Not trying to start a war with my first post LOL My daughter in law is looking for a used jeep. I do not have the jeep experience to answer this question she has. All vehicle makers have lemons that they make and some of the same year have zero problems. Thank you for your input.
What years to avoid buying
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Not trying to start a war with my first post LOL My daughter in law is looking for a used jeep. I do not have the jeep experience to answer this question she has. All vehicle makers have lemons that they make and some of the same year have zero problems. Thank you for your input.
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Rather than avoid, why not look at the best. Per JD Powers, please see below:
The 2015 Wrangler has continually been rated the most reliable year for the vehicle. Its four-wheel drivetrain gives it incredible off-road performance, especially among other vehicles in its class. It has strong engine options that give it the boost it needs in acceleration.
But maintenance and usage abuse also play a big part in this.
The 2015 Wrangler has continually been rated the most reliable year for the vehicle. Its four-wheel drivetrain gives it incredible off-road performance, especially among other vehicles in its class. It has strong engine options that give it the boost it needs in acceleration.
But maintenance and usage abuse also play a big part in this.
Thank you Old Dogger for your input. You are right look for the good years of course. As someone who unfortunately bought a Cadillac SRX with the much flawed engine it was well known how bad those engines by mechanics but I did not know before buying. Found out after warranty work(extended warranty saved my butt) got rid of it to Car Max (they bought it back) My jeep is first for me buying a CDJR product in my life hope it works out.
I think I've heard of issues of the 2013 model specifically, maybe someone else can elaborate.
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2015-2017 Gen 2 3.6 JK would be my preference
but honestly 3.8s are probably a safer choice on the used market.
most of the time we see folks come here with 3.6 issues after they buy it used.
the 3.6 has flaws that we just don’t see the 3.8ers experience.
if you get unlucky on the 3.6 and buy someone else’s problems you can be looking at the price of a remanufactured engine to get it repaired.
issues we see here surrounding the 3.6
oil cooler leak
coolant system overheating
cylinder head issues
rockers and camshaft replacement (rocker tick)
these are the things you need to be looking for. Ask them if any of these items have been an issue.
they can affect any year on the 3.6 but probably more prevalent in the 2012-2014 years.
also the rear brakes wear out faster than the fronts @ a 5:1 ratio on the 3.6 not sure about the 3.8s
but honestly 3.8s are probably a safer choice on the used market.
most of the time we see folks come here with 3.6 issues after they buy it used.
the 3.6 has flaws that we just don’t see the 3.8ers experience.
if you get unlucky on the 3.6 and buy someone else’s problems you can be looking at the price of a remanufactured engine to get it repaired.
issues we see here surrounding the 3.6
oil cooler leak
coolant system overheating
cylinder head issues
rockers and camshaft replacement (rocker tick)
these are the things you need to be looking for. Ask them if any of these items have been an issue.
they can affect any year on the 3.6 but probably more prevalent in the 2012-2014 years.
also the rear brakes wear out faster than the fronts @ a 5:1 ratio on the 3.6 not sure about the 3.8s
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3,833 Posts
With Jeeps the years to avoid should be considered within model…
I will start with first year Wranglers since older ones are not likely a good first vehicle
YJ 1987-1995
TJ 1997-2006
JK 2007-2018
- newer so may have fewer miles and less wear and tear.
JL 2018-…
be careful when buying a used Jeep, some are abused and then prettied up for a quick sale to an uneducated buyer. Always crawl underneath and look for evidence of off-road use, it will be obvious.
good luck
I will start with first year Wranglers since older ones are not likely a good first vehicle
YJ 1987-1995
- NO airbags. Some mothers don’t like this; our son was impacted by this
- avoid pre 1991 as the carburetor fuel system was a nasty mess of emissions hoses
- 2.5 runs forever, but is gutless.
- 4.0 is fantastic and also runs forever, but may sound like a singer sewing machine
- AC is almost worthless
- can be rough riding, but this is also manageable
- May be too spartan for some
TJ 1997-2006
- Airbags!
- Decent highway ride
- More car-like interior
- decent AC and heat (downside is expensive to repair heater core and AC components)
- 2.5/2.4 still a solid motor, but still gutless
- 4.0 good but can have issues in mid-to-later years with cracked piston skirts ( not all my sons 2006 has 165,000 miles)
- frames are susceptible to rust if ignored, be very careful here as the outside may look ok, but the inside is toast.
- these are also n the older side and if you are not handy with a wrench the cost to fix/repair may be a lot
JK 2007-2018
- I’m not a fan of the 2007-2010 generation, poor motor and transmission choice by Jeep. Manual makes it tolerable.
- 2012 introduced the 3.6 and a way better automatic transmission, but avoid this year and mid-2013 do to head issues
- 2014 introduced a redesigned oil cooler that does appear to have cracking issues, but this may be due to lack of attention when tightening the oil cap.
- I think a later run 2017/2018 is a solid choice for a lot of reasons
- newer so may have fewer miles and less wear and tear.
JL 2018-…
- I have no personal experience with these, but in general they are more refined
- I believe 2018 has bad weld issues
- I believe the manual transmission has clutch issues.
- most likely the price will be higher than older models
be careful when buying a used Jeep, some are abused and then prettied up for a quick sale to an uneducated buyer. Always crawl underneath and look for evidence of off-road use, it will be obvious.
good luck
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16,108 Posts
Early 2012 saw a batch of bad Pentastar heads. FCA reacted immediately and issued a recall right away.
Personally, my 2012 was trouble-free, but my 2013 wasn’t. It had all sorts of issues: the cruise control would disengage while driving over bumps; the ESC light would come on and stay on, and then go away on its own; the battery died after 18 months; the infotainment head unit had to be replaced three times; the drag link and tie rod had to be replaced at 10,000 miles; the TIPM started to act up as soon as the warranty ended. The latter prompted me to finally get rid of the Jeep.
My 2009, 2012, 2014 and 2015 JKs were trouble-free.
The assembly quality on my 2018 JKUR Recon was garbage.
Overall, I’d say, 2014 through 2017 is JK’s sweetspot.
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3,554 Posts
There are likely zero concerns for the 2012/2013 head issue left. It's a decade old. The issue, if it was going to happen, was early on, most under 20k miles.
OTOH, 2014 and up had an oil cooler issue that has not gotten better, and as such has drained stock of replacement coolers. Not enough info on the Dorman aluminum body replacement yet to call it a viable replacement IMO. Mine lasted 130k ish in my 2012, figured that was reason enough to replace it with stock OE version.
FWIW, my 2012 now has 211k miles on it. Auto trans.
OTOH, 2014 and up had an oil cooler issue that has not gotten better, and as such has drained stock of replacement coolers. Not enough info on the Dorman aluminum body replacement yet to call it a viable replacement IMO. Mine lasted 130k ish in my 2012, figured that was reason enough to replace it with stock OE version.
FWIW, my 2012 now has 211k miles on it. Auto trans.
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46,946 Posts
100% AGREE! My 2013 JKR has been trouble free, other than a oil pressure sender at 10K, covered by warranty. Most of these failed products have been updated improved, and should no longer be a concern. But anything can fail, on any vehicle on the road. So nothing is 100% safe.
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567 Posts
Same for me and my '13 JK (ordered in Aug, had an AEV bumper, skids and dual sport build done and took delivery in December so after the --very brief--head problem) and everyone I know who has one. Only issue I've ever had is the radio sensor thing for AM/FM that happens to all models not just Wrangler. I'm at 60k miles. Change oil every 3k now, change diff and tcase fluids every 15k or after encountering a long swim offroad. I've heard of other '13s having goofy problems like e-brake being fickle but nothing remotely like aldo is talking about. At this point, fighting chassis rust is the only thing that worries me about achieving my goal of keeping / driving mine til my grandkids do an intervention and tell me I'm too old to use it. Absolute champ. Holding up better than the wife's German daily driver SUV and she doesn't crawl, climb or swim with hers
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3,833 Posts
I had the oil pressure sender at 16k, but the Jeep was 'aged out' of warranty as this was just last year! Out of an abundance of caution, I ordered a new 13 Mopar Oil cooler with all new sensors already installed. I ordered a new Mopar oil pressure sensor too and installed that on the original Oil cooler. I figure I now have a spare should my new one develop an issue in the future. I do all my own oil changes at 5K so I don't crank down on the fill cap. The only other issue my 13 had was the Engine Coolant Temperature sensor that went bad. Another easy fix.
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567 Posts
First of all, your approach is right. Any maker is going to have defects come off the line. But generally once you get past the head issue in 12 and very early '13, the 3.6 Pentastar is a beast. You don't really appreciate it until you overland with a mixed rig group and just power through stuff Toyota's etc struggle with. Any '13 built after Feb of that year is not only ok but a bit extra stout in my (not insubstantial) experience. If you get the VIN number from any Jeep you're looking at you can look up the build sheet to determine date of manufacture. The only other issue post Feb 13's had was a potential for the heated side mirror wire to corrode. I inspected mine at the time and it was fine, and 10 years later is still fine. I never did the recall. Highly recommend 13's post Feb. Plan to drive mine 10 more years at least.
That said, I cannot speak at all to the switch to JL in '18. There's a lot of passion on both sides as people tend to hate the new company and project that onto the vehicle they produce. Also many experienced wrenchers on here are against all the electronics JLs have (with some good cause for a lot of people if you can't fix it in the field they don't want it). I have talked to people I trust who owned both JK's and JL's who have said the stock JL is hands down a better street driver but no better than JK offroad.
YM will always V
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567 Posts
It was actually '12 and '13s delivered very early in the year (eg built in '12). I'm 60k into my non daily driver '13 (bought in Aug of that year) and have quite literally never done a required mechanical repair (no jinx!). Scheduled maintenance and fixing the usual stuff one roughs up offroad. Nothing more.
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I also change mine every 3000 miles.. It will add to engine longevity. EVIC oil change reminder, will shorten engine life. The factory knows this, and likes it because they can sell more expensive engine parts.......... This is where they make their higher percentage of profit!Same for me and my '13 JK (ordered in Aug, had an AEV bumper, skids and dual sport build done and took delivery in December so after the --very brief--head problem) and everyone I know who has one. Only issue I've ever had is the radio sensor thing for AM/FM that happens to all models not just Wrangler. I'm at 60k miles. Change oil every 3k now, change diff and tcase fluids every 15k or after encountering a long swim offroad. I've heard of other '13s having goofy problems like e-brake being fickle but nothing remotely like aldo is talking about. At this point, fighting chassis rust is the only thing that worries me about achieving my goal of keeping / driving mine til my grandkids do an intervention and tell me I'm too old to use it. Absolute champ. Holding up better than the wife's German daily driver SUV and she doesn't crawl, climb or swim with hers
Looks like everyone's pretty much covered the 2012 black hole, which is the only serious build issues I think the line has had. I've owned two JKs and two JLs and had many friends with AMCs and I have seen issues from complexity steadily increase with the Wrangler. Put simply, a more complex system is less tolerant of "hands off" maintenance approaches and will give the appearance of being unreliable. So an older, well-maintained vehicle is going to be as good or better than a newer, not-so-well-maintained vehicle, assuming both have similar build quality. So in addition to avoiding the build black holes, look at maintenance records and any signs of good maintenance habits (relatively clean engine bay, fresh bushings/washers, no gunk over maintenance seams, etc.). Good luck!
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567 Posts
People are going to call you a conspiracy theorist, but you're not wrong. In fact I would say it's as much about the OEMs trying to placate the branded dealerships as it is the parts. Vehicle sales margins for a branded dealers are crazy low. Around a $1kd for every $30k ish. Recurring service is where they become profitable. Dealer labor rates can be as high as $140 an hour where I live. They're not paying the tech anything close to that and the capital cost of equipment is either amortized already or is tax deductible, so services is where they profit. Don't even get me started on "core charges"
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