As long as one agrees that buying an exceptionally good off-road vehicle yet not ever using that ability makes as much "sense" as buying a Prius for your 1.5 mile daily commute.
As long as one agrees that buying an exceptionally good off-road vehicle yet not ever using that ability makes as much "sense" as buying a Prius for your 1.5 mile daily commute.
ebonyandivory wrote: As long as one agrees that buying an exceptionally good off-road vehicle yet not ever using that ability makes as much "sense" as buying a Prius for your 1.5 mile daily commute.
I can agree with that. I mean does a 170+HP bike make sense for my 72 mile round trip commute? It doesn't really, but it sure makes my day a lot more enjoyable.
I once got caught in a typical Florida downpour when I had the doors off. I had my girlfriend with me. I felt bad because she was getting wet but she didn't care at all (she's pretty damn awesome). We got stuck on I-4 due to traffic. I cannot describe the stares we received. I was smiling like a deranged person the whole time 
Life is too short to drive something sensible 
In reply to stanger_missle:
Awesome!
We took my buddies Scrambler (no top, doors, stereo, with 4.88's and 38" Swampers) out to North Adams and Florida MA on Columbus Day weekend.
It was HOT when we left but it was snowing the day we drove back (got a picture of the snow on the Florida sign)
Snow, t-shirts and 60mph with no doors was... Interesting.
As others have pointed out Jeeps make sense because they dont make sense...feel my logic? 
My wife wanted one so we got a 2010 Sport...definatley spring for the 3.6 bit in simpler trims these things are still dirt simple...
Make sure to wave...and get it dirty once in a while....
I endorse the direction this thread has turned.
I have daily driven a stretched Samurai pickup, with only a bikini top, in Oregon through winter. Merkikuh needs to toughen up.
In reply to airwerks:
Yup!
My '73 Beetle had to be push-started any day it was below 30 out. And after it got started, the only heat it had was pure exhaust fumes... And my breath condensed on the windshield and froze forcing me to scrape the INSIDE of the glass so I could see.
And I thought I had it good!
The ice scraper was standard equipment.
When I was 12, my dad and I went white tail deer hunting. It was November in northern Idaho. Along the way, we passed a guy driving a mid-60s IH scout. He was bundled up, head to toe, and you could see his breath through the windshield. It was a 60mph zone but he was doing 45 and you could hear the little 4cyl engine screaming. He looked miserable LOL
Since that day, I have wanted a Scout.
mazdeuce wrote: People who question the practicality of a Jeep confuse me. It's not about practicality, it's about smiling. Smiling when you walk out to it in the morning because it makes you happy. Smiling driving with the top and doors off because it makes you happy. Smiling because you can look over at the person in a Camry in traffic and gloat because they drive a Camry and you drive a Jeep and you're awesome and they're lame. Cars making people happy is the best thing a car can do. It is a cars highest purpose. Jeeps do it well.
Thank you. The people on this forum should understand the better than anybody. There's really not much of a reason for owning a Miata other than it is fun to drive. I have DDed both a Miata and a RX7 (not at the same time) through Michigan winters and there are certainly better vehicles than those for winter use. Neither a Wrangler or a Miata make much practical sense but when they are in their element, which will be different things to different people, there is nothing better.
Again, it's NOT a matter of practicality. There are a few people including me that have posted as much.
The Wrangler excels at really just one thing: off-roading. It's built with that in mind (solid axles, coils, low-range transfer case etc., etc.). Just look at the Easter Jeep Safari and all the hundreds of Jeep 4x4 clubs worldwide and it's loooong history of off-road design and capability.
To buy one with NO intentions to utilize that ability is a waste and to many of us, senseless.
One more time: practicality is not the issue here. Wasting a vehicles potential is.
By the way, the Miata is the worst example as it makes my case: people buy them and use them for exactly what the designer had in mind. And that is fun, good power-to-weight, rwd, great handling, manual trans, mostly topless driving. A Wranglers biggest asset is it's off-road capability.
I've been driving impractical vehicles my whole life and recommend it for everyone.
I don't want to come off as confrontational here so I'll leave this thread alone with a friendly suggestion that the OP buys a Wrangler and enjoys the heck out of it but takes it off-road a few times just to experience it in its element!
Did you know that you could get a 2wd Wrangler from 2007-2009? I have seen a few in the wild. They also made some RHD 2wds for the USPS.
To some people, a Jeep is a Jeep. I don't know why you would want a 2wd Wrangler though. It seems like too much compromise.
I worked with a guy who had an LJ (TJ Unlimited). It was a hard top, automatic model. It had tiny 15" all season tires on it and had weird molded side steps. He used it for commuting to work everyday. I always gave him E36 M3 for it. He eventually traded it in for a 2011 Mustang GT.
By the way, the Miata is the worst example as it makes my case: people buy them and use them for exactly what the designer had in mind. And that is fun, good power-to-weight, rwd, great handling, manual trans, mostly topless driving. A Wranglers biggest asset is it's off-road capability.
I disagree. The vast majority of Miata owners never turn hard enough to exceed the capabilities of a typical FWD sedan with good tires, and they're slower than a typical FWD sedan too. I doubt they spend MORE time with the top off/down proportional to total mileage. Most of those owners are after a feeling, same as most jeep owners. So i dont see them as being much different at all.
In fact, i've always thought the Miata and Wrangler were very similar vehicles in their highly compromising devotion to impractical things that most owners will never do with them. They are WAY more similar than not in the sense we are talking about.
Jeeps are certainly impractical, see it all the time. So are Miatae. But so are rotary powered LBC's, mid 1970's LBC's, old Japanese vertical twins...
Miatas were designed to give the driver a pleasurable on-road driving experience. They happen to also have a lot of potential to be built to be more if one desires.
Therefore I'd venture that most owners own a Miata because they do exactly what they were designed for: give a pleasurable driving experience.
Jeep Wranglers were designed to excel off road.
(Hey, I thought I was going to stay out of this thread!)
A JEEP Grand Cherokee is pretty nice. The new JEEP Cherokee is selling like hot cakes. Just wanted to make the point. there are other JEEPs than the Wrangler.
Yes, I know that the discussion was about Wranglers.
I ha a JEEP Liberty, served me well.
Not taking the Jeep off-road is more akin to buying a Miata to be used on the ranch/deer lease.
Miatas are driven on the road where the slick shifter and responsive handling are fun.
I've owned a Jeep and currently have an 87 4Runner for off-road duty. Neither are much fun to drive on the road.
Therefore I'd venture that most owners own a Miata because they do exactly what they were designed for: give a pleasurable driving experience. Jeep Wranglers were designed to excel off road.
That would make sense other than the fact that your 'pleasurable driving experience' is not mutually exclusive with excelling off road. They both give pleasurable driving experiences when you are doing what they are good at.
I've owned a Jeep and currently have an 87 4Runner for off-road duty. Neither are much fun to drive on the road.
I found a 1st gen 4runner to be one of the most fun vehicles ive ever driven on road. It was balls to the wall all the time and it was so unsuited to being on road that i enjoyed a CONSTANT sense of irony which made it fun, maybe like driving a go kart on the street without the constant threat of death. Funny thing about Wranglers is that depending on how you have your suspension and wheels/tires modified they can have pretty high limits on road but it is TERRIFYING to approach them. I have turned pretty damn hard in a Wrangler and found it pretty thrilling because of the scariness of it. I've discovered that big off road tires do give a lot of street traction as long as you're not flipping over. Disclosure: I have rolled a Jeep on 37s on the street (but that time due to a mechanical failure).
On the other hand, every time i drive a miata 'not-racily' i end up not enjoying it. When you arent constantly running through curves it is just a fairly crappy street car with no torque, no space, and no mpg return on its tininess. I think a Wrangler is more practical to drive on road than a miata and quite possibly less disappointing when used out of its element.
Another disclosure: I have driven NA, NB, and Mazdaspeed but not NC. I suspect the NC is actually a MUCH better car to drive non-racily in then the older ones.
It used to be that you could get a "convertible" SUV. Or at least sort of. Blazers, Broncos, Amigos, 4Runners. You could pop the top off the back for that open air feel. Not so anymore. I can't think of one made today besides a Wrangler.
Open air is part of the appeal of JEEPs and many people like them for just that.
In reply to Appleseed:
cough cough
But seriously, the JKU is the most practical version of the impractical Wrangler. Jeep sells a metric E36 M3 ton of them for a reason.
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