Jeep Wrangler (YJ)

The Jeep Wrangler (YJ) is a 2-door convertible / 2-door SUV from Jeep, built from 1986 to 1998, in the age of turbocharging and the first electronic engine management. Under the bonnet: 2.5&nbsp. Chuck Mashigan (1983) drew it.

The background

The Jeep Wrangler (YJ) is the first generation of Jeep Wrangler four-wheel drive small off-road vehicles, rebadging and succeeding Jeep's CJ series, which was produced from 1944 to 1986. The first Wrangler (internally "YJ") was launched in 1986 and ran through 1995. Although the new Wrangler stood out from its CJ predecessors by its square headlights, its body was a direct evolution of the preceding CJ-7, and rode on the same wheelbase. The Wrangler featured an updated interior, offered more comfort, and improved safety and handling through a revised chassis that included a wider track and a slightly lower stance.

Development of a potential CJ-7 replacement was green-lit in 1982, with engineering and design work (under Chuck Mashigan) commencing. After approval earlier in 1983, a final design freeze occurred by the fall of 1983, with CJ-7-based mules being built in late 1983 and the first production body test prototypes in the spring of 1984. By late 1985, development concluded, as the transition from pilot to series production began. In February 1986, the 1987 model year Jeep Wrangler was unveiled. It entered production in March and went on sale on May 13, 1986.

The engineering

Power comes from 2.5&nbsp. It weighs 2,855–3,241 lb. It shifts through a 3-speed TorqueFlite TF904 automatic / 3-speed TorqueFlite TF999 automatic / 5-speed Aisin AX-5 manual / 5-speed Aisin AX-15 manual / 5-speed Peugeot BA-10/5 manual / Transfer case:. The wheelbase is 93.4 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.

Where it sits

Its family tree is legible: it took over from the Jeep CJ-7; its successor was the Jeep Wrangler (TJ); assembly was at Toledo, Ohio. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the BMW 5 Series, the Ferrari F40, the Ferrari Testarossa — show what else the money bought that year. Its Jeep stablemates include the Jeep Wrangler (JK) and the Jeep Wrangler (TJ).

What it costs now

The money question first: $10,600–$34,000 is the typical asking range today, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $4,733–$11,295 a year. Insurance sits around $1,120–$2,120 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.