fsj questions

[dfarm]

Due to a coming addition to the family, our xj will no longer carry all of us (three kids in car seats), so I'm looking to replace our current jeep, which acts as;(pretty much in the order of priority) wifes dd, family people hauler, hunting/camping/woods bumming rig, and occasional wheeler. I'd like to replace it with something similarly capable, but able to carry the extra car seat.

I've looked into a couple of other vehicles (expeditions, durangos, vans) but recently thought about a grand wagoneer. My question for the jeep forum is, will three car seats fit across the back seat of a fsj, and would you recommend one for my intended role?

Thanks

 

[Dr. Marneaus]

Sorry man, I love my FSJ to death, but I wouldnt give one to my wife as a DD. The newest ones are 22 years old....and aren't exactly the most reliable, even when new.

 

[Dr. Marneaus]

I should clarify:

Would I DD my wag, or a late model wag? Yes. Would I give it to my woman to DD? No.

 

[dfarm]

What about the vehicle makes it un reliable? I'm sure plenty of people dd'd them for years. Is it just the age, and the normal stuff that goes on with carburated engines? What other issues are there? The same basic running gear can be found under other trucks that don't seem to have a rap of being un reliable.

Thanks for the discussion, btw.

 

[njtacoma]

I won't address the reliability issue, but bring another point for your consideration. 3point seat belts. That was important to my wife and I when we talk about kid hauling. As far as I know the Grands didn't offered them from the factory (at least in the US), however there are some kits I think to add them.
Still only the two outer rear seats have them. Depending on how long you keep the truck, it might be worth thinking about when they are in booster seats, and finally no child seats.
I really like them, and have considered them numerous times as a fun project (like the good doctor), but always end up passing.

 

[dfarm]

I have thought about the seat belts, but the only vehicles I can find with enough seats and 3 point belts are the durango, and then the bigger vehicles like expedition, tahoe, and the like.

 

[ttravis5446]

I really like my FSJ but I wouldn't give it to my girlfriend as a dd with the kid in the car seat in the back. What about a newer grand Cherokee? A commander? A montero or trooper if you aren't opposed to japanese stuff? Maybe even a trailblazer or explorer?

 

[dfarm]

A commander would be cool, and would work (3rd row seats), but they are too much expensive for us.

I think I'm going to buy a van right now, and make room in the garage to park it next to the xj, then eventually sell the xj to fund a fsj build for a family camping/woods bumming/bad weather(for me to drive) rig.

 

[Dr. Marneaus]

The main thing that i say makes them unreliable is the age, the technoloogy, and the way most of them have been treated.

Yes, people DD'd them when they were new and not so new, but back in the day, cars broke down even when they were new. Thats something most people today aren't equipped or willing to deal with. These were the last carbureted vehicle on the american market if memory serves. They were behind on technology even for 1991 when they quit making them, forget about today. They would vapor lock, from the factory. Tons of stories of people having them vapor lock the summer they bought them. you just get the issues of old technology, then add in electric seats, windows, AC, so on and so forth, it just can get overwhelming fixing all the little things. Carbureted, mechanical fuel pump....so on and so forth.

I love mine, and it has never actually stranded me, it's been finikey on the side of the road, but nothing i couldnt overcome with minor effort, and the issues have become less and less as I'm going through the truck (granted, mine is 40 years old).

Lastly, most of these things have been passed around to so many owners and are in such poor shape, wiring and vaccum has been hacked and reconnected, etc etc. Obvioulsy you wouldn't go buy a $1000 one for a DD, but you know what i'm saying.

I guess the question is what reason do you have to NOT go with something thats fuel injected, has better safety features and performance, etc?

 

[Dawgboy]

I loved mine and miss it. It was a '74 and pretty reliable. You could completely rebuild one for far less than purchasing a later model 'burb or something. Thing is, they rust out, keeping smog legal is painful( ask me about my 78 cj), and... 13 mpg from the ANC 360/turbo400 combo.

I still miss it though...


Brought to you by Cyberdyne Systems

 

[dfarm]

I am thinking about one of these because it's the closest thing I can find to my xj, which I love, but just doesn't have enough seats. The fuel injection thing is easy enough to deal with (holly projection) and they can usually be picked up cheep enough (comparatively speaking) that it isn't a huge deal to put a couple grand into fixing it up. See how far a couple of grand gets you with an expedition or newer suburban.

I was really seriously thinking about a first gen durango, but I hate thinking about buying a lift for an ifs rig, and a lot of people don't speak too highly of them, reliability wise. Add to that the fact that there is slightly more than zero aftermarket support for them and I pretty quickly lose interest, even though it should be a perfect vehicle for my situation.

 

[redthies]

I say buy a FSJ. If you have a bit of time and can throw a few grand at it, go through all the main components, you will likely have a more reliable vehicle than a used five year old rig. Added bonus? It will be cool!

 

[Dusty Wagoneer]

I daily my 74 Wagoneer.

Usually my drive is from up in the San Bernadino mountains (Wrightwood) down in to Hollyweird 89 miles one way. For the most part it is VERY dependable, but thank God I have a AAA premium membership for those 1% times.
I could make mine more drivable with a fuel injection system, but I like carburetors on classic cars.
Zack over at ZM Jeeps has 3 point belts systems for the rear seat, so your waggy can be a little safer too. I love driving my Wagoneer, and really don't want a new car.

 

[dfarm]

Just wanted to add an update. I bought an awd town and country over the weekend, and still have the xj(for now, I still think that I'm going to sell it to fund either a 4wd conversion on my truck, or a fsj to make sure that we have a family sized off road-able rig)

Thanks for the input!

 

[JCMatthews]

I owned an XJ for 13 years. When I got rid of it I was hauling around three kids. Three car seats are tight, but doable. I have some awesome video of us in Moab stuck on a hairy obstacle with all three in the back seat in some form of a car seat. The only thing I hear from my kids about the Jeep is that they miss it.