Dirt Rider
Well-known member
If Ted likes it, thats good enough for me! plus I like the idea of a manual and a diesel!
What do you think about this non-street legal “Jeep” clone?
- Thread starter AbleGuy
- Start date
Happy Joe
Apprentice Geezer
...Looked at them;
IF I had any more left over flattie/CJ VIN numbers and titles I would likely have one as builder;
Drop in decent axles (late Scout D44s) front and rear,
Decent gears and ARBS,
an injected Ford 5.0 HO, or equivalent small light v-8.
A set of 16" wide Boggers,
4 wheel, 1/2-3/4 ton, disk brakes,
An AX15 tranny,
An Atlas or re-geared Dana 300 transfer case,
Triangulated 4 link suspension front and rear...
And it would likely be FUN...
...Worked well on old CJs...
Enjoy!
IF I had any more left over flattie/CJ VIN numbers and titles I would likely have one as builder;
Drop in decent axles (late Scout D44s) front and rear,
Decent gears and ARBS,
an injected Ford 5.0 HO, or equivalent small light v-8.
A set of 16" wide Boggers,
4 wheel, 1/2-3/4 ton, disk brakes,
An AX15 tranny,
An Atlas or re-geared Dana 300 transfer case,
Triangulated 4 link suspension front and rear...
And it would likely be FUN...
...Worked well on old CJs...
Enjoy!
I've owned a few Jeeps over the years to include a 46 Willys and a 2001 Wrangler. Couple CJ5 and 7 rigs too. I've always liked the Jeep as a utilitarian vehicle.
Then Jeeps got luxurious and the toy of yupsters with money but no interest in off roading. Now they are $45,000 highway toys.
This is why the Roxor appeals to me. A traditional Jeep back when Jeeps were Jeeps and not highway rigs.
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Then Jeeps got luxurious and the toy of yupsters with money but no interest in off roading. Now they are $45,000 highway toys.
This is why the Roxor appeals to me. A traditional Jeep back when Jeeps were Jeeps and not highway rigs.
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HayStax
Member
My buddy picked one up this summer and it is really fun. The diesel engine is perfect, nice low range. It’s a neat little package. Way quieter than a SxS, no belts to worry about, waaay better mileage. Still needs a few accessories for winter but everything on it is cheaper than Polaris or Can Am accessories. I’m embarrassed to admit that it has my FJ40 beat for the cool toy factor, and I’d swap for that engine in a heartbeat.
Unless you are looking at Razors or Mavericks, this is way better than utility SxS offerings. The Kubota is king for work but heavy and slow. Rangers are garbage and Defenders are stupid expensive. I bet there are gonna be a lot more Roxors sold here than UTVs soon.
Jeep wouldn’t have sued them if they didn’t think they were gonna sell a ******** ton of them here in the States.
Unless you are looking at Razors or Mavericks, this is way better than utility SxS offerings. The Kubota is king for work but heavy and slow. Rangers are garbage and Defenders are stupid expensive. I bet there are gonna be a lot more Roxors sold here than UTVs soon.
Jeep wouldn’t have sued them if they didn’t think they were gonna sell a ******** ton of them here in the States.
shade
Well-known member
I don't know about that. They get all kinds of fussy about that grill design, don't they?
givemethewillys
Jonathan Chouinard
Like others have said, the Roxor is the Indian evolution of the Willys Jeep, just as the JT is the American evolution of the same thing.
The early cj5 guys are pretty excited by these (myself included) because a lot of the parts interchange with the 1955-1975 models and are quite affordable. I'm planning on swapping in the swinging pedals on my '57.
In VA, the Mahindra dealer tells me that it costs about $1500 to make a Roxor street legal. There's also tuners that disable the speed governor and increase the horsepower substantially. To me, the prospective buyers of these aren't the same as those of the Razor. The Roxor buyer wants an old Jeep, but also wants a warranty and the ability to drive it rather than work on it.
The early cj5 guys are pretty excited by these (myself included) because a lot of the parts interchange with the 1955-1975 models and are quite affordable. I'm planning on swapping in the swinging pedals on my '57.
In VA, the Mahindra dealer tells me that it costs about $1500 to make a Roxor street legal. There's also tuners that disable the speed governor and increase the horsepower substantially. To me, the prospective buyers of these aren't the same as those of the Razor. The Roxor buyer wants an old Jeep, but also wants a warranty and the ability to drive it rather than work on it.
Retro motorcycles are a thing. It only makes sense that a retro Jeep would be popular with a similar set of consumers.
Good info on the parts interchangeable stuff. That will definitely make the vintage owners happy.
As you mention, there are several ways to get around the governed 45 or 55 mph speed limit. Apparently you can simply unplug the speed sensor on the 2018 models. The gauge won't work but you'll be able to drive faster. The 2019 model will require an ECU flash. Once flashed it will apparently go 70+ miles an hour.
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Lol so I went to the closest dealer to take a spin. Walked around and kicked the tires on the one 2018 on the lot. We jumped in to go for a test drive.
Immediately upon pulling out of the parking lot the check engine light comes on and we lose power. Flooring the peddle made the engine bog badly as did pretty much anything other than idle.
The poor salesman still tried to keep it happening. Told me the rig has a two year warranty and they will fix the rig Tuesday. I told him there should be nothing to fix because the rig was brand new and shouldn't need warranty work from sitting on the lot. I live 140 miles from the dealer and took the check engine light as a sign of things to come. Do I want to have to trailer a rig 280 miles (maybe 560 if it has to be left there) every time it needs work?
Too bad. I like the way these look and the classic design appeals to me. I guess Mahindra cloned the Jeep right down to the reliability....
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Immediately upon pulling out of the parking lot the check engine light comes on and we lose power. Flooring the peddle made the engine bog badly as did pretty much anything other than idle.
The poor salesman still tried to keep it happening. Told me the rig has a two year warranty and they will fix the rig Tuesday. I told him there should be nothing to fix because the rig was brand new and shouldn't need warranty work from sitting on the lot. I live 140 miles from the dealer and took the check engine light as a sign of things to come. Do I want to have to trailer a rig 280 miles (maybe 560 if it has to be left there) every time it needs work?
Too bad. I like the way these look and the classic design appeals to me. I guess Mahindra cloned the Jeep right down to the reliability....
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That's ridiculous. I sold a CJ7 to a kid a few months ago for $4900. He jumped in it and drove it 250 miles home. Zero issues. I just don't get how this is any better than a CJ7 for 4x the money. It's not a car so it's not regulated by the same federal warranty and recall standards. I can literally buy 4 CJs for what one of these cost or drop a used LS1 in a CJ7 for half the price and have zero mechanical issues.
And a Mahindra will never be as cool as a CJ...
And a Mahindra will never be as cool as a CJ...
Having owned Ural and Royal Enfield motorcycles, I understand that some products require a bit different expectation of quality. That's part of the "charm."
But after looking at these at the local dealer, I have decided that if and when I get one it will be the base model. The 2018 I looked at yesterday was an LE model. Apparently that's "limited edition." The rig had a nice sort of glossy silver paint with a bed liner interior. It also had a bikini top and some grab handles velcroed to the roll bar. The Warn winch was part of the package as was the winch bumper and the rig comes with BF Goodrich tires and aluminum wheels. Price was $18900 minus the $3000 rebate. Before the test drive the dealer told me I could drive it off the lot for $16250 with tax, title, set-up, etc. Had it not had the check engine light issue I might have done it.
Anyway, looking back on it; the tan color is a nice one. The dealer had a 2019 tan one on the showroom floor. All models and years have the bed liner interior. The BFG tires are something easily added once the Goodyear tires that come stock are worn bald. I don't really care about the aluminum wheels and the grab handles and bikini top can be added at any point. A winch might be a nice addition but I can install one of those myself without a whole lot of drama. No. I think the way to go is to find a base model and then spend the aluminum wheel money on lockers.
Regarding old CJ's as a better purchase; in my part of the country a decent old CJ is $7500 on up. $4500 samples exist but those usually have been wheeled hard and/or have serious wiring and/ mechanical issues. Wranglers are an option and are not as sought after as CJs. But even decent YJs that aren't beat to death are somewhere in the $6000 ballpark.
The Roxor is an old Jeep copy but with the turbo diesel twist. That's what's going to attract old Jeep guys like myself.
But after looking at these at the local dealer, I have decided that if and when I get one it will be the base model. The 2018 I looked at yesterday was an LE model. Apparently that's "limited edition." The rig had a nice sort of glossy silver paint with a bed liner interior. It also had a bikini top and some grab handles velcroed to the roll bar. The Warn winch was part of the package as was the winch bumper and the rig comes with BF Goodrich tires and aluminum wheels. Price was $18900 minus the $3000 rebate. Before the test drive the dealer told me I could drive it off the lot for $16250 with tax, title, set-up, etc. Had it not had the check engine light issue I might have done it.
Anyway, looking back on it; the tan color is a nice one. The dealer had a 2019 tan one on the showroom floor. All models and years have the bed liner interior. The BFG tires are something easily added once the Goodyear tires that come stock are worn bald. I don't really care about the aluminum wheels and the grab handles and bikini top can be added at any point. A winch might be a nice addition but I can install one of those myself without a whole lot of drama. No. I think the way to go is to find a base model and then spend the aluminum wheel money on lockers.
Regarding old CJ's as a better purchase; in my part of the country a decent old CJ is $7500 on up. $4500 samples exist but those usually have been wheeled hard and/or have serious wiring and/ mechanical issues. Wranglers are an option and are not as sought after as CJs. But even decent YJs that aren't beat to death are somewhere in the $6000 ballpark.
The Roxor is an old Jeep copy but with the turbo diesel twist. That's what's going to attract old Jeep guys like myself.
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shade
Well-known member
I think the success of the Roxor will hinge on that point. If you want a CJ-ish vehicle that you already plan to modify to the point of trailering it, and you don't want to deal with whatever remains available of the original CJ stock, the Roxor may be a good choice.
Is it impossible to make one street legal, at least to the point that it would be covered like OHV traffic is allowed in some areas? That'd help sell them, too.
I asked the dealer about legalizing one. The salesman said it is a pretty simple process. The rig needs rearview mirror(s) as well as brake lights and a rear-mounted license plate that includes illumination. Then it needs to be specifically registered with DMV as dual use.
Of course this varies from state to state. Some places will likely have more requirements. Others probably fewer. And some states will probably not allow an offroad vehicle to be used on public roads at all.
The most surefire way to go, as mentioned, is to find a smashed CJ or YJ and register the Roxor as whatever the wrecked vehicle was. I assume that would require a salvage title. But then again that may not be legal in some jurisdictions.
Lots of questions but I'm sure it will all get sorted as more Roxors are sold.
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shade
Well-known member
I doubt that's legal anywhere in the U.S. DMVs and insurance companies get tetchy over VINs. If the two were actually combined in a way that satisfied any legal requirements, it'd probably negate any advantage to buying a Roxor in the first place.
pugslyyy
Expedition Vehicle Engineer Guy
Yeah that would be VIN cloning/swapping, which is totally illegal.