Which Jeep Wrangler should I get?

Question

I'm looking at two Jeep Wranglers. I'm a college kid so I'm looking to spend as little as I have to on a car, but I want it to run well, without needing major repairs, for as long as it can. I go to school in Michigan's UP where it's winter for about 6 months.

The first one is a '95 with 125,000 miles. The guy who is selling it hasn't driven it much, but he's replaced the brake lines, exhaust, front brake calipers, rear brake cylinders, and front brake pads. There are a few spots that have been fixed with Bondo and repainted. The rust isn't more than you'd expect. Interior is nice. Runs fairly well, but I didn't get it above 45 so I can't say how it does at higher speeds. The tires looked to be in good shape. It had a hard top and hard upper doors (although these didn't line up very well so there was a gap where you can see outside). The guy is asking $2800.

The other is another '95 but has 164,000. It's exterior is a bit more scratched up (not a problem though). Looks like it had been in a fender bender on one side. There's 1 rust spot and another place on the fender where it's been rusted through. The windshield is cracked and a belt in the engine will need to be replaced. But I didn't notice any places where the body had been fixed up. The interior was arguably nicer in this one, although the driver's seat was torn and there are some wires hanging around under the dash, but most look like they're supposed to be there (might just need to be fastened down). It had a soft top and soft doors. The tires were in decent shape, but not as good as the other Jeep's. My dad made the comment that he wasn't sure how much traction they'd get in snow. It ran great though - started right up and shifted well. This one is from a used car dealer and they've listed it for $2400.


Based on that, which do you think will be a better deal? My main worry is that, if I get the soft top one, I'll decide I want a hard top and hard doors and be out close to a grand to get those. Second biggest worry is probably the tires.

Any thoughts would be helpful.