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Selling my JK, going for an XJ - am I crazy?

mizedog

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Falcon, CO
Hey all. I've lurked for a while but never posted much. I'm nowhere near a newbie to Jeeps, only to XJs.

I bought an '08 JK Unlimited X in October. I love it and am amazed at how well it does in the snow here. But, I've come to the decision that I'd rather keep my wife at home with my little girls instead of keeping the car payment. Like Dave Ramsey says, "sell the car, sell the car!".

Anyway, I'm considering an XJ. But, it seems like so many of the XJs on this forum eventually turn into just cut up tin cans or hybrid tube buggies.

My questions are:
1. Am I crazy for going for an eight year old Jeep as a daily driver?
2. Is it possible for an XJ to hold together as a daily driver, and do weekend warrior trips (I'm hoping for 33's, or at most 35's)?

Remember, I like XJs, but I know the doors can literally fall off the unibodies as I saw it happen to my buddy's (don't read this, Jesse!).

Lastly, please give any advise you have. Budget is important. Will Rough Country's 6.5" lift be ok?
Thanks and I'm expecting to spend a lot more time on this site.
 
I have an RC 4.5" lift with 33s, and could fit 35s. I have the fenders trimmed quite a bit to fit TJ flares on there. I drive 35 miles one way to work everyday, and generally put about 500 miles on it every week. it's a 96 with 215k on the clock, and I trust it. It's left me stranded twice, once was when the rotor button disentegrated, and once was a CPS failure. Not bad in the 4 years I've owned it. Granted, it's had other issues, but nothing that's left me stranded. My last girlfriend had a 4 door JK, and I hated driving it compared to the XJ, period.

Here is a recent pic...no they didn't fall off, I took them off on purpose. ;)

l_19ed297556649e24e637e6d8767009a4.jpg
 
I've driven my friend's Rubicon JK, and honestly, I'd rather drive my XJ, even with its dead steering box.

There are plenty of people here who daily drive their XJ and use it as a weekend warrior, myself included.
100_3293.jpg


Although it gets frustrating sometimes dealing with things breaking, it's worth it. Especially with how cheap some aftermarket stuff can be had and how easy and simple everything is(supposed to be) to fix. It's only left me stranded(2 miles from home) when the starter died(I was pushing it, drive 2 weeks with it dying and had planned on fixing it), and when the fuel pump wiring burned up last week. I bought the thing for $400, can't argue with that.

As for the Rough Country 6.5" lift, it's a little excessive for 33's, and the control arm angles will be pretty extreme, and you'll also need to look at doing a slip yoke eliminator or you'll be dealing with the rear driveshaft falling out or giving you some nice vibrations. I'd spring for a 4.5" Rubicon Express lift(which will end up sitting around 5" probably), and look up some fender trimming and flare relocation writeups and go at it. Also, don't forget if you go with 35's you'll need to be seriously concerned about axle strength, as well as the stock gear ratio in the axles(will suck).

Have fun!
 
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Buying an XJ would be a great idea, I got a loan on mine for $5000 and its been great. Definitly beats $25k for a new one. They really are great vehicles, from my experience anything that does brake, as said before is not only cheap to fix, BUT it always seems to come with a warning. Maintain your XJ and you'll be alright. Id skip RCs 6.5" lift, thats too much for stock arms if you dont do drop brackets. Also, id say run 33s on a 4.5" rubicon express. Find a late model one with the 8.25" rear end and 29 spline axle shafts and if it should have a High Pinion dana 30 too (no '00s or '01s...).

I would also opt for a manual. As for the doors falling off, if you've seen it once okay but that doesnt mean it happens. I took mine off, and they are removeable and i love it, its so much fun. Did i mention how badd ass a built Xj looks?
n1398781016_30889555_6994.jpg
 
Do it! I have 2 of em. Ones a DD, the other I beat on.
 
mizedog said:
Hey all. I've lurked for a while but never posted much. I'm nowhere near a newbie to Jeeps, only to XJs.

I bought an '08 JK Unlimited X in October. I love it and am amazed at how well it does in the snow here. But, I've come to the decision that I'd rather keep my wife at home with my little girls instead of keeping the car payment. Like Dave Ramsey says, "sell the car, sell the car!".

Anyway, I'm considering an XJ. But, it seems like so many of the XJs on this forum eventually turn into just cut up tin cans or hybrid tube buggies.

My questions are:
1. Am I crazy for going for an eight year old Jeep as a daily driver?
2. Is it possible for an XJ to hold together as a daily driver, and do weekend warrior trips (I'm hoping for 33's, or at most 35's)?

Remember, I like XJs, but I know the doors can literally fall off the unibodies as I saw it happen to my buddy's (don't read this, Jesse!).

Lastly, please give any advise you have. Budget is important. Will Rough Country's 6.5" lift be ok?
Thanks and I'm expecting to spend a lot more time on this site.

The question you should ask your self is, how much do you enjoy wrenching? As of now you've got everything covered with the warranty but an xj is going to need some tlc nomatter what year you get or what kind of shape it's in. The good thing is, as others have stated, is that parts are dirt cheep and if you can change a tire you have just about all the skill it takes to work on the xj.

I've owned two and if I have it my way I'll never own anything else. I've never been left stranded...then again mine seems to spend more time being built than driven these days.

Do your self a favor and spend some time looking for something rust free. They can be found if you look hard enough. I found a 96 completely rust free with the factory undercoat still applied up here in PA (salt belt), go figure. My 94 rusted out beyond repair. Just something to think about.
 
I wouldn't hesitate to DD an older XJ...I put between 10-15k per year on my '98 XJ lifted about 5.5" running 35's and big axles (I can go into more details, but it really doesn't apply to your question). My latest XJ has ~162k miles and I would drive it anywhere in the world as is.

As to the unibody, there are a few steps you can take to prolong the life. Frame stiffiners, good bumpers front and back PROPERLY tied into the unibody and rocker replacements (search for it). I elected to do a hybrid exo/internal/halo cage on my most current XJ to make it last as long as possible.

For the kind of hard wheeling I put my rig through, an XJ has a shelf life of about 3-4 years...but the beauty of Cherokees is they built a squillion of them and you can always get good deals on the. Swap all of your after market parts over and voila, new rig.

-----Matt-----
 
Deadman 94 xj said:
Do your self a favor and spend some time looking for something rust free. They can be found if you look hard enough. I found a 96 completely rust free with the factory undercoat still applied up here in PA (salt belt), go figure.
This is key. Since the OP lives in CA, this shouldn't be too hard to find. I've worked on a few East Coast XJs and there wasnt much left after the salt. We had to do a lot of work to put a rear bumper on because the "frame" rail was so eaten up...and it had fewer miles than my last XJ which looked like it just rolled off the showroom floor in terms of rust.

-----Matt-----
 
If you are driving around a JK, going to an XJ with a RC 6.5" on 35s, it's gonna ride like a tank in comparison.

I'd find yourself a nice clean 2001. Spend some money on a nice Long Arm kit like Clayton's or TnT, keep the suspension around 5.5" and leave it on 33s.
 
If you start off with a solid, well maintained XJ and you intend to do the same, you can't go wrong. There's quite a few owners out there with some amazing XJ's that are totally stock, and others heavily modified daily drivers that could win a dadgum car show.

Do a search for John Bjorum's rig (he's seldom on the board, but his screen name is 96 Classic) He lives in Holland Michigan and you'd never know it to look at his rig - he drives it daily except when he's modding it. (He's currently swapping in an LS1! :worship: ) He's also insane over keeping it painted nice and body straight - seems like he's got his body guy on stand-by when he returns from a Colorado 'wheeling trip.....:D
 
I'm DDing a 98 2dr on 3" of lift and 31's. I get ~22MPG, and that's loaded with my tools, fullsize spare, spare shafts, hi-lift, and recovery gear. We took it to Ohio this Feburary to visit the g/f's family.
 
IXNAYXJ said:
This is key. Since the OP lives in CA, this shouldn't be too hard to find. I've worked on a few East Coast XJs and there wasnt much left after the salt.
-----Matt-----

I actually moved from CA to the Colorado Springs area. Yes, there's snow, but not as much rust as the northeastern part of the country. The city says it doesn't use salt, only non-corrosive de-icers. So, I'm hoping to find a rust-free one.

Thanks for all the encouragement on going to an XJ. Although I've got the JK now, most of my Jeepin' time was in my old CJ-7 which is capable (dana 60, dana 44, wide 35's, Detroits). So, I was thinking I needed more lift than 4.5 inches. I've got a lot to learn about XJs I guess.

Do all '99s come with a HP Dana 30? What year did Jeep get rid of the two piece vacuum actuated front axles?

Thanks again.
 
mizedog said:
Hey all. I've lurked for a while but never posted much. I'm nowhere near a newbie to Jeeps, only to XJs.

I bought an '08 JK Unlimited X in October. I love it and am amazed at how well it does in the snow here. But, I've come to the decision that I'd rather keep my wife at home with my little girls instead of keeping the car payment. Like Dave Ramsey says, "sell the car, sell the car!".

Anyway, I'm considering an XJ. But, it seems like so many of the XJs on this forum eventually turn into just cut up tin cans or hybrid tube buggies.

My questions are:
1. Am I crazy for going for an eight year old Jeep as a daily driver?
2. Is it possible for an XJ to hold together as a daily driver, and do weekend warrior trips (I'm hoping for 33's, or at most 35's)?

Remember, I like XJs, but I know the doors can literally fall off the unibodies as I saw it happen to my buddy's (don't read this, Jesse!).

Lastly, please give any advise you have. Budget is important. Will Rough Country's 6.5" lift be ok?
Thanks and I'm expecting to spend a lot more time on this site.

I drug an Unlimited around the trail 2 weeks ago, it was fun. :)

1. no, IMHO this is the cheapest way to get into 4 wheeling, and they last forever.

2. Your mileage is going to suck on big tires. I'm on 33's and 6" of lift.

3. Bah, go Rubicon Express with at least the 5.5" extreme duty kit. Just be prepared for an SYE and driveshaft when you lift it no matter what lift.
 
We've got both in the family. 07 rubi unlimited, 3in lift 35s. stock 01 xj:bawl:. and sitting side by side you can see the advantage of the xj. MUCH shorter wheelbase, unibody keeps everything tucked up nice and high (the gas tank on the JK is terrible!). but when it comes to driving on or off road, Id pick the stocker any day! i love the auto tranny on the xj and i hear the manual is just as good (which im sure your aware of the power on the JK). as for lifts, I totally expect a RE to ride really nice (thats the lift im gunna get!) and when you get into the 4.5 or 5.5 you get a longer shackle which will improve the ride even more. as far as DD goes, im sure you'll find most people on this board drive the same great vehicle to work everyday and wheeling!

the only advantage to your JK is the removable top :laugh:.... but if you wanted too, your XJ could be the same... :patriot:
 
winkosmosis said:
The wheelbase of the XJ is over a foot shorter than the JK 4 door's :D

Wow, I didn't think that could possibly be right, so I looked it up: 116"!!!

Robert
 
A little more diggin revealed:

The JK's wheelbase is 15" longer.
Overall, the JK is 18" longer, 12" wider, and 7" taller.

The approach angle is even, breakover is 4* better for the XJ, and departure is 6* for the JK.

I know these don't really address the OP's questions, but I was surprised to see the JK is actually that big...

Robert
 
i have owned my xj for almost two years and have had no problems. just keep up on it and it will be good to you. i would look at a 99 and older because i don't trust the newer heads, other than that i don't think you could go wrong with an xj.
 
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