a 20+-year old anything will need work. Nothing runs forever, and will always need repair/work. The question on affordability would be more to how much you can rebuild/fix. Jeeps are higher maintenance in the long run anyway. Tj have linked suspension ride better, but have more parts compared to a leaf sprung YJ. Finding one that is in GOOD condition is going to be key, rust and use take a toll over the decades.

Loading the kids in and out of the back seat will be a job, it could get old as a daily. You must know the MPG is not great or even good, though i just filled up for 2.65 a gallon today so it hurts less.

 

Here are my 2c.

I'm more or less in your situation, I have an 89 YJ, a 2 yo daughter and planning to have a second kid. When we were expecting her we decided to buy a "normal" car in view of having to haul a ****load of kid gear every time we moved, and I think it was the right move. Now for unrelated reasons we will probably have to get rid of one of the two vehicles, and both my wife and I are inclined to let the Audi go and keep the Jeep (I know, it's probably suicide, but whatever. The Jeep is part of this family the same way our daughter and cat are, and we are not about to get rid of either :laugh.

So the plan right now is to make the Jeep as safe and family-friendly as possible and try to pull this off.

The first thing in the pipeline is to change the sport rollbar to a family one, so that we can have 3-point seat belts in the rear to accomodate the kid's seats. Right now the kid travels in the front.

Next, get rid of the dying engine and put in something more reliable. I'm looking at engine swap options.

We are doing a general health check on the jeep: getting rid of mechanical problems, mounting new tires, checking everything that could leave us stranded in the middle of the road.

Apart from all this, simple common sense applies: it's a Jeep, and it must be driven as such. Go slow, take care, be extra careful, don't do anything reckless and pray to the Jeep gods that nothing bad will happen, especially when the little ones are on board. Oh, and of course, enjoy it and have fun.

My personal goal is one day to give the jeep to the kids and tell them: "I've fought my battle against all odds and common sense to get this jeep to live this long, now it's your turn to take care of it".

I might be a hopeless romantic (or a lunatic, as it may very well be), but I think this will be an amazing gift for them to receive from their parents.

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

The more I read the forums and whatnot, the more I realize that those inconveniences are a trade off that I can deal with for the joy I get in exchange. I was reading (can't remember where) people complaining about daily driving 2012 Unlimiteds, and I felt like I was taking crazy pills! I grew up in a Jeep and drove a 94 YJ with soft top/doors for about 14 years commuted 45minutes on the highway each way for a while there. and didnt have a working heater for the last couple years. I mean, there were things that were a pain, but it never felt like a problem. Made me realize that driving a jeep is something that's either in your blood or not I guess, and I think it's in me. But maybe it's just that I was young? Idk. I can't have changed that much is three years, lol. But at the same time, I suppose there was a reason I bought the damn old Hyundai when I started having a family.

I'm thinking that TJ vs YJ is really just going to come down to what I can get the best deal on the cleanest vehicle. But tell me, if you're used to an older Jeep, do you get used to that TJ interior? Ugh, it's not my style.

The only thing that may truly hold me back is the gas mileage. Only because our budget is so close to the bone that I'm not sure if we can handle the extra costs. Gas is low right now, but that can't last.

 

Also, this may be a really stupid question, but are wranglers cheaper to buy in the fall/winter vs. spring summer? I was thinking there might be more demand when the weathers nice.

 

Cost depends on where you live and the time year both but I found them high no matter the time of year here. Winter weather and summer trails and beaches. Dealers say they can't get enough nice used TJ's anytime. You don't say where you are but in Berlin MD at the Jeep dealer there are 4 nice looking JK/U's lined up (used).

 

I'm in Wisconsin. A JKU is definitely not my style! Idk, I guess maybe it would be if it were a realistic consideration, but I don't think so, and it's certainly not financially feasible for me regardless. Just having hard doors feels a little on the cushy side for me, lol. But the kids would probably appreciate it.

 

You can buy a really fine used car for not much money but you almost have to compete for a good used Jeep and it will cost you. When I was out looking I learned you had to be ready to buy if you saw something nice. The day I bought my TJ three other people wanted to drive it. The biggest Jeep bargain I know is the XJ. There are still some nice ones available for around $5k. You just have to look them over good. You get the 4.0 and room for kids plus gear.

 

When I sol my old YJ, with 200,000 miles, I got full price within a couple hours of listing it. Should have asked for more money.

 

Just my 2 cents but usually YJ's cost a bit less being leaf sprung and all. I love my 95, parts are easily sourced or picked up and if you look you can find one that hasnt been offroaded much and get a good starting point. Good springs and shocks right away will help you get over the leaf spring thing and TAKE OFF THE TRACK BARS!!!!

 

I have an 8 year old and a 9 year old and they love my YJ. They actually prefer our YJ to our JKU ! I get the whole worried about breakdowns issue and it's important. My YJ is daily driven in summer but has never seen winter. It has never left me stranded. I drive a Nissan Xterra in winter because its more suitable. If you dont have confidence in your Jeep, get something you can feel good about

 

Other than rot being more likely with the yj due to it simply being older, I don't think practically speaking there is much difference. Getting into the back seems as challenging in either of my TJs as it is in either of my YJs. The tj rides a bit better but it feels much more bubbly and dodge neonish than my yj. The yj felt much more authentic. The leaf springs make the ride a bit tougher but not that much. I think the seat is higher In a yj as well. But the back seat ingress and egress is about the same. Unless you are talking an LJ which has more room back there, but the are still ridiculously over priced for nothing more than a few inches of wheel base. Buy a solid yj. If nothing else you can be confident that I will think you are a cooler person if you do.


Joey

 

My grandson loves my '87 YJ more than his Dads '12 JKU or my '05 Rubi. As a daily driver? I like the YJ most too. We used to drive the YJ 950 miles from Yellowknife to Edmonton a few times a year. Reliability is more about maintenance than age.

You are buying a "used" Jeep. Get it inspected.

With 2 kids? I recommend buying something with shoulder belts in all 4 positions. We traded a 2 year old Honda in the early 1990s for an identical Honda for just that reason.

 

I have both a YJ and XJ. The YJ is on 4.5" lift and has 35's. My XJ has 3.5" lift and 33's. I also have a 3-1/2 year old and a 10 month old. I use my YJ as a DD and my wife uses the XJ as her dd. My oldest son always wants to take the YJ everywhere.

Ive owned. TJ before also but it was bought back by Chrysler under the lemon law. After the 3 years I owned it it was in my possession for 6 months total. So it left a bad taste in my mouth. I will never own a TJ again. But I've had yj's for the past 10 years

 

I've owned 3 YJ's (one with a 2.5L 5spd, a 4.0 5spd, and a 4.2 auto), and driven, and been a passenger in a few TJ's (and one unlimited). The TJ's typically seem to ride much, much smoother down the highway/city and tend to shift better. My buddy's LJ rides 40x smoother than my 1990 YJ does, and both are lifted on 33s. That being said, I love the simplicity of my YJ's. The only real downside to running a wrangler vs running something else like a cherokee is the lack of storage. There's less room in my YJ than there is in my tiny little 2-seater mr2 But if need be, the back seat can be removed quick and easy if you need to haul something big from walmart or home depot.

If you can get your hands on a rust free YJ with a 4.0, soft top, and half doors for an affordable price, you could buy all new suspension for anywhere between 600-1000$ for something decent (stock or lifted), remove the track bars, and buy a hardtop and full doors (they run about 600$ for both where I live). All of that would still probably be cheaper than buying a low mileage TJ. And in the long run, parts are much cheaper for YJ's rather than TJ's from what I've noticed.

I would look for a 92-95, as earlier years had carburetors, which I personally don't care for as a DD. The 92-95 also has the family style rollbars which seem much safer for the backseat passengers, and as billiebob mentioned, they also use a shoulder style seatbelt in the back.

Oh, and as for the summer/winter prices? There is a massive difference here in NC (we get hot summers and mildly cold winters). Last month, I got 5k out of my 92 YJ that rode like crap, had some noises and had a bit of frame rust, and had the 2.5L. This month, I can get a much nicer jeep with a 4.0L, lower miles, hardtop, full doors, and a lift kit for less than that. It seems that the YJ's peak at almost 8k in the summer (beaters and nice one seem to pull the same $$), and in the winter can drop down to as low as 1200-1500$ depending on condition.

Basically it all comes down to what you prefer. Maybe go down to a local dealer and look at a couple TJ's in your price range and see how you like the feel and how they drive. Then go look at a couple YJ's in your budget, or below your budget with room for improvement. Once you decide on what you want to get, that's when you wait patiently for the right one to come along and jump on it when it does. Like multiple others have said, if you are ready to pull the trigger, do so if the jeep seems right, otherwise it'll be gone before you know it.

 

If you live in a place where you have to pass a smog test, you'll have to stay away from carb'd yj's or it may break your budget. Just a thought.

 

To a point thats true but most smog tests are based on meeting the regulations in effect during the production year. An '87 must meet '87 regulations. A '67 must meet... oh yeah there were no regulations in '67.

 

Yj