[dr.abhijeet]

Originally Posted by Jomz

A friend owns this - jeep jk unlimited rubicon.



His wife daily drives that to work. 19mpg highway. Holds decent enough luggage - we even bough 2 lawnmowers from home depot on this.



Since he has the hard top- the sound is much better. I was surprised to see the doors come off and windshield come off.



http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/how-to...ree-1767770092

A jeep unlimited rubicon new is over 35000 new , AFAIK. The car holds its value like gold in used car market. There are so many choices in that price range, both new and used , that you have to be a real fan to use it daily. My wife really wanted one and I toyed with the idea of teaching her driving stick in that but it fell through after test drives. The rattles , squeaks , dated insides, lack of brakes etc etc etc got to us.

[LTAutoMad]

Originally Posted by Jomz

A friend owns this - jeep jk unlimited rubicon.

His wife daily drives that to work. 19mpg highway. Holds decent enough luggage - we even bough 2 lawnmowers from home depot on this.

Since he has the hard top- the sound is much better. I was surprised to see the doors come off and windshield come off.

http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/how-to...ree-1767770092

Excellent! A Wrangler in it's element.

ninjatalli, Think if you will use your Wrangler like this every weekend or only very occasionally. Don't forget a Wrangler is like a Harley - very few remain standard and there are endless enticing modifications.

If you are serious about offroading, you will have to invest in a suspension lift, larger wheels, mud terrain tyres, snorkel, high clearance bumpers, winch, stronger diffs etc. Taking off the hardtop & doors is something you might do a few times only as it is a painful affair.

A Wrangler Unlimited is a very niche product - all the drawbacks of the Wrangler plus the disadvantage of the longer wheelbase!

If you are a Jeeper, in the vast majority of cases, the Grand Cherokee comes out far ahead as a better vehicle (unless you are a hardcore off-roader - most hardcore off-road vehicles are trailered anyway).

If you are really bitten by the Wrangler bug, just buy a cheap, old soft-top 2 door as a weekend toy.

In Australia, Grand Cherokees are very popular, but the Wrangler Unlimited is a rare sight as its price ($50-60,000) puts it smack bang against the lower models of Prado, Pajero & Grand Cherokee.
As I said, a niche product - maybe you belong to that niche?!

[ninjatalli]

Thanks for the feedback folks. I guess it's a no for me. I'm definitely not going to do a lot of offroading in the future, and my weekend trips to other cities are long highway drives for my outdoor events. So even though I literally drool at every Wrangler that goes by me, this is going to be a pass for now.

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Thanks for the feedback folks. I guess it's a no for me. I'm definitely not going to do a lot of offroading in the future, and my weekend trips to other cities are long highway drives for my outdoor events. So even though I literally drool at every Wrangler that goes by me, this is going to be a pass for now.

Check out a toyota 4runner Trail??
Or an used FJ cruiser??

[maddy42]

Originally Posted by Jomz

Check out a toyota 4runner Trail??
Or an used FJ cruiser??

I was thinking maybe a pickup trick too. Toyota Tacoma dual cab? Subaru Outback is a capable car too. Best resale value and seats 5.

Maddy

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Jomz

Check out a toyota 4runner Trail??
Or an used FJ cruiser??

Originally Posted by maddy42

I was thinking maybe a pickup trick too. Toyota Tacoma dual cab? Subaru Outback is a capable car too. Best resale value and seats 5.

Maddy

Lol no guys. This is just a bhpian's wishlist being spoken out. Back in India I loved driving my Vento. But always wanted to buy the Thar. Out here a mellowed Altima fulfills all my needs, but the heart wanders between two very very different yet very specific vehicles - the Wrangler on one hand, and the Camaro (and a yellow one to be precise) on the other.

Don't have a need; don't see a necessity to figure out the alternate options for each of the above pics, just one of these two.

Guess I'm going to just keep to drooling for now

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Lol no guys. This is just a bhpian's wishlist being spoken out. Back in India I loved driving my Vento. But always wanted to buy the Thar. Out here a mellowed Altima fulfills all my needs, but the heart wanders between two very very different yet very specific vehicles - the Wrangler on one hand, and the Camaro (and a yellow one to be precise) on the other.

You could get older (XXXX-1998) 2dr's on craigslist for less than 7k. I might have to pick up one. With a house, I need a big something to haul all the stuff a house needs.

Last week I had to get a lawnmower. Could not fit in any of the cars.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by LTAutoMad

In Australia, Grand Cherokees are very popular, but the Wrangler Unlimited is a rare sight as its price ($50-60,000) puts it smack bang against the lower models of Prado, Pajero & Grand Cherokee.

From my observations, the popularity of the Grand Cherokee in Australia is more to do with its towing capacity for caravans rather than being a true offroader.

[ToroRosso]

So , I have a problem with my Mazda 6. Car is 6 years old and 85K miles. I had done a tranny flush at 45K miles as a preventive maintenance.

We were driving along, suddenly there was a jerk and the AT(TransAxle) light lit up. I can engage D mode but car will not shift into reverse.
I had disconnected the battery terminals, the AT light went away, but the car will not shift into Reverse. (Thanks Geomy for helping out with intial diagnosis and next steps)

I had the car scanned at autozone and the following codes poped up
P061B - Internal Control Module Torque Calculation Performance problem
U0100 - Communication Error to PCM.

What are my next options
a) Should i just sell the car as is and buy something new.
b) Fix it and sell it.
c) If I have to fix it, should it be the dealer or any Indy would do

I will be on vacation from next week and will not be back to US till 1st week of June. And we are moving to Pleasanton, CA by June 4th week, so my inclination is towards selling it and buying something new in CA.

Edit - Car has K&N Typhoon CAI . It was installed at around 42K mark

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

So , I have a problem with my Mazda 6. Car is 6 years old and 85K miles.
We were driving along, suddenly there was a jerk and the AT(TransAxle) light lit up. I can engage D mode but car will not shift into reverse.

I had the car scanned at autozone and the following codes poped up
P061B - Internal Control Module Torque Calculation Performance problem
U0100 - Communication Error to PCM.

I think this could well be a bit complicated.

Have a Look:

https://euroesi.mazda.co.jp/esicont/...2h1302400.html

http://www.obd-codes.com/u0100

These two codes are almost certain interrelated.

As usual the first thing is to check all the ground/earths and connectors for poor connectors and or bend pin and such. that is exactly what the procedure for the both code says. Next it is going to take some serious trouble shooting or replace the PCM.

If you don't want to do this yourself, I would suggest finding a workshop with good electronic knowledge and let them have a go at it, to do at least the basic trouble shooting. You should be able to get a PCM from a junk yard for not to much money. You do need to check if you can just plug it in or if anything else needs resetting/programming.

Personally, if I got to the stage where the PCM was suspect I would open it up and do a very thorough visual check of all components, soldering connections and such. There are quite a few car electronic repair shops in the USA. you send in your unit, they check it, quote a price and repair it, if you ok it. Once you are sure the PCM is suspect, that would be the cheapest option. Bit cumbersome. You might want to check with Mazda for an approx price for replacing the PCM but I fear they might quote you several thousands of dollars. Would be interesting to check, so at least to get some feel for it.

What I described above, you could get done for several hundreds of dollars, but you do need to do a bit of research where to go to. Check the USA Mazda forums board and your local car clubs. They usually have some members that can help out with some addresses and contacts.

Good luck

Jeroen

[ToroRosso]

Transmission has in fact grenaded. Dealer cost for replacement - 4.5K$

Indy Shop - 2.5-3.5K with 12 month warranty nation wide.

KBB Value of the car in Very good condition to a dealer $7.8K and to private seller 9K.

CarMax offered $3K in the current condition.

I am 99% going to take the CarMax option, but will bite the bullet in a couple of days.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

Transmission has in fact grenaded.
I am 99% going to take the CarMax option, but will bite the bullet in a couple of days.

Transmission? This is not a transmission issue? This is an electronic/electrical/sensor problem, but not the transmission itself. At least goi g by the the code error codes you provided.

Carmax, if anything, is a hassle free option.
Jeroen

[gomzi]

Hey All, I moved to SF Bay Area (Sunnyvale) about 5 months ago (from Mumbai) and following the advise on this thread and elsewhere on the forum, took a car loan from DCU to buy my ride. I've been meaning to post here ever since I moved, but settling in and work took up all the time - a little bit of laziness didn't help matters either.

Today I saw something that just blew my mind and I had to post here. On El Camino Real road, here in Sunnyvale, this morning I heard a familiar deep engine note at the lights and I turned around and saw a (brown?) Premier Padmini revving up. I couldn't believe my eyes so I asked my wife to confirm and even she was dumbfounded! Its number plate looked like the original RTO one from Mumbai and number started with MMD. Anyone know who's it is?

Any BHPi'ans in the SF Bay Area? Are there any meetups happening here?

[LTAutoMad]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

but the heart wanders between two very very different yet very specific vehicles - the Wrangler on one hand, and the Camaro (and a yellow one to be precise) on the other.

ninjatalli, I absolutely, completely, totally get you, because I was you a few years back! The charm & uniqueness of the Wrangler is what tugs at one's heart. There is no substitute for a Wrangler.
I got a Wrangler and got "over" it! Then I got another long-held dream - a Fatboy (there is no substitute for a Fatboy either ) - to get over it, but 4 years down the track, am yet to get over it! Its a keeper for as long as I can ride it.

Agree with Jomz. Your best option is to get an old, cheap, soft-top Wrangler (the earlier models come with half doors) which you can use as a weekend / occasional car, not a daily driver. If it breaks down, learn to fix it. Follow your passion!

[dr.abhijeet]

Originally Posted by gomzi

Hey All, I moved to SF Bay Area (Sunnyvale) about 5 months ago (from Mumbai) and following the advise on this thread and elsewhere on the forum, took a car loan from DCU to buy my ride. I've been meaning to post ....

Any BHPi'ans in the SF Bay Area? Are there any meetups happening here?

There was a light colored premier padmini for sale in SF on bring your trailer.com around a year ago. This is probably the same car.