Even when you've narrowed it down to a particular vehicle, there are so many things to consider. Decisions like, should I buy new or used? If used, how used? With Jeep's underwhelming reliability reputation in Consumer Reports I decided to look on the new end. Like I mentioned before, a lot of the Jeeps on road have a tons of accessories and many have significant modifications. This told me that buying used came with the risk of purchasing someone else's failed attempt to build the perfect Jeep. So I looked at new. The available 2020 and 2021 two door Jeeps out there came in a variety of trim packages and engines. Since this was a third vehicle for us and my goal was to take trails and forest roads, not start an amateur rock crawling career, the Wrangler Sport was the right trim for me. I spent several weeks studying the various engines and features that come on a Wrangler Sport and decided on a 2020 model with the V6 at Elk Grove Dodge near Sacramento, CA. It was really a process of elimination. I didn't want the 2.0T engine with a limited reliability history or the new eTorque system (Jeep calls it a "mild hybrid system") that was attached to the 2021 V6 models. Other are confident in these engines and systems but I was trying to keep things simple. I do recognize the future involves more electric, hybrid, and turbo engines. In fact, I can't wait for an all-electric high clearance vehicle! By focusing on the engine I had to give up a couple things. I would have really liked satellite radio and a limited slip differential (Jeep calls it "anti-spin").but I am happy with the price I paid and options I ended up with.
