some jeep education please

[jeepless in ga]

ok guys I have a few questions for ya.
im new to jeeps. I am doing my research as to which jeep would be
best for my needs. im looking for something I can use as a daily driver
as well as a hit the trails toy. im not looking to go rock crawling or boggin,
just riding some trails and carring my kayaks deep into woods for some camping
and weekend fun. my problem is I have heard some bad things about jeep over the
yrs. im a mechanic by trade and have seen some of the horror's for myself.
so this worries me and puts me on the fence if jeeps are "junk" as so many will lead
you to believe and so many stories on the web will tell you. I don't fully believe the "hype"
as you see so many jeeps on the road and off road everywhere ya go.
I honestly don't know if I want a wrangler jeep or a Cherokee type. I don't know the pros
and cons of either. I want a wider wheel base to help to keep from flipping so easy.
im not looking to spend a fortune on my first jeep. roughly 5K maybe.
if I like the product after a couple yrs i'll upgrade of course. anybody feeling where im coming
from here on this? so what motor will I be looking to get? what motors do I avoid?
same with transmissions? what body style do you guys think would be better suited for what im
looking to do? what yrs do I want to avoid? so many questions. I hope ive come to the right spot
to get some solid answers.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

The Cherokee and Wrangler in your price range have the same track width so stability will be similar, depending more on how high you lift the Jeep and wheel offset.

I recommend a 4.0L engine in the '91-'95 Wrangler or '91-'01 Cherokee. The Wrangler will provide topless fun while the Cherokee usually has a roof rack better suited for your kayaks. The Cherokee carries much more gear as well.

 

[69jeepcj]

stay away from the 87-90 wranglers. I echo the above advice, and you may want to consider a cj scrambler(kind of a mix between a jeep and truck). I only problem I have with the newer jeeps is they are computer controlled, and I read about a lot of electrical problems with the newer ones.

 

[jeepless in ga]

what do you guys think of a YJ? those can be had here in ga very reasonable.
I like the idea of the scrambler but they are hard to find in these parts.
im open to PM's on this well folks. keeps the toe stepping down

 

[Oldchief]

I'm new to this website but have had various Jeeps over past 30+ yrs. As to Cherokee vs Wrangler, for me the deciding factor would be if you ever want to go topless and/or doorless, which I like to do occasionally, weather permitting, then a Wrangler is your best bet. As to drivetrain, I'd stick with the good old in-line 6 cyl and a 5 or 6 spd manual transmission. Good luck!

 

[superj]

And the 87-90 yj are fine I'd you know how to use a vacuum gauge to tune a carb. If not, google will show you how.

The 87-90 are the classic 4.2 that is the famous jeep engine. In 91 they out in the 4.0 which is a super engine also. The difference, minis the .2 displacement, is fuel injection. The 4.0 has it and the 4.2 does not.

I have both types of yj, fuel injected and carb'd and like them both. My current 87 is carb'd and I have no problems with it but I do enjoy the ease of fuel injection and the improved gas mileage.

My 87 and the 93 my wife used to own were identically optioned, 6 cylinders and auto trans with the same gear ratio in the axles. My wife regularly got 19-21 mpg on the highway and the best I have ever gotten in my 87 is 15

 

[jeepless in ga]

ok guys this is all good stuff. still welcome and encourage others to share their experiences and opinions on this post as well.

 

[jeepless in ga]

anybody else? come on guys help a newbie out here.

 

[Gennybro]

just foll0w this site and you will learn a lot, it's a great site to learn at, folks are really nice. Except for me at times.

 

[Gennybro]

Now follow this site daily, good luck bro.

 

[Gennybro]

Uh oh, boo boo. See what I mean.

 

[superj]

And the roll over are on the narrow track old cjs, I would guess. The 76 cj5 we bought my son has narrow track axles and is thin looking from behind. My yj drifts long turns fine and its got a 2.5" lift.

 

[jeepless in ga]

superJ,

any pics you care to how me of your YJ?