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From a TJ to a LJ?

I sold my LJ earlier this year in favor of a 5.9 Grand Cherokee. The LJ was just not big enough for the three of us to wheel in all the time. With 5" of lift and our age, it was getting harder to get into (I am not a small person either). I loved the LJ, but just needed more interior space. The ZJ is working out good so far tho, but I do miss the places the LJ would go!!
 
Nomad, I'd like to see pics of that "comfortable for 4" loadout.


Well, I generally don't pack the LJ out and then take pictures of it. I will say that we are minimalistic on our outings and with a full length rack its very doable.

Here's my TJ loaded out with room for 4 inside. Picture is several years old; I don't usually take pics of it loaded.

Only pillows, snack, etc in the cab. There's a weeks worth of supplies, recovery gear, cooking items, water, a tent, air mattresses, queen size fold-out mattress platform, etc. up top. Three plastic foot lockers, side by side, up front. Then a large box, water, etc towards the back of the cage. That Congo Cage can hold a lot of stuff, but man does it kill any aerodynamics the Jeep may have had!
 
Forgot the pic

Forgot the pic

If you take your time and aren't rock crawling really hard trails the extra weight up top if fine. You just have to recognize it's there and be a little more cautious. I'm not going to tackle anything 4+ with the kids on a camping trip anyway.
 

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I don't have any photos of my Jeep loaded up, but here is a photo of what we try to bring with us, including 2 kids and two adults. This does fit in an LJ, but just barely, and very creatively.

Jeep_camping_gear-800.jpg


I should mention that I am in the Tetris hall of fame...

Update: Here is a photo of the inside with my son zoonked out during the drive home
811647205_u9UVB-L.jpg


Another update: I don't have a photo of it stuffed to the gills, but I discovered that I can fit all four off our sleeping bags in the Trasharoo hanging of the spare tire. This made a tremendous improvement in interior space availability.

647488828_rcWFq-L.jpg
 
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today i found a 2005 rubicon unlimited white with only 14k miles on it.
unbelievable to find with so litle miles..
I was ready to pay cash for it,, but took it for a test drive and it feels
like it has 100k miles,, strange ,is very loose and the engine sounds rough .

this is at a dealer and say 14 k miles are original,, but inspection sticker that
was issued back in march of this year say 113,240 ,, might be a typo for 11k.
or who knows.

the body ,paint ,original tires engine compartment,interior ,,etc all looks like
brand spanking new,, just ir doesnt drive like a 14k mile jeep.

i was very dissapointed, very very strange.

.
 
Maybe they towed it a lot behind an RV? Unless I'm mistaken, I don't think the speedo/odometer operates when being flat towed.
 
If you're not in a terrible hurry, I might be selling our LJ. My wife decided to exit the work force, effective at the end of this month. The jeep was related to her employment, and without her income, it is very likely I will not be able to take over the payments. I'm considering all options fiscally right now, including changing jobs myself. Without her working, many things will change, but its too early to have it figured all out yet. Our Jeep has 18,000 miles on it, and it's well built and highly capable. It does not look or feel new however. Those 18,000 miles include a lot of fun trails.
 
well for now I think I am going to keep the TJ, I may be relocating to Colorado if all the planets align for me:wings:
Maybe down the road I`ll be looking for a LJ, still not sold on the JK. It took me years to warm up to a TJ
 
well for now I think I am going to keep the TJ, I may be relocating to Colorado if all the planets align for me:wings:
Maybe down the road I`ll be looking for a LJ, still not sold on the JK. It took me years to warm up to a TJ

Could always brute kit it to add a little more room for gear :).

I keep toying with using the brute extension kit then throwing a Chinook on the back...

because I need more projects :)

Jason
 
Its probably not any help, but there's a very nice white LJ Rubi here in town, lifted, tires, lights, hi lift, its a nice rig. a bit pricey though. If i remember correctly it was either $12k, or $21k. I cant remember which. Oh, and its white. :)
 
I have a '97 TJ and an '05 LJ Rubicon. I mostly agree with previous posts and I'll just add that the LJ is significantly more stable on fast dirt roads. The short wheelbase TJ can be a bit skittish sometimes.

The added space in the LJ is a plus but the trunk definitely isn't cavernous and I give credit to anyone who takes a family of four camping in one without a roof rack!

Cheers,
Graham
 

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