New (hopefully) future member, new rig

[MuBGuB]

Hey guys,

I went out today with Ben (skyhy) for his first CJA open run. I have to say, it was pretty fantastic! I got to meet some fantastic people, see awesome rigs, and learn a lot about the art of off-roading. Previously, I have owned several vehicles, but sadly none of them very "off road ready". While comfortable with responsible extreme driving - I need a rig! Today's events have made me re-think my vehicle shopping, and look seriously at Jeeps. I've been considering all types of trucks (mid-size, like the Frontier, Ranger, etc.), but honestly I was blown away today!

I wanted to get the consensus of the forum for what would be a worthwhile investment. Part of me wants to go brand-new (keep in mind this will likely also be my daily driver, so nothing that isn't street legal [for now]), and the other part wants to get an older (90-01) Jeep and trick it out myself. Truth be told, I don't know very much about mods myself, but I'm interested in learning a lot.

Ben has been suggesting to me that I invest in a Cherokee, but there's a part of me that always loved (more so as a kid?) the TJ's (Wrangler's? Rubicon's? again... not sure on all the technical bits). I think in the end, I want something with a shorter wheel base (although 4dr might be ok), with a removable soft top. I really admired Chris and Colins' rides today. Very nice, but very different. Can't decide what world I want to live in.

So anyways, enjoy the rest of the summer everyone - and let's here what everyone has to say!

Cheers,
Mitch

[hps4evr]

if i had the cash to go out and start with the perfect first jeep platform that could do everything... look for a TJ unlimited. if you can afford one of course. a sport version should be in the 8-15G range in good shape and lower mileage. find a stock one if possible. or slightly modified. nothing to crazy to start because its more fun to learn as you modify.
thats how i would do it if i could do it again.

[Rubi03 jef]

if i could do it all over again with what i know now ..

it would be a 

stock tj  with a blown 4 banger engine .

rip the diffs out . put some 60s
atlas T case
4BT engine .
38 - 40 inch tires
and long arm

done for way less then what i paid for my RUBICON

but thats me

[Raspberry]

It was great to meet you out there today Mitch, wish we could have spent the rest of the day wheelin with you but crap happened
I'll see you on the trails again soon for sure

[w squared]

if i had the cash to go out and start with the perfect first jeep platform that could do everything... look for a TJ unlimited. if you can afford one of course. a sport version should be in the 8-15G range in good shape and lower mileage. find a stock one if possible. or slightly modified. nothing to crazy to start because its more fun to learn as you modify.
thats how i would do it if i could do it again.

Quoted for truth. The LJ's (TJ Unlimited) are sweet. They're not as comfortable as the JK's, but they're still very comfortable - and they're a good size (both for cargo space and for trails).

I also agree with heeps on the modification part being fun. The first problem with buying a heavily modified rig is that you don't know what mods you really want before you've wheeled for a while. The second problem is that if your rig is "point and shoot" you may never learn how to drive it to it's full potential. Wheeling a relatively stock rig will teach you a lot about picking lines, using the throttle versus using finesse, and picking your battles.

[Dracitamo]

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[TL-Iguana]

if i had the cash to go out and start with the perfect first jeep platform that could do everything... look for a TJ unlimited. if you can afford one of course. a sport version should be in the 8-15G range in good shape and lower mileage. find a stock one if possible. or slightly modified. nothing to crazy to start because its more fun to learn as you modify.
thats how i would do it if i could do it again.

X2, this is a great way to start into the sport! It is a lot of fun, but could cost a lot of money in the end, due to the addiction! I would not sell my Jeep, or change my build in any way. However if I was to start again with another XJ then sure, Id probably do things a little bit differently, but in the end, Im happy with my build because I did a lot of research first.  This forum has a lot of great information, just use the search button, and by all means ask questions! Once you buy a Jeep you will be hooked

Welcome aboard Mitch!

[MuBGuB]

Thanks for all the input everyone, much appreciated. At this point, I am leaning heavily towards a TJ or a JK. I don't want to go older than '97 for a variety of reasons however. Obviously, this is going to cost me more, so I'd like to look at a dealership deal. I feel better purchasing from someone I can go back and talk to if I need to complain, get warranty (albeit not much), etc. Also financing might be necessary.

I was looking at this guy, and it is almost exactly the kind of thing I'd love to get and work on for many years to come. At 41k, it's practically brand new. And I think that's a respectable price. On the lower end of the spectrum (price-wise at least), something like this would be a pretty good starter build I think.

Thoughts? Let's say for argument sake right now - no Cherokee's.

[w squared]

. If you are willing to spend the cash on a Rubicon, save yourself the money and just buy a body and frame. You are going to end up replacing everything else anyway if you want a decent wheeling machine.

Sorry, wrong. For the benefit of the OP, I'll explain why.

A Rubicon will come with Dana 44 axles front and rear, selectable lockers, and a 4:1 transfer case. Whether it's a TJ, LJ, or JK...this is true. The only thing to be wary of is that the front axle tubes on the JK are not as strong as a "true" half ton JK. One thing to bear in mind...a Rubicon will set you back less than buying a lesser model, selling the parts, and upgrading parts to bring it to the Rubicon standard.

The stock Rubi setup will handle 33's all day long. Lots of guys wheel 33's and are very happy with them. Even more of us are on 35's and we think they're great. Nobody that know anything about wheeling in Alberta will tell you that you can't have a "decent wheeling machine" on 33's or 35's. No, you won't "point and shoot" the obstacles like some of the guys  on 37's and larger...but you'll still learn a tone about wheeling and there are VERY few places in our part of Alberta that you can't go on 35's.

If you want to run 35's...cromo shafts will upgrade those 44's to a point where they will handle those 35's even if you're abusive. Even without the  the cromo shafts, a lof of guys in the club have been running 35's for quite a while. A few had issues, and then upgraded...some had no issues, and upgraded when they felt like it....some are still fine on stock shafts.

If you want to move up to 36's or larger, Dana 44's may still work for you...but it'll depend on how you build the 44's, what powerplant you run, how you drive....yeah. There's lots to consider if you're going to run something bigger than 35's.

[frenchy]

I wouldn't buy anything from that car country place, isn't it just the old farmer jones?

They're at the auctions every Wednesday and Saturday picking up that 7k jeep for 3-5k.
Just go to regal auction and get one yourself.

If you have to finance, I wouldn't touch a JK unless it was dirt cheap because no one is parting them out yet, and the engine, compared to the 4.0l.
Jeep tj 4.0l, ax15 tranny, diffs, etc... Are easy to find and relatively cheap. (97-06 all pretty much interchangeable)
Much cheaper then what you're essentially looking at paying for the "warranty" from the salesman above.
Jeep tj is also super simple and basic to work on.

[Jrama]

Regal is the worst auction in town, Michner Allen auction is once a month and they are by a long ways the best auction to visit. Dealers have to have done certain maintenance and are obligated a minimum warranty so there is recourse if there is something wrong right away. Since dealers have to meet a minimum safety standard they don't generally buy junk cars, most dealers i have seen by newer/low km, top dollar vehicles the average Joe won't bid on. Auctions are  too risky unless you buy low low kms vehicles, vehicles with a fleet or rep0 status or you know where it came from. Salvage title etc must be declared by the auction so as long as your paying attention you shouldn't get burned in this regard.

That said......


Just find one on Kijiji its your best bet

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-2007-Jeep-Rubicon-Low-Kms-Only-13900-W0QQAdIdZ295687316

or.... I like this thing

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-Jeep-Grand-Cherokee-Off-Road-W0QQAdIdZ303126724

[Dracitamo]

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[frenchy]

Dealers can easily mask problems or install used balljoints from the auto wreckers. Or a used brake pad to stop the squeel. Replace the mud in the diff with oil...but none of that would be covered in a used car warranty anyways.

Regal often has very few show up and vehicles go cheap.
Hard to get burned on a cheap tj cause you can replace the engine for $200, or tranny, $150 axles,, etc...
I wouldn't buy anything else from any of these auctions, just the TJ or an xj, cause they are so easy and cheap to maintain and repair.
I have about 2k into my tj, including purchasing it, couldn't imagine paying 7k+ because the used car salesman says it's a good car.
Dealerships often have low KM jeeps that come from rental companies.

If it's really cheap you can't go wrong, if you're financing you can only hope nothing goes wrong  

[frenchy]

Wow... The guy is looking to shell out 41 grand and you support getting a rubicon? We obviously have a difference of opinion but what else is new. Haha
Ya rubicons are great and you gave some good advice why they are so great... But for 41 grand, you could do a lot more from a scratch build. But hey, guess to each their own. I'm not here to argue, just want the op to consider his options. How big if a lift do you want? What type of wheeling are you going to do with it? What size of tire do you want to run? How often do you want to wheel? how much maintenance do you want to do? Does the jeep you're looking at have everything you want?
Myself? I'm not building for Alberta as those who know, I'm from BC and I like the technical rock crawling. I avoid mud because I hate wasting money cleaning my jeep. I'm looking at Moab here in the next few years.

My thoughts: 41 grand and you won't want to scratch the paint. Scratch build and you won't have those worries to hold you back from pushing your limits. In the end it's your choice. Welcome to the most expensive habit. Haha

41k = 41,000 km's

[Rubi03 jef]

now now .. no fighting ..

im a rubicon owner .. i love it   ive beaten it ive broken it and built it stronger as things have snapped or befor things have gone bad . im a mechanic so im able to do 100% of the work and ussually 90 % of other peoples work as well

so that is why i would go a completely different route now that i know what i want as an end result .. but im already to far in to turn around so my base will be a rubicon to my final build

so that being said theres alot of guys that will op for the rubicon because right out of the box its very good with a small lift and some tires your good for anything and everything alberta has to offer .
and with the right attitude warrenty issues can be taken care of .

others here will say dont waste your money and build your own .   but thats all depends on if you can build your own yourself . theres guys on here that have spent thousands and i mean s 10's of thousands having shops build there rig  and those builds could of been done for 1/4 of that if they were able to turn the wrenchs them selves .

so thats where you have to decided can you work on it your self can you build it your self . or do you want to buy it and it works likes its suspose to .

if you want something that you will have no issues at all then a rubicon would be the way to go .

if you have the knowledge and know how then you can start with a small TJ and build your own diffs what ever size you want and lock them and build as you break  or build befor you break .

so in the end its your choice and most people will be willing to help or at least pass on knowledge on how to do things .  but you need to choose the project first

hope that helps