Help choosing a used jeep model-plez

L

luckyned

New member
Hi All!
I am handing off the 'ol 95 YJ to my son..soon..i think..I must..shortly. I'm 50ish but still must have a jeep cuz I'd hate walking to work.

I'm getting lost researching. I think TJ but then there are Xs and Sports, Saharas and Rubicons. I don't really think I need a Rubicon cause I'd only be 4x4 when I must. They look bigger and I really loved the old Willys for tooling around. I must buy used and tend to like the old jeep with nothing that you don't need but then again it will be my daily driver and I'm not a mechanic. I can turn a wrench but I'm only a "Youtube type" mechanic so I need a healthy jeep. Whatcha think? How many miles would be too many? I had a 94 YJ with 170k and she still ran great..shifting was an art form though. ;)
 
Last year for the YJ was '95, then the TJ ran from '97-'06.

I would recommend looking for a 2000+ TJ with 100k miles or fewer.
 

The tj from 03-06 with 4.0, because the exhaust manifolds are stronger.

All have some known flaws so there are no perfect years.
 
I'll vote for TJ as well. They can be pretty expensive for a 10 year old vehicle, so you'll want to look around quite a bit.

I've got a 2005 SE with the 4.0 and auto and am very happy.
 
image-2050565056.jpg

Like this one
 
Well, be ya old school, or what give us a clue, There are so much to choose from. I want a jeep that looks like a jeep, easily manuvered in the forest which is where I really enjoy going to. Station wagon type jeeps don't cut it with me. But to each their own.
 
IMO all the 'editions' like Sahara, Sport, etc, with the exception of the Rubi, are just convenience packages for the most part when you are looking for a daily driver. If you aren't looking for any special performance in any specific terrain, then find one with a clean body that's been serviced on the regular and test drives well. Everyone has a model that they like the appearance and feel better. I like the LJ, he likes the YJ, she likes the JK, and so on. They all have pros and cons. One thing I would look for is shoddy mods. That is to say, be wary of the garage mechanic who monkey rigged something, like wiring, improperly.
 

If not a Rubicon then you're right to look at Sahara, Sports, and X's. There isn't much difference between the three, however Saharas and Sports might come with a Dana 44 rear axle if you are lucky. I've briefly owned a Sahara and I have owned two Sports. All were '97s and all were/are rock solid vehicles. in the four times I have bought a Jeep, I haven't limited myself to a YJ or a TJ or any specific model. I've simply looked for the best Jeep I could find for the money I had. For some reason '97 TJs find me. I wouldn't steer away from an older TJ either. I've found them to be the most reliable vehicles I have ever owned and that's comparing them to a slew of Japanese vehicles.
 
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