fixed in the design a long time ago, however I think it was addressed in the '94 model year
Paint - While the paint in general is still good, I have noticed some fading here and there.
Squeeks and Rattles - This thing is pretty noisy on rough roads. However I have taken it off road a few times since I have bought it and that probably hasn't helped much. Still that is why I bought this thing in the first place and it should be able to take a pounding without too much complaining. I have also taken the inner hardware apart to upgrade the stock stereo, this may also be a factor. I have a feeling much of this can be fixed by spending some time tracking down the offending spots and tightening the nearest fasteners. I have also been in an identical Jeep that has never seen the dirt and it is much quieter. The rear leaf spring also squeeks and groans, probably caused by a worn bushing.
Stock Stereo - I can't say anything about the head unit as it was long gone by the time I bought the car, however I did look at the Jensen Accusound speakers - I was not impressed! These things probably cost Chrysler less than $5 apiece. You can probably buy better at the local swap meet. Also unless you are stuck to 5 1/4" or less all the way around unless you are willing to do some modifications (I found a set of Boston Pro 6.1 woofers will fit behind the stock grills with minor mods, similar component systems may also fit) While it's nice Jeep thought to put component speakers in the front, they almost couldn't have picked a worse place to put the tweeters. Fortunately it's relatively easy to put a pair in the sail panels behind the side rear view mirrors, at least if you have power mirrors, for manual mirrors you'll have to be more creative.
Lack of split on the rear fold down seat - Come on Chrysler, would a redesign have been that hard?
Spare tire on the inside - Actually I'm mixed on this one, it does improve the visibility and it's safer but that thing really cuts into the cargo room.
Lack of hidden space - I'd like to be able to hide small stuff, especially an amp, but there are few places to do so.
Still despite all the complaints it's been a valuable asset. My sister took it skiing and was impressed with it's traction in slippery conditions (lots of spinouts all around, Jeep just plowed on through) I've taken it off road and loved it. Would I buy one again - definately!
Amount Paid (US$): 4300
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1993
Model and Options: Country
