"Tristan" (casselts)
05/13/2018 at 23:32 • Filed to: Just tell him to keep the XJ
0
28|
"Tristan" (casselts)
05/13/2018 at 23:32 • Filed to: Just tell him to keep the XJ | 0
| 28 |
In the woods near Estacada, OR.
Lend me your attention, Oppo, and humor my musings...
Lately, I haven’t felt much love for my Jeep. It’s slow, uncomfortable, the AC quit working AGAIN, the seats hurt my back, it’s cramped (especially with a car seat), and most of all it’s a blood death trap. No sway bars, tin foil construction, and all of the crash safety and rollover protection of 1983. It can’t tow a trailer, it’s an awful daily driver, it’s bad at being a kid hauler, and the only time it ever shines is the 2 or 3 days out of the year I actually get to wander off into the woods.
I’ve owned this particular Jeep since about 2 weeks before I met my wife. It was pieced together with bits of a blue ‘95 Jeep that I’d had since 2002ish. So all in all, I’ve owned it for 16ish years- or at least I’ve owned the engine and front axle for 16 years.
Such a good Jeep, murdered in its prime by years of New York and Minnesota salt.
That jeep I miss dearly. It was more comfy than the ‘97, and had a great deal of sentimental value. The new one, other than being our wedding getaway, hasn’t played a major role in our lives. I’ve done a great deal of wrenching on it... It was originally automatic/2wd and had a tan interior. Now it’s manual, 4x4 and has a black interior.
The alternative?
Picture from the Craigslist ad when I sold it. It sure looked pretty.
I owned one for a short while and replaced it with the Suburban. It could tow, it was comfy, and it had a somewhat usable back seat. It also had real pillars and much better safety credentials (save for the splody gas tank, but there would be a hitch).
Something along these lines would be perfect!
Would I be stupid to ditch the XJ and the Burban to get another WJ Overland? It would be a good daily, a small lift and bigger tires would make it as capable as I need it to be for my woods exploration, the 4.7 H.O. tows like a beast... Should I remember why I sold the one I had and stop remembering it with rose colored glasses? Would I kick myself for selling a vehicle I have so much history with? Should I get off the computer and go work on my car so I can drive it to the Oppo meet this Saturday?
DipodomysDeserti
> Tristan
05/13/2018 at 23:58 |
|
One truck that can do the job of two is a always a good route. Of course I daily a two door Wrangler with two carseats in the back, so my opinion may be invalid.
|
Tristan
> DipodomysDeserti
05/14/2018 at 00:02 |
|
A lot of my life is limited by the fact that I’m 6'7"... What cars I fit in, where I buy pants and shoes, what airline tickets I buy, how long I’ll probably live... I’d totally do something smaller if I could A. fit and B. not have to contort myself into awful, back pain inducing positions to make it happen.
The sale of the XJ and Suburban would buy me a WJ and the Mrs. a minivan or Rav4 or whatever- she intends to quit her job and relinquish her company car when baby #2 comes along.
|
DipodomysDeserti
> Tristan
05/14/2018 at 00:10 |
|
6'7"! Fucking hell!. You’re about a foot taler than me, so my opinion is definitely invalid. [jumps up to give a high five]
|
Tristan
> DipodomysDeserti
05/14/2018 at 00:19 |
|
[Stretches on tip toes holding the highest of high fives]
AestheticsInMotion
> Tristan
05/14/2018 at 00:24 |
|
Any similar vehicles outside of the jeep family that might catch your interest?
slipperysallylikespenguins
> Tristan
05/14/2018 at 00:32 |
|
As someone who dailies a 96 XJ, I disagree with every complaint you have. That said, if you don’t feel it anymore then why not try something else? Perhaps Landcruiser?
HammerheadFistpunch
> Tristan
05/14/2018 at 00:40 |
|
I had a 91 xj and drive a white 4.0 a lot and were it my choice... I’d take the wj over the xj. So much smoother on trail, so much more comfy on road and more useful.
boxrocket
> Tristan
05/14/2018 at 06:24 |
|
Early WK2s have gotten pretty darn cheap for the money. Why not splurge and get something with more than an airbag or two? Definitely more comfortable, as well.
XJDano
> Tristan
05/14/2018 at 07:30 |
|
I parked my Jeep when I started dating my wife. And it seemed I was just putting money into it more than enjoying it.
I also had a beater XJ as a DD and beat that up. Got some car DD ever since.
I thought about ditching my XJ a few times, but I’ll be using it again soon. The kids will get a kick out of it now that they will be out of 5 point car seats.
adamftw
> Tristan
05/14/2018 at 07:42 |
|
WJs are just as old and shitty as XJs now.
nermal
> Tristan
05/14/2018 at 08:20 |
|
Have you considered selling your XJ and Suburban, and then using that $$$ for the down payment on a new Power Wagon with a 96 month loan?
That should hit all of your size / reliability / off-roading / etc requirements, and the payment won’t be that much.
Future next gen S2000 owner
> Tristan
05/14/2018 at 09:17 |
|
You may kick yourself but you will forget all about it when the ride is 10 times better. Sell it, buy something else. What about something else with off road credentials?
|
Tristan
> nermal
05/14/2018 at 11:28 |
|
I live in the land of half million dollar mortgages. Since paying off my student loans several years back, mortgages are the only debt I ever want to have. Plus, my fickleness with cars means I’d want something different in 2 years and I’d have negative equity. Part of what makes my car swapping habits economically feasible is buying things at or near the bottom of their depreciation curve so I either loose very little or make a few bucks when I move on.
|
Tristan
> Future next gen S2000 owner
05/14/2018 at 11:29 |
|
Ideas? I don’t want anything with British reliability, and I want that sweet, sweet solid axle. I’d totally go for a FSJ if it weren’t for the safety/fuel economy bit.
|
Tristan
> slipperysallylikespenguins
05/14/2018 at 11:30 |
|
Are you 6'7"? Landcruiser might work if I can get into one for cheap...
|
Tristan
> boxrocket
05/14/2018 at 11:31 |
|
Polarizing style (I’m on the “it’s hideous” pole) and IFS. Plus, Cerberus interior (also hideous).
|
Tristan
> AestheticsInMotion
05/14/2018 at 11:32 |
|
Landcruiser, maybe...
|
Tristan
> adamftw
05/14/2018 at 11:35 |
|
Much less old, IMHO... I usually date vehicles by their original release. So, the XJ is technically a 1983 vehicle, whereas the WJ is a 1999 vehicle. And much less shitty as it wasn’t a last gasp from a failing automaker. It’s a lot more structurally sound with more bracing and fat, beefy pillars. Finding one that hasn’t been driven into the ground by the 4th owner is a challenge, though.
|
Future next gen S2000 owner
> Tristan
05/14/2018 at 11:54 |
|
Does it have to be a solid front axle, that really limits your options.
Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
> Tristan
05/14/2018 at 13:25 |
|
I don’t know about the Land Cruiser, but a lot of Japanese Toyotas from that era were built for short people. I’m 6’, and I’m too tall for my 4Runner. Miata’s have more front space.
|
Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
> HammerheadFistpunch
05/14/2018 at 13:26 |
|
He said he is 6’7” in another comment, do FJ’s suffer from my 4Runner’s lack of front leg space?
|
HammerheadFistpunch
> Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
05/14/2018 at 13:33 |
|
FJ Cruisers? Yeah, they aren’t what you want if you need space. A GX470 would probably have all the space you need and more though.
|
Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
> HammerheadFistpunch
05/14/2018 at 13:36 |
|
No, I mean the 80.
|
HammerheadFistpunch
> Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
05/14/2018 at 13:38 |
|
The trouble with 80's is the front seat room, they don’y have a lot of travel in the front seats, but its a solvable issue. with seat frame adapters that move it back.
|
Tristan
> Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
05/14/2018 at 15:35 |
|
:’(
|
Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
> Tristan
05/14/2018 at 17:25 |
|
According to Hammerhead, there are aftermarket brackets. That said, it will get comparable mileage to the Suburban. With less power.
|
Tristan
> Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
05/14/2018 at 18:27 |
|
Boo!
|
boxrocket
> Tristan
05/14/2018 at 20:22 |
|
Eh, not so bad. Better than the WK...