El Karacho1647545492 Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 DDing a 2007+ is a totally different prospect than DDing a pre-2006. The new ones have been de-Jeepified to a great degree in favor of comfort and mass market appeal. I'm not saying the new ones are bad, but OP asked about 2006 and earlier models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodRed Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 DDing a 2007+ is a totally different prospect than DDing a pre-2006. The new ones have been de-Jeepified to a great degree in favor of comfort and mass market appeal. I'm not saying the new ones are bad, but OP asked about 2006 and earlier models. I know, but a lot of the comments were about newer models as well. I know a lot of people that DD YJ's and TJ's for years. Some in completely stock or highly modified. As long as you can stand driving something with a short wheel base and the aerodynamics of a brick, then they are fine. YJ's and TJ's seem to have an issue of a rusting frame near the rear tires. As long as you find a good welder, many companies make kits you can use to cut out the bad section and weld in a new, better section. Stay away from the 2.5L 4 banger. 4.0L is a tank of an engine that will last forever and easy to work on. Plus even if you do kill it, they are easy to swap out. Soft tops can be noisy and leak, but most of those complaints out there are from people that run a cheap aftermarket or a completely worn out top. You need to care for the tops, seals and most need replaced as they wear out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallard Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 DDing a 2007+ is a totally different prospect than DDing a pre-2006. The new ones have been de-Jeepified to a great degree in favor of comfort and mass market appeal. I'm not saying the new ones are bad, but OP asked about 2006 and earlier models. LOLing at you implying that the 2007+ is a luxury car. They were still pretty rough even up to the 2012 makeover where they added a few things, but it's still a lot different than driving a 'normal' car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Karacho1647545492 Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 LOLing at you implying that the 2007+ is a luxury car. They were still pretty rough even up to the 2012 makeover where they added a few things, but it's still a lot different than driving a 'normal' car. True, but comparing to other Jeeps in a vacuum, the 07+ is a damn Rolls Royce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodRed Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 True, but comparing to other Jeeps in a vacuum, the 07+ is a damn Rolls Royce. Jeep purist said the same thing when they went from the CJ's to the YJ, YJ to the TJ, and TJ to the JK.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaSSon Posted July 14, 2015 Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 DDing a 2007+ is a totally different prospect than DDing a pre-2006. The new ones have been de-Jeepified to a great degree in favor of comfort and mass market appeal. I'm not saying the new ones are bad, but OP asked about 2006 and earlier models. And? I DD'ed a '99 and provided my thoughts: Go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted July 14, 2015 Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 Jeep purist said the same thing when they went from the CJ's to the YJ, YJ to the TJ, and TJ to the JK.... Nobody said the YJ was more comfortable than the CJ...they just bitched and moaned about how much plastic was in the interior and that it now had carpet vs the all metal tin can goodness of the CJ. Saying a YJ is more comfortable than a CJ is like saying a stainless steel bed of nails is more comfortable than a galvanized steel bed of nails. Maybe I am biased because I have been Daily Driving a 1995 YJ for almost 20 years (I say almost because there were some years where I would use my bike or my GTO as primary and the wrangler as back-up), but I don't think there is anything wrong with daily driving a jeep. Plenty do it every day. However..... ....it is not for the faint of heart. If you are the kind of person who - looks at a 1960's rust bucket car and thinks: "yeah, I'll have no problem driving it to California" - sleeps on a hard mattress and when you camp you sleep on the ground - laments the loss of hand crank windows in mainstream cars - thinks Air conditioning is a luxury item - doesn't equate creaks and rattles with poor engineering and build quality but rather considers them a pleasant side effect of normal wear and tear and a small badge of honor - doesn't mind using a hammer to fix things - doesn't mind hearing loss - doesn't use a cell phone in their car - thinks traction control is for pussies - thinks America hasn't made a decent car since American Motors was still a thing - has a field of fucks that is constantly barren and therefore has none to harvest and distribute Then I think you will do fine. If you are not any of those things then you might struggle a bit. FWIW though I do see plenty of 20-something women driving TJs, way more than I see anybody driving YJs these days, so it isn't that hard. Get the hardtop. Why? driving with the soft top up is loud and annoying. Get full doors if you can too, you can always buy half doors later for cheaper than you can find TJ full doors if you really want to have both. Swapping doors takes 5 minutes. Even after you get the hardtop you should consider putting a liner on the inside of it like plasti-dip. I know people think it isn't much of a liner but my buddy did it to his JK and it took a lot of the hollow soup can echo out of a hardtop jeep. It also helped a little bit with the temps (raw fiberglass hardtops transmit a lot of heat in the summer and cold in the winter. Planning to do it to the YJ when it stops raining. Be prepared to be very lonely with your Jeep. When the weather is nice it is a fun convertible and everybody will want to pile in and drive around. Any other weather? everyone will hate being in it. If your significant other is not a "jeep person" it will just feel like a junky falling apart car that you can't have a conversation in at highway speeds. If you have kids under 4 years old they will hate it because it's either too hot or too cold and they can't really enjoy the top down part. things to check: radiator windshield seal rear main seal clutch (including the slave cyl) transfer case rust (esp frame rust) track-lok limited slip (factory ones are usually blown by 80K miles) front axle U-joints Front axle seals Driveshaft u-joints Things to avoid: automatic transmissions (they seriously suck) 4 cylinder wranglers TJs without air-conditioning Lift kits (unless you really want a trail truck) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinner Posted July 14, 2015 Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 At that mileage only real engine issues will be valve cover gasket($50) oil pan gasket ($40)maybe rear main seal ($20) and possibly the crank position sensor ($90). Also if you are doing the oil pan do the rear seal its a 2 piece seal so you don't have to drop the trans. Aside from that if there is no rust issues it should be good to go. Also would personally look at a hardtop, soft tops just beg to cut up and broken into. Also if I were to sell my XJ I would look at a LJ (extended bed TJ) rubicon, with a 6 spd. You will pay a little more as yet are less common but the longer wheelbase helps with the Jeepiness of the ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BStowers023 Posted July 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Good info guys. I'm deff going to look into some of those areas you hit on. Just a few questions though. Why not buy one already lifted? Probably ragged out? What's the realistic cost if I bought a stock one to do a 3" lift with 33" tires. (cost to do it right without cutting corners). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cstmg8 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Good info guys. I'm deff going to look into some of those areas you hit on. Just a few questions though. Why not buy one already lifted? Probably ragged out? What's the realistic cost if I bought a stock one to do a 3" lift with 33" tires. (cost to do it right without cutting corners). Comes down to what you want/like? Would you be doing the work, or a shop? Body lifts are cheap/easy, suspension lifts are a little more involved, but if you can install shocks/struts then you can lift it. You can prob suspension lift a wrangler for $8-900. Your money's going to be in tires, price is all over the map. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Good info guys. I'm deff going to look into some of those areas you hit on. Just a few questions though. Why not buy one already lifted? Probably ragged out? From my personal perspective and experience: - Lift kits run the gamut from poorest of poor quality to well engineered, but unless you have a lot of experience with them it's hard to tell if it is good one or bad one or if it is installed properly. - lifting a jeep often requires a lot of changes: pinon angles, transfer case spacing, drive-shafts, axle ratios, etc....none of these things are usually included in the kit and a lot of times you are basically buying someone's half finished project. There is always more work to do on a lifted jeep so often you are being asked to compromise more than if you bought a stock one. The ones that have been done "right" are usually expensive and often have only the tub and frame and pieces of the interior left as stock as everything else has been touched - and even then there may still be one or two things. - most people don't have a "need" for a lifted jeep. Most people don't have a need for a Rubicon really either. They buy it thinking about how cool it looks and how they are going to go off roading every other weekend but in reality they go at most once a month if diligent and committed, less frequent if normal, otherwise they would already have a lifted truck. when you don't have a burning need in your loins to climb rocks it makes it harder to live with all the other compromises in the next bullet point..... - ...Lifted jeeps are a pain in the ass to drive on the street: the steering wanders, the bump steer gets worse, it is slow (unless v-8 swapped), maintenance costs double (ever price out 35-inch tires?), fuel economy suffers, reliability and durability goes down, visibility suffers, sometimes they run hotter, etc... The people I know that bought stock wranglers or lightly modded ones kept them for a long time but anybody I know who bought a lifted jeep (over 2") sold it within 2 years of buying it. again ymmv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BStowers023 Posted July 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Yeah, I'm pretty torn between a stock one and an already lifted one. I don't want anything ragged out. I have a few stock ones in mind around my price range. It would obviously be better if I did anything extra on my own because I'd know the ins and outs of what's been done, but if I find out that I think has been done correctly, I'd go for it. It will be a daily and like I said the comfort thing isn't a big deal to me. I honestly probably won't even go off roading all that often (i say that now, but could change). I really just like the look and the driving experience. Driving nicer luxury style cars gets old after a while too if you're a car guy. I look at the uncomfortablness as part of the driving experience and more as a positive. I loved driving my WS6, but the average person would hate it. It was loud, bumpy, jerky, low to the ground and hot as hell in the summer, but that's what us car guys like, it's what makes us different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 ...It was loud, bumpy, jerky,... and hot as hell in the summer... you've pretty much described every wrangler ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinner Posted July 16, 2015 Report Share Posted July 16, 2015 also you can look at Cherokees (XJ) can be had for less and aftermarket is just as strong. Only down side is if you find a really clean low miles (under 100k) they will want close to $10k for them and good luck getting a loan for that on a at best 14 y/old Jeep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BStowers023 Posted July 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 also you can look at Cherokees (XJ) can be had for less and aftermarket is just as strong. Only down side is if you find a really clean low miles (under 100k) they will want close to $10k for them and good luck getting a loan for that on a at best 14 y/old Jeep. I'll check them out, although I'm pretty sold on a Wrangler. The loan is no issue, I have a pre-approval so the year doesn't matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cstmg8 Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 This: http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/19/ca2ba77f651da7e9bf5ab931b8777756.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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