Keep it or sell it? Tough decisions.

[ZenDragon]

I've been a proud XJ owner for 5 years now. When I first got it, it was my daily driver. I have since replaced the engine, rebuilt the transmission, lifted it, and a plethora of other things (mostly drive line related). 2 years ago I bought a car to replace this as my daily driver because I am driving a lot with my job now. But recently, having just moved into a house, I am wishing I had a truck so I am looking at selling the car. I am not sure what I want to do about the Jeep at this point though so I am hoping you guys can help me think through it, judge the pros and cons, etc.

First off, I love not having a car payment. The couple years I drove this thing around with no payment were awesome. The car payment on the other hand is $486, which is easily affordable, and probably close to what I would be looking at getting with a truck if I go that route. I can afford it either way, but there's something to be said for the freedom of not having a car payment.

Secondly, I am looking for utility here. Like I said, I have recently moved into a house and a truck would be super useful for me. However, I cant help but think that the jeep with a trailer would fulfill all the utilitarian needs of a truck. I don't currently have a hitch on the jeep so if I kept it I would be putting about 1200 into a JCR rear bumper with tire carrier. No I dont need the tire carrier, but go big or go home right? In this regard, I am curious if you all use your jeeps for home depo runs? How do you feel about the heep towing 2000 lbs of cinder block on a trailer? Then there is storage of the trailer to consider, when I'm not using it.

On the other hand a newer truck would be nice, and selling the jeep in addition to what I can afford would give me a 7-8k down payment on a decent truck. I had my eye on a used Taco 4x4, or possibly a Nissan Frontier pro-4x. Both of which would fulfill my utilitarian requirements and get me to most of the off-road spots I would want to go. But that comes with a payment, which like I said is not a huge deal but super nice to NOT have.

That said, keeping the XJ as a daily driver is not without its issues. The interior is worn out and stained from all manner of fluids (not bodily lol). It could use a little body work, and with the crappy pro-comp lift is a super bumpy ride. If I were really seriously going to keep this thing and make it my daily driver again I would probably need to put another 4-5k into it just to make it tolerable. Not to mention the fact that I am a development consultant and taking important clients out to lunch in the beast is probably not the best thing. Whether they say they care or not, people judge lol!

Anyhow, please pardon my rambling. I am curious what you all would do in my situation. Maybe one of you can provide a better perspective, and make me feel better about what any decision I might be about to make! haha!

 

[Johnnie Walker]

I think that you will regret not having the Jeep after it is gone. And, that you may possibly end up buying another one and spending that much more on it. As far as interior bits, you could probably redo it for not much money. Pull everything out, pull up the carpet, either clean it or replace it. Find some ZJ/WJ front seats to bolt in, or some suspension seats if you want to go that far.

I do not really tow with my XJ, but I have done my share of going on road trips and loading it up with parts. Towing a small-ish trailer with some weight is not a big deal. From the factory these are rated to at least 3500lbs, no?

 

[bjoehandley]

Listen to Johnny, when I bought my 200 back in 2012, I kept the '98 XJ I had bought back in '03 for use as a winter driver, plus I just couldn't part with it knowing that I would be kicking myself for doing so.

 

[XJLI]

I parted out my perfectly DD-able, built-to-hell, no expenses spared, wheel the crap out of it and drive it home XJ almost a year and a half ago.

No regrets, one of my better decisions. I don't miss it at all.

 

[ZenDragon]

There's always a part of me that doesnt want to get rid of it. But its not so much about the time, effort, and money I put into it an more about the freedom of knowing I can go where ever the hell I want, whenever I want. I an pick up and drive out to the middle of nowhere, and know that this purpose built hunk of junk will get me there reliably. Every cent I poured into this thing was to make it mechanically reliable. Not necessarily a rock crawler. In fact I have never actually done that kind of wheeling (crawling) with it anyhow, just the occasional muddy back road or steep hill climb on the way to a camp site or something. So part of me feels like that need could be met with a good solid 4x4 truck as well. As long as I have something capable of scratching that occasional itch, I don't think I will miss the jeep that much.

That said, I can afford to keep both. I could say that I would hack up the jeep, cage it, slap some 35s on there, and make it a trailer queen, then tow it with the truck. But honestly I do not have the tools or the space (damn car port), or the skills for that matter, to sustain a project like that. So if I did get a truck and keep the jeep would probably sit covered on the side of the house most of the time.

On the other hand, cleaning up the heep a bit might make it tolerable. And the truth is, I do really like driving the thing, on road or off. But as I continue to get older I will eventually want to get something else, be it a truck or another little sports car, its inevitable, this thing wont be my DD forever! lol

Obviously, I a little conflicted here! haha!

 

[sidriptide]

get the truck and keep the XJ. clean it up and give it the things it needs to remain as streetable and comfortable as you want it to be and drive it 1 or 2 days a week.
after a while it may become obvious to you what to do with it if you havent driven it in over 6 months or you find youve been driving it twice a week for the enjoyment.
you will never sell it for what you have into it, or even what you think is fair. so dont sell it hoping to get a down payment for something. sell it because you want to do something else or you just dont have interest in it any more.

 

[iwannadie]

Just my opinions here. I wouldn't be quick to give up a vehicle that I put time, money and effort into. No one will pay you a decent amount for it(just how it is). So you will have to take a lose on it most likely. Then the idea of buying a truck because there Might be a need. If you are planning renovations or improvements to your new place a truck might be great but how often will you Need it? I would look at renting a trailer for the times I need to haul stuff for the first year. If you are planning major things it shouldn't be hard to keep in mind the need of a trailer and work that into the plans. May also keep you from walking into a Home Depot and buying stuff you don't really need just because you have a truck to put it in .

If your not hurting for money, having a well build XJ sitting covered next to the house ready to go is not a bad thing. I would rather have the XJ sitting unused than a few grand in my pocket. Never know when a family member may need to barrow a good vehicle or if you have a niece/nephew who may want to buy something in a few years.

 

[Boatwrench]

Install a hitch & buy a small utility trailer. When you are through with the nest building at the house the trailer can easily be turned into an expedition trailer.

 

[Hypoid]

I've been a proud XJ owner for 5 years now. When I first got it, it was my daily driver. I have since replaced the engine, rebuilt the transmission, lifted it, and a plethora of other things (mostly drive line related).

That alone would make me want to keep the XJ for a utility vehicle.

Without having specific information about your suspension work, I would recommend against towing heavy loads with it. I did a 2-inch budget boost on mine: Added two stock leaves, removed the rear sway bar. While the little Jeep does the job, stopping can get interesting. If I try to stop too quickly, the weight of the empty trailer will push the rear of the jeep from side to side. I never weighed the trailer by itself, but when it run across the scale empty, I think the combo weighs between 5,000 & 6,000 lbs. I think I have crossed the scale around 9,000 lbs. with the beast loaded.

Scrap trailer:

All that said, the home despot in my area offers short term truck rental, they also offer delivery.

 

[Hypoid]

I found one of my old weigh receipts, the Jeep with empty trailer weighed 5,660 lbs.

If you subtract the heavier of the listed curb weights, the empty trailer weighs in around 2,300 lbs. Just to get the feel for how things would handle, I tried different braking forces @ 65 mph. My best best to avoid a collision, is evasive maneuvering. The XJ can't control the extra mass attached to the hitch, under a hard deceleration.

 

[Johnnie Walker]

Something with trailer brakes would help a bit.

 

[XJLI]

There's always a part of me that doesnt want to get rid of it. But its not so much about the time, effort, and money I put into it an more about the freedom of knowing I can go where ever the hell I want, whenever I want. I an pick up and drive out to the middle of nowhere, and know that this purpose built hunk of junk will get me there reliably. Every cent I poured into this thing was to make it mechanically reliable. Not necessarily a rock crawler. In fact I have never actually done that kind of wheeling (crawling) with it anyhow, just the occasional muddy back road or steep hill climb on the way to a camp site or something. So part of me feels like that need could be met with a good solid 4x4 truck as well. As long as I have something capable of scratching that occasional itch, I don't think I will miss the jeep that much.

That said, I can afford to keep both. I could say that I would hack up the jeep, cage it, slap some 35s on there, and make it a trailer queen, then tow it with the truck. But honestly I do not have the tools or the space (damn car port), or the skills for that matter, to sustain a project like that. So if I did get a truck and keep the jeep would probably sit covered on the side of the house most of the time.

On the other hand, cleaning up the heep a bit might make it tolerable. And the truth is, I do really like driving the thing, on road or off. But as I continue to get older I will eventually want to get something else, be it a truck or another little sports car, its inevitable, this thing wont be my DD forever! lol

Obviously, I a little conflicted here! haha!

I dumped a stupid amount of money into my XJ. You're in AZ, how often would you be wheeling it? And how much of that wheeling requires a rig that built? That was the biggest nail in the coffin for me so to speak. I wheeled it to within it's ability twice a year, and wasn't really enjoying it anymore. It was too far of a drive (and too much of a $$$ commitment) to wheeling. If I was out west, it would be a different story... I'd probably have a Power Wagon or some other fullsize with a trailer.