New to jeeps, want to buy a cj7 maybe

[katiej]

I want to buy a cj 5 or 7. My dad bought one and we had fun driving it around the land. I mostly want to use it for daily driving and a little bit of off roading....nothing crazy.
I found this cj7 it's a 1980 with 164k miles for $4995. From the pictures it looks rust free and relatively un-abused.

If you have any input on this particular type of vehicle, I'd appreciate it.

 

[superj]

you forgot to attach pictures

 

[LilRedYJ]

Just be extra observant when you go to check out any vehicle... Pictures usually look great... But don't get discouraged if you are disappointed/misled by pictures more than once!!!
Rust hides ... Peoples memories are selective... "never abused" doesn't necessarily translate into "well cared for"
Be picky...

[☠]lllllll[☠] 89 YJ ...SOA +6.5...44"Trxus' I Love my dirtYJeep! [☠]lllllll[☠]

 

[jps4jeep]

take my advice, by todays standards, an older CJ makes for a horrible daily driver.

lots of tweeking and tinkering. I had to re-set the points in my 5 every couple thousand, twice a year at a minimum carb tuning, and when the E15 fuel came out, I was constantly re-building the carb. They are fun and should be a second vehicle, a newer CJ (post 74) could be made more driver freindly with the addition of bolt on EFI and an electronic ignition; all other serviceable parts are simply par for the course.

 

[clydethepirate]

I agree with jps4jeeps. I love the old cj's but I prefer my YJ due to a few upgrades jeep made on them.

 

[katiej]

Hmmm, okay, thanks. I think these posts all confirm what I'd feared which is that this vehicle isn't really what I'm after, maybe I'll check out the YJ.
Sorry about not posting the pics. I tried to insert the link. Turns out you can't do that on this forum.
Thanks again.

 

[Saddle Tramp]

What everyone is saying is fact but a lot depends upon what kind of daily driving you do and where you live. For example if your commute is only a couple of miles down the road in a nice weather State as opposed to an hour plus drive each way in subzero temps you might be swayed to a CJ; the cool factor can’t be denied But…..

CJs do drive more like a truck and are less stable (will tip over easier) than any of the Wranglers. Also Jeep didn’t galvanize the CJ bodies but did the Wranglers so rust is more of an issue with a CJ. Not knowing what State you live in that may or may not be a problem. From a mechanical stand point, the ignition/fuel delivery systems (carbureted) in a CJ are OK but if you find any year I4 (2.5) or a 1991 & newer I6 (4.0) Wrangler they will be fuel injected and make your life (and fuel bill) much easier. Stay away from the 1987 to 1990 I6 Wranglers as they are a carburetor & smog system nightmare you don’t want to sign up for unless you are an accomplished mechanic.

 

[superj]

you can go drive an 87 to 90 wrangler because the carb will probably already be swapped out. the only difference in an 87-90 wrangler that has already had the carb swapped and an old cj is the yj wrangler will have all the positive stuff mentioned above but still have a carb.

i have a carb on my 87 wrangler and it start as soon as you turn the key. the only bad thing is the fuel injected wranglers get way better gas mileage then my old carb'd wrangler. i get 11 in town and 15 on the highway versus my wife's 93 wrangler that got 17 in town and 21 on the highway

 

[katiej]

Yeah, currently in Colorado, but I'm moving to Mississippi. My commute there is 7 miles on a 35 mph....

I guess that's something to think about.

The only downside to having to take a vehicle into the shop at that point is that then I'm left out in the country...

I may go look at that cj.

What everyone is saying is fact but a lot depends upon what kind of daily driving you do and where you live. For example if your commute is only a couple of miles down the road in a nice weather State as opposed to an hour plus drive each way in subzero temps you might be swayed to a CJ; the cool factor can’t be denied But…..

CJs do drive more like a truck and are less stable (will tip over easier) than any of the Wranglers. Also Jeep didn’t galvanize the CJ bodies but did the Wranglers so rust is more of an issue with a CJ. Not knowing what State you live in that may or may not be a problem. From a mechanical stand point, the ignition/fuel delivery systems (carbureted) in a CJ are OK but if you find any year I4 (2.5) or a 1991 & newer I6 (4.0) Wrangler they will be fuel injected and make your life (and fuel bill) much easier. Stay away from the 1987 to 1990 I6 Wranglers as they are a carburetor & smog system nightmare you don’t want to sign up for unless you are an accomplished mechanic.

 

[katiej]

Speaking of mpg, I just saw on fuelly where someone has a 1980 cj7 that gets 18.6 mpg...
Is that at all common. Seems higher than I would have expected.

you can go drive an 87 to 90 wrangler because the carb will probably already be swapped out. the only difference in an 87-90 wrangler that has already had the carb swapped and an old cj is the yj wrangler will have all the positive stuff mentioned above but still have a carb.

i have a carb on my 87 wrangler and it start as soon as you turn the key. the only bad thing is the fuel injected wranglers get way better gas mileage then my old carb'd wrangler. i get 11 in town and 15 on the highway versus my wife's 93 wrangler that got 17 in town and 21 on the highway

 

[TLCJ5]

Depending on engine,tire size,gearing & driving style...I'd say that's on the high side. I did once get close to 20mph(really) in a "82CJ5 with a 4cyl & 30inch tires. It was on a trip with a tail wind. Best that Jeep ever got. I generally feel pretty good if I can get 15mph with a 6cyl. & I my driving style is on the conservative side.

 

[superj]

me too. my driving is all city driving, under 50mph and less then 5 miles at a time and i get 11mpg. i really watch how i drive because 11 mpg sucks compared to the 93 my wife had that got 17mpg and that was not watching how you drove at all and with the ac on the whole time.

i would recommend you look for a 92-95 wrangler since where you will be at and the low distance being driven

 

[LilRedYJ]

i would recommend you look for a 92-95 wrangler since where you will be at and the low distance being driven

I agree! Don't get me wrong, I love my "naturally aspirated" 89 .... But I know there's another vehicle in the driveway just in case I have a problem ... And a rescue truck/trailer is just a phone call away... ;-)

If I were in a 1 vehicle situation, I would definitely go 92-95 YJ....

[☠]lllllll[☠] 89 YJ ...SOA +6.5...44"Trxus' I Love my dirtYJeep! [☠]lllllll[☠]

 

[Saddle Tramp]

you can go drive an 87 to 90 wrangler because the carb will probably already be swapped out. the only difference in an 87-90 wrangler that has already had the carb swapped and an old cj is the yj wrangler will have all the positive stuff mentioned above but still have a carb.

i have a carb on my 87 wrangler and it start as soon as you turn the key. the only bad thing is the fuel injected wranglers get way better gas mileage then my old carb'd wrangler. i get 11 in town and 15 on the highway versus my wife's 93 wrangler that got 17 in town and 21 on the highway

Well maybe, but not so fast. If the carburetor swap out was a Motorcraft 2100-2150 combined with a proper Nutter job to tame the vacuum hose mess then OK but if the Nutter job is not done right or if the carb is a Weber and you get a defective one you may have a never ending nightmare. I know the Weber lovers will want to flame me but what I speak is from experience; unless you get a good one out of the box you will end up with troubles and not all Weber carbs are good. (Remember, it says on the outside of the box, “No Warranty Whatsoever”, and it is my experience that they mean it.) Also the question needs to be asked as to what smog checks are required in your particular area. If it is a visual then you are screwed without the OEM stuff in place; tail pipe only you might get away with it.

If this is a daily driver and the budget allows why subject yourself to the potential problems with the 1987 to 1990 I6 Wranglers? At least the CJs won’t have all the crap on it they do to make it run.

 

[superj]

if you have a real weber, then no problems. if you have a weber 34, then you will have tons of problems but this is another thread.

just get a fuel injected jeep and have no trouble

 

[flatie46]

Drive the 7, trust me you will like it. They've been good daily transportation for years. If you want something that rides like a caddy, buy a caddy. If you want good gas mileage buy a crackerbox like you see at all the red lights. One trip down the road (or off it) with the top down and you will be hooked. Just drive it!

 

[Saddle Tramp]

Drive the 7, trust me you will like it. They've been good daily transportation for years. If you want something that rides like a caddy, buy a caddy. If you want good gas mileage buy a crackerbox like you see at all the red lights. One trip down the road (or off it) with the top down and you will be hooked. Just drive it!

Amen! I used a 1972 CJ5 as a daily drivers for some time years ago; drove back and forth from Oregon to Montana. I remember driving through the Columbia River Gorge in a snow storm once where even with the top on it seemed to be snowing almost as hard on the inside of the jeep as it was on the outside; had to use an ice scraper on the inside of the windshield as I drove down the road just to see, but didn’t care.

 

[flatie46]

Amen! I used a 1972 CJ5 as a daily drivers for some time years ago; drove back and forth from Oregon to Montana. I remember driving through the Columbia River Gorge in a snow storm once where even with the top on it seemed to be snowing almost as hard on the inside of the jeep as it was on the outside; had to use an ice scraper on the inside of the windshield as I drove down the road just to see, but didn’t care.

My old CJ-5 works well for me. They're probably not for everybody but everybodys different. I hate to see anybody form an opinion without driving one to see for themselves. It's just what I had been looking for and it is my daily driver.

 

[superj]

Very good point on don't form an opinion till you drive one. I want a cj5 becaude of how cool they look