Jeep XJ Overlanding dilemma

[KaceZander]

Hello all.

I'm having a dilemma in my overland vehicle of choice. Currently I own a 1999 Jeep Wrangler TJ and a 2001 Jeep Cherokee XJ. I bought the Wrangler first and quickly found it was a bit too small for long camping trips so I went on to my Jeep Cherokee which has a lot more room for longer trips. I personally like to keep everything within the vehicle so the XJ makes more sense for my needs than the TJ. The XJ is mechanically(engine and trans) sound but at one point it was rolled over and has many small dents. I got the XJ very cheap($600) so I said what the heck and bought it. Now my trail and overloading needs are pretty much set which are i'm either camping/trailing within 3 hours from home or going on long 8-25hrs road trips. I have an opportunity to get a Chevy astro van AWD very cheap but will soon need an engine swap(I don't mind it since it make me feel better with a new engine anyways). My plans is to get an Jeep Cherokee XJ with a nice body and low miles and swap everything from the current XJ to the new one for trailing and daily driver and use the Astro Van for long family trips.

If you had you choice to pick 2 of the 3 vehicles for trailing and long camping trips what would be your setup?

 

[SheepnJeep]

I too have a great running Cherokee that I am thinking of doing a complete body/chassis swap. Our neighbors bought the jeep new so I know its entire mechanical history which is nice. Unfortunately it has quite a bit of rust on the passengers side. Tons of nicely bodied Cherokees here in MT to pick from. Could probably find one already stripped of engine, trans or interior and go from there. XJs are small, but a pretty great package overall especially for smaller trips.

I have totally removed the back seat from my Cherokee and put a piece of plywood over the floor to make it flat. Its a little tight but I can sleep on the diagonal during long road trips. There is actually a lot of space in a Cherokee IMO particularly if you take out the back seat and move the spare to a swing away carrier outside. I have also been thinking about popping out the passengers side seat for a big solo trip and using that area for either a sleep platform or mounting my cooler.

The Astro van is an okay vehicle and I have quite a big of experience off road driving one in college. It was great for loading 4-5 students into with field gear for a days worth of work, but kind of a pig off the road. It didn't fit well in two tracks and we got very dismal mileage out of it. Fine for getting places on the highway but not so great when loaded down and off the pavement. It might be a good deal for toting the family along on over the road trips, especially if you would be driving in the winter.

 

[Se7en62]

At a glance, it seems like you may want to just pool your resources and sell all of those projects and focus on one rig. - Buy a good, solid XJ for a few grand and build off of that. I just bought my '97 4dr 4x4 5-Spd for $1,600 with only 143k on the clock.