nwoods
Expedition Leader
Or..... check out this pretty clean XJ for $3,000 here on ExPo: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/155608-For-sale-stock-1999-Jeep-Cherokee-4x4
Fly out and driver her back
Fly out and driver her back
New Jeep decision help....
- Thread starter fla_cracker
- Start date
Dan Grec
Expedition Leader
The TJ I drove 40k miles from Alaska to Argentina was a four banger, and it was awesome.
It never had a single mechanical issue, and that motor is known to be bullet proof.
Sure, it's slow going, but a Jeep is not a racecar.
-Dan
Comanche Scott
Expedition Leader
For towing & freeway driving duties in your price range, if it were me, I'd look at SUV over Wrangler.
I'm biased towards the WJ, because both my neighbor ('04 Laredo) and I ('04 Overland) have had exceptional experiences. But all models of Jeep have their weak points, so best to look very carefully.
The XJ is another Jeep people rave about. I've read a couple of articles about the simplicity and low cost of swapping a 2WD to 4WD. This could net finding a very lightly used vehicle for cheap, and give you some mechanical knowledge along the way.
There are a lot of really good, and really bad vehicles on the used market. Looking at only three different vehicles is a crap shoot, with a high percentage for failure.
Take your time to read through web forums with sub forums on models you are interested in. Jeepforums.com seems pretty good for this. So you'll know the weak points to look for when shopping.
Then drive the models you like to narrow down your choice.
Once you have your model of choice, look at as many as you can, and take notes.
When looking at used vehicles, unless I see something that absolutely knocks my socks off, I employ the 24 hour rule. After finding the vehicle I want, I'll wait 24 hours before making the final decision.
Hth,
Good luck on this! :beer:
I'm biased towards the WJ, because both my neighbor ('04 Laredo) and I ('04 Overland) have had exceptional experiences. But all models of Jeep have their weak points, so best to look very carefully.
The XJ is another Jeep people rave about. I've read a couple of articles about the simplicity and low cost of swapping a 2WD to 4WD. This could net finding a very lightly used vehicle for cheap, and give you some mechanical knowledge along the way.
There are a lot of really good, and really bad vehicles on the used market. Looking at only three different vehicles is a crap shoot, with a high percentage for failure.
Take your time to read through web forums with sub forums on models you are interested in. Jeepforums.com seems pretty good for this. So you'll know the weak points to look for when shopping.
Then drive the models you like to narrow down your choice.
Once you have your model of choice, look at as many as you can, and take notes.
When looking at used vehicles, unless I see something that absolutely knocks my socks off, I employ the 24 hour rule. After finding the vehicle I want, I'll wait 24 hours before making the final decision.
Hth,
Good luck on this! :beer:
Mitch502
Explorer
If you're mechanically inclined, a Waggy is awesome.
I'm biased towards Grand Cherokees though, since I drive one. For the price of a 5.9L ZJ, you could get a good OME lift and new tires as well as any other modifications you might want...I like Wranglers a whole lot as well, but I enjoy how much room my ZJ has over Wranglers and XJs
I'm biased towards Grand Cherokees though, since I drive one. For the price of a 5.9L ZJ, you could get a good OME lift and new tires as well as any other modifications you might want...I like Wranglers a whole lot as well, but I enjoy how much room my ZJ has over Wranglers and XJs
Desert Rat 1
Adventurer
XJ!
X5, with your plans and budget, you can have a great and very capable DD/expo Jeep Cherokee XJ.
X5, with your plans and budget, you can have a great and very capable DD/expo Jeep Cherokee XJ.
BigDaveZJ
Adventurer
For a second I thought you were suggesting a BMW X5!
Jeeper4life
Adventurer
Man that would of been cool to do!
fla_cracker
Observer
Thank you everyone for your responses. You folks always provide a great wealth of knowledge and experience to draw from.
After much reading and thinking about what my mission for the vehicle is going to be, I decided to focus on finding a WJ/ZJ or XJ. All of these vehicles have the things I am looking for. Dependability, longevity, cargo space and cost effective. There is also good aftermarket support for all of these as well.
Again, Thank you....
After much reading and thinking about what my mission for the vehicle is going to be, I decided to focus on finding a WJ/ZJ or XJ. All of these vehicles have the things I am looking for. Dependability, longevity, cargo space and cost effective. There is also good aftermarket support for all of these as well.
Again, Thank you....
Grasslakeron
Explorer
Lj all the way....
one day closer to alaska.
one day closer to alaska.