help convince me one way or the other because im on the fence..

[Mr Nice Guy]

alright so im posting in this section because one i have a jeep and two i know a few of you own both jeeps and trucks so im hoping to get a few unbiased oppinons lol.

so basically here is the run down of my little story and where i need advice. i am the undecided (has its good and bads) owner of a 2000 jeep grand cherokee wj with an 4.slow and selec trac 4x4 system with 117k miles. i dont know axels or cases so i cant tell u that. now heres my problem nd where im looking to have a conversation to help me makee up my mind. in december the jeep will be mine which would not only lower my insurance but free up money due to no car payment. but i dont know and cant decide if i wanna keep it and spend the 3grand i have on it or trade it and use the 3grand for a full size truck,

the best way i know to weigh my options is get others oppinions and make a list. so the list as i see it is this.

Pros
no more payment
lower insurance
it is a jeep with the bullet proof 4.0 so i know it will run for as long as i can take care of it.
its extreamly capeable even in stock form which means less expensive mods really need to be done for what i need it for.

cons
it is cramped for me, even being small and then throwing in a girlfriend and a dog and it gets even smaller.
it is way under powered if you ask me.. i know there are a few things that can change this but as it sits its way underpowered.
the gas mileage sucks! i bought it because it was a "fuel-efficient" 4x4 and being a full time working and full time student i do alot of driving..
the wheel wells are so funny shaped u cant get a real tire in there without trimming which i dont have the ability to do.

so basically these pros and cons leave me considering a full size truck, a few specific trucks like an 00-03 chevy 5.7 or a dodge 5.9 and if worse came to worse a 03+f150.. i pick these because the get 15+ gas mileage when drivin properly and my dream deisel is just out of my price range at this current point in my life. all of these trucks would be in an extended cab short bed set up which leaves plenty of bed to be utilized.. they also can be stuffed with a fair size tire for clearence without a retarded size lift making it more unsafe then necessary.

before i forget, i better mention what i want out of my set up im trying to begin planning. i basiccally just want a vehicle i can live with as a dd and set up for a weekend getaway. being in college cross country trips are unfortanatly out of the question right now so im stuck running away for the weekends. so please help me figure out wahat to do i need oppinions

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Sounds like you have much to learn about your own rig, like which transfer case and axles are under it for starters. For $3k you can do a lot to make it very capable and reliable, a 3in lift with 31's under it and full skid protection will get you many places a larger truck simply will not fit. I would keep the Jeep and maybe even pick up a cheap Corolla or Civic as a 2nd car.

p.s. I hope they still teach punctuation and grammar in college....

 

[Mr Nice Guy]

Lol u can thank this stupid iPhone for all my little mistakes.. Still fruit to get the hang of useing it which is way harder then I expected..

And a for learning about my rig you are correct I do have alot to learn, however iv only recently been considering doing anything with the jeep so I haven't bothered to memorize transfer cases and Axels quite yet because I haven't completely made up my mind wether I'm keeping it or not. Te size is one of the things that bother me tho, I spent a weekend with the seats folded down and it was slightly less then comfortable to say the least. Livable yeah but far from comfortable. I appreciate the reply and opinion tho and will take it into consideration

One thing I do fear tho is the added weight of full under armor will kill the pitful ga mileage I'm already getting

 

[alexfm]

Im not sure what kinda driving your doing, but I've got a Cherokee with the 4.0, and I get about 20 on the freeway. maybe 15 in the city, but I dont drive like a crazy person like I used to. And one thing that jumped out at me was your thought of dumping the jeep for a V8 powered truck. If you want something fuel efficient, thats definitely not eh way to go. My dad has the 5.9 in a Dodge van, and driving very conservatively, he can squeeze 16mpg out of it on the freeway, which is considerably less than my Jeep gets. Not to get personal, but I dont know how big or small you are, but Im 6'4" tall, and I fit in a 2 dr Jeep Cherokee, with room to spare. But I know thats a lot of personal preference. And like Black_ZJ said, there's a lot you ought to learn about your rig. Knowing what parts are under your ride will help you a lot, especially if your broken down somewhere, and have to phone in an order or something, the tech cant jsut come otuside and look at the car. And the 4.0L may not be a power monster, but it makes pretty good numbers for what it is, as its more of a torque machine that horsepower, but with just a few little mods (i.e a free flowing exhaust, more open air intake, and regualar maintenance) it will make enough power for general use. My XJ isnt ever gonna be a speed demon (I've topped out at about 75) and thats fine by me. Its all I need. Your needs may be different, so I would just build to fit your needs.

and Im not trying to bash your decisions, just offering constructive criticism.

And I know where your coming from, being a relatively broke college student myself.

alex.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Well, low mpg's come with playing, hence why I suggested a 2nd car. My Jeep averages 15.5 mpg in its current state. And what were you referring to about the seats folded down?

 

[Mr Nice Guy]

Alex, the reason I'm considering a full size actually domes from two things. Most if my friends have em and actually average 17+ and they drive like there tires are on fire.. I drive my jeep like a grandpa and I hate it but it's the only way to keep my mileage anywhere even remotely Paletable. I'm going to have to start looking into those and seeing what it'll cost me ecaisebov reacting been considering getting a chip and tuner for it to hopefully increase my power and fuel efficiency I just don't know what those do to your engine or computer or how bad they are

And zj
Your right but since it's not a trail only rig I do have to try and keep my mpg higher. Because I can honestly tell u I wouldent care if I was driving a full size with 35s and only getting 13 but I'm really not I'm driving alittle "fuel efficient" jeep which I think is what bothers me because I bought it expecting 16 17 many even 18 but I'm at 12.9 right now lol and when I say seats folded down I mean the rear seats folded forward to make a flat area

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Are you trying to sleep in the back? And I have been running a power chip from Jet with good results.

 

[Mr Nice Guy]

Yeah I did sleep in tue back, lol me and the girlfriend did and it was alittle more cramped then i was expecting. I coul see how it could be comfortable with a rtt but that's out of my budget for awhile because it wouldn't get used often with a truck u throw a Calvin it build a removable sleepingnplatforn and your good to go and it's like 6+ft as opposed to the 5 my jeep is

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Tents are cheap and easy to set up. If the girlfriend opposes, find one who doesn't.

 

[BEVAN]

^ Haha, Is there any way to "Like" The above Comment ? Yeah there are several affordable 1 min set up tents that sleep 4 on the market today...

Your friends are lying to you, No way they are getting 17 mpg in the trucks you described (unless it's hwy MPG In perfect conditions) -Sounds like you have your mind made up about selling the Jeep and getting a truck.

 

[Joker]

From what you are describing you don’t need a full sized truck, you want a full sized truck. If you are not doing any of the following like towing a 24’ fiberglass boat, hauling a ton of gear for extended excursions or have multiple passengers like spouse two kids and a dog then you do not need a full size truck.

Oh and before you buy something for gas savings figure out how much interest you are going to pay each month, probably between $50 and $100 depending on how much you finance and your credit rating. Then add the increase in your insurance and you may find it’s a lot cheaper to throw a few extra gallons at it each month.

Just a suggestion but post this question a few forms down in the “Domestic – Full Size” section and see what they have to say. My guess is you’ll hear a lot of the same.

 

[Mr Nice Guy]

From what you are describing you don’t need a full sized truck, you want a full sized truck. If you are not doing any of the following like towing a 24’ fiberglass boat, hauling a ton of gear for extended excursions or have multiple passengers like spouse two kids and a dog then you do not need a full size truck.

Oh and before you buy something for gas savings figure out how much interest you are going to pay each month, probably between $50 and $100 depending on how much you finance and your credit rating. Then add the increase in your insurance and you may find it’s a lot cheaper to throw a few extra gallons at it each month.

Just a suggestion but post this question a few forms down in the “Domestic – Full Size” section and see what they have to say. My guess is you’ll hear a lot of the same.

ig your right, it is more of a want then a need which i kinda figured but didnt wanna admit lol. and good point on the interest, those are the things i mean i never seem to think of the little stuff like that.

 

[bob91yj]

I'll agree you don't NEED a truck, and there is no way that your buddies are driving V-8 trucks like a bat out of hell and getting 17MPG.

Your current rig will get you to some places that you'd never expect it to. My vote is to keep it, do what you need to do to it to MEET YOUR NEEDS, not what your buddies think you should do to it. I know too many people that built monster off road vehicles because they were told that's what they HAD to have and they ended up hating them. Generally speaking, any off road improvement is going to have a negative effect on it being a daily driver. If stock is getting you where you need to get to right now, catch up on all the maintenance, skid plate the hell out of it and go have fun!

As you build your rig, remember that cheap parts are cheap for a reason, build it right the first time!

Get a quality 3 season tent to camp in, if the weather gets really crappy, you know that two of you can sleep in the back of the Jeep if need be.

 

[Mr Nice Guy]

Thanks all for the helpful imput everyone I know this site is awesome and full of a bunch of good people who know what they are talking about.

Iv also made my decision and I will be keeping it. The biggest pain is the gas but after mulling it over I realize that when I'm done with payments it will open up alot of cash which well were better to spend then on the jeep and its gas tank lol.. I am going to start looking into skids and a small lift; because it will be a DD and my weekend ninja (I'm more ofa ninja then a warrior) project I'll really only be looking for a 4.5in lift with 31s or many 32s and a trim. Plus since I wot be taking on another car payment I can just spend alittle cash on a 5 speed something and use that as my get to and from vehicle which will also loosen up some cash that way.

The only thing I can't seem to figure out a good way of doing is a small power increase which I have time to figure out I just wouldn't be surprised if I was back here asking lol

 

[Brigitta]

Glad to hear your keeping the WJ, it will be much more versatile than the truck if you plan on going off road verses just camping. I didn't see where you mentioned what your intentions where for the WJ other than being a DD.

I would suggest also joining jeepforum.com and checking out their WJ forum (http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f310/) You can get a lot more vehicle specific info there.

I'd also invest in a tent that everyone fits into, and a new air mattress. Sleeping in the WJ may be convenient but doesn't allow you to change clothes, stretch out.... Tents now a days set up in a matter of minutes and take up little space.

I'm sure with the back seat folded down you'll have plenty of room for the dog, tent, and air mattress