Which Jeep Wrangler models were lemons? Post 2002+
 

I heard some of them were junk. Engine would grenade.
Which Wrangers are crap?
Which are good?

You are going to get many opinions on this. My opinion is they quit being good when they stopped putting the 4.0 in them. The 3.8 v6 was weak and had reliability issues, the newer 3.6 is supposed to be better but it still isn't a 250K+ mile engine like the 4.0. And they are harder to work on and maintain, way more electronics that can go bad.

X2, Some specifics:
-05-06 TJs/LJs can have the OPDA (Oil Pump Drive Assembly) issue.
-As mentioned everywhere the 3.8L V6 "mini-van engine" in 07-11 JKs is completely gutless. Otherwise it is fairly reliable aside from a tendency to burn oil (using something thicker than the "recommended" 5w20 may help).
-07-11 Automatic JKs also have the very weak 42RLE transmission (adapted from the FWD 42LE first used in the "LH" cars {intrepid/concorde}).
-12-13 3.6L Pentastar V6s may have a defective head casting prone to cracking.
-After the casting defect was fixed the 3.6L Pentastar V6 seems to be pretty solid but it is still a complex (compared to older jeeps) engine and packed fairly tightly into the engine bay (the 3.6L Pentastar V6 being DOHC is physically much larger than the 3.8L OHV V6 the JK was originally designed for despite being smaller in displacement) which will be more difficult/expensive to work on.
-any "modern" wrangler (JK/JL) is going to have Daimler-Chrysler/Cerberus/FCA (Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles) electronics which are know to be flakey at best (not that Chrysler/Jeep was ever know for reliable electronics, but newer vehicles have more of them and more-complex electronics increasing likelihood of failure and cost of repair), and the TIPM (Totally Integrated Power Module) is a special kind of hell [someone got the "bright idea" to replace the simple fuse/relay box with a computer module which happens to be failure-prone, can only be replaced by a dealer (requires dealer-only tools to program), and is expensive ($1k-1.5k)] and is present on all newer (07+) Chrysler products including Jeeps.
-Newer Jeeps (again most 07+) also use CANBus (basically a computer network for your car) for the various electronic modules to communicate and Chrysler/FCAs implementation of this is know to be especially buggy and unsecure (susceptible to hacking).

So, what is the least worst model year and configuration?

why do you want a wrangler so bad?

Probably a 2014-2018 JK (the JL is still too new I'd wait a few years for them to work the "bugs" out) with as few power options as possible if looking at the JK/JL (2007+).

Or since you said 2002+ an 02-04 TJ with a 4.0L I6 and manual transmission and again as few power options as possible, though being older "wear components" (shocks, suspension bushings, belts, hoses, etc.) may require replacement.

In any case make sure it doesn't have any rust issues. In the case of TJs the frame rails are famous for rusting out where the transfer-case skid plate attaches (salt, etc. gets trapped between the bottom of the rail and the skid-plate and rusts it out).

Oh, great.

Barnacle MK2.0

LMFAO

The 2007-2013 JK's are that bad, huh ?

Ok, so '04 was the last "good" Wrangler?
That might be too old for my needs are a DD and something a mere mortal can work on.

i thought you no longer wanted a jeep ever ever again? Something about how german made is your cup of tea or something like that.

A 4.0 5 speed is a good start, don't get one with an automatic, the Wranglers have the junk Chrysler autos not the AW4 like the XJs have.

Sorry pal, get a clue.
Every other car I own has photos and videos on how to jack up the front (since the owners know how to use a camera)
That is a very dangerous operation, and only the XJ has no clear documentation.
Real cars don't have lugnuts that crack in half, only the garbage XJ does that trick,so yea, it's all about the XJ nightmare.
I work on all my other cars without any issues.

I've asked this several times before, but have never gotten an answer from you, but are the rest of your vehicles as corroded as your jeep?

If not, then you can't really blame the XJ. You need to blame yourself for buying a rusted out pile.

The lug nuts don't crack In half, they just have a cap and if it breaks you just use the next size smaller socket, XJs aren't the only vehicle that have lug nuts like than there are many others. Many European vehicles use lug bolts instead of nuts which is a terrible idea because if one of those seizes up and breaks you have to drill it out of the hub.