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Curious.... How do you tell the differance between Jeeps

10K views 54 replies 25 participants last post by  JkJared 
#1 ·
I was wondering.... Dumb question. Now owning a 12 model. I see Jeeps everywhere. How can you tell what year the Jeep is ?? What are the changes/differentials between the years.
 
#5 ·
kbwwolf said:
The ones with the Pentastar have a "glow" about them.
Bwahahahaha.

On the exterior there really aren't any differences. If you see one with a painted top, then it is either an 11-12 or someone had their top painted. If you see a Rubicon with painted fenders, it is either a 12 or someone had theirs painted or swaped with a Sahara.

If you see a JK without the Trail Rated badge on the drivers fender, it is either a 07-10 2wd or the owner debadged it. Just look for the front driveshaft. Lol. No more 2wd wranglers after the 2010 model year (or maybe it was 2009).

In the interior, the whole inside was changed in 2011. Also, in 2009 I believe it was, they changed the location of the footmans loop in the middle of the front windshield. The freedom panels were also revamped to use this footmans loop as one of the latching points.
 
#6 ·
I have been around Jeeps since the '80s and owned one since the '90s.

Other than the square head lights on the YJ's, it is a little tough to tell some times. The Tjs the mirrors are slightly different--but once they start moding them they all look the same.
The JK's grill does slope back towards the windshield a little and tail lights are different. Makes it easier to tell from the TJs. On the JKs the only way I can tell an individual year is by accelerating and watching to see if they keep up. With my '12.:whistling:

There are some other visual differences but it takes a while to get to know them.

Congrats on your new Jeep!
 
#11 ·
I have been around Jeeps since the '80s and owned one since the '90s.

Other than the square head lights on the YJ's, it is a little tough to tell some times. The Tjs the mirrors are slightly different--but once they start moding them they all look the same.
The JK's grill does slope back towards the windshield a little and tail lights are different. Makes it easier to tell from the TJs. On the JKs the only way I can tell an individual year is by accelerating and watching to see if they keep up. With my '12.:whistling:

There are some other visual differences but it takes a while to get to know them.

Congrats on your new Jeep!
Don't you think the JKs are wider that the TJs? That and TJ fenders flares have the front turn signal lights and the JKs heve them in the grill
 
#8 ·
As long as we're on the subject, can you guys tell me what -- if any -- differences there are between the '05 TJ with and without the 'Rocky Mountain Edition' designation?
 
#10 ·
kik said:
The only thing I can tell is the new ones (12) have a larger rear window for the hard top. Other than that, I can't tell what year JK just by looking at it on the road unless I can also see the interior for an 11 and 12.
The larger window is on the 11 as well.
 
#14 ·
The JK door/tailgate handles are different from all previous models.

If it has the really small/skinny tires, its an 06-09 X. Starting in 2010, they all started coming w/ 32inch tires standard.

An easy way to tell a JK from a TJ is to look at the front fender flairs I have found. They are all plastic on a JK, but are partially metal on a TJ. If you see one, you'll know what I mean.
 
#16 ·
Didn't the turn signals move from the fenders to the grill at some point too
 
#17 ·
For me personally, the easiest way for me to determine model is by the grill/lights and the suspension set up.

CJ


One way to tell jeeps apart are the grills. The CJ has round headlights and turn signals located in the grill. Upon closer inspection, the slots in a CJ grill contour to the headlights. Other things to help pick out a CJ are the leaf springs. When referring to CJ, YJ, TJ, and JK...CJ's are the only jeeps with round lights and leaf springs from the factory.

YJs

YJs are the only wranglers with square headlights....so that is a pretty easy give away. Along with the square headlights, they also have leaf springs on all four corners.

TJs

TJs also have round headlights. The difference between the TJ and CJ grills are that the turn signals are not part of the grill, and the slots do not meet the headlights. TJs were the first wranglers with Coil springs in all 4 corners.

JKs

JKs are also round lights. However on these, Jeep switched back to signals in the grill. These grills appear to be shorter, but wider. Also like the TJ, the slots do not meet the headlights. The JK has coil springs all around as well.

These are obviously just some quick identifiers...there are many other things that seperate these jeeps (door handles, mirrors, windshields, motors...blah blah blah) but these should cover the basics for you.
 
#18 ·
After researching Jeep history a bit I made it a personal game to spot the Jeep types. on the road...and off.

I've got my wife doing it now.
"Oh, is that one a CJ?" is when I knew she was "in". :D :D

(BTW, it was a TJ, which is when I pointed out the turn signals to her.)

EDIT
One challenge still: Spotting TJs with grill conversions. (Square headlights were not favored...ever)
 
#19 ·
Yup, just like Cons table suggested. If they are coming towards first I identify the lights. If they are square it is a YJ. If they are round i look at the suspension, if it has leaf springs it is a CJ. If it has coil springs I look at the fender flares, if I can see two distinct pieces of fender flare it is a TJ. That leaves us with the JK, it is usually pulling one of the others up and through the trail.
 
#24 ·
CapptainObvious said:
The JK door/tailgate handles are different from all previous models.

If it has the really small/skinny tires, its an 06-09 X. Starting in 2010, they all started coming w/ 32inch tires standard.

An easy way to tell a JK from a TJ is to look at the front fender flairs I have found. They are all plastic on a JK, but are partially metal on a TJ. If you see one, you'll know what I mean.
That's not correct. The Sport model still comes standard with 29" tires on 16" wheels. The "S" package adds the 32" tires on17" wheels.
 
#25 ·
strider_mt2k said:
After researching Jeep history a bit I made it a personal game to spot the Jeep types. on the road...and off.

I've got my wife doing it now.
"Oh, is that one a CJ?" is when I knew she was "in". :D :D

(BTW, it was a TJ, which is when I pointed out the turn signals to her.)

EDIT
One challenge still: Spotting TJs with grill conversions. (Square headlights were not favored...ever)
You mean Yj's with grill conversions. They take the front from a CJ. The giveaway is the tub area above the rear wheel where the word "wrangler" is stamped. The Yj was the first wrangler.
 
#27 ·
Well, with theJK from 2011 and back to I believe 2007 it was kind of easy to tell a "X" or base model, Sahara and Rubicon apart from each other. The Sahara came with paint matched fender flares and silver inserts in front and rear bumpers, the "X" and Rubicon appeared the same at first glance but if you looked at the suspension from the rear you would see that the Rubicon had "RED" shocks and badges showing it was a Rubi. Now with the 12's it has gotten tricky as you can get the Sahara AND the Rubicon with color matched fenders and tops. The 2011 and 2012 have identical interiors so without lifting the hood I think it is hard to tell them apart. I have not heard the new ones running so I can't say if the new 3.6 has a distinct sound kinda like the 5.0 mustangs that most people can say what it is by hearing it running. The older jeeps people have already explained some of the major differences so good luck learning to pick them out.
 
#28 ·
I can't say if the new 3.6 has a distinct sound kinda like the 5.0 mustangs that most people can say what it is by hearing it running. The older jeeps people have already explained some of the major differences so good luck learning to pick them out.
I heard one the other day. It kind of sounded like a washing machine on the spin cycle.:whistling:
 
#29 ·
JK's: The slightly wider rear window of the '11 or '12, along with the new interior, if you can see the interior will tell you it is an '11 or newer. From the rear, you can tell a '12 by the tail pipe, and if you are up close, you can look under and see the smaller muffler used. Can't think of another way to ID a '12 if you are just passing one on the street ..except...oh, yeah... look for the big wide grin on the driver's face!:) And no matter which one you see, be sure to wave.:wavey:

Best,

SW
 
#36 ·
i think to a large extent this is just about being around jeeps a lot. i've owned a CJ5, CJ7, a YJ, two TJ's, and now a JK. like twins dont look alike to their parents, a a CJ or TJ looks nothing like a JK to me. it has to do with differences in agularity, door and headlight shape, grill shape, etc. jhere's some of the easier things to look for: CJ5's have the curved s-shaped doors, CJ7's have square doors. YJ's have square headlights. TJ's have the rubber hood latches and went back to round headlights, as god intended. JK's have a slightly slanted grill and the big plastic fenders.

as your jeepness evolves, so will your ability to identify the various models. cheers!
 
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