Hi everyone! I am considering buying a 2004 Jeep TJ. I would only be able to afford one car so it would have to be my daily driver as well. I travel to and from school about once a month and the trip is 2hours long on the highway. Has anyone driven their TJ on the highway, and how was it? I don’t mind noise. Also I know Jeep’s are bad on gas but I was wondering how bad? I drove an F150 for 2 years and my car right now needs premium gas so I am used to paying higher for gas. Thank you in advance for any advice and information you can offer me!
Okay, here goes... Advice, information, lengthy experience with the 2004 Jeep Wrangler (Sport), which I think is an excellent choice, if you can find one in good shape. (Incidentally, I read somewhere that anytime someone refers to a Wrangler as a “car” a kitten dies. I don’t know that there’s any truth to it, but as a cat lover I’m inclined to play it safe.)
I bought mine new in November 2003, and it’s been my only ride since the day I drove it home. I wouldn’t think of parting with that little truck. I lifted it 2.5”, put 31x10.5 tires on it, added new bumpers, a winch (and have needed it more than once), plenty of useful auxiliary lighting for nights on off-road trails, surfcasting Long Island’s south shore (now NC’s Outer Banks), on-board air (very useful for my purposes), and an sPOD system to control all the extras. I’ve driven it on just about any surface you can think of, including back and forth from NY to NC at least twice. (Permanently in NC since 2014.) How does it ride on the highway? Depends on your expectations. Mine rides like a Wrangler, as I expected, perhaps more like a truck than post-2006 (etc) incarnations, and no different than when new. My wife’s 2016 Grand Cherokee rides like I imagine a Lexus might. After driving my TJ for 17 years, I find the new GC intimidating. Those older Wranglers were engineered to optimize highway travel, just before reaching the point of diminishing returns. I think they did a pretty good job. Since 2003, the only other Wrangler I’ve had a ride in is a friend’s 2020 4-door Rubicon. The cockpit and ride reminded me of the GC. My first exposure to the interior of a post-2004 Wrangler was a bit of a shock. It felt as though I’d stepped 17 years into the future and wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. I missed the wonderful simplicity of my TJ.
The “feel” is fine on the highways. Comfortable enough for me up front, adequately so for backseaters on short runs. Mine came with a hard top and soft top. I used to put the hard top on for winters up north, but found it wasn’t necessary. The interior heats up and cools off, as required, in minutes. I discovered no advantage with the hard top pertaining to climate control. It is quieter with the hard top installed, but I prefer the soft top for several reasons. (One 2004 Wrangler hard top for sale, excellent condition.) It’s louder with the soft top and even more so when I fold it down. But what a ride!
My 6-cylinder engine propels the vehicle from stop to highway merge speed like a champ. It will do 80+ without me noticing on a good highway, but it is inherently aerodynamically challenged, not designed for that sort of racing. And the winds will buffet you a bit. Still, it performs better than expected. Bear in mind, the manual specifies regular gas, so that would save you a few pennies. As for mileage, no surprises there. I think 14 or 15 MPG is about right for highways with a good tailwind. But one’s mileage may vary. I nearly burned through a full tank logging 9 miles in 4 hours on the trails at Uwharrie National Forest. But my modestly modified TJ made it through Uwharrie’s hairy trails without a scratch, and stock Wranglers regularly do the same. You are considering a vehicle entirely in a class of its own, especially these older two-door models. It’s fun on finished roads but really shines off pavement. Mine‘s nimble, agile, easily performs u-turns so tight it pivots me 180° from the turnoff of an eastbound highway directly into the fast lane going west. And that comes in handy in many situations.
My Wrangler can be hard on batteries, but I place heavy demands on them. My only complaint is a problem that developed about 10 years after I bought it. It’s prone to a sort of vapor lock at the 3rd fuel injector (I believe) after shutting down and trying to restart on hot days. It’s proved difficult to remedy. Otherwise, the engine runs great after all these years. Then again, the odometer only reads 56,000 miles, and it’s my only personal vehicle. I get the sense you intend to use your new used vehicle similar to how I‘ve used mine, at least for now.
Because Wranglers are so unique among “SUVs,” I’ve always thought it was a vehicle one really really wants or doesn’t particularly care for, especially if it’s to be one’s only vehicle. An easy choice for me.
Anyway, here’s my Wrangler in the sands of the Outer Banks, September 2020. It was a comfortable 4+ hours to get there, five days in the sand, then another 4+ comfortable hours to get home. Unfortunately, all that time I didn’t drive it during my end-of-year bout with COVID-19 sapped my poor battery, so I’m off to buy a new Diehard Platinum AGM.
I think you’ll love driving a Wrangler. (Don’t forget to wave.)
. Now the later JKs with the Pentastar engine may be better, but the JunKs with the 3.8, avoid those. The TJ has a much sportier feel, quicker afoot all around and much more nimble.
