Best Jeep platform for builing and expo rig on a budget

[4Rescue]

Thanks for all the info guys. Dave that last XJ looks very nice. The winch alone is worth a 1/3 of the price. Anyways I am not against yotas either. And I am not soley a jeep guy never even owned one. Toyotas my whole life. But I am on a budget. I believe my tent trailer idea will work great for living out of. Look up euro.love trailer build. He did a great job. Me and my buddy can do something like that no sweat.

Also after seeing a lot of XJ's in action they can do a lot with 31's and a rear locker. I've seen them make it through the rubicon. Which is very impressive. As far the unibody I have been doing a lot of reading about helping support the structure so I am not too worried about it. Nor will this thing be getting battered on any hardcore trails any time soon.

I just wanted to hear from the jeep guys here cause I know an XJ is a good platform for my budget. I have a posting in fireside chat about ANY vehicle. The mod asked me to write up there. Feel free to chime in.

I unfortunatly can't look at the ad's here at work but if the Winch is really nice and like you say, worth half the asking price, might be worth it.

Something I will say about the XJ: The 4.0L is a GREAT 4x4 motor, it's got ALOT of torque down low and it likes to just idle up obstacles. I find that they (XJ's) ride pretty comfy too. I didn't like the view out or the seating position, but they were never uncomfirtable ride wise.

Cheers

Dave

 

[DaveInDenver]

Also after seeing a lot of XJ's in action they can do a lot with 31's and a rear locker. I've seen them make it through the rubicon. Which is very impressive. ... Nor will this thing be getting battered on any hardcore trails any time soon.

You are kinda all over here. If you use the Rubicon as a test, then a stock IFS Jeep Liberty can make it through, my truck made it through (IFS and all). It's driver skill and the rig, sure, but mostly patience and spotting. Nope, don't get to take the big boy lines, but capability is practice and confidence more than the right punchlist of modifications. But anyway, then you say it's not getting battered, so the Rubicon is getting into more dedicated trails and I assume then that is not a litmus test.

I honestly think a Jeep XJ would be fine, so would a 4Runner, a VW microbus, an XtraCab, a 1970 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser or a 1982 Civic Wagon. You're over thinking this. I'd buy as nice a 4Runner as I could find for $2500, do a fluid change, new tires if it needs it, fill the tank and head out without any second thought. An XJ probably would be OK, too, but I just know what I know from friends who have Cherokees and friends who have Toyotas. There really is no comparison, on average old Toyotas are more reliable.

 

[scottrist]

Dude I am still all about toyotas as well. I am looking at them both. Just found an 89 (3rd gen) excab with allpro solid axle convertion, 5.29's, rear arb, and armor for 3900. Wasnt really looking for quite that built but I would take it if in ran well and passed smog. I am totally keeping my options open. The only thing in Norcal is early toyota 4x4's especially solid axles have really high resale value and most people know it.

As far as the XJ going through the rubicon statement I just thought that was preaty cool. Not trying to get in an argument about it. Just looking for a reliable driver that I can still have a blast with off road.

 

[98dango]

there bolth good if u compair in good running order stock to stock your dead heat. As i have said i owned bolth tell 3 weeks ago i had bolth in my yard. I am in no way leaning one way or the outher.

if u find a good deal you find a good deal

a sas conversion is good if u trust the work

the best rig is the one you feal comfortabel with

 

[4Rescue]

there bolth good if u compair in good running order stock to stock your dead heat. As i have said i owned bolth tell 3 weeks ago i had bolth in my yard. I am in no way leaning one way or the outher.

if u find a good deal you find a good deal

a sas conversion is good if u trust the work

the best rig is the one you feal comfortabel with

I gotta dissagree with ya there. A solid front axle and better articulation can hardly make the XJ the "EQUAL" of a 4Runner. Outside of the lack of a SFA (on the newer Toyotas) and being a little down on power (in older 22RE/3VZ trucks) the Toyota is better in every single way.

Cheers

Dave

 

[troy]

I gotta dissagree with ya there. A solid front axle and better articulation can hardly make the XJ the "EQUAL" of a 4Runner. Outside of the lack of a SFA (on the newer Toyotas) and being a little down on power (in older 22RE/3VZ trucks) the Toyota is better in every single way.

Cheers

Dave

The AW4 auto tranny in the cherokee is an Aisin unit. Probably the best tranny Jeep ever used, and coincidentally used in many toyotas That is why I think the cherokee is a good buy, along with the proven 4.0. I agree that Toyotas have higher fit finish and reliability, but the XJ is a great budget package and most problems are minor and easily (cheaply) repairable.

Both are great options and it comes down to the deal and condition of the unit being purchased. Keep your options open and the right rig will appear.

 

[w_b]

...PLus in my experience the XJ, as wide and stable as it is, is really cramped inside. It may look like a decent sized truck, but let's just say your back passengers if you have any will hate it after more than a few hours. Some people fit in them very well and comfortably... At 5'11 190lbs (as in not a big and tell person by any means) I foud them, all of them, to be very uncomfortable ergonomicaly... Even more so now that I'm driving the 4Runner.

I commuted 130 miles a day (over two hours a day) in my XJ in a car pool that included two guys over 6'2" and over 250lbs, along with another person and a child in a car seat. No one complained. I get that it's not a Grand Marquis, but it is doable and it doesn't sound like you're concerned with a back seat anyway. I had an '80 Toyota pickup -- now that's a small cab, with less comfort and more noisy than the '92 XJ.

The XJ is good and reliable for what it is, especially for the money. But, if you're a Toyota guy and have had them in the past, I'd encourage you to go with the Toyota. It's what you know. You'll save a lot of time not having to research and learn about a new vehicle.

But it sounds like you haven't even decided whether a pickup would suit you better or an SUV. What's better for the type of traveling that you'll be doing? With a 22R, you may not want to tow anything but you'll have the bed of the pickup and you'll have better fuel mileage. That's something to think about especially if you're on a budget -- how much fuel are you going to burn while you're living out of this vehicle for three months. Do a comparison for a three month trip or for a year of driving the vehicle. That would help me make up my mind. If I didn't already have the XJ, I'd take a long hard look at other rigs that are more inexpensive to set-up for expedition-like travel and rigs that get better gas mileage.

 

[luk4mud]

As a Jeep TJ owner I might be qualified to chime in. I like my Jeep, but if Toyota or Honda made something comparable, I would have bought it at the time just from a reliability standpoint. My admittedly abused 7 year old rig has never let me down in the middle of nowhere, but that may be more because I am proactive about fixing little things when they pop up and neurotic about preventative maintenance.

The "check engine" light game, electrical gremlins, exhaust issues, cabin water leaks, radiator leaks etc with the Jeep are known issues that affect many TJs that you know you just have to deal with if you own one.

If my interest in taking more challenging trails wanes at some point, I would not hesitate to switch over to a Toyota FJ Cruiser.

 

[scottrist]

Well as long as it passes smog I bought and got an insane deal for an fj60 tonight. I will be with the guy tomorrow morning smogging it. Wish me luck! This think is amazing.

Thanks guys

 

[98dango]

good chois on the 60

 

[98dango]

I gotta dissagree with ya there. A solid front axle and better articulation can hardly make the XJ the "EQUAL" of a 4Runner. Outside of the lack of a SFA (on the newer Toyotas) and being a little down on power (in older 22RE/3VZ trucks) the Toyota is better in every single way.

Cheers

Dave

dave i usualy agree with u but not on this one

toyota un less u get a 95+ thay are down on hp and there is no tq un less u look at the inline 6 in the fj series

but to each there own


=

 

[nwoods]

Well as long as it passes smog I bought and got an insane deal for an fj60 tonight. I will be with the guy tomorrow morning smogging it. Wish me luck! This think is amazing.

Thanks guys

Let's see it!

 

[scottrist]

The smog place is closed on the weekend. It passed 4 months ago when he registered it so it should have no problem. Probably the nicest 60 I have ever been in/driven. You guys are going to lose your minds when I tell you how much I am paying for it. Lets just say I have a lot left over for mods.

 

[w_b]

The smog place is closed on the weekend. It passed 4 months ago when he registered it so it should have no problem. Probably the nicest 60 I have ever been in/driven. You guys are going to lose your minds when I tell you how much I am paying for it. Lets just say I have a lot left over for mods.

Indeed it sounds like a good find.

Now let's see a pic.

 

[cnskate]

Congrats on the FJ60. I love my XJ but I often lust after FJ 60s and 80s. When gas was $4.50 they were getting pretty darn cheap around here.