We love our Class A but not always having a vehicle with us is a pain in the ass at times.

If I wanted to buy a Jeep for 10-12k it looks like it will be around a 09-10 model with 180-200k miles on it.

Since this won’t be my daily driver I’m concerned about the reliability pitfalls.  Would it be a dumb idea to get an older one like this or should I just buy a new one and put up with having a car payment again?

Do you want to flat tow, or tow dolly ?     A tow dolly opens up your options to any front wheel drive vehicle.    Jeeps tend to be more maintenance intensive than your average car, but I have owned several older Jeeps with +150,000 miles that were perfectly reliable.

We have rented a trailer before and put my wifes Subaru on it, I'm just not a fan of that due to all the extra steps.  My preference would be to have a Blue Ox flat-tow setup so that I just unhook a few connections and away we go.

By Jeep do you mean Wrangler?

Because I'd be leery about any Wrangler you can buy for 10-12 grand. My 02 is likely worth more than that.

If looking for a Wrangler, however, the engine people avoid is the Minivan motor... the 3.8L V6. And that's right in the age range you posted, which might be why those Jeeps are cheaper.

That said; the 3.8L isn't a reliability problem. It's just that it's not nearly as good a performer as the 4.0 I-6 that preceded it or the 3.6L V-6 that succeeded it. I have heard from people that the value play is get the 3.8

As for Maintenance; there's 2 things to consider. One is that, as an actual 4-wheel-drive vehicle, it just has more parts. The other is that it's a Jeep, and it may well have been USED as a Jeep.

That said, parts are plentiful, upgrades are easy, and they're super simple to work on.

It hardly ever gets used this way, but my Avatar is set up to be a TOAD. (We usually just move the RV; because we're either on the road all the time, or we have more than 4 people which means we don't fit in the TJ)

OP,,,Find a good used GMC Canyon. We've towed ours over 60,000 miles with ZERO issues. They are 4x4 and easy to drive. Small and only 3900 pounds. Six years on ours and I'd do it again.

I tow my Yukon behind my pusher.  Just make sure your transfer case has the true neutral.  4x4 high and low, and neutral if going with gmc/chevy

Mine is a gasser so I want something on the lighter side.

I’m leaning towards a Wrangler so I can have another hobby to throw my retirement money at.

I understand,  just make sure it can be towed 4 down.  You don’t want to deal with a dolly unless no other choice

Wranglers seem to be the most popular TOAD I see. Are there versions that can’t be flat-towed?

Looks like 2WD Wranglers cannot be flat towed. Makes sense as the xfer case needs to be in neutral to flat tow.

I can't imagine that many 2WD Wranglers exist. As far as a well worn Jeep as a TOAD, it's probably one of the better choices. Cheap and easy to work on when needed, lots of after market parts to make it as off road capable as you want.

I don’t know much about wranglers.  As long as transfer case has a true neutral it should be ok.  

Although some vehicles that can be flat towed have recommendations, such as.  Stopping every 200 miles, some need the key left on, other types of limitations.

Manual transmissions don’t usually have limits.

2WD Wranglers were only sold to non-commercial/gov't clients VERY briefly in 2007 (and only as 4-doors). As a practical matter; they don't exist, full 4WD is standard.

There are some that have been sold out of commercial/Gov't service over the years that are 2WD, but the vast, vast majority of those will be Right-Hand-Drive ex-mail vehicles, so they're really easy to pick out.

Basically; it's a non-issue.

Well, a decision was made for me since my truck is starting to cost more in MX than it’s worth. 14 years and 200k miles is getting my moneys worth out of it.

Here is the replacement:
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