appliance to tow 3500# occasionally , fun, 20+mpg, sub $20k, <50k miles. Is Wrangler the answer?

As a Wrangler owner, I don't think a Wrangler would work very well for your given situation.

I have a 2012 Sport 6 speed. I have seen 21mpg once, when it was bone stock. I average about 18mpg with 33" AT and horrible 3.21 gears. At the price you are looking at precludes the newest Pentastar powered models. That means you get the older, heavier 3.8L V6 which has 82 less HP than the Pentastar. It also has the ancient 4 speed auto. It all equates to getting way less fuel mileage than you are looking for. Lastly, the only Wranglers that are able to tow 3500lbs are the Unlimited models with the Max Tow package. They are rated right at 3500lbs. Otherwise you get a 2000lb tow rating (like mine).

Yeah, Jeeps aren't for everyone and they definitely aren't perfect but they are pretty fun. I just think you'd be much better off looking for a forementioned 4 Runner.

Jeeps are awesome. 4.0 yj's are my flavor of choice. But I wouldn't try to tow 3500 lbs on the road with one. But they are still great. Spending a nice summer day with the top and doors off is fantastic. "But most people with jeeps don't even go offroad" Yeah, I know. Most people with sports cars never race, that doesn't inherently make sports cars stupid.

Klayfish wrote:

Tom_Spangler wrote:

golfduke wrote:

Klayfish wrote: The Flex is available w/AWD just FYI. But then I'd suggest looking at the Enclave/Traverse. You can get a 2013 w/leather, blah, blah for under $20k.

I'd buy that right now... where?

Seconded. I've specifically looked at 2013 Enclaves, and you can't touch them for less than $30k around here. More like $35k, really. Anyhow, for OP, find a nice SUV with a V6 under the hood. Exploder wouldn't be a bad choice, and I think the new one with a V6 is rated for something like 23 on the freeway. Not sure if they are down to $20k yet, though.

sub $20k 2013 Traverse, loaded On Autotraders' website, they have the price as $19,995, but I can't get the link to work right. If you don't need all the bells and whistles, I've seen base models with much lower miles for similar or less money.

Atlanta. Of course.

$20k would put an awful lot of LSx into the nicest XJ you can find and still have money left over for a lift, tires, and gas to make up the difference in mpg for a couple of years.

LSx swap...into a Volvo wagon.

used BMW X5?

I've been searching for an answer to this same question, but I can't seem to find anything much better than my pro-4x frontier. I want something to hit trails, go camping, haul dirtbikes, and tow up to 4k pounds (miata that might become an exocet). I looked into wranglers but like mentioned you have to get an unlimited with tow package just to get the 3500lb rating. For how much they cost, it's not worth it to me. The frontier is better for everything except serious off-roading. Then I thought about the beloved XJ, but they're so small I wouldnt tow a car with it.

My thoughts: Diesel 80 series land cruiser

LS Chevy fullsize

7.3 pickup

xterra (seem to be much cheaper than frontier for whatever reason)

wrangler if a deal popped up

diesel liberty would work but I hate them

Porsche Cayenne. Can tow plenty, handles well, and you can find the very rare unicorn with a stick shift. You may have to get a higher mileage one to get under 20K though. They seem to hold up well.

My 2003 Montero is tow rated at 5000. It won't get 20mpg except doing 60 with cruise control on the fwy tho. It's extremely nice and will go anywhere and I paid 9k for a MINT one with all records/timing belt done/seriously showroom condition

I absolutely love my wife's 6 speed FJ Cruiser. They're not for everyone (love/hate on the visuals) but if they push your buttons, they're fantastic. Functionally a 4 Runner in a different skin. It gets between 17 and 18 mpg and the early ones ask for premium (but do fine with regular if you don't mind a few missing horses)
Not for everyone, but I love it enough to recommend it.

Wow, there's a lot of hate on Wranglers coming from a forum that considers the XJ an "answer" vehicle.

Probably because in stock or mildly modded form a Wrangler is 200-300% the cost of an XJ but with 60% of the utility.

Wrangler for towing is one of the most amusing things I've heard around here.

A JK Unlimited is heavy, has a long wheelbase, and a very short rear overhang. It has a lot more going for it as a tow vehicle than some of the stuff people around here are ok with (including myself).

Ford Edge 3500 lbs, Ford Explorer 6000 lbs towing capacity

You'll probably hate this answer, but a brand new Dodge Grand Caravan AVP will:

Tow 3500 lb

Cost under $20k

Get 20mpg

Fun? I dunno, but it has a 300+ hp engine!

I'll go with previous-generation 4Runner V6. Will tow 5k easily (I have personal experience with this), well-built, reliable, can get over 20 on the highway (at a reasonable speed, and just barely), and overall a good vehicle. Find a Sport Edition with the XREAS suspension and it becomes a much better street driver (I honestly thought our SE was "fun" to drive, and I daily drive a modded WRX).

On those years rust shouldn't be an issue, and we had no issues with build quality or anything else in the four year we owned ours. Only reason we don't still have it is wife wanted a functional 3rd row. I still wish we had it. We sold it with 30k miles on it last year, for 21k, with brand-new A/T tires on it and that was a typical price for an 08 SE. An SR5 would be cheaper with most of the same features other than the XREAS.

Otherwise, XTerra is a decent choice (and can be found for cheap), but not as good of a vehicle overall IMO.

I'll throw out a Subaru Forester as a good option as well. I think they can tow like 3500....I know my FIL tows a 22' speedboat with his on occasion.

As a former XJ owner, I'd say it's a good truck, but probably not what you're looking for. It's not very much fun to drive. My experience with late-model Wranglers is similar to what has been posted in this thread already - I don't like them in almost any way, unless your life consists of rock-crawling or cruising on the beach. I definitely wouldn't want to tow with one.

Jesus I test drove so many different things over the past few days I'm not sure which way is up-

Nissans- Pathfinder, Xterra, Frontier Merc- ML350 Toyota- 4 runner, highlander, FJ cruiser Jeep- wrangler, new cherokee Volvo- XC60 and XC80 Acura- RDX BMW- X3, X5, X5M (Note- way out of my price range, but the sales guy was cool and let me flog it for a few miles. YUM!)

Ultimately, I went with a 2010 X3. It has the comfort and cold weather packages, but is bare bones aside from that... It just felt familiar, like a comfy pair of running shoes. It was well priced, came with 30k in service contracts and warranties, was bought, serviced, traded in, and sold from the same BMW dealer and salesperson, and I actually know the previous owner from BMWCCA track events. I know the towing part is a little precarious, but A) it will be infrequent, and B) it won't be over long distances. I loved the 4 runner, but it was just too much money for me to swing.

Basically, the X3 met all of my criteria aside from being borderline on the towing capabilities... while bringing a bit of luxury to the table as well.

:like:

+1 for the Flex, we've got one, it's the Ecoboost which is out of your price range, but an AWD should be in there. Very comfy and well apportioned for the price.

Our 2012 2 door Wrangler arctic edition averages 20mpg and is my wife's DD. My buddy has a new 4-runner....I'm not a fan, but everyone is different, so I'm not going to knock it.

I would not tow 3500lbs with our wrangler, or a 4runner, but I have a turbo diesel dually, so have no need to. We also have a 99 2 door xj and the most I towed with it was my baja bug on a tow dolley when a traffic accident took out the truck. The Jeep handled it fine, but I doubt it was much over 2k pounds.

Congrats on the X3!

Just to add my $0.02 I did recently see a 4door Wrangler Unlimited towing what looked appeared to be a 26-28ft center console boat (boat had twin outboards, trailer had dual axles)in southern Florida. Pretty sure that boat and trailer definitely outweighed 3,500lbs. Regardless it seemed to be towing just fine in light traffic.

When I say towing, I'm really being conservative. The max this thing would ever see is my 2 spot snowmobile trailer (1000#) with 2 450# sleds, and even that would be <6 trips per year. Aside from a potential popup camper way far down the road, that would be it.

Also, I know it's new car feel, but I did not realize how much I missed driving something other than a heavy duty truck every day.

I was going to recommend finding a RAV4 V6 Sport to test drive, but congrats on the X3!

Congrats on the X3.

Just out of curiosity, was the Wrangler what you expected?

The wrangler was interesting to me. It drove harsh, was loud, had no frills whatsoever, and the back seat was pretty much useless... but I couldn't shake the fact that I kind of wanted it. It's different, is all I can say. In New England, I feel that it's impractical as a daily. If I were in a southern climate where I could make better use of its topless features, I think I'd own one. Hell, I think I'd like to own one in the future as a summer camping toy when I have space and money for another vehicle... but right now it was completely impractical for what I was looking for- an economical, competent, subdued, sporty daily driver that has a meager towing capacity.

Perfectly reasonable. You don't get much 'nuanced' talk about Wranglers in this forum. People are usually either quietly offering that they are pretty cool or loudly spewing that they are E36 M3.

Thanks for the reply.