Good-Bye Jeep Liberty! WELCOME BACK JEEP CHEROKEE!

Red__Zed · 03-24-2013, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cmike2780

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.

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by UNKNOWN_370

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.

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.

UNKNOWN_370 · 03-27-2013, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red__Zed

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

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.

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.

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.

Red__Zed · 03-27-2013, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UNKNOWN_370

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.

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.

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.

red6spd · 03-24-2013, 11:52 AM

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.

03-24-2013, 11:52 AM	#4 (permalink)
red6spd A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 3,277 Drives: 2010 Z Coupe M6 SPT Rep Power: 23	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. __________________ 2010 Base+Sport 6spd: Stillen G3, FI Non-Resonated CBE, FI Non-Resonated Test Pipes, UpRev Tuned, Custom 24R Oil Cooler, JDM Rear Fog-OEM Harness. ???Whp ???WTQ (Will find out come spring time) Last edited by frost; 03-24-2013 at 07:21 PM.

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