Jeep wranglers...?

[maxama10]

Well if you remember this thread http://automags.org/forums/showthrea...ighlight=jeeps ? Im still interested in the 4runner but have deffiently decided to screw the LR. Ive since moved to Nevada and now deffiently am wanting to be able to go off roading and threw and crap load of mud So now... im thinking a Jeep Wrangler, small town dont have to drive far to anything and if i do ill just take our hybrid civic. So while I was gone to Inianapolis for Science Olympiads ( did anyone else go btw or anyone you know?) my parents went and looked at new jeeps. The salesman told my mom that they shouldnt buy a used one because of the things people do with jeeps and tthat he bought a 2003 jeep and a few months later he had to replace all sorts of parts. anyways im most likely going tto beat the hell outt of whattever i get so... is it worth getting a new jeep or should i stick with a used one? and are they really that bad? or should i try and find an older style 4runner assuming people would treat tthose bettter then jeeps? Whatever i get though ill be fourhwheeling with it a lot now tthat I moved. So on terms of reliability and maintainance what would be better, assuming the 4runner will be in 'decent' shape with not like 100k miles on it. Jeep or 4 Runner ? im thinking i will probably get a jeep tthough unless someone has some compelling reasons not too. also we have a truck if i need it...so im not worried about that.

Edit: We bought an unlimitied....

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/8297/jeep36tp.jpg

[Remington]

I have a feeling the salesman was just trying to move a new vehicle of the lot. Personally, I would stick with a Jeep. If you look around enough, you'll find a great used Jeep that hasn't been tortured with trips to the trails, and you may even find one that was pampered (just a day driver or female owner). I have a friend that owns a Toyota 4Runner that's been around for a long time and still runs great so it really comes down to preference (gas mileage, use, etc.). I would definitely test drive several vehicles to get a feel for what you do and don't like about them. In other words, you might like how the 4Runner handles on the highway, but if you're planning on doing more off-roading, the Jeep is easily the better choice. Also, don't commit yourself to just the Wrangler. The Cherokee and even the Grand Cherokee lines handle just as well off-road. Anyway. A tough decision awaits, and I'm not really sure that helped a whole lot, but good luck just the same!

[PyRo]

But you can take the top off the Wrangler, you can pull a u-turn on narrow streets without backing up, they're lego sets if one piece breaks take it off and put another one.
Older ones CJs and YJs are cheap and fun but if you should be able to work on them yourself if you want to own one because the newest ones now are eleven years old so things break. TJs don't break as much but the newer they are the less that breaks, also when things break on the TJs repairs are usually more then they would be on an older simpler Jeep.

[Muzikman]

Look into a first generation Xterra (00-04). They can be had rather cheap and more than off-road worthy. If you go with a Jeep, keep an eye out for a used one in decent shape. You can tell if a jeep has been beat. I am picking up a 03 Rubi w/ 44k miles fully modded for $15k. It's going to drive like crap, but it's going to be my toy. I would stick with a TJ, the suspension is so much better than the CJ or YJ.

You can also look at the older Cherokees and Grand Cherokees. They are great off-road as well, but they do have a uni-body.

[PyRo]

. I would stick with a TJ, the suspension is so much better than the CJ or YJ.

On road their is no question the TJ is better. Offroad you can argue all day about leaf vs coil springs and not get anything accomplished.
The thing I love about the YJs and CJs is that you can be in the middle of nowhere and if the thing breaks down nine times out of ten you can fix it right there (or at least rig it well enough to get it somewhere) with basic hand tools.

[Muzikman]

Stock, yeah, I don't think there is much difference off-road between leafs and coils, but when you start modding, there is no doubt you can get more articulation with a long arm coil over setup. There is a reason all the rock buddies are coils.

As for repairs, I do agree, the CJ can be fixed McGyver style.

[maxama10]

call me a 'noob' but i dont understand the whole cj yj tj thing?

[Muzikman]

They are just different generation and models of Jeeps. Each jeep has a letter designating it's style and generation. The Jeep Wrangler has been made in one form or another for quite a few years. The only way to tell which generation it is, is to know the letter designation. Each Jeep product has one.

Liberty is a KJ
Cherokee is an XJ
Grand Cherokee is a WJ
New Grand Cherokee is a WK

The CJ designation goes back to the Jeep's origin just after WWII. WHen they started making the Jeep for consumers they called them CJ's (Civilian Jeep). They had a number after the CJ to designate it's exact model. Then in the late 80's the YJ came along and then in the mid 90's the TJ came a long. In 2007 they will be known as the JK.

It's all way too confusing for me.

A little history note, the original Jeep was made by American Bantam in Butler, PA (about an hour north of Pittsburgh).

[magman007]

A little history note, the original Jeep was made by American Bantam in Butler, PA (about an hour north of Pittsburgh).

which is also apparently in the middle of absofreekinlutely no where PA.. i hate your side of the state

[Muzikman]

Oh come on, it's a nice area. And that bridge you broke down on a few years ago, directly under that was where American Bantam use to be.

Oh and Pullman cars were in Butler too, not far from that bridge..

[magman007]

hahaha.. i hate that bridge

good times though, and yes, it is a nice area... if not backwards

[PyRo]

TJ - 97+ - easially spotted by the round headlights, a slits in the grill, and turn signals in the fenders


YJ = 87-95 Easially spotted by the square headlights (this one is lifted with aftermarket rims)


CJ= 86 on down
The CJs can be broken into differant catogories.

CJ8 - Also called the scrambler, basically a CJ7 that's streched 20in


CJ7 - I beleive these came around in 76 they're the ones with the round headlights


CJ6 - A CJ5 streched 20in


CJ5 - A little larger then the military CJs, rounded off a little more as well


CJ3b - The great grandfather of civilian Jeeps, basically a military design.


The the XJ is the cherokee everyone knows
The ZJ is a grand cherokee 93-98
Then their is a KJ, an MJ, etc. Every Jeep vehicle has a two letter desigination.

[Bear_Claw]

If your even THINKING of off roading i STROGLY suggest learning a bit of mehcanical know how. If you cant learn to fix it yourself you are NOT going to afford offroading. Weather you buy used or not off-Roading takes its tole on a vehical and you WILL brakes stuff.

That being said although jeeps are possibly the best blue collor 4x4s they do not own the market to themselfs. I do some wheeling with my 1996 Ford Ranger Ex Cab 4x4 and it does more than enuff for my needs and still huals the bikes and is pretty decent on fuel (23mpg)Its a far more usefull vehical and better for all round use. I bought mine used about 6 months ago as a trade for my old F250 as i needed a better all round rig. And since then i have continuly beat the living daylights out of it. It has 150,000miles (240,000kms) and other than brakeing a leaf spring (Overloaded it) i have not had any troubles with it. The only mods it has are manule locking front hubs from a Jeep (straight swap) and bigger 30"/9.5" Cooper AT tires. Its front suspenshion is not AS good as a wranglers off road particularly in the mud but it really is not nearly s far off from a jeeps as some would have you believe. The actuall FRONT Diff is the same used by the jeeps in the rear a Dana 35/ The rear diff is actualy stronger than any jeeps being either 7.5" or 8.8" ford witch is a comon swap for the jeep guys. And on top of all that the Rangers are ALOT cheaper and are ten times easier to work on from a mehcanics stand point (im a Mehcanic for a living). Ford changed the front suspenshion on rangers in 1997 from their ANCEINT TIB/TTB (Twin I beam/ Twin Traction Beam) to a more road friendly indipendant Front suspenshion useing torshion bars. Although its thought than the ollder suspenshions were far more off road worthy these new rigs are proving just as capable and with packges like the Fx4 level II from the factory their even possibly better.

Another great option is if you can find one a Suzuki Samuria

The older Toyota 4-Runners were pretty awsome too but heavily underpowered with the 22re 4 banger. The V6 models arent too bad but seam to sacrifice on fuel economy compared to other engeins of similare size.

Comparing my Ranger to my brothers old Cherokee on or off the road in stock trim the Ford was better in every department minuse TQ (that 4.0L inline 6 is a monster)

[maxama10]

im sure ill learn, i have a lot of redneck friends... so theyll help me out if anything goes wrong

[mcveighr]

My MB. Just before the M38 and CJ3, even before that the MA and Bantam.