I wheel almost exclusively with jeeps, and the majority of those jeeps are wranglers, And even further, the majority of those wranglers are are the newer TJ's (coil sprung).

My Amigo has 33" tires, terra lows and a rear locker. As a general rule, I have no problems following a wrangler on 33's with a rear locker. Some obstacles maybe allow a slight advantage to one vehicle over another. More likely any differences in difficulty are a result of diffrences in driver ability. Let me say that again. As a general rule, The trail ability difference between a comparable Amigo and wrangler is a result of DRIVER ABILITY.

Each vehicle has its advantages and disadvantages. In Moab I took 3 adults and alot of gear on the trail in my Amigo, Thanks to considreable room behind the seat of an Amigo, which wranglers don't have (unlimited excluded).

The Solid axle in a wrangler also tends to plow through mud and snow, and generally be a low spot to catch on things. My IFS is considerably higher than a SFA, and can clear things, and stay out of the mud and snow (more so, not completely). Of course my alternator hangs low and doesn't like mud that well.

Amigos are heavier, wider and slightly longer than wranglers as well.

A final thing to consider is cost. When I bought my current Amigo, I also considred a Wrangler. To get a comparable age/mileage vehicle as my Amigo, the Jeep was considerably more. Enough more that after lift, terra's, a locker, new wheels and tires I still spent less than what I would have spent for a stock Wrangler.

I guess it all depends on what your final plan is. If you want 31-33's, go with what ever you want, they'll be about the same. When you start getting into tires in the 35" and over, then know the Amigo will probably cost more to build. If I were to build another trail vehicle and wanted to do it cheap, I would probably go for a 4cyl leaf sprung wrangler...they're dirt cheap, and I would be replacing most everyhting anyway.

regardless of what you end up with, your friends need to open their eyes, and realise that jeeps aren't the greatest things in the world. What you buy is only a foundation, eventually everything is going to be replaced any way.

Good Luck, and welcome to the world of wheeling.

-Mike