A Jeep Wrangler is a breath of fresh air in a world where the words "luxury" and "SUV" are commonly heard together in car commercials, and "off road" vehicles come equipped with leather seats and promise a smooth ride at the cost of maneuverability and power. The Wrangler is one of the few SUVs that actually deserves to call itself a "utility" vehicle. I wouldn't trade mine for anything.

I bought a 2000 Jeep Wrangler Sport this last March after driving a Honda Civic for six years. I wanted something different. Something that could actually handle the paved, gravel, and dirt roads leading up the the trailheads on my hiking trips. The numbers on this car are great (181hp, 212ft-lb @ low-end RPM). I checked the safety specs and talked to other Jeep owners, and found that everyone I talked to loved this car. It's like Jeep owners all belonged to a big club. Plus, you've got to love the look of this car.

First of all, don't waste your money on a Sahara model. The difference between the Sahara and the Sport is purely superficial: nicer seats and a bunch of options you won't need. The Sport has the same engine as the Sahara, and costs less (spend the extra money on other upgrades). The SE has a much weaker engine than the Sport, which is why it costs less. By getting the Sport, I was able to get the best engine and spend the extra money on options that I wanted. I also got the hard top, since I live in Los Angeles and vandalism to the soft top is a major cause of damage to Wranglers. And if you're actually going to take this car off-road, get the manual transmission... it's not hard to learn (as long as your teacher is patient and level headed).

The first thing that you'll notice when driving a Wrangler is that the ride is a -little- bit bumpy. You'll know when you're on a rough road, although I understand that the new Wranglers provide a much smoother ride than the older versions. Nonetheless, don't buy one if you want a luxury car or a smooth ride. You'll quickly regret that decision.

Another concern that many people have about the Wrangler is its safety and the supposedly high risk of roll-over. I was concerned with this while I performed my car hunt, especially since the smaller SUV's tend to be quite unsafe in both collisions and roll-over. I immediately went to the National Highway Safety Organization's web page and was quite surprised to see that the Wrangler has the second highest safety rating in its class ("acceptable" overall, but "good" in terms of protecting its passengers). And as for roll over, there is only risk if the driver performs unsafely (rounding corners too quickly or attempts a U-turn on a steep grade). The Wrangler is not a sports car - don't treat it as such.

The Jeep Wrangler is definitely not for everyone. It sort of depends on your personality. A sports car enthusiast will not like the Wrangler. If you want a smooth ride or leather seats, don't bother. If you want a trendy car, then go somewhere else. This is not the vehicle for someone who frequents Starbuck's. However, if you like adventure, want to go off road, and enjoy putting the top down and taking off for the day, then consider a Wrangler. At least give it a test drive. And welcome to the club.