life after XJ; whats the next cheap wheeler?

[XJLI]

huge production numbers, reliable, cheap parts, and good aftermarket support.

before the XJ was the toyota pickup (pre tacoma)/first gen 4runner maybe? i was too young to know but it seems that was the case. XJs are becoming old, rusty, and harder to find clean with low mileage on em.

whats next? JKs? the first ones are seven years old now. i cant comment on the reliability of the 3.7, but they do certainly hold their value better than XJs did.

TJs? with JKs getting old i see prices on 4.0 ones at the level you could only get a 2.5 for 2-3 years ago.

3.4 V6 era yotas? those things still can pull $4-5 grand for one with 175k+ in fair shape... too expensive IMHO... but they are as reliable as you can get and parts are cheap/everywhere.

WJs? can be had CHEAP. still has two solid axles, pretty much a XJ on steroids. V8 power, better unibody, luxury options (for better or for worse). the bad? chrysler trans, blend door, the V8s may or may not levels need love and care that the 4.0 couldnt give a shit about. however, the newest is already 10 years old.

what else? xterra? i personally picked up a 95 land rover discovery bc it was on my list of, "vehicles i want to own at some point in my life." it was cheap, but i certainly wouldnt mark a lucas-era rover as a viable XJ replacement.

whats next? :compwork: :read:

 

[Lowrange2]

I'll have a Tacoma if I ever move away from an XJ.

 

[johnnyc]

I'd take a crew cab Tacoma too. But I wouldn't call them "cheap". Used Tacomas are pretty pricey.

 

[Boatwrench]

There's life after an XJ?

 

[WB9YZU]

I've eyed the JK Unlimited, but it's out of my range right now. Those that are in range have bu-cu miles on them.

Same with the Tacoma.

I had a '85 4-Runner once and it was a nice vehicle, but I wouldn't buy the new ones for exactly the same reason the '85 was nice. Less clearance, more crap to go bad.

I bought a LJ as a stop gap. Solid Axles, 4.0L. About all the same mechanicals as the XJ, same WB... I like it, it's comfy on long drives...but there are a limited number and the prices are staying pretty high. So, not cheap

I think then next one may just be another XJ. It will be clapped out mechanically from some SW state, but the body will be solid; I can fix the rest

-Ron

 

[Ronbo]

I don't think it's worth it(for me) to stray from the XJ with the hoards of them still in the Southwest. Converting a 2wd is simple enough. Or swapping an LS into an 84-86... I spotted three really clean daily drivers just walking 500 feet through the Costco parking lot yesterday.
You might need to make a road trip out here.

 

[rockclimber]

samurai

 

[souske]

I'll swap my axles into a prius

 

[XJLI]

I don't think it's worth it(for me) to stray from the XJ with the hoards of them still in the Southwest. Converting a 2wd is simple enough. Or swapping an LS into an 84-86... I spotted three really clean daily drivers just walking 500 feet through the Costco parking lot yesterday.
You might need to make a road trip out here.

you guys have it good out west. our XJs are just rotting out from under themselves. its getting bad enough in the NAC that youre better off finding a clean stocker without as much rust with 300k miles and a blown up motor to just swap a motor in, over a normal daily driven north eastern XJ. the reputation these things have are that you can get em cheap, and not put a dime into them and they keep going... which is true, but it shows in the craigslist market.

 

[Lowrange2]

samurai

Been there, done that... Pointless without a motor swap.

 

[WB9YZU]

Been there, done that... Pointless without a motor swap.

X2
Loved mine and lots of options (low t-case gears, sidekick R&P swap, incredibly cheap to lift 4"...). But that 1.3L wouldn't push it much over 55 with 235ap tires.
Flat towing it to the trail got old. Don't get be wrong, 23mpg city was awesome.

Sold it and got a 4cyl YJ that would do 65 with 33's. Took a serious bit in the MPG department and every Jeep "upgrade" since.

-Ron

 

[cracked-butt]

if we get something other than another xj Im thinking its gonna be the dodge during. just not very sure of their pricing...with the V-6. the 318 is just too hard on gas i think.

 

[GordoSmasho]

What about the ranger? Seen a few pretty bad ass truggys.

 

[FlexdXJ]

4bt JKU will be my next offroad build. I Will always have an XJ in my fleet.

 

[K5Matt]

My .02 cents.

WJ would make the most sense, but Chrysler totally fubar'ed that model. They are pretty plush, but the motors seem to be junk, trans and t/c's don't seem to be much better. An aluminum dana 44 means an axle swap if you're wheeling. I can go on craigslist up here and find quite a few wj's that have blown motors(4.0 or v8) but nice otherwise.

An preferred setup would be a 4.0 tupy head, 8.8 swapped in, 3" lift and 31s. and just be nice to the trans and t/c, but be on the lookout for a better option there. The v8 would be nice, but it seems like they go from running well to blowing up with little to no warning.

An LJ would be a great option, but too spendy for a wheeler.

I'd avoid anything IFS, unless you're ready for a SAS.

 

[XJLI]

IFS is fine, unless you plan on sticking to black/red trails... or going above 35s.

hell, in a couple years time i might find myself looking for a H3 with the 5.3 V8... later ones with the V8 came with stronger diffs and you can get a 4:1 low and lockers f/r. i like weird shit.

 

[Vanimal]

v8 explorer or ranger. even the 4.0 v6 isn't half bad.

 

[srmitchell]

WJ. We have 2 right now. I daily drive this-
Untitled by Sean Mitchell 707, on Flickr

4.7 High Output. 330 ftlbs of torque. Love it. LSD's front and rears, (vari-lock, aka Quadradrive). Solid 5 speed auto.
Tons of power, amazing interior and an average mpg of about 17. Freeway, 20-21 all day long.

Just a 3 inch lift from iron rock and I clear JK rubicon take offs.
Untitled by Sean Mitchell 707, on Flickr
Untitled by Sean Mitchell 707, on Flickr

 

[cheapcherokee93]

Re: life after MJ?

what about life after MJ? i want a truck and have a desire for an upgrade over my MJ. maybe it has more to do with my particular MJ, but i want more power, A/C, cruise control, more comfort, and as a bonus more seating.


my first choice would be a tacoma or maybe even a tundra, however it seems they still go for stupid money over here in SoCal. single cabs are only 4 bangers i think? i havent seen a v6 single cab on CL so idk. i would love to outfit a tacoma with some Total Chaos gear, but then you are spending as much on your front end as you would spend on an entire XJ.

not many truck options after that before going full size.

S10- dont need to say much, i think they are garbage and probably wont meet my power wants.

Ranger-no v8 option and i wasnt impresed with the 4.0 v6 performance.

Fronteir- i actually dont know much about these but i would assume they arent very powerful as well. they do have 4 door option and some aftermarket support though. however i think these are out of my price range

The Dodge dakota seems to have most of what i want. V8 power, full 4 door crew cab, relatively cheap. Only thing that blows is the lack of aftermarket suspension support and crappy torsion bar suspension. seems like the dakota would be awesome with a SAS.




if i were considering an SUV i would go straight to a 5.9 ZJ or 4.7 WJ. decent price and comfort for the money. WJs are a little pricey in SoCal so more likely a ZJ.


anyone else out there looking for truck alternatives?

 

[wschurfeld]

96 Single cab short bed f-150 with cut and turned TTB's and a 302. TTB's are the shat. My buddy has a 93 Bronco with the 302 and TTB's. Goes anywhere but way too top heavy for me, that's why I would opt for the F-150. Tranny's may be shit but I've owned a couple Rangers and an 03 F-150. Other than my 63 bug, F-150 was the best to me.