Buying a Jeep

ppine

Forester
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I don't hke as much as I used to, but love being out there. It hit me like a flash. Buy a Jeep. I am thinking about a TJ Wrangler, 1997-2006. First Jeep to have coil over shocks instead of leaf springs. They are everywhere and well supported by after market parts.

Anyone else belong to the cult of Jeep?
 

Cappy

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I own a 81 and I love the ole rusty thing. It's got the 6 in it and it pulls my boat just fine only hafta drop a gear when crossing the major rivers down here. Look for a state or local jeep forum they are out there and their advice comes in handy. They cost in maintenance but are easy to work on mine is old and has carb and lots of room to work under the hood. It is great for running errands around town and jumping in and riding to the river or the swamp both only 2 or 3 miles way. When I first got it I ripped the back seat out and made it cargo space. Now that I am older and have more gear I kinda wish I had gotten a small 4x4 pick up but I am a jeep guy at heart. We lovingly named the ole jeep Tinkerbail on acounta I am either tinkering with her or bailing her out.Image.jpg
 

oldsarge

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I have owned a 2004 Rubicon since 2005 with 194,000 miles on it. Previously I owned a 85 CJ7 and a 91 TJ. The 85 & 91 were left stock and used very little in any harsh off roading. I have been offroading in way or another since I bought my first 4X4, a Chevy Blazer in 78. I have lifted and modified and learned a lot by trial and error. For the most part, since I got out of the Army and moved back home (Illinois) in 91 all my 4X4's have remained stock since I don't go offroading much. But two years ago I decided to modify my Rubicon so I can pursue some adventure at some point in the future. I have never been into rock crawling or any extreme offroading (
). I have always relied on my vehicles to take me somewhere to enjoy the outdoors and pursue other activities.

The coil over shocks made such a difference in handling and ride. Smart move on Jeep! The picture is my Jeep prior to my upgrading it. I'll have to get a picture of the new set-up later. But I did add a 2.5 lift with spacers to maintain the factory ride and suspension geometry. It Also allowed me to achieve a lift without having to go with longer sway bar links and since it is a Rubicon, I didn't have to install a slip joint eliminator. I threw on different front and rear bumpers, flat fender flares and 33" tires. I've upgraded all lighting with LED, installed a winch and some other additional lighting. My Jeep came with both hard and soft top. I have installed a frameless top and really like it. There's a bit of a learning curve to its installation and usage. Like removing the top completely and storing it. It's a bit more of a hassle but being the fair skinned white boy from the midwest, me and the sun really don't play well together so I don't mind just taking out the rear and side windows and going doorless in the summer. The top basically turns into a bikini top. I also picked up a set of the two piece soft super doors to replace the hard ones.

Jeeps are nimble and agile and really can negotiate tight places. I can't wait to head out and get in some camping somewhere and get back to a place of peace and solitude.

Enjoy your new Jeep ppine but remember what JEEP stand for...Just Empty Every Pocket!
 

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ppine

Forester
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thanks Sarge. I have driven in the dirt for 50 years, about 30 as a profession. We always had stock vehicles, rental trucks, company trucks and my personal trucks. I had a 1974 Wagoneer with a 360 and a 4 speed and took it everywhere. I had a logging company for awhile and used it on skid trails and at 11,000 feet. It broke a couple of times but was easy to fix.

We got by with a shovel, Handyman and two sets of chains and some ingenuity. Now Jeep people want Dana 44 rear ends with lockers, 37 inch tires, air compressors, welders and all kinds of donkey crap on their Jeeps. I am going to stay pretty stock, because they are more dependable and rock crawling is the last thing I have on my mind. Just me and the dog and 276 mountain ranges in Nevada. I do not want to catch Jeep Disease.
 

ppine

Forester
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Cappy. Some would call her Tinker Bell.
I call my one ton Ford diesel Nellie Bell, after Tom Brady's jeep on the Roy Rogers Show.
 

ppine

Forester
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Location
Minden, NV
After some more thought, I am giving up on Jeep disease. The knee bone is connected to the thing bone. The used Jeeps are highly modified and not always well put together. Everyone puts on big tires and wheels right out of the gate. That effects the suspension and the driveline and handling. Some are so modified that can't travel on the highway and need a trailer. I am putting some new parts on the old Ford 350 diesel. first up Bilstein 5100 shocks on all 4 corners. Then I am adding limited slip diff to the 10 1/2 inch rear end.
 

oldsarge

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Good move, stick with what you're comfortable with. I would go with a posi in the rear end though. There are plenty of old farmers who swear by it. One once told me "why buy a 4X4, all you need to do is stop that other wheel from spin'n". On my old 78 Jimmy I put a Posi Detroit Locker in the rear and a limited slip in front. You could almost climb trees with that truck!

I do agree with your reasoning about Jeeps. It's like Forest Gump said " you never know what you're gonna get".
 

Cappy

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I am a huge fan of toyotas 4x4lil pick ups. The one I had was like an 86 or something had 5 on the floor and was all but indestructable. I had a camper shell on the back to keep gear dry and there was no where I couldn't go that I wanted to. It had power to pull my boat and if ya needed more slipm it into the low side and you had lots of power and torque. I loved that truck put 250k on it and hated selling it. I saw it around town several times in the following years always with a sigh. Since ya gave up on the jeep idea look into a used toyota 4x4 they hard to find cause highly sought after but worth a look
 

ppine

Forester
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Points
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Location
Minden, NV
I looked up the rear axle on my Ford. It is 3.73 Limited Slip Diff on a 1. 1/2 inch rear. The front is a Dana 60. The Ford works for what I need it for.
Buying a stock looking Jeep is still tempting, but finding a good one under about $6k is not so easy.
 
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