Jeeps

[safn1949]

Had a 1988 Cherokee with 188,000 that we bought cheap,I took that a lot of places I didn't think it would go. That got me started on the smaller 4x4's.I just sold a 2000 Explorer and still have a 94 Ex that I took to Moab dead stock a couple of years back to climb Elephant Hill.

That Cherokee was a nice ride,the ex wife got it and I just never got another,didn't like the uni body.

 

[freedommachine]

Has anyone had any problems with soft top components. I had the factory header bar break right at the tabs that hold the support bars. I went to the dealer and they wanted almost half the price for the frame assembly, for a few bucks more I could have picked up a new 'Best Top" repalcement top complete. I ended up calling the manufacturer for the Jeep tops and they said that they couldn't sell me any parts because of their contract with Jeep. and Chyrsler. The girl I spoke with then asked me which part it was specificly, I told her and she asked me to wait, a few seconds later she comes back on and tells me that they will ship me a new piece free of charge. I couldn't beleive it, what a deal! In the meantime I repaired my old one and made due with the repair. If it goes bad again I'll put the new one in. I couldn't beleive how much the dealer wanted for a simple part. Another piece I played hell trying to get was the rubber seal for the rear lift gate on the hard top. What a nightmare that was. Again another pricey piece. I guess what they say is true about the Jeep name,
J...just
E...empty
E...every
P...pocket

With jeeps is is cheaper to upgrade than replace. If it breaks upgrade! Anything from the factory is factory parts and cost way to much. If you upgrade it is normally cheaper and better parts. Very few things come from the factory are worth keeping.
"Good jeeps are built not bought"

 

[calanta]

We have thought about getting a jeep a couple of times but honestly when we are outdoors we do not want to be stuck in a vehicle. The other issue is still having a young one who can not handle the bumps. We would enjoy it though, but maybe more like a rental.

 

[oldsarge]

My new project is replacing the A/C compressor. It's loading up and causing the belt to chatter at around 2100 RPM. Right at a shift point (automatic). Sounded like a trans issue at first. Had to have the dealer take a ride with me to help figure it out. Right now I replace the belt with one smaller to bypass the A/C and ran it that way. Even with it's issues, I'd still own a Jeep. I can fix most anything myself.

 

[freedommachine]

We have thought about getting a jeep a couple of times but honestly when we are outdoors we do not want to be stuck in a vehicle. The other issue is still having a young one who can not handle the bumps. We would enjoy it though, but maybe more like a rental.

Having a jeep does not mean you have to spend all your time outdoors in the jeep. Me and my wife use our to get to some very primitive camping locations, set up base camp and hike from there. It is nice having the jeep campin for many reasons. You can go for over roads most people cannot and find some cool places to hike from. If a tree was to fall and block your path out of the mountains you can winch the tree out of your way. The list goes on and on. I am not saying a jeep is for everyone but for me and my wife it is. I like when we go out we can go through water 36 inches deep and not worry about a thing,climb over logs and rocks, go through deep mud and snow to get to some far out camp areas. It is very fun to heading out camping in a jeep with no top or doors,just fresh air the whole way there.

 

[oldsarge]

Nothing better than a ride on a warm evening with no top on.....the Jeep that is!

 

[Blazer]

I had to bring this one back from the dead. I love my 2005 Jeep Wranger Sport. When it had 500 miles on it I took it wheeling. There are a few Offroad parks out in PA that I went wheeling on regularly the first years I bought it. I belonged to a Jeep club and every 2 weeks or so we'd go rock crawling. I always hated mud. We rock crawlers would say "MUD spelled backwards is DUM" I took my daughter with me wheeling and she loved it. She was a great "spotter" and told me where the rocks were.

We also went to Jeep Jamborees. One was to Killington Mountain, in Vermont. We ski there so it was cool to actually drive on the trails. I'd also been to ones in NC and VA. Expensive but really fun to go on. Every Jeep Wrangler owner should go on at least one as they cater to a full range of driving skills, mods, etc.

I've had some great mods done to my TJ. It's lifted 4" with 33x12.50 tires, skids, disconnects, beefed up tie rods, etc

Now that I'm a single mom my Jeep is the family car so I don't wheel it anymore (too much carnage..things breaking). But I use it for trips to go hiking, camping and kayaking. And it's a GREAT beach cruiser. Take off the doors, put the top down and it's the coolest set of wheels around. It will be the last vehicle I own. It's terrible on gas but great in the snow!

I'm not too crazy about the new Jeeps. For one, it doesn't have the inline six 4.0. Yeah, I know it sounds crazy but I like the simplicity of the classic JEEP engine. I do all my own maintenance work and simple repairs.

The new JKs are just too big and "car like" for my tastes. But it's tradition for the older generation of Jeep Wranglers to look down on the newer ones. That's why newer models are supposed to wave first.

Here's some pics of my Jeep..

 

[Blazer]

Here are some from the Killington Jeep Jamboree and a shot of it swimming. It likes doing that :

 

[Cappy]

My beloved old rust bucket is an '81 and Peg aptly named it tinker bayl on acounta I am suually either tinkering with her or bayling her out. Srawn here is the log my cartoony wife came up Tink, complete with tool belt and bayling can.

Yep, the ole gal makes quite a sleigh for a Cajun Santa.

 

[Blazer]

Nice CJ. You have the same doors I do. The hard ones go on in the winter. I love soft doors. Doors are off today with top down!

 

[oldsarge]

Nice Jeeps folks!

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...

I have yet to own a Jeep, but I've been driving 4 X 4s since 1977...all Fords...!! The first two I used both for work and off-road. The rest were for work and pleasure.

When camping outside of Moab I've seen the LONG line of Jeeps in the distance, in their Jeep Jamboree, and what a sight it was...!!

Daughter bought a new 'fancy' Jeep a few years ago, and couldn't get rid of it fast enough...!!

To each their own, eh...!!

 

[Cappy]

Do NOT buy a jeep, they are horrible, ride rough, and the noise from the grips on the asphalt is down right defining which forces you to crank lynard skynard loud enough for you to hear it and piss off folks at red lights. When they get in mud they throw mud over them selves, and if you ever do get one stuck ya gonna need a dozer or farm tractor to get it out. A guy I know with the badest jeep in town got his stuck while hunting. It had to stay there till the following summer till it dried up back there and rent a track-hoe to dig it out. With all that said, I love mine and you cant have it for all the tea in China.

 

[Blazer]

Do NOT buy a jeep, they are horrible, ride rough, and the noise from the grips on the asphalt is down right defining which forces you to crank lynard skynard loud enough for you to hear it and piss off folks at red lights. When they get in mud they throw mud over them selves, and if you ever do get one stuck ya gonna need a dozer or farm tractor to get it out. A guy I know with the badest jeep in town got his stuck while hunting. It had to stay there till the following summer till it dried up back there and rent a track-hoe to dig it out. With all that said, I love mine and you cant have it for all the tea in China.

You definitely have a *CERTAIN* mentality to own, drive and love a Jeep.

 

[ppine]

My girl has one. Jeeps are a disease that I never want to catch. People tend to modify them to the extreme. Then they break more and it is hard to find parts out by Winnemucca. Changing the stock geometry of the drive train makes them less dependable. Lift kits make them top heavy. They have little room and a rough ride due to the short wheel base.

I much prefer a one ton Ford diesel PU with the 7.3 liter engine. More room, better ride, better mileage, and more dependable.

 

[Bojib]

I've had three Jeeps so far in my life. An 89 Commanche Pick-Up, a 78 CJ, and a 06 Grand Cherokee. Loved em all, but my favorite was the Commanche. Although the CJ went off-road much better, and that's one of my favorite places to be. I guess the Pick Up was just more useful for getting my gear in and out of those tough to reach places.

Been looking to get me another good 4x4 for just cruising the way way back roads. Odds are it'll probably be another Jeep, but I ain't ruling out any other possibilities.

 

[Blazer]

I much prefer a one ton Ford diesel PU with the 7.3 liter engine. More room, better ride, better mileage, and more dependable.

Yeah, but you can't take the doors off, drop the top or go through trees or climb rocks really well in a 1 ton Ford PU truck. Plus, it's just another pick up truck. There's only ONE Jeep.

Obviously it's a Jeep thing, and you don't understand...

 

[Blazer]

Jeeps are a disease that I never want to catch. People tend to modify them to the extreme. Then they break more and it is hard to find parts out by Winnemucca. Changing the stock geometry of the drive train makes them less dependable. Lift kits make them top heavy. They have little room and a rough ride due to the short wheel base..

You can get aftermarket parts online without a problem. You name it, you can get it. They don't break or ride badly if you know how to modify them. My Jeep rides better with it's 4" lift and OME shocks and 33s then it did with the stock height and tires. I have a beefed up tie rod and drag link that is far stronger than stock so it's less likely to break. Not to mention skids to protect everything underneath. It's true that you can mess up the geometry and ride but that's true with any modified vehicle.

I've driven my Jeep lifted and modified since it was new and routinely drive it 300 miles on a weekend to my hiking trips and around town. It's no Cadillac but it's fine as a road vehicle, if you don't mind the noise. Yeah, it's noisy, that's why I have a good stereo.

 

[ppine]

I used to have a Jeep Wagoneer with a 360, manual hubs and a 4 speed. I took it logging on old skid trails at 11,000 feet. It broke down all the time. I couldn't go anywhere without a box of tools. My friends called it the "Heap."

I never trust people that "go 4 wheeling." I spent a career in the bush driving all kinds of vehicles for a living. Sometimes we got stuck with chains on all 4 wheels. In Nevada and many other places there is no help and rarely anything to attach a winch to. I only walked out once when the Heap broke a front axle.

 

[Wehan]

I have a 93 YJ. Has a 6" lift and 35x12.50x15 tires, Ford 8.8 rear axle with Detroit locker, Dana 30 up front with TJ shafts, 1ton over knuckle steering and an Aussie Locker. Stock 5 speed transmission, rebuilt transfer case with sye. The engine was a rebuilt and cammed/injected 258 but that's gone and in its place I have a 93 Chevy TBI 350 waiting to go in. Slightly more hp but way more torque.