RTW in an XJ

[sp4mike]

I'll skip the back story for now, but what are your thoughts on using an XJ to go around the world?

They are dirt simple to work on, minimal electrics.
Super cheap, more money for travel and junk.
(kind of) world availability. Built in the US, Venezuela, Argentina, Egypt, and China. Also sold in Europe and Australia.
Easy to modify.
Pretty reliable (more then some, less then others)


The only downsides I can think of are:

Trouble keeping cool (hood lift, and aluminium radiator, but still struggle with AC in the super hot temps.)
Getting hard to find a clean ow mileage one.
"frame" needs strengthening. Not hard to do, but I figured I would mention it.

What say you?

 

[java]

I always thought the XXXpedition XJ was really nicely done.

http://www.xxxpedition.com/ its buried on thier site. They took it all over!

 

[Dan Grec]

Any vehicle will work as an RTW platform, of course they all have pros and cons.

There is no such thing as "perfect", only "right for you".

Sven of http://www.xxxpedition.com/ took an XJ to many countries, before he rolled it in Australia. He's got a JK now, thread here: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/24093-Project-XXX

Good luck!

-Dan

 

[sp4mike]

Ouch, that website is painful to navigate!

 

[Longtallsally]

Depending on you storage needs, how difficult the terrain you wish to travel, budget (obviously), and how long you want to be on the road or how fast you want to go, I'd think a 4cyl YJ would be a great choice.

Before I get jumped on for such a statement, I'll draw the correlation to motorcycles. I LOVE my GSA, but for a RTW trip I'd probably prefer a KLR. The KLR is truly a duct tape and bailing wire simple machine and is quite the cockroach in the bike world.

Coming back to Jeeps, the YJ takes the XJs simplicity to another level. Also the economy of the XJ blows. Not that the YJ is leaps better, the 4cyl can get 20 mph driven at pretty slow speeds and is as complex as a hammer. You can weld anything that snaps, carry a few spares that might be harder to get, and not worry about a unibody that will turn into a flounder by the end of a very long journey.

Now if you want to travel in more comfort and convenience, ignore the above.

 

[sp4mike]

Depending on you storage needs, how difficult the terrain you wish to travel, budget (obviously), and how long you want to be on the road or how fast you want to go, I'd think a 4cyl YJ would be a great choice.

Before I get jumped on for such a statement, I'll draw the correlation to motorcycles. I LOVE my GSA, but for a RTW trip I'd probably prefer a KLR. The KLR is truly a duct tape and bailing wire simple machine and is quite the cockroach in the bike world.

Coming back to Jeeps, the YJ takes the XJs simplicity to another level. Also the economy of the XJ blows. Not that the YJ is leaps better, the 4cyl can get 20 mph driven at pretty slow speeds and is as complex as a hammer. You can weld anything that snaps, carry a few spares that might be harder to get, and not worry about a unibody that will turn into a flounder by the end of a very long journey.

Very good points, but I have a couple nits to pick though. My old XJ with 6.5 inches of lift and 32" BFG AT's got 20mpg in the mountains of western VA, so that point is kind of moot. Also, outside of serious dana 60 38"+ rubber wheeling, have you seen the unibody ever have trouble on an XJ? Especially one that is reinforced? Not saying that it hasn't happened, I just haven't seen it. Before I sold my XJ I spent a lot of time on NAXJA.

Good choice on the KLR though. If my wife cared enough to learn to ride that would be the way we went RTW...KLRs or DR650's. I thought about doing it in a sidecar, but if I can't lean, I think I would rather have all the conveniences of a full suv/truck.

 

[squareaffair]

being on my third xj, i would say its a great platform. you can reduce the under hood heat issue with going with a standard transmission (or a trans cooler in addition to an upgraded rad on the aw4 auto), in terms of low mileage, they are out there, there were millions of them made globally, and gas mileage can be manageable (i regularly get 18-20 mpg) if you don't go overboard on mods. I would say the biggest issue is actually storage and capacity - the cherokee is not that big and for going around the world you might want additional storage. reliability can be a bit subjective and dependent on what mods you have done and what specific year cherokee you go with, but cost of repairs is very reasonable compared to say a land rover or toyota

 

[Jim K in PA]

I have an '05 LJ Rubicon, a '96 XJ 4 door 5 speed, and a '95 YJ 2.5. I also have an '07 XK with a Hemi, but it's not fair to include it in this comparison.

I would use the above order in terms of preference for RTW, with the XJ and LJ being in a near tie. The YJ is leaf sprung front and rear, the XJ leaf/coil, and the LJ all coil. Depending on whether you are talking stock/mild lift or a lift 3" or great, that will make the choice easier. I prefer coil/multi-link for ride and off road performance (articulation), but for RTW you really should not worry about articulation that much. The YJ has a 2.5" RE spring lift, and it is brutal on rough roads. I have a 2.5" OME lift in the LJ, and absolutely love it.

The interior room of the XJ is roughly equivalent to the interior of the LJ. LJ might have a bit more height with the hard top. Neither is "spacious" depending on your standards and what you really need to take with you. Either are fine for two people. If you have more than two to travel, then I would look elsewhere (Tahoe/Suburban, etc.)

The XJ gets much better mileage than either my LJ or the old YJ 4 cylinder. Typically low 20s with the AX-15 and 3.55 gears, 30" tires (all stock and 144k miles).

I think an XJ would be perfectly fine to take around the country or around the world, as long as you have it properly sorted before you leave. If you already know the vehicle well, then that is worth a lot more than having a "world wide availability" vehicle like a Toyota. If you don't know what broke, you are still reliant on others to fix it! If you have a major failure in a far off location, you will have to deal with parts availability no matter what country your vehicle was built in.

Take what you know, that has been properly sorted, and you are comfortable in/with. It's more about the journey than the wagon you take it in.

 

[sp4mike]

I have an '05 LJ Rubicon, a '96 XJ 4 door 5 speed, and a '95 YJ 2.5. I also have an '07 XK with a Hemi, but it's not fair to include it in this comparison.

I would use the above order in terms of preference for RTW, with the XJ and LJ being in a near tie. The YJ is leaf sprung front and rear, the XJ leaf/coil, and the LJ all coil. Depending on whether you are talking stock/mild lift or a lift 3" or great, that will make the choice easier. I prefer coil/multi-link for ride and off road performance (articulation), but for RTW you really should not worry about articulation that much. The YJ has a 2.5" RE spring lift, and it is brutal on rough roads. I have a 2.5" OME lift in the LJ, and absolutely love it.

The interior room of the XJ is roughly equivalent to the interior of the LJ. LJ might have a bit more height with the hard top. Neither is "spacious" depending on your standards and what you really need to take with you. Either are fine for two people. If you have more than two to travel, then I would look elsewhere (Tahoe/Suburban, etc.)

The XJ gets much better mileage than either my LJ or the old YJ 4 cylinder. Typically low 20s with the AX-15 and 3.55 gears, 30" tires (all stock and 144k miles).

I think an XJ would be perfectly fine to take around the country or around the world, as long as you have it properly sorted before you leave. If you already know the vehicle well, then that is worth a lot more than having a "world wide availability" vehicle like a Toyota. If you don't know what broke, you are still reliant on others to fix it! If you have a major failure in a far off location, you will have to deal with parts availability no matter what country your vehicle was built in.

Take what you know, that has been properly sorted, and you are comfortable in/with. It's more about the journey than the wagon you take it in.

Some great info! I didn't realize the LJ is close to the same size inside as the XJ. I owned the XJ for ~6 years, so I am pretty comfortable working on it. I also owned a '99 TJ for 4 years, but it was all stock. The other option was for me to buy a Tacoma. But I think you are right, knowing a vehicle is more important then parts availability.

Might as well get into some back story to make this somewhat interesting (to me anyway!). I've been into off-roading for many years, but was always to broke to properly enjoy it. I bought the XJ and went on some crazy adventures in it and that led me here. Money always being an issue (and kids), all of my trips were short. I got into motorcycles because they were even cheaper. I love motorcycles, but my wife does not. She tried riding but no matter how much coaching she got or how many classes she took she could never shake the fear. I'm finally making enough money to start funding a RTW adventure lasting over a year or two departing about 4 years from now (last kid graduates). This is the super duper early planning stages and since the motorcycles are out, I need something with doors, and an auto. Wifey hates driving stick. Mostly cause her legs are about an inch long and she has to eat the steering wheel to reach the pedals.

I instantly thought of Land Rover. But with no 110's available here, and LR's track record for reliability that was quickly scratched. Next I went to FJ80's and 100's. There are a few issues with both, but mostly it's hard to find the perfectly equipped 1997 FJ80 with factory lockers and low miles, (or any 80 with low miles) so the 80 was out. The 100 is really nice, but anything sub 100,000 miles is pushing $20k. That's in the budget, but after seeing sub 100k XJ's for $7,000 that leaves a lot to be desired for the Cruiser. It's the same story with the Tacoma. I've seen some sub 100k models for around $13-15k, so that's better, but then I would have to learn to work on a whole new platform. Is the taco that much better where it would be worth it? Looking at the prices on the LJ, they are about the same as the taco. I would actually prefer the LJ because I loved my TJ so much. But there are a lot of mods you can do to an XJ for the price difference! You could have a fully sorted XJ for the price of an LJ. But the LJ is a good 5-7 years newer, and a better platform to begin with so maybe it's worth it?

Much hair pulling is in my future!

 

[AFSOC]

I'll skip the back story for now, but what are your thoughts on using an XJ to go around the world?

I own and love my '99 XJ. It is all ExPo'd out with the right gadgetry. I loathe the idea of taking it across the state let alone RTW. It is a fun and capable trail rig and bolster's my ExPoser image with its OME heavies, Curry steering, Warm M8000, tire swing and armor but it's no picnic on long distances even with new 31X10.50s. As stated in previous posts, the MPG never, if ever, tops 15, its loud, has very few creature comforts and the brakes (I use the term loosely) are barely adequate. True, it is bone simple to repair, extremely reliable, parts are widely available and very inexpensive but I just think after a matter of weeks you would learn to hate the XJ.

Let me reiterate, I love my XJ, but it has its role.

 

[sp4mike]

I own and love my '99 XJ. It is all ExPo'd out with the right gadgetry. I loathe the idea of taking it across the state let alone RTW. It is a fun and capable trail rig and bolster's my ExPoser image with its OME heavies, Curry steering, Warm M8000, tire swing and armor but it's no picnic on long distances even with new 31X10.50s. As stated in previous posts, the MPG never, if ever, tops 15, its loud, has very few creature comforts and the brakes (I use the term loosely) are barely adequate. True, it is bone simple to repair, extremely reliable, parts are widely available and very inexpensive but I just think after a matter of weeks you would learn to hate the XJ.

Let me reiterate, I love my XJ, but it has its role.

Different strokes for different folks I guess. I drove my 6.5" Long Armed 32x11.50 BFG ATed XJ (with all the armor from JCR on it) from Ohio to NC, up to VA, then back to NC, then back to Ohio (I was in the Army and moved around a lot). And tons of overnight wheeling trips in between. Sure, it's no caddy, but it's not that bad! I averaged 20mpg on the freeway too. I could also lock up all 4 tires on dry pavement at will. I understand that my Jeep was in the minority, but what rig in this class gets much over 15-20 anyway? Most 80 series struggle to stay in the teens when loaded for RTW. What more fuel efficient option is there?

Thanks for your post though, it's always good to hear different opinions!

 

[Singlespeed92]

I own and love my '99 XJ. It is all ExPo'd out with the right gadgetry. I loathe the idea of taking it across the state let alone RTW. It is a fun and capable trail rig and bolster's my ExPoser image with its OME heavies, Curry steering, Warm M8000, tire swing and armor but it's no picnic on long distances even with new 31X10.50s. As stated in previous posts, the MPG never, if ever, tops 15, its loud, has very few creature comforts and the brakes (I use the term loosely) are barely adequate. True, it is bone simple to repair, extremely reliable, parts are widely available and very inexpensive but I just think after a matter of weeks you would learn to hate the XJ.

Let me reiterate, I love my XJ, but it has its role.

Just a note on MPG's you qouted. Granted,mine's bone stock except for an upsize to 235/75-15" tires,but if you're never topping 15mpg's,you have problems somewhere...mine routinely averages 19.8 to in the 22's (with a best of 22.79MPG's,which I've hit twice) with the 4.0L/automatic (it's a '98 model)...I can't really argue any other points you made,LOL,they are loud,the brakes do suck (especially on trail after a few dunkings in mud or creeks),and despite having had mine 300 miles 1 way from home (mostly interstate,to visit a friend for the weekend last month)...it wasn't the most pleasant trip I've had (not the worst either though....the first rig I owned was a '78 Peterbuilt cabover with spring ride suspension back around '97 and no cruise control that I drove cross country for almost a year,that would probably be the worst )-it would have been better had I replaced the entire sound system before the trip (I have since),had the cruise control working then (it does now) and had the a/c fixed (it does now too),but it will never be as nice an interstate ride as my wife's '11 V6 Camry which will easily cruise along at triple digit speeds with the a/c freezing you until you get caught with nary a strain Just my 2 cents on the mileage thing.

 

[Dan Grec]

Depending on you storage needs, how difficult the terrain you wish to travel, budget (obviously), and how long you want to be on the road or how fast you want to go, I'd think a 4cyl YJ would be a great choice.

Before I get jumped on for such a statement, I'll draw the correlation to motorcycles. I LOVE my GSA, but for a RTW trip I'd probably prefer a KLR. The KLR is truly a duct tape and bailing wire simple machine and is quite the cockroach in the bike world.

Coming back to Jeeps, the YJ takes the XJs simplicity to another level. Also the economy of the XJ blows. Not that the YJ is leaps better, the 4cyl can get 20 mph driven at pretty slow speeds and is as complex as a hammer. You can weld anything that snaps, carry a few spares that might be harder to get, and not worry about a unibody that will turn into a flounder by the end of a very long journey.

Now if you want to travel in more comfort and convenience, ignore the above.

I drove a 4-cyl 2000 TJ 40,000miles through 17 countries from Alaska to Argentina.
It never had a single mechanical issue, and was an absolute blast to drive. I can't imagine a more fun 4 wheeled vehicle actually.
In my opinion, it was the perfect vehicle, so I tend to agree the YJ would be excellent too

-Dan

 

[BlurpleXJ]

Some great info! I didn't realize the LJ is close to the same size inside as the XJ. I owned the XJ for ~6 years, so I am pretty comfortable working on it. I also owned a '99 TJ for 4 years, but it was all stock. The other option was for me to buy a Tacoma. But I think you are right, knowing a vehicle is more important then parts availability.

Might as well get into some back story to make this somewhat interesting (to me anyway!). I've been into off-roading for many years, but was always to broke to properly enjoy it. I bought the XJ and went on some crazy adventures in it and that led me here. Money always being an issue (and kids), all of my trips were short. I got into motorcycles because they were even cheaper. I love motorcycles, but my wife does not. She tried riding but no matter how much coaching she got or how many classes she took she could never shake the fear. I'm finally making enough money to start funding a RTW adventure lasting over a year or two departing about 4 years from now (last kid graduates). This is the super duper early planning stages and since the motorcycles are out, I need something with doors, and an auto. Wifey hates driving stick. Mostly cause her legs are about an inch long and she has to eat the steering wheel to reach the pedals.

I instantly thought of Land Rover. But with no 110's available here, and LR's track record for reliability that was quickly scratched. Next I went to FJ80's and 100's. There are a few issues with both, but mostly it's hard to find the perfectly equipped 1997 FJ80 with factory lockers and low miles, (or any 80 with low miles) so the 80 was out. The 100 is really nice, but anything sub 100,000 miles is pushing $20k. That's in the budget, but after seeing sub 100k XJ's for $7,000 that leaves a lot to be desired for the Cruiser. It's the same story with the Tacoma. I've seen some sub 100k models for around $13-15k, so that's better, but then I would have to learn to work on a whole new platform. Is the taco that much better where it would be worth it? Looking at the prices on the LJ, they are about the same as the taco. I would actually prefer the LJ because I loved my TJ so much. But there are a lot of mods you can do to an XJ for the price difference! You could have a fully sorted XJ for the price of an LJ. But the LJ is a good 5-7 years newer, and a better platform to begin with so maybe it's worth it?

Much hair pulling is in my future!

I say stay with the XJ and go roaming. The low cost for the capability is what got me back into XJs.

I think as long as you addressed a few known weak points, and carried a few critical spares, you'd be fine. Same as any other vehicle. In the XJ's case I wouldn't put much worry towards the engine, but the sensors are another matter. For my money I'd do a full refresh on the engine bay grounds and upgrade the electrical mains - did mine through 5-90 on NAXJA. Great time to install a 136A ZJ alt if you're adding a lot of electrical draw. Then install some thicker-gauge headlight wiring. Find some factory skids for it, slap on a DPG OME lift kit, and install some good ATs. 235/75/15s or 30" ones if you're staying with the 3.55 gears. Maybe find an aftermarket winch bumper that ties into the pseudo-frame to help shore up the area around the steering box. If you're already doing stiffeners, no problem. Get a tire carrier to open up a little more interior space, maybe a roof rack if necessary. You're got yourself a very capable little platform.

FWIW I think the XJ is a fine distance platform - I drove mine 2000+ miles from NC to UT in just over two days to go to Moab, and after five days of trails drove her all the way back. No issues from a 220,000 mile truck, though I did take some time to make sure she was in good mechanical shape. If I was carrying a o wife or girlfriend though, I probably would have sprung for some junkyard ZJ seats - comfort! You have four years, so you have plenty of time to do some shakedown runs and get her tuned to your tastes.

 

[stolz]

The only thing that has worried me is the thought of breaking down in a foreign country. Do most country's have Jeep parts?