My Grandmother bought a Brown 05 Wrangler Unlimited brand new back in 2005. She drove it daily for almost 15 years, not long ago they stuck it in the garage and since then I’ve been trying to buy it from them. It came with colour matching soft and hard top, and a standard transmission. It’s a great daily vehicle in my opinion especially in the countryside and the beach where it spent a lot of time. I learned how to drive stick in their Jeep when I was 12 and drove it on and off for them after they stopped driving it to keep it from seizing up. It never fails to start either, one Canadian winter it sat for months and I hopped in and it started right up. Funnily enough though I rarely see these Unlimiteds tooting around these days. Happy to see it get some recognition. Cheers from Canada.
I have one of these, it’s a 2004 jeep lj, its only got 98k miles on it, it’s my first car, and it is the best thing ever, I frickin love it. And even with the back seats up, I can easily fit my golf clubs in the back
Loved your report on Jeep Wrangler2004-2006 LJ. I moved my rear seat back three inches and rebolted. It really makes it much more comfortable and roomy. Rear storage space is still good. Keep it up! .
I love your enthusiasm! And I love my '06 LJ for many of the things you point out. But the extra 15 inches is 2 in the rear leg room and 13 in the rear cargo space. The wheel base is 10 inches longer meaning that extra 5 inches in back does harm the departure angle and breakover angles a little bit. The standard LJ has an open d30 up front and d44 in back with a limited slip differential. LJ Rubicon has d44's front and rear with selectable locking diffs in both. You can buy new hard tops still but they're going to cost well over 2 grand. Yeah, they do look a little funny, but if you can get over it you'll see that these really are the perfect blend of old school Jeep, performance and livability.
I proudly "wheel" my 230,000 mile non-Rubicon LJ all over AZ to show folks how capable a stock LJ running 31.5 tires & no lift with 6 speed manual is. So comfy running the highway over my Rubicon TJ.
I only just read the title, but wholeheartedly agree! To this day, I wish they still made a 2dr Unlimited. Have no idea why they stopped making it. They should bring it back with a diesel.
I've got an '05 LJ Premium package that I'm not letting go of. Just keeping it stock and I'll say this about a stock Jeep CJ or Wrangler. Never underestimate their ability to off road. My previous Jeeps were CJ5s and I wanted the extra room inside. I couldn't find a CJ6 in my area and the used LJ popped up up in Kentucky near me. I snagged it up, drove it home.
in 2003 i bought my wife a wrangler x, the following year they came out with the unlimited so we went back to the dealership for a test drive and my wife fell in love with the way the unlimited handled on the highway. when we left the dealership after trading in the 03 for the 04 and a half we had 3 miles on the clock. my wife loves her jeep, she drove it up to 211,461 miles before the no.5 piston skirt cracked off. thankfully no damage to the block so i taught her how to replace pistons, rings, connecting rods,and bearings. she now has 253,000 miles on it and will never give it up.
Yep still own one from new and 15 mpg on the highway might be good gas mileage for 1968 but for 2005 not so much. But I did not buy this for mpg. Only major issue I have had is .when the ECU went bad and Mopar does not sell replacements, but did some research and found someone that does make a replacement. All is good with the normal amount of rust for its age.
I was going to post similar. The lockers were air lockers on rubicons with the dana 44. No parts available for the air locker but you can get electric lockers which is more expensive than a repair but I feel a elocker is more reliable to get it locked.
I just bought a non rubicon with soft top that is an LJ unlimited. I was lucky enough to find a hardtop for it. I am having it shipped from Ontario to British Columbia. Bug plans for this jeep and when I am done I may get two more to build if I can find them either for family members or for sale. Asking price will be into the 6 figure area but it won't be really a jeep anymore. A quality build on 1 ton axles and coilovers and v8 LS power. Sure 500llus hp jeeps have been done before. But think about it, when was the last time you saw one for sale completely built with modern features like push button start, heated and cooled seats, on 40's actually for sale. I have not. And if you did it is likely just one that you can remember
@@rgd2598Actually TJ/LJ lockers were air activated lockers from the factory. There are a couple small air pumps under the drivers seat that activate them at around 5psi
I also thought they were ugly when they first came out. Then I realized I can get a half hard top and make it look like a Scrambler. So I found a 2006 Sport and added a 3" Zone Offroad lift kit, some American Racing Baja II wheels and 33" General Grabber ATX tires. Then my diabetes flared up and damaged the retina in my good eye. So now I'm legally blind in both eyes and no longer drive. I never got to do the half hard top. Also have a Kenwood 2-DIN radio and bezel, and an Alpine powered subwoofer that never got installed. I still have the Jeep. I can't bring myself to sell it. It only has a little over 98,000 miles on it. But times are getting tough. Groceries cost more, mortgage rate went up, HOA fees were raised and my disability check barely covers the bills. So I may have to put it up for sale soon. I have a video of it before the lift kit went in. I've been too lazy to make the updated video.
LJ was our family vehicle in 2004, top leaked and replaced, transfer case blown once due to mud running at too high speed. other than that it has been flawless until sold in 2011. It was great driving in bad weather, still have traction on iced incline where some car would just slip down with snow tires.
I had a 03 not rubi .Soooo miss mine .I had a soft top .Im from illinois nit the greatest for winter .Jeep was warm but road salt plays havoc with soft top unless of course u garage it all winter .Ohhh I miss mine .THANK U FOR THE SHARE
Get out west in CO, UT, NV, AZ, and two door hardtop Wranglers are king for serious outdoor adventure. Those four door land yachts shouldn't be called Jeep.
They have a place in the market. I personally don't like them and will take a 2 door over a 4 door every day if the week but the 4 doors are the high volume sellers. Without jeep catering to the soccer moms/dads and the overlanding dorks that want enough room to shove a fridge in the back, we probably wouldn't even have wranglers today. I just wish they would give us a 2 door truck lol.
@@c4onmylip you right !! 2 door wrangler was loosing popularity back then , for many reasons and this TJ unlimited was an opportunity to open the market and save the wrangler. Then they realized 4 door , more air bags , including wider body lines and more , was making a whole new kind of buyers interest in this. I LOVE MY CLASSIC TJ UNLIMITED 😎
Hard tops are available because I purchased one for mine. It was a company out of California so yes it was aftermarket, I paid 1800$ for it and it looked like original, the hard top was great!
The TJ had transmission changes, both automatic and manual, plus the 4 cylinder went from the old 2.5 pushrod a modern 2.4 DOHC. Those are actually significant updates.
I have the 2004 unlimited. This jeep is a beast. I got 221k miles and its still running strong and the extended back end is great for throwing whatever you want back there.
Hi, I own a 2004 unlimited as well (188K) - I'm not so fond of the hard top and looking to change to the a Bestop Trektop - I also wanted to lift it but some mechanics say no. What's interesting is that, I find myself liking my Wrangler more and more lately. Any suggestions? Thanks
I have an 04 I bought used with a soft top. The hard top may be more valuable but it doesn’t do anything for the appearance, other than make it look dated.
If you really *need* a hardtop because you live in very cold climates, then the LJ Safari Hard Top by gr8tops would be the way to go. Literally turns your Jeep into a more capable Land Rover Defender, it even has a massive barn door in the back, and sliding windows.
I too own an 04/unlimited - like have the hard top and you're RIGHT, it doesn't do much for appearance and would like to change it to the Bestop Trektop by spring. My son drove it down to the ground - I have been driving it for the past 6mos and it's been really growing on me. It needs some repairs, which I've been doing - Change oil regularly. Any suggestions on the soft tops?? - I have the added 10inches version on my unlimited.
Bought my 2004 with a hardtop. Bought a Bestop soft top and stored my hard top. Made huge mistake and sold hardtop for pennies on the dollar. Nevertheless still driving with 194,000 miles.
I don't really understand why this version of the Jeep, ie, the unlimited didn't sell better? It seems like it is an overall better car than the standard shorter Jeep. Was it too expensive back in the day to buy new?
Tell me why I have so much electronic trouble with only 97,000 miles on my 2005 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Sahara Unlimited 1 of 1,000........TCM ECM....The temp. Guage pegs the meter when it is not overheating...Trans won't shift into high or drops out of high when doing about 45 MPH ...So thankful for my wifes 2009 Toyota Highlander with 225,000 miles ...But I love my Wrangler....
Love ur videos...like you all jeeps didn't interest me..but truly enjoy the education! Transplant to Colo..enjoy seeing rusty cars. Haven't in 20 yrs 😊
I have a 2004 LJ with 229,000 mile’s on her have had her for 13 yrs now. I would like to get a four door Unlimited and sell this two door to my 16 year old daughter because she wants it.
I have a 2004 TJ unlimited (long extra 10" version) - I don't care for the hard top as it doesn't do much for the appearance. I want to change to a soft top by Spring - My son had it for a while and really ran it down. I'm now in the process of repair, then upgrade. I've been driving it lately and liking it a lot. Any suggestions??
I have been using a frameless top on my Jeep for year and will not use anything else. I want to find a hard top for mine for the winter months my wife says it’s to cold to ride in my Jeep during the winter
I have an '05 Unlimited Rubicon, also. Sub 65K miles. Only 11,596 produced in '05 and '06. Oh, and original paperwork says TJ (longbody). Get lots of offers.
I 100% agree with Road dog!! Hate the new jeeps!! They bowed down to the suburb people who don't know what off road or trail riding is! GM ruined the Hummer and Blazer now Chrysler ruined the Jeep! I'll never own one!
I soooo agree on this - They are becoming less and less Wranglers. I saw a 1987 Wrangler in great shape and thought, wow.... that's great. Yeah! today's wranglers, not sure about them. I own a 2004 TJ sport (extra 10") 188k and running strong. Look to do some upgrades by Spring.
Love the vid. But I've owned a handful of Wranglers that I've used as daily drivers and never had the "leaky" issues this guy talks about. He's right though about the 4 liter being better than the minivan V6 that Jeep is using now in their so called "Wrangler". The Wrangler was never meant to be comfortable, a vehicle for the masses or a trendy fashion accessory as it's now become.
Right after you said about the hard top i found one for sale on Facebook marketplace in one minute 🤣. Im sorry need to make some correctios over here, found another one for sale right the way scrolling down). And then the third one 🤦♂️🤦♀️
Why would a longer wheel base make it a better offroad vehicle? Ive got an '06 TJ so I'm biased, but these things go through trials that most longer wheelbase 4WDs dont
I want to like them because I’m sure they ride better but I hate the look, too long and it looks off compared to a regular TJ. The unicorn is not an LJ by itself, it’s a Sahara rubicon LJ, that’s what the community considers a unicorn. All TJs had a Dana 30 up front and the engine isn’t any different so that had nothing to do with the LJ. Nice video though!
I own a 2004 TJ (188k), runs great in spite of repairs needed (in the Chicago snow and ice). However, I don't care for the hard top look, and aiming to change that. Suggestions welcome.
Go get another one, I did. Just got my replacement last month. Went from 04 non-Rubicon that I let go 10 years ago to an 06 Rubicon hardtop just like the one in this video, just a year newer. It’s never too late.
I just picked up the same color ‘05 TJU with a hard top but not a rubi…it came from Tucson and has zero rust. 86K I got rid of a Porsche to buy it - much less cost of ownership and I can fix it myself :)
Craig, why don't you say that Wranglers still aren't built not to be a yard of drive, two of carry it up by your own manpower. Unless they build this thing reliable, I don't want it wasting my life. If you have a neighbor with even new Jeep, the amount of time they spend under the Jeep, in spite of all warranty, is nerve racking. I've seen this time and again
This is the most clueless comment I have ever read. How is a 4.0 not reliable? As long as you change the oil you can beat on these things for 300+ thousand miles. Sounds like the typical Prius driver according to your channel😂
Low miles, best straight six engine, 13 inches longer, DANA44 front and rear, and I think it has a Rear LSD stock because I know my 03 Sahara came with a LSD for my rear 44
The TJ rubicons came with air lockers front and rear I believe. If I'm not mistaken they had little baby compressors that only put out like 10 psi tucked up above the t case skid.
I say BS. I own, which I bought new in 2006 a Rubicon 2 door "LJ" with a 4 litre straight 6. ANYTHING bought from 2007 to 2021 is cheap Fiat SHIT. All show and no go soccer mom vehicles. Mine has a little over 55K miles and the original pristine Soft (Garage Kept) top. PS. The dealership still contacts me wanting to buy it back, they will pay me nearly as much as I paid for it. They constantly have people coming in that want it. My answer always is "Call me next year". Lmao.
I like that - I own a 2004 TJ Sport (longer 10") unlimited - 188k and running strong in Chicago Weather - only thing, I want to change the flippin' hard top (doesn't look good to me).
To anybody coming to this video late: This guy, while an enthusiastic salesman, doesn’t not know the TJ Unlimited. If you are seeking facts/accuracy, find a different video.
