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The YJ-era of the Jeep Wrangler, known for its square headlights and durable inline-six powerplant, has emerged as one of the more popular eras to own and collect. The Islander edition stands out as perhaps the most collectible of this early 90s generation, owing to its limited production numbers and excellent color options. But if you’re looking for a Wrangler that you hardly ever see on the road or even at local car shows, the Renegade edition is the one to own, known for its fender flares, custom front fascia, and Renegade decals on the doors. This one has just over 100,000 miles and a stunning red interior.
The Renegade edition is seriously one of the coolest 4x4s ever made that has remained shockingly below the radar. With the popularity of 1990s vehicles, especially among GenXers and anyone else who can be influenced by pangs of nostalgia, the Wrangler was destined to enjoy a new surge of popularity. The Renegade edition, however, doesn’t seem to get a whole lot of attention from enthusiasts despite looking like a mash-up of a European sports car with box flares and an SUV with a lowering kit. I suppose the notion of a Jeep Wrangler that sits closer to the ground rather than being equipped with a lift kit runs counter to what most Jeep enthusiasts would want, so perhaps the Renegade seemed like an answer to a question nobody asked.
I actually found a near identical Wrangler a few months ago, and was convinced this was the same truck. Different years and different VINs, so it was simply a major coincidence – but it’s still pretty remarkable that two white Jeep Renegades with red interiors are on the road. The seller’s truck may have 105,000 miles but it looks like it has half that; kudos to the previous owner for taking such great care of this Renegade. The automatic transmission is a surprise, but plenty of Wranglers did come with two pedals thanks to its torquey I6; having test driven a Jeep from this era in the late 90s, I found that the enjoyment factor wasn’t significantly higher with a manual.
What’s fascinating to me about the Renegade story is the genesis of its existence. Jeep apparently wanted to cash in on the mini-truck craze at the time, which saw compact and light-duty pickups and SUVs slammed to the ground with all sort of other custom touches added. The Renegade obviously stopped short of becoming a full-on show truck, but you can clearly see how Jeep was hoping to give its bread-and-butter off-roader a much more contemporary appearance. Thankfully, they didn’t mess with the unkillable 4.0L powerplant, and with just over 100,000 miles on the clock, there’s lots of life left in this clean Renegade listed here on eBay.
