Skip to main content

West Coast Customs is an automobile repair shop that makes automotive dreams come true. Ryan Friedlinghaus and the West Coast Customs crew became popular after their amazing work was featured on television. West Coast Customs highlighted its celebrity clients, but now the company has developed a mini-series modifying vehicles for average clients. The team took a driver’s 2007 Jeep Wrangler and breathed new life into it.

This custom 2007 Jeep Wrangler got a major style upgrade

The Jeep Wrangler is great for off-roading, but it is subpar at just about everything else. Still, the Wrangler has a huge fan base despite its issues as a daily driver. Beverly Samuels has been a loyal LA Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram dealership customer for years. Beverly took her 2007 Jeep Wrangler in for a recall without knowing that Ryan and the crew had other plans in mind for the Jeep.

Beverly’s 2007 Jeep Wrangler had over a decade of serious wear and tear on it when it first arrived at the West Coast Customs shop. The team replaced Beverly’s old tires with new Continental All-Terrain tires. West Coast Customs gave the Jeep new Grid Off-Road wheels. They replaced the old foggy headlights with brand new Oracle LED Halo headlights. They also added Oracle Sidetrack lights to provide even more visibility for the custom Jeep Wrangler. The side mirrors received lights as well.

The team installed Katzkin custom leather seats to make the interior more comfortable and luxurious. The team added subtle gray streaks to the sides of the black SUV to take attention away from the weathered exterior. Beverly could hardly recognize her 15-year old custom Jeep Wrangler after West Coast Customs was done with it.

Is 2007 a good year for the Jeep Wrangler?

A blue 2020 Mopar-Modified Jeep Wrangler is on display at the 112th Annual Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place.
2020 Mopar-Modified Jeep Wrangler is on display at the 112th Annual Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place | Raymond Boyd via Getty Images

The 2007 Jeep Wrangler uses a 3.8-liter six-cylinder engine that makes 202 horsepower. It gets 18 miles per gallon in the city and 22 miles per gallon on the highway, making for a combined 20 miles per gallon of gas mileage. It started at $18,765 but had many different trim levels and packages.

According to Consumer Reports, the 2007 Jeep Wrangler got a 3/5 satisfaction rating or 60% out of 100%. There were 10 recalls on the 2007 Jeep Wrangler (yikes). Overall, consumers were more satisfied with the 2007 model year than its past two model years. The 2007 Wrangler isn’t the best Jeep Wrangler model year, but the SUV had an even rougher stretch after this model.

Should you buy a Jeep Wrangler?

The Jeep Wrangler is a decent SUV, but it is specialized by design. The Wrangler isn’t very practical for daily driving in a city. It has improved over the years, but it still struggles to find purpose outside of being an awesome off-road vehicle.

The 2021 Jeep Wrangler comes standard with a 3.6-liter six-cylinder engine that makes 285 horsepower. It gets 22 miles per gallon in the city and 29 miles per gallon on the highway, making for a combined 25.5 miles per gallon of gas mileage. The 2021 Jeep Wrangler starts at $28,570.

The Jeep Wrangler has come a long way from Beverly’s 2007 model, but it still is outperformed by other SUVs in its vehicle class. Its interior is still cramped. The Wrangler is noisy and doesn’t provide a smooth ride, unlike some of its rivals. It also has steering issues. The Jeep Wrangler is not a good everyday SUV but if you plan on tackling trails, look no further.

Related

The Perfect Jeep Wrangler Is 20 Years Old