"Just Jeepin'" (macintux)
09/28/2020 at 10:35 • Filed to: unnecessary jeep shopping with jj, jeep
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"Just Jeepin'" (macintux)
09/28/2020 at 10:35 • Filed to: unnecessary jeep shopping with jj, jeep | 3
| 21 |
Shopping should be more fun than this.
On the other hand, at least I’m not desperately trying to find something because I’m currently wheel-less. Been there done that.
If somehow you’ve missed my constant whining on this subject, feel free to explore my Jeep shopping tag.
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Since this question has arisen on multiple occasions, here’s why I’m seemingly obsessed with getting another Jeep.
My favorite answer: because otherwise I’d have to change my Kinja nick, and who’s got time for that?
The start of the real answer: because my 2005 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited (LJR to those in the know) is a fragile, buggy, frustrating pile of Chrysler “quality”.
Buggy though it may be, it’s still beautiful.
Wisely, one might ask why I want to subject myself to another fragile, buggy, frustrating pile of Chrysler quality.
Partly, it’s my belief that not every Jeep is quite this fragile. I love driving my LJ. I love the open air, the high ride height, the freedom to turn down any muddy lane in the middle of nowhere without serious concern that I might get stuck.
(I might break down, or run out of gas, but I won’t get stuck. Probably.)
And to be clear: I’m not replacing my LJR, just supplementing it.
So why have I been obsessing over manual, straight-6, 4WD Jeep XJs? Let me enumerate the reasons.
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Reason number 1: Control
I love driving a stick shift, and since owning my Jeep I’ve discovered the joys of controlling the traction directly. Part-time four-wheel drive with a real low gear is addictive.
(...it’s at this point that my narrative started to go off the rails, so rather than digress to the point that your eyes glaze over, I extracted the “who last offered an SUV with those attributes” rabbit hole into its own post.)
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In summary: if you want an SUV with a two-speed transfer case and a stick shift, your current option is exactly one vehicle, a Jeep Wrangler. The farther you go back in time, the more those options diversify, but the only SUV available in significant quantity that meets those criteria is another Wrangler, a CJ, or an XJ Cherokee.
And I love the control that combination gives me, even if it’s not always convenient off-road to worry about shifting gears.
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Reason number 2: Aftermarket
I don’t have statistics to back this up, but I don’t think it’s exactly controversial to assert that the two off-road SUVs with the most aftermarket support in the U.S. market are Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Cherokee XJ.
It’s hard to find a non-Jeep-centric off-road accessory store, but I did find a site dedicated to aftermarket products for trucks. I picked a vendor from that site at semi-random (“Hammerhead” for obvious Oppo reasons) and checked their list of supported platforms for front bumpers.
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23 platforms. 19 trucks, 4 SUVs. Ford Excursion and three generations of Wrangler.
Other SUV platforms have aftermarkets, but it’s certainly convenient to have a wide variety. And were it not for Cash for Clunkers, junkyards would have plenty of cast-off XJs to scavenge for parts.
Grumble.
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Reason number 3: Familiarity
I’m clueless. I “talk” a lot here, to the point that people might be fooled into thinking I know what I’m talking about, but really I don’t.
The first vehicle I’ve ever owned that I have paid any real attention to is my Jeep Wrangler. A lot of that is simply because it’s always bloody broken , which is its own education, but it’s also because I love it.
My LJ: the long-lived straight-6 4.0L engine, stick shift, two-speed transfer case, Dana 44 axles. My ideal XJ: straight-6 4.0L engine, stick shift (but better than mine, the robust AX-15), two-speed transfer case, mostly Dana axles.
So even though I’m generally clueless, I do happen to know a fair bit about XJs, so shopping for and building one would mostly fit within my limited knowledge base.
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Reason number 4: Overland
I face a constant conundrum with my LJ: if it weren’t constantly broken, it’s a great off-road vehicle, and would be a lot of fun to take on a longer camping/overlanding trip (if, in fact, overlanding were a real thing east of the Mississippi instead of an aspirational concept).
The problem is that its open-air experience is rather sub-optimal in a number of ways. Security is a problem. Weather is a problem. Cargo capacity is limited, and access to the rear when the soft top is up is even more limited because !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .
Basically, it’s a fantastic daily driver (ignoring NVH issues) and good runabout, but if I were going to go on a long trip with lots of camping gear, it’s far from ideal.
An XJ, however, addresses those problems. It’s still small by modern standards, but its rear storage is always accessible, and especially if you remove the rear seats, it has more than enough room for one person and his/her gear.
And a dog. Someday I need another Jeep dog. I miss you, Charlie.
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Reason number 5: BEAUTIFUL
I admit, I’m shallow. But because Jeep has turned my ideals of beauty into a worship of all things boxy, these are some of the most appealing vehicles on the road today.
If you’ve noticed my posts in the past, you’ve probably picked up on the fact that I love colorful vehicles. Yellow, green, orange, purple...give me real colors.
But even a pure black XJ just exudes something special to me.
And if you can find a real color? Hubba hubba.
AND THEY COME IN TEAL.
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Reason number 6: Jeep
One of the benefits of owning a Jeep in general is the insane number of events for Jeep owners, at least every year except this one.
Specifically relevant to this discussion are the Jeep Jamborees, where Jeeps go off-roading with lots of other Jeeps.
There’s one Jeep Jamboree in particular that I’ve tried twice to attend, on Drummond Island, the eastern-most part of the Upper Peninsula.
The second failed attempt was due to my Jeep being broken; what particularly hurts about that year was I was taking my dad for Father’s Day.
If we ever get the chance to go again, I want to make sure I have two Jeeps, so that hopefully one of them is available. Neither of us is young enough to assume there are an unlimited number of Father’s Days ahead.
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So, that’s why I’ve been focusing on XJs and posting a seemingly never-ending stream of candidates here.
I’ve had some great help from Oppos along the way; special thanks to Rusty Vandura, bored-always, BrokenMostWeeks, and DSM_OR_DIE::Drives_A_Miata who’ve gone above and beyond.
In fact, BrokenMostWeeks has a fair shot at selling me one of his Jeeps...but more on that, along with a plot twist, later this week.
Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
> Just Jeepin'
09/28/2020 at 10:45 |
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I sincerely hope your decades months long search for the ‘ perfect-enough’ Jeep comes to fruition. You’ve put in so much hard work and time into the search it almost doesn’t seem fair for you to settle for an automatic at the last minute.
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Just Jeepin'
> Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/28/2020 at 10:46 |
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Still, it’s a lot easier to keyboard surf than actually put in the work to fix one.
Taylor Martin
> Just Jeepin'
09/28/2020 at 10:59 |
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Ooh, you’re leaving us on a cliffhanger with this plot twist. I enjoy looking at your bright yellow Jeep whenever you post photos, but your reasonings for getting a new Jeep make a load of sense. I wish you nothing but the best in your quest to find a manual XJ, and that it’ll serve you well when you do find it.
I know it’s not what you’re looking for, but here’s a jeep I found on Craigslist for your time:
https://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/cto/d/seminole-1975-cj5/7201810861.html
PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120
> Just Jeepin'
09/28/2020 at 11:03 |
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A comprehensive summary of why you’re looking to continue your Jeep pain with another vehicle and the honesty of your laziness to not change your Kinja handle , nice!
Future next gen S2000 owner
> Just Jeepin'
09/28/2020 at 11:14 |
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How long before a shop does a “reimagination” of the XJ and sells it for like 100k?
You could be the next Icon or Singer
subexpression
> Just Jeepin'
09/28/2020 at 11:24 |
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I’ve heard people who worked in Chrysler plants during the early 2000s say that the quality they were turning out back then was pretty bad, and that they were much happier with what they had produced more recently . Unfortunately, that turnaround on quality takes you past the end of both the Cherokee and the I6 and in to the years where the Wrangler starts getting expensive .
DipodomysDeserti
> Just Jeepin'
09/28/2020 at 11:24 |
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When my Jeep broke I just bought a Toyota to hold me over. Then I satisfied the crazy Jeep market by selling mine nearly for what I bought it for. I did look at a coworkers manual XJ, but they wanted $6,500 and there was no way I was shelling out Toyota money on a Jeep. Ended up getting my Tundra for around $6k which I thought was a but much at the time, but holy shit has the used car market taken off in the last nine months. Now anything half decent with 4wd is going for $8-10k.
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Just Jeepin'
> Future next gen S2000 owner
09/28/2020 at 11:25 |
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Not quite at that level, but Davis Autosports seems to get all the best Jeeps, even if they can’t reliably spell Cherokee in their URLs. You can spend 30k or more there.
http://davisautosports.com/custom-build-cheorkee
LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
> Just Jeepin'
09/28/2020 at 12:17 |
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Rest in peace, Charlie. Looks like a good doggo.
Dest
> Just Jeepin'
09/28/2020 at 15:05 |
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“ My LJ: the long-lived straight-6 4.0L engine, stick shift, two-speed transfer case, Dana 44 axles. My ideal XJ: straight-6 4.0L engine, stick shift (but better than mine, the robust AX-15), two-speed transfer case, mostly Dana axles.”
I just want to check to make sure you know that 8.25 > Dana 35.
Also Cherokees are awesome (I’m on my 4th ). Even now that I have a 13 JK Rubicon if I was forced to get rid of one, I’d get rid of the Wrangler.
In regards to buying an XJ, don’t wait for the perfect one, it’ll go for 15k on BaT or ebay. Buy one that’s good enough and fix whatever bothers you.
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Just Jeepin'
> Dest
09/28/2020 at 15:13 |
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Yeah, everyone I talk to I ask whether they have ABS so I know whether I need to do an axle swap later.
Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
> Just Jeepin'
09/28/2020 at 16:30 |
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Here’s what I think... I think that you think you need/want an XJ... but I’m willing to bet this (or something similar) would actually work better for you in practice :
Or for more money, this:
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Just Jeepin'
> Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
09/28/2020 at 16:56 |
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As I said, there’s a plot twist coming. Stay tuned.
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Just Jeepin'
> LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
09/28/2020 at 16:57 |
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She was not by any definition a good dog, or perhaps more aptly put I was not by any definition a good dog owner, but she was a great road trip/camping companion.
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Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
> Just Jeepin'
09/28/2020 at 17:33 |
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onlytwowheels
> Just Jeepin'
09/28/2020 at 18:42 |
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I was google searching the Perua Monza Envemo that pip bip - choose Corrour posted yesterday. What I discovered was something that may interest you, a wee bit.
Feast your eyes on the Envemo Camper.
A Jeep Cherokee based 4x4, powered by inline 2.5L 4cyl and 4.1L 6 cyl Chevrolet e ngines, gasoline or alcohol, and a 3.9L Perkins diesel. Produced in Brazil fr0m 1989-1995. See: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Envemo_Camper use google translate or similar if not fluent in Portugu ese.
https://www.olx.com.br/autos-e-pecas/carros-vans-e-utilitarios/envemo?gb=1
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Just Jeepin'
> onlytwowheels
09/28/2020 at 18:51 |
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Oh, wow, thanks. Had no idea.
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Dest
> Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
09/29/2020 at 08:22 |
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No.
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Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
> Dest
09/29/2020 at 11:18 |
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I say YESSSSSSSSSS!
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Dest
> Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
09/29/2020 at 15:03 |
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No.
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Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
> Dest
09/29/2020 at 15:31 |
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