xj/zj/wj?

[jmjnewbold]

I'm a little new to jeeps, my background has been AUDI, and Toyota. I'm looking to get a Cherokee/Grand Cherokee, but not sure what body style to get. I like to looks of them all, and now that the WJ has an available V8. As far as off-road capability and availability of aftermarket support, which model would be better?

 

[bob91yj]

XJ has the most aftermarket support.

 

[Amauri]

XJ does have the most aftermarket support but pretty much anything you want for the ZJ/WJ can be had. I think you should check out all three and see what fits your needs. I'm a big fan of all of them and I was trying to pick between the 3 recently, I've owned a ZJ before and I ended up going with another ZJ this time. V8, solid axles, coils all around, plus all the creature comforts, for the price, won me over. Again.

 

[willypete]

How far do you want to go with this build? How trim is your budget?

XJ will have more support and be the most affordable build if you keep it simple followed by the ZJ, then The WJ.
They are all quite capable in stock form and have enough support to be built into great expo rigs.

I have owned 2 V8 ZJ's and now own a V8 WJ.

For a basic DD expo rig I would choose the 2003-2004 WJ they have better transmissions than the ZJ, better brakes and the build quality seems a little better. The downsides are that the blend doors in dual zone climate control models are prone to failure, if you go larger than 245 on tires you have to relocate the spare, and Parts are a little more expensive.

The ZJ is the choice if you want to mod, they respond very well to simple and affordable power mods, they also share many suspension components with other Jeeps XJ, TJ and have better options for axle swaps and other upgrades. I would choose a 96-98 ZJ with the V8 I had a 93 and a 96 the 96 was a better Jeep for a multitude of reasons (disc brakes, better engine management (SCT flash tuning is available, no EGR), improved interior). For a close to stock DD they are less reliable though.

I have never owned an XJ but several of my buddies have, they make great builds with endless support, but lack some of the interior room of the ZJ and WJ.

 

[OverlandZJ]

Excellent responses above..

In addition i'd consider an XJ better suited for more extreme trails as body armour is more available, and probably easier to homefab as well. It's narrower than the ZJ/WJ, an advantage on some trails but not so interior wise and a tad less comfortable if your a big guy.

After 16 years in an XJ i'v moved onto the ZJ.. the 96+ is more a bit more stylish in my opinion. The early 93 has the rare option of the 4.0L and AW4 transmission, a much better combination over the 42re trans. There were a few 5 speed ZJ's too if rowing your own is desirable.

I havent had it long but i find the Mrs 4.0L WJ tight under the hood and a pita to work on.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Excellent responses above..

In addition i'd consider an XJ better suited for more extreme trails as body armour is more available, and probably easier to homefab as well. It's narrower than the ZJ/WJ, an advantage on some trails but not so interior wise and a tad less comfortable if your a big guy.

After 16 years in an XJ i'v moved onto the ZJ.. the 96+ is more a bit more stylish in my opinion. The early 93 has the rare option of the 4.0L and AW4 transmission, a much better combination over the 42re trans. There were a few 5 speed ZJ's too if rowing your own is desirable.

I havent had it long but i find the Mrs 4.0L WJ tight under the hood and a pita to work on.

I can count at least 5 companies who make body armor for the ZJ and 4 for the WJ, how is this "less available"? And fabbing up stuff at home makes no difference, all the same principles of physics are involved.

And how is the XJ narrower guy? The ZJ and XJ use the exact same axles on 80% of their rigs, exception being the XJ cast 44 and the ZJ 44a which are still the same width, so please explain your misinformation.

 

[FishPOET]

I can count at least 5 companies who make body armor for the ZJ and 4 for the WJ, how is this "less available"? And fabbing up stuff at home makes no difference, all the same principles of physics are involved.

And how is the XJ narrower guy? The ZJ and XJ use the exact same axles on 80% of their rigs, exception being the XJ cast 44 and the ZJ 44a which are still the same width, so please explain your misinformation.

Fact is the body of the ZJ and the WJ is wider than the XJ.

Fact is the ZJ/WJ use a Dana 30 standard rotation axle and the XJ (all except one year) use a Dana 30 reverse rotation axle. The ZJ uses CV joints in their V8 front axles and the XJs use ujoints. The older XJs had a vacuum disconnect front axle the ZJs/WJs never had. That is a far cry from your "80%"

Fact is the XJ Dana 44 uses none of the same parts as the ZJ/WJ Dana 44. The XJ also used the Chrysler 8.25 which was never an option in the ZJ/WJ. That is a far cry from your "80%"

Fact is that the XJ has better aftermarket support that either the ZJ or WJ. Using your same analogy if 5 companies are making aftermarket parts for the ZJ then 8 are making them for the XJ and 2 for the WJ.

Fact is that it is YOU supplying the misinformation along with a dose of attitude.

 

[OverlandZJ]

I can count at least 5 companies who make body armor for the ZJ and 4 for the WJ, how is this "less available"? And fabbing up stuff at home makes no difference, all the same principles of physics are involved.

And how is the XJ narrower guy? The ZJ and XJ use the exact same axles on 80% of their rigs, exception being the XJ cast 44 and the ZJ 44a which are still the same width, so please explain your misinformation.

Why do you feel the need to talk down to people here?

 

[Amauri]

I can count...

 

[Topgun514]

Facts on this topic is that the XJ is much easier to work on electrically and drivetrain wise.

All models have pros and cons on drivetrains but it is still a Jeep for the most part if you keep your build small like many do on here. The XJ will be smaller and lighter to start with. The XJ will be more expensive to make ride comfortable however, whether it is road noise or bumpy factor. XJ's parts are less expensive too for aftermarket support (check any offroad bumper and compare)

I would love a ZJ for creature comforts, but in the end, the XJ suits me... tell us what your goal is for your rig and maybe we can help a bit more!