diesel or petrol????

[JKU12]

I came from a 3.0 CRD Commander, i do miss it's power, but with the low k's i do on a yearly basis it was hard to justify going down the diesel path again with the JK. I loved it, but never made back the extra cost that i put into it over 6 years. The cost of up keep on a diesel is definitely more than a petrol, with parts, services and even insurance. If you you're doing a lot of long haul trips and a lot of k's (maybe 30,000kms + a year) or need it for heavy towing then you can't beat diesel. But as a lot have said before me, around town and low yearly km's, the petrol is better. The Penatastar has plenty of torque and power.

[Spectre]

My 07 CRD is my first diesel, and I love it! I do tow a bit so I was never going to buy a petrol Wrangler, but I doubt if my next "car" will be petrol now.

As to whether it's worth the extra money for the CRD, here's another perspective. Based on a new purchase, resale down the track will be higher (believe me, I found that out buying second hand!) so you will make back a portion of the extra initial spend when you sell it. But really, consider the mods most JK's cop over their lifetime. 10k plus I'd reckon, thinking lift and suspension, bar work, electrical, storage, chips, etc. You'd wave goodbye to a lot more coin from the mods than from going CRD over petrol.

[wranglertj]

Originally Posted by Whitestripe99

WOW. Thank you everyone for your posts. Huge help! Really! And not to seem like im not satisfied with the the answers youve all given. But im hearing about this new petrol engine, the 3.6L is it??? Is the older 3.8L not so good? Whats the difference? Apart from a fuel saving...

Thanks again everyone for indulging my questions. Hope i dont come across as a bungalow.

Other than its better power and slightly better economy it is a modern higher tech motor where the old 3.8 push rod motor is old school but easier to work on and inherently quite reliable. My 3.8 has never faltered over the last 5 years and been extremely reliable. More power would be nice but rather the reliability. Not saying new one is not reliable but hasn't been around that long to come to a conclusion but been used in other Chrysler products for a while longer

[samft]

Ive had my 2010 CRD auto for a year now and have put about 15k on it doing mainly long trips (motorbike for the commute)
it does drive great around town though too
I'm happy with he range i get on it between fill ups and the torque+auto combo just crawls over anything.
It was great standard, now its fully modded with alot of extra weight and i imagine the diesel handles the weight more comfortably than a petrol would?
Also, if im not mistaken, holden will be using the 2.8l engine in their latest utes which should increase part availability and knowledge.
I also think re-sale (especially in australia) is a big factor
I will probably keep this jeep 5-10 yrs and sell it with nearing 200k on it (i hope!) I think a petrol would perhaps not even last that long, and will be worth bugger all by that point. i would imagine my diesel will still be worth the price difference extra that i had to pay initially. (i also may never sell it at this rate as i love it so much!)
i wouldnt have bought the CRD manual though as i agree it has too much torque
i also wouldnt have bought the 3.8 auto as it sounds lame (manual might be better)
the pentastar sounds great but means u have to pay the new car premium and i enjoy beating the jeep up a bit (wouldn't enjoy as much if it was brand new)

1)id say if ur keeping it standard for less than 5 yrs with light 4x4 work and using around town then just get a basic manual 3.8 2008-2010

2)if ur gonna mod it a bit and do some good 4x4ing buy a rubicon manual of the same year, u get lockers and can fit bigger tyres due to the lower gearing

3)if u plan on keeping it a while, doing some good long 4x4 trips get the diesel

4)if u plan on modding it extensively then cost obviously doesnt really matter!

5) at this point, i dont think the pentastar is worth getting as it will basically have ot be brand new and i think that's probably a bigger waste of money then buying the CRD if you dont need it

I was a combo of 3 and 4, got a great price on my CRD and i love it
theyre all great though and once u'r driving it offroad or on the beach you wont regret buying whichever one you get
Cheers
Sam

[Thol]

I've got a penastar 3.6L and 5 speed auto.
Recently did a 11,000km trip to North WA from Tas. Loved the petrol and coupled with the new auto is excellent. Down shifting with the new gear shift is excellent. Horsepower to overtake anything is excellent.
Except for a faulty wire connection that put engine into limp mode car ran well at all other times.
New engine appears to have plug top coils sealed above each plug so no chance of water on distributors or spark plug leads. How waterproof is a modern petrol with no exposed high tension to a CRD? Both appear to have a bunch of electrical connections and I suspect not a lot of difference at depth in water. Time will tell.
Would I buy the same car again? Yes.

[Zander]

Originally Posted by samft

5) at this point, i dont think the pentastar is worth getting as it will basically have ot be brand new and i think that's probably a bigger waste of money then buying the CRD if you dont need it

Actually Sam makes a good point, yes the CRD is a massive rip-off like I've said earlier but I've been assuming you were going to buy new.

If you're buying second hand then the CRD would be more attractive if you can get a good deal on it.

[Jeep'ers]

From what I gather in this thread is mixed opinions! Those who have diesel say diesel with a few exceptions, and those with patrols say petrol with exception to a few.... I'm about to buy new as well going from the kj well modded to jku and modding that as well. Missus will be driving it as a daily and on weekends I'll be driving it on our camping and 4x4 trips.

For me water crossings, moderate 4x4 driving, mods on the car, and being self sufficient are my concerns and I am now confused as to which to buy.... Auto is where I was going no doubt... Now the question again is diesel or petrol.... Rubicon is not neccissary as I want to upgrade the mods that come standard and figure I'll save the money on the manufacturer stuff and put the aftermarket stuff...

So the BIG question, what do you think is suitable for my needs... Like Sam I suppose I'm in the same boat...