On a slow boat from...Japan

[Hondarider]

I wish I had some pictures to share, but I'm stuck waiting on my 2015 Trail Edition Premium with KDSS to be loaded on a boat from Japan to New York...reading every thread on this forum to ease the anticipation. I'm trading a 2014 JK Unlimited Rubicon and taking a well deserved beating on depreciation. Serves me right...I knew that I'd be back to Toyota in short order. I fell prey to the removable doors, removable roof, and the biggest aftermarket industry this side of Harley Davidson. In the end, however, as a daily driver, it's just too loud, too slow, and too uncomfortable. The removable roof and doors are never off, the 4.10 gears and Mud Terrain tires make highway driving laborious, and the rear seats are like implements of torture devised to cause my children pain and anguish. It would have been OK if I kept to my initial plan to use the Jeep solely as a toy...sitting in the garage on 35s, lifted, topless, without doors, and only coming out on sunny days for some off-road exploration, but I sold my Tacoma last fall and the Jeep became my daily commuter. It's just no fun in such large doses. After 8 months of daily driving, its time to go back to Toyota. I'm pretty excited about the notion. The funny part is that I've done this like 3 or 4 times...owning a perfectly good Toyota...trading it in on a new Wrangler...deciding that a Wrangler is a terrible daily driver...and then trading it in for another Toyota within a year. Its mental defect.

 

[K9trainer]

One thing I can say about your Jeep, that thing looks good!

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I had a black 1995 Wrangler that I bought new.

It was a love/hate relationship.

I loved it in the summer when I just had the bikini top on. I loved it for short jaunts.

But... I hated for anything more than 50 miles and the short wheelbase truly sucked in Colorado winters.

Oh, and there was the time I got caught in a winter storm out in the plains where the wind was blowing about 60 mph and even with the heater blowing full blast I was near hypothermic.

But, I would say it was more love than hate and the 4.0 HO Chrysler is a damn good motor.

 

[Hondarider]

One thing I can say about your Jeep, that thing looks good!

My buddies say it should have and old USPS Logo on the door. It would have looked better with the lift and 35s I have sitting in my garage for it.

 

[DesertCanyons]

Wrangler vs T4R

Thanks for sharing your experience. I've had to struggle with the choice between a Jeep WU Rubicon and a T4R, but I've chosen to buy the Toyota. I'll be getting mine ordered in about a month. I've enjoyed my 1995 Jeep GC for a long time and really wanted to buy an American car but there's not too many good choices in an off-road SUV. It came down to these two, and the Jeep seems like a rough ride.

I'm surprised you took a hit on the resale. Both the Jeep and the T4R retain their values very well. Both reportedly have the same percentage of value after 3 or 5 years of ownership. They net about 67% of original cost after 5 years. That's better than most cars and SUVs, which retain from 45% to 50% in 5 years.

 

[Hondarider]

I had a black 1995 Wrangler that I bought new.

It was a love/hate relationship.

I loved it in the summer when I just had the bikini top on. I loved it for short jaunts.

But... I hated for anything more than 50 miles and the short wheelbase truly sucked in Colorado winters.

Oh, and there was the time I got caught in a winter storm out in the plains where the wind was blowing about 60 mph and even with the heater blowing full blast I was near hypothermic.

But, I would say it was more love than hate and the 4.0 HO Chrysler is a damn good motor.

The 4.0 liter straight 6 is a great motor. I had a few TJs that I liked alot. My mother is still driving my '03 with 150K on it and no real problems. My last JK before the Rubicon was a 3.8...that thing was a dog...but I only drove that one for fun.

 

[Hondarider]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I've had to struggle with the choice between a Jeep WU Rubicon and a T4R, but I've chosen to buy the Toyota. I'll be getting mine ordered in about a month. I've enjoyed my 1995 Jeep GC for a long time and really wanted to buy an American car but there's not too many good choices in an off-road SUV. It came down to these two, and the Jeep seems like a rough ride.

I'm surprised you took a hit on the resale. Both the Jeep and the T4R retain their values very well. Both reportedly have the same percentage of value after 3 or 5 years of ownership. They net about 67% of original cost after 5 years. That's better than most cars and SUVs, which retain from 45% to 50% in 5 years.

I think you're going to take a beating on anything that you only keep for 12 months. I think it cost about $39K new and it's worth $33K now. I could sell it outright, but I'd need to clear $35K to cover the difference in sales tax credit that I get with a trade. $35K would be tough to get and even then, I'd just be getting essentially the same deal.

 

[BlacknTan]

I'm with 'ya ..

My 4Runner Trail is on the water now. Supposed to hit the Port of New York on May 5th ..

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/automobiles/around-the-world-with-5500-cars.html

 

[Hondarider]

Don't think I'm trying to hijack the Toyota forum with Jeep talk...I've loved quite a few Toyotas

 

[Greenamphibious]

traded in an 11 4R SR5 for a 15 JKU.... 2 months and 220 miles later I traded the JKU in on a 15 4R SR5! I made $200 on the trade though lol. I have owned 6 Jeeps and still have an LJ

 

[Blitzkrieg]

...and really wanted to buy an American car but there's not too many good choices in an off-road SUV. It came down to these two, and the Jeep seems like a rough ride.

Don't get too hung up on that. There really is no such thing as an XXXX made car in todays global economy. Parts are sourced from all over the place, VW makes many of their cars sold in North America in Mexico and Brazil, Toyota makes the Tacoma in California, GM has plants in Mexico, etc...

The last American made car I owned was a Detroit made complete and utter piece of shit (Chrysler/Plymouth). The last American made truck I owned was excellent (2004 Ford F-150).

To me the Made in Japan on the door jamb of my 2015 4Runner is a good thing. Historically with Toyota and Japan that means very good quality and it shows on the resale value.

Lets face it, your average Ford Explorer or GMC Jimmy is junk at 200K miles while a well maintained 4Runner is just getting broken in.

 

[DesertCanyons]

Don't get too hung up on that. There really is no such thing as an XXXX made car in todays global economy. Parts are sourced from all over the place, VW makes many of their cars sold in North America in Mexico and Brazil, Toyota makes the Tacoma in California, GM has plants in Mexico, etc...

The last American made car I owned was a Detroit made complete and utter piece of shit (Chrysler/Plymouth). The last American made truck I owned was excellent (2004 Ford F-150).

To me the Made in Japan on the door jamb of my 2015 4Runner is a good thing. Historically with Toyota and Japan that means very good quality and it shows on the resale value.

Lets face it, your average Ford Explorer or GMC Jimmy is junk at 200K miles while a well maintained 4Runner is just getting broken in.

All good points. The T4R is made entirely in Japan. And in one version or another (Prado?), it is sold all over the world.

My 1995 Jeep has been great but the reliability of current the Jeep GC has gone to the dogs, which underscores your point. It's just not an option.

The Jeep WU Rubicon may be a better built car because it's a simpler design with fewer electronics and fancy accessories than the GC.

My views on Japan reflect my experience as a diver with fish stocks and the Japanese fishing practice. In Japan, the only good Bluefin tuna is the one on your plate, no matter how fast they're going extinct. I've dove with them, it was a thrill to see and they have a far greater value in the sea. Don't get me started about whaling. I try not to support that with my dollars. But try buying a camera that isn't made in Japan... :focus:

 

[PHXTE]

Cool thread.

It was between a JKUR and the 4R TE before I purchased my TE. I don't regret getting the 4R, it seems like a better all around truck even if it gives something up to the Rubi on the trails. I'll never do anything extreme enough to wish I had the JKUR, anyway.

Coincidentally, my dad has a '15 JKUR that's pretty much identical to yours. The all white ones are gorgeous.

 

[PHXTE]

All good points. The T4R is made entirely in Japan. And in one version or another (Prado?), it is sold all over the world.

My 1995 Jeep has been great but the reliability of current the Jeep GC has gone to the dogs, which underscores your point. It's just not an option.

The Jeep WU Rubicon may be a better built car because it's a simpler design with fewer electronics and fancy accessories than the GC.

Being built in Japan is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned. My other car is a '14 Ford Focus that's already a piece of garbage with barely 25k miles on it. The Japanese cars I've owned have been much better built cars than the American ones I've owned.