Jeep Wrangler owners

[remedy]

I'm interested in owner feedback on living with a lifted TJ as a fun/weekend car.
There seem to be plenty of 4.0s around. A few jap imports too, which help with the rust issues they suffer from.

Are there any buyers guides that are recommended? Or areas to focus on when looking?

Looking for a soft top as well as I know my daughter will absolutely love riding with the top down.

Thanks

[MustangGT]

Always best to get underneath and look for rust. Many years ago I owned a CJ7, the forerunner to Wrangler, with the 4 litre. great torque, excellent engine but thirsty.

Check out the free-wheeling hubs, sometimes the locking mechanism fails so you end up with 3 wheel or 2 wheel drive.

Hard tops are removeable as well.

I would have a TJ any day.

[remedy]

Thanks. Good to know about the hard top but I would struggle to store it. And our summers aren't exactly predictable so I know I'd get caught out.
How water tight are the soft tops in really heavy rain?

And I'll be coming from an XKR so fuel consumption isn't an issue. I do hardly any miles so a thirsty motor doesn't bother me.

[emperorburger]

YJ would be my choice, but where to find a good one these days.

[emperorburger]

emperorburger said:

YJ would be my choice, but where to find a good one these days.

Edited to add

12k for a very clean example and you don't have to live with the disastrous TJ front end.

https://www.carandclassic.com/l/C1638423

[normalbloke]

remedy said:

Thanks. Good to know about the hard top but I would struggle to store it. And our summers aren't exactly predictable so I know I'd get caught out.
How water tight are the soft tops in really heavy rain?

And I'll be coming from an XKR so fuel consumption isn't an issue. I do hardly any miles so a thirsty motor doesn't bother me.

The soft tops are far more water right than they ought to be, in all fairness. Putting the roof up and down is a ballache, compared to modern stuff. Somebody mentioned checking the freewheeling hubs on a TJ. They don’t have them, unless somebody has heavily modified it. They have a vacuum disconnect sleeve on the long shaft.

[remedy]

emperorburger said:

Edited to add

12k for a very clean example and you don't have to live with the disastrous TJ front end.

https://www.carandclassic.com/l/C1638423

It's lovely. Very 'A-Team'. I like the round lights of the TJ. What's so disastrous?

[normalbloke]

remedy said:

emperorburger said:

Edited to add

12k for a very clean example and you don't have to live with the disastrous TJ front end.

https://www.carandclassic.com/l/C1638423

It's lovely. Very 'A-Team'. I like the round lights of the TJ. What's so disastrous?

Avoid the YJ if you can. The TJ has a far better suspension system on it if you’re doing anything remotely on road too. I think people have rose tinted glasses on when they reminisce about the YJ being a proper Jeep, but the reality is, it’s on clunky leaf springs, and the rectangular lights are gopping. Every Jeep before in that line always had round lights! I think the YJs were modified to RHD when they came into the country, and had a variety of heater systems fitted, some of which you cannot get parts for( if my memory serves well)If you want a classic, get a decent CJ with the real V8 in it.

[emperorburger]

remedy said:

emperorburger said:

Edited to add

12k for a very clean example and you don't have to live with the disastrous TJ front end.

https://www.carandclassic.com/l/C1638423

It's lovely. Very 'A-Team'. I like the round lights of the TJ. What's so disastrous?

The YJ captured the Zeitgeist of Chrysler entering the British market and the Jeep brand for a time was Uber cool. The TJ was a contrived attempt to make the YJ look like a CJ.

[remedy]

2 very contrary opinions. Exactly what I was after. Thank you!

(I half expected loads of "load of rubbish, not a 4x4" type responses)


The interior of the TJ lets it down but I did see one in a car park with a huge iPad style conversion which looked really smart.

[E63eeeeee...]

I'm in for this thread, currently actively looking at TJs.

We do seem to have found the only person in the world who prefers the square lights and thinks "making it look like a CJ" is somehow a negative, but it takes all sorts.

If you're going to have a jeep, the TJ seems like the obvious choice, but then I find turn-of-the-millenium cars to be the best generally for fun usable classics, neither rubbish because old or rubbish because new.

[normalbloke]

remedy said:

2 very contrary opinions. Exactly what I was after. Thank you!

(I half expected loads of "load of rubbish, not a 4x4" type responses)


The interior of the TJ lets it down but I did see one in a car park with a huge iPad style conversion which looked really smart.

The CJ/YJ/TJ series of the Jeeps have probably the most widely supported parts network of any car made. Possibly. Both standard and aftermarket. How far do you want to go! Just don’t try and find a headlight for a rhd YJ! I had a stupidly built CJ7, which had a fuel injected V8,lockers,on board air, winches etc etc l Was great fun at the time, it was only ever an off-road toy really, and I never really had the mullet for it.

[emperorburger]

E63eeeeee... said:

We do seem to have found the only person in the world who prefers the square lights and thinks "making it look like a CJ" is somehow a negative, but it takes all sorts.

I'm definitely not alone and it's complicated for a number of reasons, which normalbloke may be familiar with. I would absolutely go CJ and YJ, but I could never own a TJ.

[benny.c]

I’ve owned a YJ. I know many don’t like them but I didn’t mind the square headlights that much - maybe because I’ve owned so many XJs! It was OK as a weekend car but pretty hideous as a daily driver. Taking the soft top off and putting it back on again was a major ball ache, even once I was used to it.

I’ve since owned a JKU which I know some say isn’t a “proper” Jeep but it would be my choice as a practical Jeep that still retains the traditional appearance. The later, tensioned, “Sunrider” soft top is a relative game changer. It’s maybe a 5min job to remove and reinstall the soft top but the sun rider position (open over front seats) takes maybe 30s. Such an improvement over the older soft tops and means you’ll actually use it.

Whatever you get, promise you won’t put an angry bird grille on it!

Edited by benny.c on Sunday 8th October 19:58