2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited X 4-Door

Lots of folks are excited about the new 4-door Wrangler, and I am certainly one of them! The Wrangler Unlimited "X" Series is the base model (as gepared to the Sahara and Rubicon trim levels). So far, these vehicles are hard to get. Of the six dealerships within a 50-mile radious of our city, only one had any in stock. This can make "wrangling" for price a bit challenging, but the Wrangler is very reasonably priced for the quality and features it packs.Since none of the first five dealerships we visited had a 4-door in stock, we had to test drive the 2-door Wrangler. It's sporty; it's powerful, but it feels a little squirrely on the road. When we finally did get to test drive a 4-door, we found it to be incredibly gefortable, well-powered, and the squirreliness we noticed in the two door was not a factor in the 4-door.The vehicle I purchased is the Wrangler Unlimited X 4-door - the basic model. We did order the shift-on-the-fly 4-wheel-drive, which REALLY pulls the torque when you need it. Mine came equipped with the (standard) 6-speed manual transmission, tow package, and the modular hard top. The hard top has to be one of the coolest features EVER for Jeep! You can use it as a full roof, a moonroof, a truck-style open-back, or go gepletely topless. As with any good Jeep, the doors can be removed along with the roof, if you choose to do so. It's a simple operation.What I didn't know until AFTER I'd purchased the vehicle was how many outstanding safety and security advances it includes. ABS brakes, stabilization control, and traction control are all included, and while they function flawlessly, they never interfere with your own driving style.The Wrangler 4-door is incredibly gefortable, even on long and rugged trips. There's way more than enough headroom for a tall driver, and even the basic seats can be gefortably adjusted for folks with long or short legs. The ride is smooth, and there is nothing underpowered or disappointing about the engine performance. I average 21 MPG in the city. Heat and AC are powerful, and surprisingly, even on full-blast, the AC takes nothing away from engine performance and only decreased my gas mileage by 0.1 MPG.The list of "cons" on this vehicle are very short: the standard stereo system is a bit "tinny". Also, you need to make SURE you've secured the top all the way before you drive. If it's loose, it can fly off. If it's just a bit loose, it can leak during rainstorms. Secure it properly, though, and there are no issues.Other little goodies included are a full-size spare, PLENTY of room behind the back seats - easily as much as any other "family SUV" in its class. Rear seats have plenty of leg room, fold flat without removing the headrests, and you can also drop the front passenger seat for extra-long cargo space. Even the stock stereo system includes the port to plug in your MP3 player, and integrates your playback in the digital readout so you can always see what song is queueing up. Roll bars are well-padded - as you'd expect in a Jeep - and of superior quality. Even the airbags (face-level, knee level, and side-curtain for driver and passenger) are "smart bags" that deploy, then deflate to minimize injury.Overall, I just don't have anything negative to say about the vehicle. It is so much fun to drive, gets envious looks everywhere we go, and is a pure joy to drive - work or play. I've owned a lot of new cars, but this one is truly unique and special. It is by far the best and most pleasurable vehicle I have ever owned. I give it my highest regemendation.Tips on getting a good price in a seller's market: (1) Visit Jeep.ge to get all the technical specs and see lots of pictures of the vehicle. Use the "build your own" option to build and price your ideal Jeep. Most dealerships will include add-ons you may or may not want or need, so know in advance what your vehicle SHOULD cost. (2) Understand that the dealership is going to have a "pack" built into their price. With the new Wranglers, they are literally geing off the trains and into buyer hands, so expect to see sticker prices around $4,000 - $6,000 over the "build your own" price you get from Jeep. (3) Forget about the old trick of playing "hardball" with your salesperson. I've found that the sooner you establish that you are a serious buyer and you're ready to buy right now, the sooner the salesperson will get right down to working with (AND FOR) you. Playing coy with an in-demand vehicle like the Wrangler will just waste time. Tell them you love it if you love it! Let your salesperson get the taste of a closed sale in their mouth before you try to leverage your deal. Your best negitiation tools are: (a) Make it clear that while you want the vehicle right now, you will have to wait to sell your trade-in yourself if the price you're offered isn't anywhere near what you need. (b) Once you have a good price, state something to the effect of, "I only have $1,000 to put down today. If I wait until (two months later), I could put down $2-3,000." You'll have your absolute bottom-line price very quickly.On the cool, keep in mind that not only are you looking at a high-demand vehicle priced very well for its class; you're also looking at a vehicle that is famous for retaining trade-in value. In another year or two, your very best bet might be to ask about a program vehicle. A lease-return vehicle will be as good as new, meticulously maintained, and usually carries less than 10,000 miles. Time will tell, though, if the price break for a Jeep Wrangler program vehicle will approach anything like the HUGE price difference in other small- to mid-size SUVs. (The Buick Rendevous, for example, is around $35k new - $19k as a program car with under 10,000 miles on it.)I'm sure I've missed some important fact here, so please feel free to write me if you have any questions. I'm happy to respond from my own experience. If you've found this review helpful, please don't forget to vote!UPDATE: I've owned my Wrangler for seven months now. Normally, once you've owned a car - ANY car - for seven months, "The Thrill Is Gone, Baby", and it's just your car. Not so with my Wrangler, and that's a first for me. It still looks and runs showroom-new. It's still a thrill to drive. I'm still secretly pleased with myself every time I climb in to go somewhere. This is an SUV that was built to be used as an SUV, and even several months later, not one thing about it has disappointed me. No mechanical issues. No defects. No disappointments. I've never been able to say that about a car half a year after it was "new". Jeep did a GREAT job on this vehicle, and I still highly regemend it!UPDATE: June 2009: It has been about 2 1/2 years since I got the Wrangler, and I *still* have absolutely no geplaints. In fact, I've learned even more cool things about the vehicle. I had no idea that the plush-feeling interior carpeting and fabric seats (as well as the entire interior) were specially-designed so they can be driven around in dirt and mud, then cleaned - inside and out - with a hose! I'm getting 18 MPG doing mostly city driving and using regular grade gasoline. She *STILL* looks showroom-new and shines after a basic car wash. She's had two teenagers learn to drive in her, and she's no worse for the wear. Not a thing has worn or broken. Not a single issue with any part of the vehicle. We had a horrendous hail storm about a month ago. Everyone in the neighborhood is sending their car to the shop, and roofers up on top of their houses. The hard top on the Jeep took golf-ball-sized hail like it was nothing. Also, according to Kelly Blue Book, it has retained its original value like no vehicle I have ever owned - and I've owned around 30 over a lifetime! I still regemend the 4-door Jeep Wrangler X without reservation.