No, I completely agree. It's the least expensive option if you can do a lot of stuff on your own. Out of the box, the TJ just looks the part IMO. My dad had a CJ when I was younger and I guess its partially sentimental. I never took mine to any extreme trails, just some rough dirt roads and farms upstate.

Let's be honest, it really depends on how far you go with the mods and where you intend to drive it. Its probably cheaper to build an old Civic hatchback to go stupid fast in a straight line than buying a new Z or mustang for example... I just don't think cheap is the only factor for most people.

The XJ was my first car. Had about 120k miles on her before she was gone. I worked all through high school and summers to save up enough to buy a car. I remember the insurance per year was almost as much as the car, but to be fair, I was a new driver at the time. Everything ran fine when I got her, then I had to replace the radiator, the fan, the injectors, the water pump....just about everything under the hood except the motor. Damn thing would still overheated. I loved that car. Engine blew while driving home from school, about halfway between Buffalo & NYC.....something ignited and that was that. Lost all my stuff in the process. Insurance didn't cover anything, so I was pretty much screwed. This was sophomore year in college, about three years of ownership. As much as I hated the problems with that car, I still miss it. A lot of awesome memories.

Basically, I want to learn to drive off-road for survival reasons. I don't know anyhting about AWD trucks. I never liked trucks as a bodystyle. I learned to drive a van first. Then i learned to drive stick in a corolla. Every car I've ever owned was sport oriented except the altima. I always liked jeeps though, but never gotinto them deep enough to know a whole lot about them. living in nyc all my life. Jeeps were cool but never necessary. (I guess neitther were sports cars but... lol)

Times are getting crazy and I think I may need a vehicle that can go off the beaten path if necessary. I guess call me a minor prepper. I'm not crazy with the idea, but i've come to realize there are some things I might want to prepare for...
I am doing pretty good so far. Huge emergency medical kit. 3 months of water and purifiers. I have about 3 months worth of canned food that I rotate in terms of use. fishing rods axe machete's etc... 10 days of MRE for 4 people. Enough arms and ammo to protect my extended family. if need be. I wont be buying a bomb shelter. lol. But if I had a vehicle that could get me the F... out of dodge and into the mountains. off a road, that would be kool. I don't want to hardcore, but I would like to get into it enough to be proficient at driving off road. While i have a reason for doing this off-road thing. I also think it could me a fun and sporting experience.

Good riddance to the Liberty. What a pos. Don't know anything about the new Cherokee. If it's the same thing with a different name plate, then I am disappoint.

:-|

Yeah, I think the only difference is the inherent risk of damage when offroading which pushes a little bit more towards the cheap option.

While you can take your bone-stock (well, with oil cooler) Z out for a track day, keep it at 8/10s, and then drive home with fairly low risk, the same cannot be said for a real wheeling trail. I figure you are generally dropping $5K just to get the underbody protection you need, nevermind all the other nice-to-haves.

Cheap tends to get people into a much more capable car, because an XJ with five grand in it will spank a bone stock TJ, and probably cost less.

When you get to anything really extreme, your base platform is pretty much just providing a frame, and there's a different set of concerns. Once you get to that point, it's probably best to get advice someplace other than a Z forum.

Bummer to hear about your XJ. I miss all my jeeps....posting in this thread has me browsing Craigslist for replacements:ugh2::ugh2:



One thing to keep in mind if you are the prepper-type is the limited storage inside the Wrangler, unless you get an Unlimited. You also might consider a hardtop if you go that path.



For your goal, you don't need much in the way of capability. I would spend your mod funds on underbody protection (especially oil pan), perhaps a small lift, and some knobby tires. Once you get a little more proficient, you'd probably look at lockers and some other items, but really armor should be all you need to get going.

My platform suggestions would be LJ or XJ, but I think you could get away with most cars, provided you were willing to take on the risk, as well as spend the money protecting the critical components.

I'm considering a FJ Cruiser as an addition and from what I have seen heard and experienced its a really nice capable truck and if you get one with a 6spd manual you get a full time 4wd system which I feel allows you to get more out of your $30k+ by allowing you to use your 4wd system in rain and light snow etc unlike trucks like the Wrangler and Xterra which are two other trucks I'm considering.

Unknown I will be sending you a bill for the unexpected expenses this thread has caused me to incur.

I knew it. I guess I better start researching myself.

Just wanna stress I'm not a hardcore prepper. lol. I just am prepped enough to get the f..k outta dodge if I have to??? I'm not spending wads on this shyt. lol. But it's made me re-think the cars and other items I buy... Really good advice. I was looking at the unlimited and Grand cherokee. I figured a Good AWD pkg with underbody protection was where i was leaning. I just thought the cherokee was worth a look too since they were trying to make it respectable again. I didn't think it would before it's release. :eek:

Went to dealer 5 days ago. Looks like I can get a properly equipped Grand Cherokee limited for $42,000. A properly equipped MOAB edition Wrangler unlimited for $44,000.

The FJ, seems like a better value... But I rather own a jeep. I think parts would be much easier to come by.

I might look into getting one of the older chassis's like you mentioned? We'll see.

And what expense is that? :confused: Are you guys going back to 4x4 now?

If you go new jeep I'd skip the Moab unless you want the look-pretty goodies.

You can get a rubicon unlimited for 36 ish, and a sport for 32ish with no issue.

The upstream jeeps are rarely a good deal. You can build a sport into a rubicon for less than the price delta. That said, the rubicons do hold value well when it comes time to sell



In my mind, the newer jeeps are worthwhile if offroading is not a priority and using the vehicle as an SUV is a regular occurrence. If you go that route, I'd go unlimited with a hard top.

I bought a jeep:ugh2:

lol.

When??? Pix?

Bought it last night and am picking it up tonight or tomorrow. I'll get pics up as soon as I get it home.

Congrats. Didn't know my thread would spark such emotions. lol. :tup:

:driving: enjoy.

I do plan on hittin the rocks, Going off road on rough terrain, for practice/fun. But not hardcore to the point I will be competing etc. So you the new one are good enough?

Good enough if you can afford risking a new car.

Resale here is so high on them that it seems better to go new. I should probably go back home to get a good deal on jeeps'. Back home or PA, NJ, and new england. You get better deals on vehicles like this. The midsouth is a rip-off. It's like, drive new or get raped... :shakes head:

Well Here's the much hated and uninspiring All New Jeep Cherokee. lol.

2014 Jeep Cherokee | SUV with 9 Speed Auto Transmission | Jeep

While the Jeep Cherokee is NOT what I'm looking at. I think it's going to be a good value for a trail-rated vehicle by comparison. I guess I look at this vehicle like the glass half full vs half empty. lol

I own a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland with the same interior posted in the last page. It is (without including the Z) my favorite vehicle I've ever owned. Love love love when it snows and love taking it off road. With the Quadra-Lift system, it's a real show off being able to raise and lower the truck with a push of a button.

It has great power, great looks (I don't like the 14 personally) and the interior is amazing. The sheep leather is soft, smells amazing and looks great!

Took it out the last big snow fall. Drove by an H2 that was stuck without an issue and lots of other "SUVs" who thought they could handle the snow. I tried to get it stuck, drove through drifts and any high points of snow I could and I couldn't get it stuck.

Extremely happy with my jeep and would buy it again tomorrow.

The grand cherokee are super nice rides. Jeep really stepped up their interior game and put together something nice.

Unknown, going to temporarily hijack your thread....

they honestly improved the regular Wrangler interior quite a bit as well. The leather wrapped steering wheel is a nice touch:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...psab78f65e.jpg

It might not look like much compared to most cars, but it's impressive for a Jeep. Here's my 06 Wrangler by comparison:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...p/IMG_4117.jpg

That said, she was a looker on the outside:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...p/IMG_4101.jpg

Of course, at the end of the day, the role of a Jeep is to get dirty, and pretty interiors and scrubbed up exteriors don't help with that:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...s/DSC01226.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...20PIcs/005.jpg
I won't even pretend these pictures suffice, but I haven't had a chance to take real ones yet.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...ps1e96f220.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...psb943ea11.jpg



I have to say the new platform is a much better car, but a much worse Jeep. It's still more capable off road than most anything else you can purchase new, but I'd much rather wheel an X/T/LJ than a JK... and I'd much rather wheel a JK vs a JKU. However, since I spend most of my time on-road, the JKU does the job quite nicely. It's much easier to drive as speed than the squirrely TJ, and four real doors are essential on big vehicles. As a side effect, it's definitely way more metal than I want to keep track of on a tight trail. It's tough enough maneuvering into a parking spot.

The freedom tops are a nice touch. Easy way to get some sun in the cabin without having to drop the full roof. I'd definitely recommend the hardtop on a JKU, while I'd be less enthusiastic on a TJ.

I'm still not in love with the exterior looks, but it is certainly growing on me. I don't think I'll ever really be a big fan of the JK style though.

I will say that if the JK platform is the way you go, get a 2012 or newer to take advantage of the new engine, and don't go any longer than 3.73 for gearing. I would not buy as a primarily offroad vehicle, but it certainly makes a great driver that still maintains a lot of wheelin' capability.

No problem with the hijack. :tiphat: The info is valuable. I had been in jeeps back in the 80"s. When I entered the Jeep wrangler unlimited, I was impressed with the interior. Not overly gadgeted and featured to take it out on a romp. But nice enough to have passengers be pleased with the interior when going on a ride. Perfectly balanced I must say.
So basically, The jeep is very capable still, just not as capable as past body-on frames? That's good to know. Since off-roading would be a bi-annual event for me. More than that in the beginning for learning purposes. But once I know what I'm doing, 2x a year would make fun times on vacay.:tup:

I haven't messed around with one off-road much. I've heard they're surprisingly capable, but I remain cautious.

Setting aside capability, there's a simple size issue. It's much more difficult to haul something that big along a tight trail. Where a YJ might not need a spotter, a JK will. There's just too much car to keep track of from the driver's seat, IMO. For something you plan to drive to work afterwards, it is a huge detractor.

I was considering the new Wrangler as a new truck but I just cant get over spending $30K on a 4wd drive truck with a part time 4wd system. That's why the 6spd FJ Cruiser is so much more attractive to me.

My dad had an FJ a while back. They're ok. I imagine they're effective off road. I liked my brother's Xterra better than the FJ, but they're both fairly nice. I just always felt like the FJ could use another 50 hp. But everyone has their own opinions.

I won't lie, I've given wranglers a look recently. They're always going to be a cool and fun car, but I don't know if they're worth the price. Again, just opinion.

The FJ is down on power. The motor has been described as a "dinosaur" but I drove a 6spd version and it was quick for a truck. I would also like to be able to tow and the wrangler has crappy towing capacity compared to the FJ.

The FJ I drove was an automatic.

I drove both but will be getting a 6spd if I end up getting one. Me and Brandie are trying to buy one together, she needs a new car and I need a truck for my new job when it snows and stuff (I'm still keeping the Z LOL) The biggest down fall I see with the FJ is the gas mileage with the 6spd, its horrible! But I wont be using it for my commute since I still have my Versa.

They probably aren't, much like many other fun cars. You can get an F150 4x4 for less that will accomplish more, but it's not a Jeep. As long as people are willing to pay extra for that badge, Chrysler group will take their money. There's no real competition and the vehicles continue to sell, especially now that they've softened them up for public consumption.

The Wrangler is definitely down on towing capacity, but I'm not sure how much better the FJ would fare in the real world-- it is down enough on power without a 5,000 lb trailer behind it.

If towing is a consideration, either vehicle is a bad choice. While you can technically move, say, as 2500 lb s2K on a light trailer with either truck, you aren't going to be able to tow a 370Z. In the case of the FJ, it might be more because you don't want to spend forever getting up to speed rather than raw capability, but it won't make struggling up every hill any more enjoyable. If you want to tow, get a truck made for towing. F150 or F250 would be my suggestion.

What's the motivation for all-time 4WD?

I owned a GC with all-time, but every truck I've bought since is part time. Better gas mileage, and you have a no-compromise system when you need it.

That said, the torsen setup in the FJ isn't bad, and IIRC it does have a CD lock.

the manual FJs have a shorter rear gear that makes them feel a lot more responsive.

I am a Jeep freak and all those Jeeps suck. If its not a Wrangler then they should take it out of the line up. Those other "cars" are all just Dodges with JEEP write on them. If it doesn't have a SFA then it sucks, period.

I should state I have owned GC's but they were WJ's (Last of the SFA for the GC's), I did own a Liberty and its major downfall was the IFS. I lifted it and put decent tires on it which helped but still not a real Jeep.


I am down to just the JK unlimted Rubi now but I am on the prowl for my next Jeep project. Looking for an LJ.

The motivation to an AWD system for me is my current 55 mile commute to work. When it rains or lightly snows I can have the added security of the AWD system, instead of a RWD truck in the case of the wrangler unless its really snowing or I'm getting into some serious stuff. The FJ is like a Subaru but with a 2-speed transfer case to get you out of anything.

:confused: I'm confused...

I thought part Time AWD meant that you can turn the AWD on or off??

I wouldn't let that drive your purchasing decision too heavily. 4wd does very little to increase safety in light snow, and basically nothing in rain.

I actually prefer to have a rwd truck in intermittenly slippery conditions because it isolates the drive wheels from steering/braking. If you do something stupid with the throttle, you still have grip with the front tires. It might sound ridiculous, but if you wind up accelerating on a patch of ice, it's nice to still have 2 tires "gripping." Newer part time systems allow you to switch while moving which is of huge value in my mind.

At the end of the day, ability to stop and turn is a lot more limiting than ability to get moving, and all time 4wd unfortunately does absolutely nothing for those concerns. The jeep/fj are capable in inclement weather more due to weight than drive system choice. I took my tj though 36" of snow in 2wd without switching, simply because it wasnt needed.

For performance purposes, I absolutely prefer awd in inclement conditions, but it's of questionable value in something heavy that isn't being driven hard.

The fj is certainly a great choice, but unless the goal is to never think about putting the car in 4wd, I wouldn't put too much stock in all time 4wd.

The fj does sacrifice some of the extreme snow performance, but I expect in LI that's not really a concern since the roads are fairly well cared for.

It depends where you are in Long Island. As far as paving, they are better kept than NYC to a point. BUT with snow. Some areas, they get buried in with tardy and slow help in the residential areas. It just depends where you stay.

It's all relative. Compared to rural areas, there's very little accumulation anywhere in the NYC/LI areas.

Save for when we get hit with Blizzards.

Its not really a true off road vehicle, your still better off with a CJ style jeep or a short wheel base SUV or pickup for off road use.

The new cross over style 4x4's are very limited in their off road abilities, their basically limited to lightly snowed covered or mildly muddy seasonal roads.

Has 4l and good approach angles. It should be perfectly capable, but then again most vehicles are far more capable than most people realize. I can take a jeep liberty on most trails without much issue (though the front and rear bumpers might develop some character.

Folks get caught up in equipment when the key is really driving style. If the center diff locks and you can get into 4l, it's amazing what you can accomplish.

This car certainly isn't a wrangler, but it's capable of handling far more than snow and mud.