$30,000 to spend

[Aaron K]

Awesome jeep Caboose. A lot of time,love and money has gone into that.

[PureCaboose]

Originally Posted by Aaron K

Awesome jeep Caboose. A lot of time,love and money has gone into that.

When you start adding it up, just the $$'s along get scary and when you add in the time....well let's just say it's a labour of love

We love our Jeeps, they are just not providing what we need for our businesses and we can't afford to keep them and get the right vehicles. Guess that is the hard decision time when you start 2 businesses in the same year

Been going through the garage and keep finding more jeep bits, stock rear springs, spring spacers, end plates for the front bar, some filters and so on. No use to me so it will all go with the Jeep.

[samft]

I think the torque difference Demoking mentioned is actually between manuals and autos
Mines a 2010 and I'm sure it had the 460nm

The interiors changed in 2011, some like the old interior, some prefer the new, some don't care. I believe the rear window was widened for better viewing one year too (could have been 2011 as well)

there was a gearbox change from a chrysler 545rfe to a newer box that has a manual gear selection mode (there are pros and cons for both gearboxes and it could have also been 2011 that the new box was introduced)

I would really suggest you look at the GDE tune (for older models) or ECUWest tunes (for newer models) asap as they give a lot more power but also turn off EGR or 're-circulating exhaust gas through the engine' this is an environmental requirement from the factory but does long term damage to the engine (heaps of posts/info available, contact Murchison products in QLD)

Also get the Samco turbo hoses, the originals have been known to split

A transmission cooler may be beneficial to you if you plan on loading the jeep up, fitting bigger tyres or towing

The Wrangler CRD is an awesome car and its quirks are becoming well documented on this forum

[Aaron K]

Thanks very much for all the info guys. I think I'm sold on a 2011 4 door CRD auto.

[Yom]

I can confirm MY08 auto received power up to 460NM. 2011 with the engine and auto gearbox update then got a power up to 147kw.

Real world differences are best noticed between auto and manual rather than the power rating of the engine.

Both autos offer acceptable behavior but are hampered by turbo lag which causes excessive downshift when you kick them in the guts. I found the manual shift is a gimmick. I was able to manipulate the older 545RFE with the gear shift and OD button enough to hold gears both up and down hills for my liking (not towing).

Frankly the manuals drive like shit IMHO lol. The manual box is best suited to the V6 petrol. You can change diff ratios all you want but all you end up with is compromises, if I had a manual I'd be going for a higher cruising RPM over struggling with clutch slip in high range.

The biggest thing to note is the 2011 was fitted with diesel particulate filter. For this reason alone I would always pick the earlier model! Sure there's been some random choices in diff ratios, the MY07 diesels were mostly fitted with 4.1 diff ratios regardless of transmission, the MY08 changed to 3.73 for autos and manual to 3.21 until MY11 where they changed to 3.73 for the manual gearbox as well (probably were toasting too many clutches). Not sure about the newer ones, I lost interest in them after the fitment of DPF which is a half-arse addition to the underbody and if you are even mildly serious into off road you'll see the issue with how they fitted it by just looking under the drivers side of the vehicle.

Great cars. Few gremlins but when sorted I still believe the CRD is the best performing engine package for the JK short of a V8 petrol. I'd go for service history and owner attentiveness over the age of the vehicle. Never tested it but I suspect heat related damage will be the biggest cost generator for these things as they age (vehicle's entire electrical system is in the engine bay and ventilation is not a strong point, overheating the engine presents issues not just for the motor but the wiring and computers, note the older 545rfe has its own separate control unit mounted infront of the TIPM).