School me on Jeeps

Drmsparks · Sep 17, 2015

What about older models? (say early 80's?) is it worth looking at anything that age?

In the same vein as the original author I'm looking for something old I can wrench on and use to play in the national forests. No serious 4wheeling but good for crappy logging roads....

Allium · Sep 17, 2015

as a jeep owner - I say go with a TJ. BUT go with a v6. 4 just is under powered. not many places to legally wheel near here. once you do - you will want to ungrade. a simple 2-4" lift and 33" tires isnt all that hateful and can (was for me) a daily driver. Just have a back up if you do wheel - things do break,

And always remember JEEP stands for Just Empty Every Pocket for a reason.

Derwood · Sep 17, 2015

I realize you said you're set on a Jeep, but as others have pointed out, they hold their value extremely well. I was in the market for a 4wd vehicle late last year/early this year and looked at a lot of Jeeps. I ended up getting a 4Runner instead and it's the best thing I've ever bought (excluding guns obviously). Good luck finding whatever makes you happy, but if you ever want to see a real advertisement for off road vehicles, look at any video of the Taliban, ISIS, etc etc etc. All those MFs use Toyotas and there is no Jiffy Lube in Kandahar.

MattTheGunslinger · Sep 17, 2015

To be honest, I really want a jeep just because it's a jeep. I can't explain it. I want the look and I want the name.

Although, other 4x4 vehicles have crossed my mind. I was looking at Cherokees and they look pretty nice. That's a good point about all the goat pounders and toyotas too.

Aaahhh!!! So many toys not enough money!

44man · Sep 17, 2015

all I know is once you get one you will always have one. especially if you drive back roads or farm roads or in the snow.

bigdv · Sep 17, 2015

Me personally would never own a Chrysler. I know a lot of people that have or have had jeeps. I've seen a lot of issues.

Art3 · Sep 17, 2015

Matt said:
To be honest, I really want a jeep just because it's a jeep. I can't explain it. I want the look and I want the name.

Although, other 4x4 vehicles have crossed my mind. I was looking at Cherokees and they look pretty nice. That's a good point about all the goat pounders and toyotas too.

Aaahhh!!! So many toys not enough money!

It's a Jeep thing...they wouldn't understand.

+1 on the TJ (97-06). Their coil spring suspension is a major upgrade over YJs and CJs leaf springs in ride comfort, suspension travel, and not rolling over as easily. They are quite capable bone stock, but there is enough aftermarket support to keep any budget busy.

Go to www.quadratec.com if you haven't already. There's tons of info on the site as well as their catalog.

Jeeps aren't cheap. They need parts, but how you drive it has a lot of influence on how often and how big the parts are. Fortunately, unless it burns to the ground, you can get just about any part you need to fix it and/or make it stronger. They also need gas. Don't ever expect much more than 16 mpg...regardless of how you drive it.

The biggest regret I have about mine is that I didn't get it sooner.

Art3 · Sep 17, 2015

Somewhere...maybe it was even a thread on here...I saw a sign on a Jeep that read something like, "My Jeep won a war, your Honda cuts my grass"

omegared24 · Sep 17, 2015

Art3 said:
It's a Jeep thing...they wouldn't understand.

+1 on the TJ (97-06). Their coil spring suspension is a major upgrade over YJs and CJs leaf springs in ride comfort, suspension travel, and not rolling over as easily. They are quite capable bone stock, but there is enough aftermarket support to keep any budget busy.

Kinda...depends on what you like.

True, coils will give you comfort but if that's what you're looking for than a Jeep isn't for you. I enjoy the raw ride of a YJ and CJ. It's what a Jeep is about. YJ and CJ owners swear by leaf springs. All other Jeep owners don't get it.

As for trail performance, leaf springs are great unless you are doing super advanced trails. At that point your stock Jeep won't work anyway (coils or leaf). Be prepared to spend $15k on a suspension and axle setup.

My YJ was old, stock and looked banged up. People loved it and never let me down in the snow or on a trail. Repairs were easy. Upgrades were cheap. You're going to break things. Pick the bang for the buck...go old school.

Boats · Sep 18, 2015

Every iteration of Jeep had their positives and negatives. For on-road use, a modded leaf spring Jeep (e.g. CJ, YJ) can be very tricky to handle in evasive maneuvering, as well as riding rough. The benefit it that they are cheap as hell to lift, basically just a shackle kit and some shocks.

The CJs had basically no creature comforts, and only came in soft top (although aftermarket hard tops may be available), and the AMC v8s were troublesome at times, but they are the original, iconic, direct descendant of the original Willys

The YJs had those dumbass square headlights. (Sorry, they just are), but since many Jeepers aren't a fan of the looks of them they can be had for cheap

The TJs had no drainage in the frame rails so the frames have a tendency to rust from the inside out unless the owner drilled holes at the low points, and issues with suspension components clearing axles and frame members. Late model TJs also had the oil pump drive assembly "laughing monkey issue" which can ruin the engine if not fixed. But the TJ had coil springs and fuel injection, which makes a huge difference on road and off

The JKs have your choice of minivan engines, an anemic 3.8L or a timing belt, interference, overhead cam, high compression (read: it will probably break) 3.6L, and some of the strangest electronics i have ever seen (Like the ECU being in the radio head unit and everything being computer controlled), but they are quite capable offroad and absolutely the most creature comfort oriented of the lineage.

Across the board, Jeeps hold their value extremely well. Get the 4.0L I-6 engine, stay away from the 42RLE trans.

Boats · Sep 18, 2015

omegared24 said:
Kinda...depends on what you like.

True, coils will give you comfort but if that's what you're looking for than an antique Jeep isn't for you. My dentist and chiropractor enjoy the raw ride of a YJ and CJ. It's what a Jeep used to be about. YJ and CJ owners swear by leaf springs because thats what they have, but they secretly want coils. All other Jeep owners don't get why anyone would actually prefer NOT being able to change lanes at 70mph while braking

As for trail performance, leaf springs are great unless you are going faster than 1st gear, low range. At that point your YJ or CJ starts to act more like a spooked horse . Be prepared to spend $15k on a suspension and axle setup. If you want to run coilovers and tons, but theres a lot of middle ground that I am not mentioning because I am biased in favor of red-headed stepchild Jeeps with square headlights

My YJ was old, stock, and looked banged upand was almost as ornery as I am. People tolerated it and never let me down in the snow or on a trail because usually I would get stuck with my open diffs way before something broke . Repairs were easy. Upgrades were like hanging a chandelier in an outhouse. You're going to break things. Pick the bang for the buck...go old schoolBecause there are only six or seven YJ fans left and I am lonely at the support group meetings.

FIFY

No. YJs are not "Old School". "Old School" would be an original Willy's MA or MB. Or a Ford GP, or even a CJ2A. The YJ is about 40 years too late to the party to be "Old School". So don't even act like YJs are these salty old relics of a bygone era. They were a coke-fuelled facelift of the CJ because the one thing the 1980s did well was f@ck up iconic car designs.

Johnthetoolguy · Sep 18, 2015

I have two Cherokees. Both are the 4.0. The older one is a '96 that I bought in '97. It now has 223,000 miles and the engine is going strong. The other one is a 2001 that I got at an auction several years ago. It turned 68,000 on the way home from the auction and now has 140,000.
My wife had a '92 Cherokee when I first met her 10 years ago, but my stepson managed to put a hurting on it when he ran a red light. My wife got rid of that before we got married. She is now driving a 2015 Cherokee she just bought three months ago.

rico903 · Sep 18, 2015

joppaj said:
My limited advice is that if you want an older one, get one with the 4.0.

Excellent advice. They are basically bullet proof. I had a 99 Cherokee Limited. Loved that thing. You still see tons of the square body Jeeps with that engine on the road and I think they stopped making them in 2001. If you can get a Wrangler with that engine go for it. FWIW, I sold my Cherokee, inspected, for $3600 a year ago with 176K miles on it so you can find a nice one under 5K.

Boats · Sep 18, 2015

rico903 said:
Excellent advice. They are basically bullet proof. I had a 99 Cherokee Limited. Loved that thing. You still see tons of the square body Jeeps with that engine on the road and I think they stopped making them in 2001. If you can get a Wrangler with that engine go for it.

They stopped making the Cherokee in 2001.

The Wranglers has the 4.0L I-6 until 2006

Johnthetoolguy · Sep 18, 2015

My buddy who is a mechanic and worked at a Jeep dealership for a while told me the 4.0 is the best motor Chrysler ever built.
They started making Cherokees again last year. My wife's is a V6.

Boats · Sep 18, 2015

Let this guide you:

Boats · Sep 18, 2015

Johnthetoolguy said:
They started making Cherokees again last year. My wife's is a V6.

Sorry, they stopped making REAL Cherokees in 2001, is what I meant. I am aware that they tweaked the Liberty and renamed it Cherokee last year. As far as yours is concerned, keep a wary eye on the transmission. Chrysler/Fiat has had a boatload of problems with the ZF gearboxes they put in those.

El_flasko · Sep 18, 2015

joppaj said:
My limited advice is that if you want an older one, get one with the 4.0.

Could not agree more. The 4.0's were bullet proof if taken care of.

omegared24 · Sep 18, 2015

Boats said:
FIFY

No. YJs are not "Old School". "Old School" would be an original Willy's MA or MB. Or a Ford GP, or even a CJ2A. The YJ is about 40 years too late to the party to be "Old School". So don't even act like YJs are these salty old relics of a bygone era. They were a coke-fuelled facelift of the CJ because the one thing the 1980s did well was f@ck up iconic car designs.

So you don't like how it looks...you didn't have to waste all that time just to say that.

The basic suspension setup is old school. If you need a lesson I'm happy to help. Jeeps had character until some progressive engineer tried to make them a lifted convertible. You want comfort then get an FJ Cruiser.

shaddydan · Sep 18, 2015

Boats said:
Sorry, they stopped making REAL Cherokees in 2001, is what I meant. I am aware that they tweaked the Liberty and renamed it Cherokee last year. As far as yours is concerned, keep a wary eye on the transmission. Chrysler/Fiat has had a boatload of problems with the ZF gearboxes they put in those.

Hey my Liberty is rear wheel drive with a part-time transfercase like a proper Jeep. The new Cherokee is front wheel drive :sad20:

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