[4biY]

I just want some of your opinions about these Jeeps esp if you have owned a CJ, YJ or TJ, I don't have alot of extra time to work on a vehicle but do have a good deal of mechanical experience if I have to do a repair just looking for one to dd and off road on weekends.

[Boodyrider]

TJ, hands down a better ride and VERY capable offroad. Coil suspension. TONS of support, round headlights, and far fewer rust problems than any CJ (that you can afford to actually drive) out there.

Almost forgot: fuel injection almost never stalls on inclines, unlike the carbed engines.

[BlueFlame]

CJs ride, steer and handle terrible, and weren't that reliable when they were new, so if dependable transportation is what you want, go TJ.
YJs are far less money, but.... they're YJ's...

[4biY]

So is the suspension in the TJ better than the YJ or CJ jeeps?

[Hussler]

suspention is better yes. if i wanted a wrangler i would get a pre 2000 unlimited (although i dont think they made unlimiteds pre 2000) as the inline 6s do not tend to have as many problems as the newer ones. my friend has a yj. yjs are okay, decent ride but i would call it uncomfortable, cheaper to lift, plenty of aftermarket support but finding one in good shape could be pretty challenging. dont know much about cjs, i defiantly wouldnt buy one unless it has been restored otherwise you;ll be chasing consent problems.

[Bishop Creek]

Originally Posted by hussler737

suspention is better yes. if i wanted a wrangler i would get a pre 2000 unlimited (although i dont think they made unlimiteds pre 2000) as the inline 6s do not tend to have as many problems as the newer ones. my friend has a yj. yjs are okay, decent ride but i would call it uncomfortable, cheaper to lift, plenty of aftermarket support but finding one in good shape could be pretty challenging. dont know much about cjs, i defiantly wouldnt buy one unless it has been restored otherwise you;ll be chasing consent problems.

The 4.0 inline 6 was used in TJs until 2006 when the model ended. Unlimiteds were only made in 2004, '05 and '06.

[Douglas S.]

Originally Posted by Bishop Creek

The 4.0 inline 6 was used in TJs until 2006 when the model ended. Unlimiteds were only made in 2004, '05 and '06.

IIRC they used a different management system though.

[Bishop Creek]

Originally Posted by Douglas S.

IIRC they used a different management system though.

Yes they did.

[Yesfan70]

I still like my TJ an awful lot. It's a '05 I bought brand new. About the only regrets I have was not getting a Rubi or an Unlimited (either Rubi or non-Rubi).

[bigh20rnr]

I have owned all of them and my favorite was the CJ by far. It was a simple, easy to work on, and reliable vehicle for me. The only issue it had was they are notorious for rust. With that said the best vehicle for you is the TJ. Would go for the 99-04 model as they should have the NV3550 transmission (which aside from the old borg warner T98 or T18) is one of the most durable trannys Jeep used (exceptions being the offerings in the J10 or GW). They are reliable and the early release bugs were worked out.

Rick

[crusty1007]

I would buy a Pre-2000 model TJ
or
91-94 YJ
both with 4.0L AX-15 5 speed.
Shoot for a D44 in the later model stuff.

I would say the AX-15 & nv3550 are on par with each other & wouldn't hold that against any of the TJ years.

AX-15's don't prematurely fail & last 200K+ miles when run with big tires. I would run them behind V-8s any day.. (That's a hard statement to back up seeing as they are no longer used in jeeps- but they've been in Toyotas since the Early 80's & still use a variant of the same trans today in some Chevy applications. OEM parts are still manufactured)

The biggest thing is my book is im a fan of a cap & rotor VS coil on plug.
Plus the later 2000+ 4.0L have been massaged for emissions & not for HP. Also like stated before they start varying programming in the 00-06 models. I don't think they stay the same from my understanding for more than 2 years during this period. According to a few gauge MFG Ive worked with. (I have been wrong before so take it with a grain of salt )

The YJ is a better CJ with square headlights in my opinion.

[trw]

Originally Posted by crusty1007

The YJ is a better CJ with square headlights in my opinion.

its more of a trade off. The CJ has a better driveline stock, the YJ has the better structure. With that said, its easier to swap in a new driveline then to re-engineer a frame, and CJs are still cool as hell.

I have NEVER liked the TJs, but since you mention that you have very little time to perform repairs and the likes, you would do best with a TJ.

YJs and CJs are old, so they are going to be a project from day 1 (some even make you work just to get them home), so if you don't have the time to trace electrical gremlins or flush your cooling system or change a rear main seal, you want to get as new as possible.

[Mark4883]

Originally Posted by trw

its more of a trade off. The CJ has a better driveline stock, the YJ has the better structure. With that said, its easier to swap in a new driveline then to re-engineer a frame, and CJs are still cool as hell.

I have NEVER liked the TJs, but since you mention that you have very little time to perform repairs and the likes, you would do best with a TJ.

any YJ or CJ is going to be a project from day 1 (some even make you work just to get them home), so if you don't have the time to trace electrical gremlins or flush your cooling system or change a rear main seal, you want to get as new as possible.

^What he said. I love my YJ but for what you would be using it for I would buy a TJ.

[ZeroGravity]

I would personally get the YJ, again. Not just because I own one now, there's a couple reasons.

-It's the first Jeep model with EFI (post 1990); it's nice not to have to worry about working with a carb.
-I personally like leaf springs-they just seem simpler and sturdier to me. Perhaps they aren't but I still prefer leafs to coils. The YJ's also have wider leaf springs than the CJs.
-Everyone talks about how well TJ's ride compared to CJ or YJs, but in reality there's not that much difference. I've been in a couple TJs, and they aren't that much nicer than the ride in my YJ. One of which was a 2006 Wrangler X.
-I like the body on the YJ much better, it's much more "truck" like. I'm not a big fan of the square headlights, but it's really no big deal and the way the grill is designed-they don't look that bad.
-Since mine is a 1991, I don't need to worry about inspections.
-It seems like to a certain point, parts begin to get cheaper with age, but then get more expensive for older Jeeps like CJs. The newer the Jeep, usually the higher the price.

However if I had some money and space to buy and build a Jeep, I would get a CJ8.

[flatlander757]

Buy a TJ... then if you get the itch for another type of Jeep just start throwing stuff at it... I've got XJ leaf springs, a CJ transfer-case, JK front turn signals, CJ rear turn signals. It's also got Chevy 1 ton axles but that's another story.

FWIW I prefer the TJs w/ the distributorlorless setup over the cap/rotor/wires. I don't recall more than 1 or 2 instances of anyone having issues with the giant coil-rail assembly or anything associated with it... however I've seen TONS of complaints of people needing to dry out their distributor caps because of water getting in there.

IMO 2002 is the best TJ year to get... doesn't have the ginormous trans skid(though it's still pretty large), has the coil-rail assembly, the NV3550 trans or the 32RH, both of which are probably the most reliable transmissions offered in TJS(the NSG370 is right up there with the NV3550 though but you couldn't GIVE me a 42RLE to go in my Jeep, the OD ratio is WAY too tall), the EVAP crap isn't in the rear of the tub... a pain if you install flush tail lights or a comp-cut, the oil pressure gauge is actually functional(in 2003+ it acts like a dummy light... it is either somewhere in the middle or it's not), most of the bolts are still SAE(I hate a mix of SAE and metric), 02 is also the first year for the sailcloth material softtops so they're much tighter and sturdier than the 97-01 tops, etc etc.

The one thing that I really like on the 03+ is the interior, particularly the seat tumble and fold levers. I hate the stupid straps on the 97-02 TJs that come out of the seats... the 03+ seem more comfortable to me too.

For downright most reliable TJ I'd say any 2000+ TJ with a manual trans and a D44 would be your best bet. For daily driver I say the D44 is a bit better than a stock D35 due to the 35s having a history of eating up the spider gears.