#30: Convertible Pickups, Square Headlights, and Will the ID Buzz Return?
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Car
Jeep Wrangler
The Jeep Wrangler is a type of small SUV made for driving on rough roads and trails. It has a boxy shape and parts like the doors and roof can be taken off. People like it because it’s good for outdoor activities and exploring nature.
Term
hybrid vehicles
Hybrid cars use both gas and electricity to help save fuel and pollute less. They can use either or both to move the car.
Car
Ford F-150 Lightning
The Ford F-150 Lightning is a big truck that runs on electricity instead of gas. It can carry heavy things and has new technology inside. People talk about it because it shows how trucks can be electric in the future.
Car
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a fast sports car made in the USA. It is designed to be powerful and fun to drive, often seen as a special or dream car. Many people admire it for how it looks and how quickly it can go.
Term
car repossession
If someone doesn't pay their car loan, the bank can take the car back. This is called repossession, and then the car is usually sold to get the money back.
Term
90 days late on car payments
If someone doesn't pay their car loan for three months, it's called being 90 days late. This usually means the bank can take the car back.
Term
auction access
Some people can go to special car sales called auctions where they buy used or repossessed cars. Having auction access means you can buy cars there.
Term
repossession cars
When people don't pay their car loans, the bank takes the car back. These cars are called repossession cars and are sold to others.
Term
new car prices
New car prices mean how much it costs to buy a brand-new car. Right now, the average price is about $50,000, which is quite expensive.
Term
92 month loans
A 92 month loan means you pay for your car for over seven years. It makes monthly payments smaller but can cost more in the long run.
Term
120 month loans
A 120 month loan means you pay for your car for 10 years. This is a very long time and can make the car cost more overall.
Term
car loan
A car loan is money you borrow to buy a car, and then you pay it back little by little over time, usually with extra money called interest.
Term
predatory lending
Predatory lending is when lenders trick or take advantage of people by giving them loans that are very expensive or hard to pay back.
Term
car payment term
The car payment term is how long you have to pay back the money you borrowed for a car. Longer terms mean smaller monthly payments but more total cost.
Term
oil change
An oil change means taking out the old, dirty oil from your car's engine and putting in new, clean oil. This helps your car run smoothly and last longer.
Term
oil filter
An oil filter cleans the oil in your car so it doesn't have dirt or bad stuff that can hurt the engine. You usually change it when you change the oil.
Term
oil life monitor system
An oil life monitor is a system in your car that tells you when it's time to change the oil based on how you drive and how the engine is working.
Concept
owner's manual
An owner's manual is a booklet that comes with your car that tells you how to take care of it and how to use all its features.
Concept
severe service guidelines
Severe service guidelines are special rules for taking care of your car if you drive it a lot in tough ways, like in traffic or very hot weather. Following these helps keep your car healthy.
Concept
preventative maintenance
Preventative maintenance means doing simple things to your car regularly, like changing the oil, so it doesn't break down or get damaged later.
Car
Chevrolet Silverado
The Chevrolet Silverado is a big truck made to carry heavy loads and pull trailers. People use it for work or everyday driving because it is strong and reliable. Newer versions have features that make driving easier and more comfortable.
Term
coolant
Coolant is a special liquid in your car that keeps the engine from getting too hot and helps warm up the inside of your car when it's cold outside.
Term
transmission fluid
Transmission fluid is a special oil in your car that helps the gears change smoothly and keeps the parts inside the transmission from getting damaged.
Car
Chevrolet Suburban
The Chevrolet Suburban is a big SUV that can carry lots of people and stuff. It can also drive power to all four wheels to help in tough driving conditions.
Car
Jeep Willys MB
The Willys MB is the first Jeep used by the military in World War II. It was very tough and could drive on rough ground, which helped soldiers a lot.
Car
Jeep CJ series
The Jeep CJ series are the first Jeeps made for regular people after World War II. They are strong and can drive on rough roads, but are meant for daily use too.
Term
square headlights
Square headlights are headlights shaped like squares instead of circles. They were popular on many cars in the 80s and 90s.
Concept
American Motor Corporation (AMC)
AMC was a car company in America that made the first Jeep Wrangler before Chrysler bought them.
Concept
Chrysler acquisition of AMC
Chrysler bought AMC mainly to get the Jeep brand, which was very popular and helped Chrysler grow.
Term
inline six engine
An inline six engine has six cylinders lined up in a row. It helps the car run smoothly and have good power, especially for off-road driving.
Part
locking front and rear differentials
Locking differentials help the Jeep's wheels grip the ground better when driving on rough or slippery roads by making sure both wheels turn together.
Term
low range gearing
Low range gearing helps the Jeep go slowly but powerfully over rocks and rough ground so it doesn't get stuck.
Term
lockers
Lockers help both wheels on the same axle turn together so the car can keep moving even if one wheel is slipping on mud or rocks.
LIVE
we were looking the whole thing over and the thing that my dad was like checking out the
passenger compartment I'll never forget yes and he picks up the carpet and there's no insulation
nothing it's just this thin thin piece of carpet that's like all across the back of it and he's
just laughing and I'm just like what's the deal and he's just like he's like I wonder how much
money Chrysler makes on each sale of these things because they really haven't changed that much since
Little Red which he calls his 46 Jeep that's so true welcome back life boss cars community we have
a new type of episode here for you all today this is a segmented episode that Brendan and I
are trying out here in the new year in 2026 as we go along here you're going to see some segments
that include tech tips from Brendan we're going to have a topic that being the Jeep Wrangler and
we're also going to have some fun with some Craigslist finds that being cars as well as some
other news and other fun stuff when it comes to cars so we hope you enjoy and without further ado
let's go ahead and get right into the episode new segment we'd like to do on the show is just a real
quick blurb about car news things that are happening in the country and around the world
as it pertains to cars so I mean we won't spend a lot of time here but there are a couple things I
saw that I wanted to discuss with you and so the very first thing I saw which was very interesting
to me is Ford changed their F-150 Lightning they're gonna change the production into hybrid vehicles
instead of full electric because they're lacking sales now I I mean I actually think it's a great
call on Ford's part to do that route only because like I mean I've said it before on the podcast
and I do agree like I think someday electric is going to be the norm the full electric right
we're just not there yet so for them to do that it's it's kind of telling that both people aren't
ready infrastructure is not ready and we just we got to keep working on it it's meeting consumers
where they're at and there was the push to try out EVs for everybody and as you mentioned that
we're just not there yet and having to scale back and I've and as I've talked about I think hybrids
really are the sweet spot for where we're at right now I I think hybrids are the best move
for both manufacturers and the buying public for people who are looking for a car that is
both fuel efficient with the mileage and just again also just a smart practical choice hybrids
really really make a lot of sense so I can see the logic from from Ford's standpoint of making
that pivot yeah I think it'd be easier to mark it right because they have a guy come in and they
say you know oh I know I gotta have an F-150 and you know nope it's gotta be gas powered and they
say well we'll look at the lightning because it gets you know 80 miles per gallon because
it's a hybrid you know and they'd be like whoa like okay I'll buy into that and it still has a
V you know a gas motor like all right so yeah I thought that was interesting it is yeah another
thing I saw that I also thought quite interesting is a study came out that most younger buyers so
kids between the age of 18 and 25 are gravitating towards ultra luxury vehicles and supercars and
you know the this has been a shift right that it used to be you'd talk to a you know a 16 year old
or an 18 year old or a 20 year old and be like yeah what's your dream car be like oh a Corvette
or like maybe it was a Ferrari right but sometimes yeah oh no it's gotta be a Jeep Wrangler like no I
want to pick up truck but it's been more of a shift to those and it didn't really go into why
my immediate reaction is I'm thinking maybe it's due to like F1 type of thing because we've seen
such an increase or resurgence or whatever we're going to call it in in F1 in that type of racing
right right there's so many young people gravitating to that so I just think they see like Ferraris and
Porsches and they see Lamborghinis and they're like oh like that's what I want that's what I aspire
for so yeah well and yeah I think there's something through that because there's just that brand
recognition now I mean you look at I mean Ferrari you have Mercedes I mean when Lewis Hamilton was
with Mercedes there's just like they attach both the driver to the car and then the brand and then
it's like oh well F1 like I'm with Mercedes so I want a Mercedes too or like I'm team Ferrari so
that's what I want to aspire to or Porsche or whatever it might be that yeah they're just seeing
they build whole brands and brand identity out of this and um yeah I mean just just the fact that
I mean it's so ever present between like the Netflix series the F1 the movie just it's become
more and more culturally present I think than it ever has been oh yeah yeah it's like because it's
funny because like I mean we've talked about it before in the podcast like I've always had in my
mind right like the realistic dream car yes and then the unrealistic so like you know it's just funny
to think people or that's what they think of more and more those types of cars ultra luxury and
super cars maybe it won't matter because the last thing on car news that I wanted to bring up is
in regards to ultra luxury cars and super cars is we have seen quite an increase as of the first
of the year you know as this is for the month of December car repossessions and people who are
greater than 90 days late on their car payments has increased dramatically in the last six months
to a record seven percent which usually it's it's hovered when the economy's doing okay around
like a three or a four so this pretty much doubling is startling to a lot of people because that's
not usually a good indicator of the economy because most people in the US a car payment is a payment
that they will always make like they'll pay the car before they pay their mortgage because they need
to get to work right yeah it's a very good good point yeah that to me was a very interesting
thing to read upon and well it's funny that it came up like a few days ago to me on this article
because and I should like cite all these two where I got them but the thing that I noticed is
like you know I have auction access because I'm a used car dealer and it's funny like the last
couple months I had noticed that there are way way more repossession cars coming through the
auction because if they're a repo they have to be labeled as such when they list them for sale
but the thing is is like there's always repos going through an auction but I started seeing cars
that were like a two or three year old Lexus or a six year old Cadillac or like a three year old
Acura with 50,000 miles on it and they're repossessed it's like those are cars that are like you
know middle or upper middle class vehicles that are being repossessed which to me is more telling of
that's not good so I just I just find that interesting so yeah I mean we have talked about
we've talked at length how I mean new car prices now the average pushing 50,000 and people getting
into these oh insane insane load loans like 92 month loans or whatever oh they're doing
120 month loans now 120 month which yeah you can't even grasp that it's just it's way too easy just
to say yeah that yeah that sounds I can do that that's fine well that's crazy yeah that's crazy
right it just car breaks down that's the thing that's insane about it so you're gonna have a 10
year car loan yeah and I think yeah people right we can't speak for any of these circumstances
but it just seems that like these cars are more and more expensive and people just buying cars
that are out of reach and that they really have no business getting into and yet then they're
yeah they just get swamped oh absolutely absolutely so it seems like we're we're just
there's just more and more of that happening because I mean and you know the market even better
than I do Brandon but just how it seems like way too easy for somebody to go in and buy an
80 90 $100,000 car when really their budget is 30 and yet they can go in and get a payment that's
like yeah we can do that and then they're just underwater way too quickly yeah so well that's
just it like I don't I don't know I don't know if you could call it predatory lending because
they're just giving people these car loans when they shouldn't but it does seem like it's easier
for people to get car loans than it is for like say mortgages or right personal loans or
things of that nature but you're talking about a car and it is it's crazy because I mean like most
people right they go buy a new car or even a used car right they go in and they just say like
I can't be more than $600 a month and that's you should never buy a car that way we've talked about
that right yeah that's what they do yeah yeah and then the salesmen or the people if they're like
a predatory type dealer one of the big ones right they'll just go of course we can do that no problem
and then they'll just extend out your term for 120 months and you're paying 10 interest and you're
like hey I got my $600 a month but then yeah it's horrible it's horrible yeah it is and unfortunate
that you know that kind of business still goes on and that people aren't are falling falling victim
to that yeah so anyway that's the stuff that was in the news yeah a little bit of news that we uh yeah
so keeping uh keeping a pulse on what's happening in the the world plus cars yeah next week we'll
see if there's anything else coming up see what the car companies are up to anything coming down the
pike next why don't we shift into uh we'll just do a life plus a little bit of car tech so I'll
just uh Ian is always asking me questions about cars and I just want to share just a little bit
of the wisdom I've accrued over the years so I want to take just like a short little 10 minute
thing and just talk about the your cars the cars we have the fluids that keep them going
and recommendations I have on when to change them and also filter recommendations or you
know brands filters things like that so yes all good things to note yeah I'm ready for it
oh yeah because most people right like just to start it off like most people understand like oil
change right like if you're driving a typical car that's not an electric car even if it's a hybrid
like you have a gas powered or diesel powered motor like you have oil and you have a filter
and there's manufacturer recommendations on when to change it and you might have an oil
life monitor system that tells you like hey change your engine oil uh all of that like most people
understand that right and how to check it and all that and then you know I'm going to start
let me just start this whole thing with like everything I'm going to talk about like please
refer to your owner's manual for what the they recommend right for your car for maintenance
intervals and the only thing I'll say to that is I always default to the severe quote unquote service
uh uh guidelines because they have like General Motors for example will have in their owner's
manual normal service life and then they'll have a severe service life oh okay I can't think of any
vehicle that isn't under severe duty like they're putting it for like taxi police etc but I mean
come on stop and go traffic driving around cold starts I mean super hot out just severe go with
this severe route you won't regret it because the simplest thing to preface this section right
is basic maintenance and fluid changes and things like that are the cheapest
preventative maintenance you can do for your car the cheapest like especially engine oil
it's like it is such a cheap way to guarantee that your car is going to keep running well for years
as if you just religiously change your oil don't let it go over put a high quality filter and
high quality oil in it so anyway yeah with all that being said to get into it so at most people
know your oil and filter you change that so with that I personally recommend if it's an older car
right like if it's not one that's you know brand spanking new and it's taking fancy synthetics and
that I'm usually between three and five thousand miles I'll change it newer cars like for example
like my 22 Silverado or in your all track like yes I would say anywhere between five to ten
thousand miles you're changing that oil but you're also following like the guideline on I'm sure
you're even your all track has like an oil change system or alert in it yeah and tells you what
maintenance is due yeah and it does yeah mine's every I mean manufacturer every it says 10,000
miles for me it's it's much more like five I would say five to seven thousand for me
that's more so what I'm come more comfortable than want to give to the car rather than go
that full 10,000 miles however I mean yeah if you want to stick to the manufacturer yeah they've
saved yeah go 10,000 miles oh yeah no I mean that's yeah I completely agree with your mentality on it
like I personally I don't like the 10,000 mile like I know new volvos are in a lot of manufacturers
they're like 10,000 mile intervals there's some are even 15,000 I dad there is no way
in heck that I would ever go that many miles without changing the oil I don't care what they
say it'll do I'm not doing it it's just not happening right so the read I would just say
for me my rule of thumb's always been that or right like a lot of I've talked this I have to
say this too on oil and filters because I store cars for people in the winter the thing that
really amazes me is the people that have like summer cars fun cars right like you know the
GTO like the Mustang stuff like that right and they don't change the oil every year like they'll
drive the car you know a couple thousand miles and then they'll say well I haven't put you know five
or 10,000 miles on the car so what's the point changing the oil even Ferrari Lamborghini Mercedes
Benz like you know GM it doesn't matter they all say if you look in your owner's manual they all
say here is the recommended engine oil change interval or at least once a year every single one
of them will say that and the reason being is oil actually you wouldn't think this is true but oil
absorbs moisture and you don't want that moisture sitting in your engine in your crankcase and being
pumped around so that's why they recommend to change it so that is just my little PSA there
so I mean like every single spring with all the cars we've got like I change oil and all of them in
the spring so yeah same with the Mustang that's oh you and it is and like I said it is I mean
you're talking it cost me 30 bucks a car you know to change it myself right it's like okay yeah that
adds up to a few cars but it is so cheap compared to having to do a spun bearing or having a valver
you know tap it's going bad or what you know any of that so anyway that that's a little PSA there
so that covers engine oil and filter yeah all right here's here's a good question for you
Ian for the next one like I have a list of ones I'm going to talk about but let me ask you this
let's let's test Ian's knowledge okay here we go is what is the most neglected fluid in a car
that most people don't ever think to worry about my guess is going to be transmission fluid
you are not correct oh it is the coolant coolant system oh the coolant system yes most people
most people are actually pretty aware of their transmission fluid but the cooling system is
actually like one of the most neglected systems in anyone's car and it's amazing because that's
more of a recent thing right they now that we have all these new additive packs and all this
stuff that's in coolant like it lasts a lot longer but what happens with coolant is if you
don't change it in the recommended intervals it actually starts to become acidic and especially
when you have aluminum motors and all these different gaskets and everything it'll start to
eat away at it at those things so like I mean a great example is like I did the timing belt
kit and water pump on this 2010 Honda and it was like oh the the water pump had just been
leaking like a sim forever and I was like like what the heck and it was because the coolant
hadn't been changed in 100,000 miles and it was what almost 10 years or something on it so
yeah it was it wasn't good and you could see like pitting inside the coolant place whatever but I
cleaned it all up it's fine but yes coolant do your coolant what's uh they have recommendations
recommended interval yeah oh yeah you I mean so I'm a GM guy so I know GM like GM uses what's
called dex cool and all it is is there antifreeze usually it's orange colored and it just has
different additive packs and they will say five years or 150,000 miles whichever comes first
I do not like that recommendation at all my my rule of thumb on coolant no matter what
the car is is I like to do anywhere but like around the three to five year mark or 50,000
miles mm-hmm so if you're not driving the car a lot bright try to think of it doing like like
your Mustang is a great example that just has basic green coolant like I'd be doing that right
two or three years all right but like the newer cars like my truck like I'll probably do it when
it hits like 50,000 miles on it I'll just drain the coolant put some new stuff in it call it a good
day but yeah once again like I said at the beginning all of these things are if you find it in your
owner's manual tell you what the recommended coolant is and what the interval is but coolant
is one of those things that I don't like to have go for too long because it's just your car starts
to overheat right right and then you're up you're up you know what creek without a paddle so oh yeah
it's uh because I mean it's like just as much as the oil is the lifeblood of the engine the coolant
is keeping everything cool yeah and keeping you warm in the winter and you know right all of that
yes I I mean I forget about that all the time as far as how the coolant is also connected to the
heat I think most people don't put that put two and two together yes why would the coolant keep me
warm and it's actually integral to that system as well right yeah yes absolutely so coolant like
I said my my recommendation is people do it in between that three to five year mark 50,000 miles
like every 50,000 miles it's really not that expensive just drain it down or pull your lower
radiator hose and then put some new coolant in and there you go peace mine and don't worry about
getting all of the old stuff out it's good just to freshen it up right yeah so now to go back to
what you said he had transmission transmission food very important and that's the same thing like
it's they have recommended intervals but for me for transmission I really and with this regardless
of manual or automatic is I like to do it right around that three to five years or 50,000 miles
like and maybe it's overkill maybe it's not but it is like I am amazed like the last time I did it on
my 2004 suburban right with the 81 yes I changed the transmission fluid I want to say it had
60,000 miles on it because I had a slip from the last time it was serviced before I bought it
but it had been like eight years right so I changed it I could not believe how much junk was on the
bottom of the pan like and I'm not talking like metal shavings things like that it's just you get
in an automatic especially you get this little tiny tiny fine particles which is clutch material
things that wear out in your transmission and even in manuals too it's from the gears from
everything meshing it's just it happens and there's magnets in there and I'll have to catch it but
but anyway with this suburban took it apart it was filthy cleaned it all put it back together fresh
fluid I mean I could I can't even begin to describe you how smooth it shifted like you couldn't
even feel it shifting after that it was so smooth I was like oh my gosh I was like I love a job like
that so it's just yes like it's so noticeable oh yeah and I mean it wasn't like the food was burnt
or anything like that but that's usually a tell for automatic transmission fluid if you smell it
and it smells burnt change that immediately something wrong reminds me that I mean how much
fluids are just so essential to so many components of the car because and oh as you described like
the sense that like once you freshen things up you clean it up and then it's just works so much
better that so much and as you said the beginning this is the way to do this preventative maintenance
that will extend the lifetime of your vehicle just simply by fluids because you're not because
then you're not talking about transmission rebuilds you're just simply changing the fluid and
exactly that's all it needs really yes and like the transmission particularly to like
hear a lot of people talk about flushes I'm not a big fan of flushes I like if you just
do it religiously you just drain the fluid down and put new fluid in and if you can easily access
like drop the pan and put a filter in it like go for it like that's great but you don't need to
worry about flushing and all that stuff so if you've got obviously if you have like a four by four
or you have a truck or big SUV you're going to have a differential and you're going to have
transfer case so if it's four wheel drive right it comes transmission into the transfer case
then it splits drive shafts goes to a rear differential front differential so transfer cases
are one of those things where again you know check your manual for what it says
but transfer cases have a lot going on in them and more often than not transfer cases take
take a much lighter weight fluid so it's thinner fluid because there's a lot of moving pieces and
it has like electronic shifting and all this stuff yeah that will wear out faster than like your
differentials would right so transfer case is another one that like I would put on the same
same schedule as your transmission like you're doing it every three to five years and you're
doing it 50,000 miles like coolant transmission transfer case and honestly even the differentials
like differentials I don't like the smell of differential fluid but those are again things
that you wouldn't believe how dirty that gets like I got to talk about for differentials
yes see Volvo the v70 r that I've been working on in the shop
yep so Volvo like the listeners could love this you'd love to see and the Volvo specifies in
their owner's manual that the rear differential and the front like I think they called a bevel gear
but it's a front differential are sealed for life but they just say in their service thing like
they just have you know at like 75,000 miles and like 150,000 miles it just says check and adjust
as needed but there is no like drain it or take the cover off or any of that like that's just what
it says just check and adjust as needed it should be like you know an eighth of an inch below the
fill plug hole and I mean it has the Haldex all-wheel drive and it has a service interval for that
drain the filter but the differentials no so like when I got this v70 r and I did the Haldex service
I was like well let me check the differential fluid it was so dirty
and 130,000 miles I mean it was like almost black so I actually I have a device that I hooked up to
the air compressor yeah and sucked out the old fluid as much as I could both front and rear
and then put in new differential fluid and I couldn't believe like it it rides so much quieter
than before like you wouldn't think that that would make that big of a difference in how those
gears turn for the front rear wheels and all of that happening but my gosh that was amazing
it's so much quieter but it's just that's the type of thing that baffles me right on the fluid change
yes is it's like is Volvo like they just expect the car to stop working at 100,000 miles or are they
just like like would what and I'm curious like would a Volvo dealer ever recommend like hey we're
going to change the front rear diff because it's got 150,000 miles on it like would would they
or would they just say oh no they don't we don't need to do that like I'm just it's just weird to me
it's weird that is strange that you have with everything else having an interval and noted in
these service manuals and yet that's just seems to be an enigma oh yeah and I mean yeah it's true
like you know technology on fluids and especially like differential fluids and all the additives
they put in there you know yada yada yada they do last longer but it's still an oil and it still
breaks down over time so I that's once again it's like it's it's cheap insurance in my mind
it's like because I mean the stuff I took out was like thin and dirty and gross
and the stuff you put in is like thick and it's it's it's clear and it's like okay yes yeah
that I mean it makes me realize you hear about cars breaking down and these catastrophic failures
and everything makes me wonder how many of those breakdowns and failures are attributed to lack of
or poor fluid or just what I mean it must be a must be a part of the problem right I would imagine
that once a vehicle hits a certain age right like once you get above that like six or seven year
old mark it's probably the majority of the major breakdowns are due to that right to inadequate
fluids or something's leaking and they don't catch it or it just breaks down just overall neglect
of the big part of that are the fluids oh exactly just to wrap it up like the last couple I wanted
to talk about are and they're very neglected but they aren't as big a deal it's like your cooling
system for example what's still important is your brake fluid yes and your power steering fluid
brake fluid obviously is a very important fluid for your vehicle and that is also a very neglected
one your brake fluid generally does not get changed out unless you need to put in a new
rubber hose that goes from like the car to the steering part where the caliper hooks on
or if you need a new caliper then they'll have to bleed the system but usually when I get a used
car in the shop like I did with the Volvo and I even did it with this this suburban from Pennsylvania
like I just I bleed the brakes like it's it's amazing how much better they work with new fluid
in there and I would say with those that's again like that's a two or three years or 50,000 miles
just do it and then power steering is it's just like any other oil it breaks down over time and
I'm amazed like I had a
sob it was a 2007 sob convertible that the power steering pump whined and I was just like
it's full I don't know what's going on so I just changed the fluid and put in brand new sob recommended
power steering fluid and it went away I mean it was like wow okay so yeah and the stuff that came
out of it was so nasty it was just dark and it was oh it's horrible and the stuff that went in was
like tinted green the stuff that came out was like you know it black so it's just amazing stuff like
that so right so to kind of wrap it all up so like besides your engine oil and the filter
right like when it comes to your transmission your differentials your transfer case your cooling
system your power steering and your brake fluid it's just if you have a car that you plan on keeping
for a long time and you love and you want to take care of just playing it like 50,000 miles
you're going to have yourself a big service like and you just you you tell them that you want all
that stuff done just transmission and filter front rear differential transfer case cooling system
power steering brake fluid just change them all out and there you go and then it's it's peace of
mind it's peace of mind for another 50,000 miles so I mean that that's that's what I do and I mean
knock on wood I've only kept a couple cars long enough for that to actually like matter because
usually I buy and sell them too quick but it's I mean it works well for what I've got so that
that would be the recommendation there and then just uh like I said I'd touch upon like
filter recommendations I mean most all of them are going to get you by if you're changing your
fluids enough but my personal favorites I like and I'm not sponsored by them are wicks I really
like wicks filters yeah I think that they're really high quality and I mean I've always had
extremely good luck with them but I mean I'll I mean I'd put a name brand you know
AC Delco or a mobile or a K&N or purilator you know what whatever as long as it's name brand the
only filter I've never had good luck with was a Fram so but that's just my own experience
now yet my follow up question with that I mean we'll talk about fluids do when you've changed
fluids do you go with like the manufacturer recommended fluid whether it be like OEM or
if they recommend mobile one in the vehicle or do you have like a excellent excellent
question and thank you for bringing that up so yes so I will do that so a great example is like my
2006 GTO and even like eris the blackwing like they say right on the filler cap like mobile one
you know like recommended for the car right right so I will put mobile one in there I mean
I look at it like if General Motors is going to have a high performance motor and they're
going to put an oil in it that they trust then I'll put it in and I use mobile one for like
my pickup and I use it for quite a few of the cars the only thing I'd say again is like you
touched on it Ian is you know it will say in your owner's manual like if it takes a 5W30 right
like that's the oil it'll tell you if it needs to be synthetic or not in your owner's manual
and it'll tell you the specification so you can always look that up and then you can go into your
parts store and say oh like this will work and this will work and you can buy you can buy the
O'Reilly brand or you can buy the generic or you can buy royal purple or you can buy you can buy
whatever I mean it all works it all depends on how much money you want to spend and how often
you're going to change your oil the only oil that I will spend a little bit of extra money on
is for the old cars and it's a valveline racing oil that's labeled VR1 and the only reason I buy
that is because it has a high zinc count in the oil and it's specifically made for like flat
tappet cams and older motors that have more metal on metal wear issues or probability so I will buy
that by the cases in the spring to do like Ruby and the GTO and the Buick and you know all of those
vehicles um but yeah that's really about it but I mean even those like they recommend 10w30
from the manufacturer and I'm putting in 10w30 so yeah that helps yeah I yeah I was curious
given that they're I mean as you already outlined there's so many different types and varieties
and name brands and oh yeah recommendations so I think a lot of people don't even know what they're
looking at myself included so it's it's good to have that that breakdown um and just walking me
through it here and for the listener too I've always I've loved cars my whole life as the
listener knows that said the mechanic mechanical side of things I am still I still have a lot to
learn so this kind of segment where Brendan you talk about your expertise definitely it goes a long
way for me and then hopefully for the listener too maybe taking a few tidbits away here that they
might apply to their own life and their car oh yes absolutely I mean I'm happy to anytime if you
have a question or any of our listener has a question I mean I have a wealth of knowledge
from working on this stuff and I'm happy to give an honest opinion about it I don't give any fluff
so well we we appreciate that you are quite the wizard Brendan so thank you absolutely yep
we're gonna talk about the Jeep Wrangler yes that's right in our new format here talking about
the Jeep Wrangler now to the listener if you've been with us for a little while we've been doing
some of these life plus insert brand name here so we've done BMW Volvo Volkswagen and so this is a
smaller segment where we're now picking individual models to focus on or some correct car themes oh
yes a great one to kick it off now the Wrangler technically didn't really start until the 80s
with American Motor Car Company right AMC yep but we have to start it off obviously with a nod
to the classic Willys like the MB oh absolutely the MB is the military ones I mean the World War
II work course is right and then the CJ series which I'm pretty well versed in with my dad's 46
and then my brother's 49 rusty the Jeep for our longtime listeners so I you love those civilian
Jeeps the CJ series but once we get into the 80s when AMC gets involved right it's we start seeing
they come out with the Cherokee and then they introduce in 87 the YJ Wrangler yeah so it's like
harkens back to a CJ Jeep but it's labeled the Wrangler so this is where we start so the YJ so Ian
and I have talked about this before YJ is definitely in terms of styling maybe it's because I'm born
in 89 or maybe it's because Ian's a crazy car guy I don't know but we really like the looks of the
YJ yes some people would scoff at that well it's interesting because yeah that is I mean it's received
a lot of scorn over the years and even Jeep has said that yeah yeah we we messed up and interestingly
looking at the history of the YJ I've read how in the design language they were trying to align
with the other very boxy SUVs of the era and many of them had square headlights so they were it was
really a styling exercise that they thought oh well what everybody's doing square headlights
everything's boxy let's go with that and turns out all the Jeep loyalists were like what have you done
however it would turn out to be a hugely popular model I mean despite the maligned headlights
these things sold really really well oh absolutely I mean you could argue that it's
really it saved the company so right and I mean interestingly I was again we're doing a little
research about the Wrangler I didn't realize that I mean American Motor Corporation they had just
kicked off Wrangler production and then months later was when Chrysler came in and bought the
yes it was really in that Chrysler Chrysler just wanted the Jeep name that was really what they
wanted yeah yeah yeah because it was it was uh Renault right it was yes it was Renault and
right now Renault yeah Renault yeah they had a stake in AMC yeah and Chrysler's purchase
soaked all of that up and it's just became Chrysler so do you bread and have any experience
working with YJs I know you have lots of like grand Cherokee history I don't know if you've
worked on a YJs in the past I have only ever had one that I've worked on with a friend of mine
but it was just like troubleshooting a couple electrical things for the dash
uh but it was pretty short-lived experience I have more experience with my favorite iteration the
TJ which is the night the next generation the 97 to 06 I had a buddy of mine that bought one in
Washington state and it had I want to say 150,000 miles on it and he took it off road and beat the
absolute heck out of it but that one was a manual and it had the inline six and I thought it was
quite a rig to drive around it and I'll tell you I think it was like light years ahead better built
than the YJ it's so much more of a refined platform from what the YJ is I have a friend who
he has since sold it but it was think 2004 TJ in that like slime green color that's what he called
it I don't know what that green is kind of looks like a shrek green that they came out with that
period and I got to drive it one time and that was another moment in that I just I fell in love with
that thing it was so fun to wind up and it had the the six speed and at the sixth cylinder just
much fun to drive I got in that thing I got a few jeep waves I mean I was sold like I I need one of
these like I need one of these this is incredible oh my gosh so yeah there's nothing quite like
driving around with like no doors on the no top on just like it's it is quite a feeling
oh wow it is yes and I think that's what really brought me in was a little kid I think I've we've
talked about it a little bit in prior episodes but I just remember like at stores pond the rec area
and handover and there was a lifeguard that had the TJ you know and they would show up with the doors
off top off and go like this is the coolest thing ever like I'm gonna be a lifeguard
yep well yeah well to that note too like we have to I mean we've talked about it before we have to
tip our heads to the yj in Jurassic Park oh yes that was my first love affair with with the yj
it was Jurassic Park just oh so good yes it's so gloriously 90s red painted wheels the gold paint
the Jurassic Park emblem oh yeah and I'm not one of the best scenes when they're getting chased down
by the t-rex oh yeah with gold blooms yes must go faster must go faster but the guys fumbling with
the stick shift and he's just yeah gold blooms in the back just staring down the t-rex oh yeah
so good so iconic one of the best scenes and yeah with the yj
top pop culture for the yj oh yeah so we yeah we had to had to mention that had to mention yes
but yes yeah but going back to the TJs though yeah they uh that story I remember you talking
about that the first time you drove one and uh yeah I enjoyed driving my buddies it was a nice rig
it needed a little bit of work the one he had I considered buying it but it was just a little
too much work to fix it up but the tj I'm always on the outlook for a nice tj that's in that like
2003 to 2006 realm yep later model year yeah yeah that's six cylinder with uh you know manual
and uh I mean the the cream to the the you know the top one the the coup de grace whatever you
want to call it would be the rubicon yes that they that they came out I think it was 2002 or three
yes 2003 okay oh three rubicon three was the first year the rubicon yeah like that like as soon as
they did locking front and rear discs and they had that uh low low range gearing yeah 401 falling
oh yeah is it 401 it's 401 yeah like that like oh my gosh that's like that's amazing I mean you're
buying like the most off-road capable vehicle ever just sitting on the lot yeah it's incredible
it's incredible what a what what a spec I mean yeah four wheel disc brakes and it was the first
first factory off-roader that came like with this kind of setup I feel like there was very
there were very few vehicles that from the factory you could just just buy right out of the box and
take it off road like oh you're absolutely right because most people were buying like a Wrangler
Sport or Wrangler Sahara and then they're putting in lockers they're putting in lift kits they're
putting in rock rail guards they're doing the whole nine yards whereas the Rubicon and even now
the Rubicon's today like you can just totally tee them up to the nines with every option you
could imagine for off-roading it's it's really impressive really impressive right that you can
do all these things and then still have a factory warranty on top of all that yeah like then we get
into once the TJ had its it's venerable run right from the 90s into 2006 it bowed out gracefully
2007 they came out with the next generation Wrangler which they called the JK the just kidding
Wrangler the just kidding yes which which it was a it was a wider car and it was longer
and they even came in the extended length and it was the first time we got four door Wranglers too
exactly and the it was known as the unlimited which carried over from the unlimited TJ which was
yeah which the longer wheelbase exactly 0406 had the long wheelbase TJ which are now
unobtainium because everybody wants that one and so they carried over that unlimited name
to now what was the fully extended Wrangler in four doors yep yes yes it's a pretty good looking
Jeep I mean they they just expanded upon the TJ really they made it just a little bit browner
a little bit more aerodynamic and it was packed with you know all the latest safety features
and all the fancy options and all that jazz so the the JK I mean yeah phenomenal phenomenal rig
it further refined the excellence that the TJ had built throughout its run
and now it was four it's now four doors and that's where it really changed the game that
oh people will buy even more of these if we give it four doors because I bet I bet it was a bit of a
maybe not so much as like the square headlight moment but they're like okay we're gonna do a
four door Wrangler people are either gonna love this or they're gonna hate it and boy people
love people love the yeah because oh man it makes total sense because instead of buying a
Cherokee or a Grand Cherokee right they gave him an option for a Wrangler so they and they
you could still take the top down and go to the yeah and all the things that people wanted
with just a little more space so you can yes all all your stuff with you and you take and you take
all the doors off our our friend of the show Cody he had a 2016 Wrangler JK and I can remember
ripping around that thing with all the doors off and it was a blast in fact I mean that was the car
I truly learned how to drive stick stick on was in that Jeep yeah that's where it really
clicked that transmission was enough there was enough play but it was sort of snickety enough
where you could find the gear and I just I yeah that never forget that Jeep because that's where
I finally finally figured it out yes yes an excellent story and I'm glad it was in a Jeep
I do hold Jeep close to my heart even though I have not owned one in quite some time yeah it's um
I mean for me I mean it's always been just top of top of my list of cars that I love
it just ever since the little kid I feel like that was just it was always Mustang and Wrangler
those were the two that just I always idolized yep since I was little see everything you're
telling me is like you just you should be a man that is buying a Wrangler is your next car
this is what it's all leading to folks
yeah should be yeah it should the JK though as we continue through so 2007
I didn't realize that they kept the 3.8 liter v6 for the first five years of production that was
like their old old v6 it wasn't until 2012 that they actually put in an updated 3.8 liter that
they you know it's called the Pentastar Pentastar power yeah which is still still something they
used to this day but I didn't realize that like that was quite a long time that they were running
old technology old transmission technology right it really I mean that's not that long ago 2012
is when they updated the motor and all that information to give them more power right better
fuel economy but hey they've kept the six speed manual that's what matters and yeah it wasn't
until we got into the JL right which is 2018 up to current that's right that we started to see
at least for the motor options that we didn't start to see they had like two liter turbos in
there and then they've got the 3.6 liter Pentastar v6 in there and then they they had a diesel for a
time for eco diesel but I don't I think that might have only been Europe or maybe it was available
for a little bit in North America you could know that they had it for a bit I do remember that
you could get the diesel here I've seen a few of them ripping around yeah and then they did also
they did their plug-in hybrid their 4x e right so that was another motor option yeah and then my
absolute most favorite is finally they listened to me they did the Rubicon 392
with a 6.4 liter hemi with the horsepower yep unfortunately you can't get that one with a
manual which just kind of defeats the purpose but that I've only watched videos of the 392
Wrangler and it sounds just incredible oh yeah I mean it's a car that goes here to 16
four and a half seconds I mean in a Wrangler that'd be terrifying in a Wrangler
but yeah I mean it's uh you know the you know I would say like
talking about the different series you know the yj the tj the jk the jl right you go through all
the Wranglers um my favorite as I said the tj the thing that amazes me about it is you know I mean
obviously for all automobiles since the turn of the century they have vastly increased in their
performance and their capabilities their safety standards you know etc etc etc but the Wrangler
is an example of something that that formula really has not changed much from the 40s right all the
way up until today like I will never forget like a great story about this I will never forget
when they first came out with the jks I believe it was a Sahara model sitting down at the local
Jeep dealer and my dad and I went down this was like 2007 or eight for the listener and we went
down and one of them was unlocked and funny funny enough like they actually left the keys in the
glove box like the second set but you know we were we're good people we obviously didn't take it
tooling around or anything but we were looking the whole thing over and the thing that my my dad
was like checking out the passenger compartment I'll never forget he like opened the back door to it
the the rear door the swing out door yes and he picks up the carpet and there's no insulation
nothing it's just this thin thin piece of carpet that's like all across the back of it and he's just
laughing and I'm just like what's the deal and he's just like he's like I wonder how much money
Chrysler makes on each sale of these things because they really haven't changed that much
since Little Red which he calls his 46 Jeep so that's so true I'm not saying it's a cheaply
built vehicle it's just it's right it's not up to like the same standards like if you go buy an
all track right like it has sound deadening insulation and this and that and the other
thing is the Jeep is just it's meant to get out and get dirty and get in the mud and be used
like a truck and rough and tumble yes oh absolutely so it's just it's just funny thinking about that
over the the course of its life I mean so yeah for me to like sum it up I would love to have a tj
Rubicon but if I wanted a new car today that's a manual that's like really fun to drive like I
would I've talked about it before like I would go in in order a brand new Wrangler but I wouldn't go
like crazy and get a Rubicon I would get like the cheapest one possible probably a two door
and then get like the soft top right and just like bare bones options but with a manual and
just like then I could do stuff to what I wanted as time went on but that's what I would do like
I just because I think they're really a cool rig and they're super fun to drive yeah yeah I mean
I mean as long I look at it like you know the other things we've done when we've talked about
brands right have been like you know what do we want from the future honestly the only thing I'd
say with Jeep with in regard to the Wrangler is just please always keep a manual just please
yes that is that is in what makes the Wrangler so magnificent it's it's DNA is it needs a manual
so yeah it just goes yeah as you said it's it's woven into its identity and the other thing I would
say is thank you to Jeep for keeping the two door model alive I can imagine it is a low volume
seller compared to the four door that so my other hope would be that they just keep that two door
alive if nothing else but it's lineage and history going all the way back to the MB
was Jeep from from World War two it's always yeah there's always been a two door yep I I mean
that's what I would get is I would get a two door for sure jeep please keep the two door around
it's part of the part of the DNA as you said Brendan like between that that manual transmission
and a two door that's the recipe that's what it's always been it's what it always should be
yes completely agree again completely agree yeah it is it is it is such a lifestyle vehicle now
and I totally am on board with that I know some people like to give the Wrangler flak
for for what it's turned into but I still love it all the same I think the jeep wave is hilarious
every every time I see that happening oh there's just a whole culture and I just it's just as you
said it's such a fun vehicle both to be in to look at to drive like and you can't say that for many
other brand new vehicles out there oh yeah and that's just it I mean we we could go into a huge
dive into the the it's not like not stigma but the following or or the the recognition
or just the the overall aura right of Wrangler not like jeep as a whole just Wrangler exactly
like you say like the jeep wave or like even the people that like duck each other's jeeps right
like the little rubber duckies yes that's huge and then if you go into like off-roading events
right where people have their Wranglers and they're getting together with people that have
other Wranglers like that community is just so tight a tight knit and it's just yes wonderful
people and yeah if you have a Wrangler and you've never gone out and like done an off-road adventure
thing like there are places all over this country that they'll just have facebook group or whatever
and you can just be like hey I want to just go on an off-roading course and they'll be like come on
with us like we're going to do like an easy one on Saturday and you can go do it and take your jeep
off-road I mean it's amazing there's some people I know that live in my area that they don't even
know their jeep has for low it's like oh like what are you doing oh my gosh right you haven't even
scratched the surface yeah you haven't even got your first scratch on the fender no kidding
let's push some trees over come on you got to break this thing in the Wrangler thing is its own
unique thing and it is very funny it it's cool and it's also funny because you have the jeep
wave thing never thought about it but if I ever drive like you know my dad's 46 or when I drove
like the 49 anytime you see a jeep like you just get the little peace sign comes up right
yes like at first anytime I'm driving one like that at first I'm always like what what are they
waving it before that I'm like oh oh right that's right that's right I forgot that's cool that you
get it also in the older older jeeps as well they just like acknowledge the the predecessor
where it all began yeah well it's well it's just it's it comes back to iconic right like we talked
about oh my gosh that's why people hated the square headlights because it got rid of the iconic
Wrangler round headlight seven slack grill look great so yes and what an icon that's that's the
one of the best words for it oh yeah american icon jeep wrangler
oh oh wow oh wow
yeah what do you think of that beauty huh
oh yeah that's not an ssr but
oh my gosh I wish the viewer could see this oh yeah I mean the sport steering wheel even
up itself is just the coup de gras you know the piece de resistance yeah yeah so for the
the listener here right we pulled up on craigslist we have a 99 Chevrolet s10 what they call an
extreme convertible pickup so we have a s10 that has a body color tonneau cover on the bed part of
it but the cap part of it is removed from the truck and it's been made into a convertible
and it is a manual which is pretty sweet right that's something and it runs good drives good no
issues uh clear coats peeling on the hard top of cash only so you know hey more power to them
it's a nice little sporty s10 truck although I think I'd rather have an ssr manual if they ever
made those I think they did yes they did yeah yep yeah wow what a find we're liking that that is
that's not bad it's a little uh 2.2 liter four cylinder it's got the five speed yeah she's a beast
yeah you could get you could rip that thing pretty well oh yeah wind in your hair it's got
those sport bucket seats oh yeah it's got the sport rims on it yeah look at that body kit dual exhaust
yeah I mean as far as uh this segment is concerned I mean this is this is a top notch craigslist fine
I know it's it's amazing well you gotta give credit to the ingenuity right like yeah you know
someone went in and they were like hey we're gonna chop the top off this little s10 and we're gonna
make it into a custom little cruiser here and it does as the custom bucket seats which I don't know
if those are out of like a Camaro or right but yeah those seats are crazy and then the steering
wheels a different sport steering wheel besides that it looks pretty factory s10 looking on the
inside yeah like gauges and climate control and all that stuff very interesting I'm trying to see
on the pictures of the cap if there's any indicators on how it was chopped it doesn't look like the
cleanest cut but anyway yeah yeah what a fine I mean and it's a 1999 so you could take this to
a Radwood event and really get some attention yeah you could I mean it's not half bad as far as I mean
it is fun I mean it's just a ridiculous little truck and I just I'm smiling so much to however
absurd this thing is oh absolutely and just you know for a little more background for the listener
like the the s10 extreme was a pickup offered by Chevrolet right that's right it's just it wasn't
they did not come in a convertible that's why we find this quite entertaining but the extreme was
like you know unique styling and it had like the weird fog lights and different rims and all that
stuff so anyway yeah yes but finding one of these and then it's been chopped is just absolutely
fantastic yep but the other one I mean I don't know if you want to talk about it now or if you
want to talk about it later but the other one that came up that just fits so well what we've
talked about today mm-hmm right is this 2006 Jeep Wrangler absolutely stunning TJ yeah
it's funny how I saw I found this too since our assignment is to find find a Craigslist car worth
talking about and given that today's episode is all about the Wrangler I said okay yeah I had the
same I had the same thought process oh yeah and it is it's a very nice well-kept example black
doesn't have any rust on it I don't really know where it's from but it's it's the perfect recipe
for uh that era of the TJ right because they did the TJ from it was like was it 96
or 90 uh yep 96 yeah yeah 2006 right yeah yeah so it was really like debuted 96 97
was the first official model year yeah so 97 to 2006 yeah and so it's a final year production
it's not a Rubicon it's a sport but still I mean it's got the 4.0 straight six that's what it
wants motor yep and it's got the manual and it's obviously four-wheel drive 100,000 miles on it and
it is it's beautiful that's that right there I'd buy that Jeep in a heartbeat well and it's I mean
for nine grand that seems like a really good buy oh absolutely yeah just for the condition it's in
the mileage the setup I mean yeah this thing and the frame yeah it doesn't look like it's been
messed with very much like it's very stock minus like a couple headlight things but
I don't see anything under the hood or underneath it's like a change but I mean I don't even think
it has a lift kit in it this is a very factory beautiful Wrangler that's a great price and great
starting point if you wanted to get into one absolutely I mean yeah that's it's and it's so
hard to find unmodified Wranglers oh you have no idea of any vintage and never mind one in
that's a nice Jeep yes it is yeah but I love the TJ's that's probably my favorite generation
that I would consider buying even though I do love the looks of its predecessor the YJ yes as we've
as we've talked about I do seeing this TJ it does it does make sense and it starts to click for me
too just that I mean yeah they really just perfected the look the whole packaging it really just
it really I think reached its zenith with the TJ plus this is a final model year and final model
year of anything is always always a great move absolutely they've got all the bugs worked out
right yep it's the way to do it yep so there you have it listener we have just completed our
first segmented show we did a little car news we talked some car tech we talked about the Jeep
Wrangler how much we love them we even talked about a craigslist find that happened to feature a
Jeep Wrangler in a very nice convertible s10 picker right so what did you think of the episode
listener did we do a good job should we keep it segmented let us know and you can write to us
at life plus cars at gmail.com find us on social at life plus cars yep so so buckle up and lock in
lock in and we'll hit the road on the next episode so we look forward to talking to you all then
very soon
About this episode
Exploring the evolution of the Jeep Wrangler, this episode dives into its history from the classic Willys MB to the modern JL. The hosts discuss the unique appeal of different Wrangler generations, including the controversial YJ with its square headlights and the beloved TJ with its inline-six engine. They also touch on current automotive trends, such as Ford's shift to hybrid F-150s and the rise of ultra-luxury vehicles among younger buyers. Additionally, the episode features tech tips on vehicle maintenance, focusing on the importance of fluid changes and preventative care.
Original notes
Hello Life Plus Cars Community! We are back and are experimenting with a new segmented episode format.
On this episode, we explore Life Plus...
Car News! Brendan and Ian discuss the latest and craziest Shelby Mustang that is set to debut in 2026, the possibility of the Subaru WRX STi returning, and the demise of the VW ID Buzz after just one model year in the U.S.
Tech Tips with Brendan! In this mechanic's special segment, Brendan teaches Ian and the listener about the coolant system. Tune in to find out how the system works, how essential it is, and how it keeps your car's interior warm as well as cool (go figure!)
Jeep Wrangler! Waving hello to all our Wrangler fans in the audience! The hosts take a deep dive into some history, facts, and favorite models of the Jeep Wrangler. Yes, including the often scorned square headlights of the YJ generation.
Craiglist Finds! Among other favorites, Brendan shares a wild find: a convertible Chevy S-10 pickup. Ian is still laughing about it.
Plus, has Brendan finally convinced Ian to buy new Jeep Wrangler? Tune in to find out!
What do you think, listener? Did you learn something new from Brendan? Which Wrangler is your favorite? Do you want the ID Buzz to come back? Email us with your car thoughts and stories at [email protected]
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