[Dluenz]

While creeping around on some other forums I saw a "why I have a YJ" thread... and that got me thinking. Why do I have a ZJ?

Well for starters I got my ZJ because I don't have the money to buy a wrangler... but I couldn't be happier! I drive my ZJ without thinking twice about "will I be comfortable?" I have all the leg room I could ask for, my seats are great, I have heat that always works, and A/C for those hot days. I lifted my ZJ cheaper than I could a wrangler and I think it looks great on my Mud tires! I can load all my friends up and take a road trip to wherever, four big dudes comfortable with all out crap for the camping trip to wherever we want to go, no problem! And I can still wheel with everyone else.

So thats why I love my ZJ, why did y'all get yours?! Lets have some pride here!

[squazz]

First ZJ: Girlfriend got pregnant

Second ZJ: I found JeepForum

Third ZJ: I hung around JeepForum to long

[nickpequignot]

Originally Posted by squazz

First ZJ: Girlfriend got pregnant

Second ZJ: I found JeepForum

Third ZJ: I hung around JeepForum to long

4.0,5.2,5.9? In that order.

[nickpequignot]

But for me i needed a vehicle. It was cheep and I fell in love with it had it. Found jeep forum and never looked back. Just wish I had the funds to really do what I want with it

[Dluenz]

Originally Posted by nickpequignot

But for me i needed a vehicle. It was cheep and I fell in love with it had it. Found jeep forum and never looked back. Just wish I had the funds to really do what I want with it

Yes jeepforum helped me more than I can imagine with my ZJ.

[JColee]

Why I have a ZJ,

Never really looked at Jeep Grand Cherokees the way I do now. I took my girlfriend to buy it from a friend of a friend as her first car that he father was purchasing for her. Test drove it, and instantly loved driving it. After her father got tired of paying for the gas, I picked it up off of him for cheaper than he had originally purchased it for.

It's never left me stranded, and astounds me at how well it drives for being as old as it is with such high miles. The purr of the V8 when i hammer it down to pass someone is quite impressive. (Previously owned some 4 cylinders) I've tried selling her so many times, but have never found anything "better". Just can't seem to part with her.

[Dluenz]

Yeah also the reliability is great, I have 237,000 miles on my 4.0 and I trust it to get me anywhere!

[pincheburro956]

BECAUSE THEY ROCK!!!!

I used to be an XJ guy, blindly, until I got my hands on a $500 ZJ. Am never going back and NEVER going Wrangler...

ZJ it is for me.....

[Canyon411]

Growing up, I was a bowtie guy thru and thru. Impala, 2 monte carlo's, 1/2ton shortbox 4x4, s-10 4x4. Owned all of these and worked on countless more with friends. Jeep was introduced to me when I was young by my grandparents who lived outside of Levenworth, Wa and belonged to a jeep club. My grandpa would often be working on his jeep (cj5 i think) when I would go over for visits during summer vacation.

ZJ was introduced into my blood when Dad bought one new off the showroom floor in 93. I have driven it many times since then and bought my first one in '08. I called her green but gf was quick to point out that the color was much closer to Jade and the name stuck. I could have made the argument that Moss Green Pearl was the actual color and called her Mossy but .... Yeah, I let that one slide.

My second ZJ was purchased in '10 and had a myriad (virtual plethora) ((veritable cornucopia)) ALOT of issues from years of neglect from owners who did not have the knowledge, HAD the money, but did not have the desire to maintain her. *sheds tear*

A combination of my basic "car guy" know-how and the wisdom of our JF community has kept and will keep Jade and Coral (I would have called her Red but ....) running and driving well. They have both been places that many grand cherokee owners have never gone before. Now ZJ owners, that's a different story. With future suspension upgrades, I am sure there are places still to go (want to do moab within the next couple years.) Gone wheelin' many times, dune running, snow-mo-jeep-in, camping, skiing, and no matter where we end up, it's not just being there .... It's getting there!!

[ZJMTL]

I have a ZJ because my best friend has a lifted WJ and I caught the bug from him, but couldn't afford a WJ... Now I think I prefer the ZJ anyway. Besides, a fisherman doesn't belong in a lowered Nissan.

I can't keep anything stock and I knew the aftermarket support was great for the GCs so I said why not! Besides, we have terrible winters here and I figured I could use all the help I could get...

BUT, when I look at the $1500+ work my ZJ needs to be fully functional, I'm often discouraged. Not to mention the fact that it drinks gas, and things seem to break every day.



Still, I love it. I have a ZJ (and haven't sold it after the countless times it has pissed me off) because I love it. When everything's working the way it should, nothing puts a smile more on my face than a nice drive around town, or a road trip on the weekend, gassed up, full of fishing tackle and beer, just waiting to see where she will take me!

[AmishFury]

I needed a vehicle, I wanted something with 4 wheel drive capabilities, I really wanted a Jeep, I had $2000 for a down payment, it was $2000

[gearheadnick]

My daily driver at the time ($600 93 skylark) developed a piston slap after 2 years of driving. My "play car", an '86 trans am, got totaled by a 16 year old girl with a 2 week old license that ran a stop sign (ironically she was driving a cherokee). Her insurance company cut me a check for 3200 and scrapped the car. I wanted a 4x4 that wasn't a road hog and had a six cylinder (I figured an 8 in a 4x4 would be real bad on gas). So after scouring craigslist, I decided that I should shop for a grand cherokee. I figured that since there were so many around in my area, it couldn't be a bad vehicle. I started driving around Scranton, hitting all the small car dealerships. After looking at I don't know how many overpriced rotted out heaps, I found my 97 I6 that had 181k and was 2000 bucks. I had heard that the I6 was good for half a million miles if it was maintained right, so 181k didn't bother me. I crawled underneath it, and there wasn't a spot of rust anywhere. Considering the garbage I had looked at, and remembering all the rust I had dealt with over the years, this 97 looked too good to be true. The test drive told me that this was a great find. 3 years later, it's still a great find. I've yet to get it stuck in the snow, or anywhere else for that matter, not that I go 4 wheeling through the woods or anything.

[SKorch630]

After being a euro guy for ages, (still am to an extent), I had a run in with my previous euro....

found here:

Dropping nearly $24,000 in just two short years with it, I decided enough was enough. Great car, fun, fast, gf loved it (hence why we have 2 more now ) but sitting close to 1" 3/4 off the ground when you live in the U.P., isn't quite feasible. So off she went! Looked around for a bit, said I wanted a wrangler, but my dad wasn't sold on that. No worries I said, I'd rather have something a bit more... bigger. That's when we found the ZJ! $1500 for her with 128k on the clock. New tires, brakes, and other various things from PO made my decision quite easy, really. Picked it up, and although purple, I absolutely love it. I'm sure I annoy the **** out of my fiance talking about it all the time, but they just don't understand lol. Her and her parents say it drives like a boat (REALLY!? a 15 year old BOX drives like a boat!? Who woulda thunk....) I joined this community years ago, with the intentions of being a full fledged member, and just up until recently, I sat in the shadows lurking. This community is a huge reason why I still have it and will still continue to have it, driving it as a DD or parking it for a towing trip. Thanks to every member here who pours their heart into their Jeep, and takes the time to answer that "what will my jeep look like with XX tires on a XX lift?" thread 100x It's interesting to hear everyone's story and it's funny to try and match people with their Jeeps.

[JustN11]

Why I have a ZJ...

My first real memories of cars are my dads old 83 dodge omni and my grandfathers 96 green ZJ which I LOVED to ride in. We would take it up into the mountains fishing, hiking, camping, etc. I grew up wanting to own that car one day. In fact, he was looking at buying a new Jeep about 4 years ago and I thought, "I'm going to drive to Idaho and buy his" and I was stoked. Alas, a deer jumped out in front of him one night as he was driving through the pass to get home and it totaled the ZJ. Anyways, when it came time to buy a new car after I finished with school and the Army, I really only searched for a ZJ, and I found one that I love. It's white, not green, but every time I drive it, I think of my childhood and my grandfather. It's amazing. I love my ZJ.

[Omega88]

Okay. Well I bought my first ZJ in September of 2011. I have some friends down in NC who are regulars of wheeling and they persuaded me to join them. I was looking for something cheap that would get the job done because i wasn't on a crazy budget. They had a dodge Ram and a K5 and their trucks were monsters. I was initially looking for something similar but couldn't find anything in the right range for my budget. I then turned to jeeps. I originally wanted a wrangler, but those prices in NJ are rediculous so that was out of the question. I found my purple ZJ with peeling paint and 197k miles for $900. All i cared about was that it ran and drove. Well when my friends heard the news, they started busting my balls and calling me names for buying a jeep. I initially put a 3" lift and chopped a little to clear some 33s. By the time my first trip in October, the jeep was ready to go and so was I. Needless to say the Jeep performed awesome and I had a blast. I was hooked. My friends were so impressed by it capabilities being so close to stock, that they sold their big *** trucks and bought jeeps themselves.... Who's laughing now.. Since then i've put some bigger axles underneath added another 2" of lift and am now sitting on some 35's. And am now looking to buy another.

Here's a pic of my animal