Keep or Sell my XJ - One of "those" Threads

[4x4StationWagon]

I've got a 1990 Jeep Cherokee limited with a decent list of mods and a goal of a very functional DD/Expedition rig.

As of late, my DD beater is dying and I'm worried of the toll of daily driving what should be my toy.

So what say my fellow XJ owners? Do I keep a 208,000 mi 1990 Renix XJ with F/R Lockers and 4.56 gears as my daily?

Do I sell it?

Do I part it out?

What bothers me is the damn Jeep is in such nice condition. With the exception of a few speakers, everything works.

Pic:

 

[sidewaysstarion]

Throw some rock rails on it to prevent parking lot door dings and daily drive it.

 

[4x4StationWagon]

It already has rocker guards.

 

[sidewaysstarion]

I daily drive mine with 33's and 4.56's

 

[4x4StationWagon]

What kind of MPG do you get with 33's and 4.56s?

I probably need 33X10.50s because over 65 MPH I'm doing 3K RPM.

in town I'm probably getting 18, highway maybe 15 over 65.

MPG and reliability are probably my biggest concerns.

 

[GrimmJeeper]

the only way you're going to make any real money back is to part it out. if you don't want to watch that happen (it sucks, trust me ) then think of it this way. it's paid off, if you have a place to park it and can take it for a spin once a month or so to keep it charged and keep the wheels from rotting buy a little commuter car and keep it as a toy to go have fun with every once in awhile. 208k is nothing if you've taken good care of it.

 

[4x4StationWagon]

the only way you're going to make any real money back is to part it out. if you don't want to watch that happen (it sucks, trust me ) then think of it this way. it's paid off, if you have a place to park it and can take it for a spin once a month or so to keep it charged and keep the wheels from rotting buy a little commuter car and keep it as a toy to go have fun with every once in awhile. 208k is nothing if you've taken good care of it.

Believe it or not, I only have about $4000 into it including purchase price. If I got that out of it plus all my spare parts I'd be happy.

I've thought about getting stock axles at the junkyard and selling the axles separately since they are probably worth the most.

It's been very well taken care of, but little pesky RENIX issues creep up every so often. I've done all the ground wire upgrades and most of the sensors are new/cleaned.

I could put a radiator in my POS commuter car but selling the Jeep to fund a JKU purchase would be nice.

 

[surf2snow]

I have a 98 on 35” 4.56 and getting 14 average mpg and it my daily driver. But I drive 6 miles to work and back. I don’t know what your daily commute is? You could drive it until you can get a replacement daily driver.
Of are you thinking of getting out of 4 wheeling? And how much would it cost to start over?

 

[4x4StationWagon]

I have a 98 on 35” 4.56 and getting 14 average mpg and it my daily driver. But I drive 6 miles to work and back. I don’t know what your daily commute is? You could drive it until you can get a replacement daily driver.
Of are you thinking of getting out of 4 wheeling? And how much would it cost to start over?

My commute is 48 miles round trip....

I put 12k/yr on the Jeep before I got the commuter car. Last year I put 2k on it and went to the desert once.

I don't want to get out of off roading, but something newer that fits the whole family would be better. As it is, I can only fit the older two kids in the Jeep. The baby seat won't fit with the other seats. A JKU is a tad bit wider and would fit, also more $$$.

 

[mikedashg]

Looks like a fine DD to me. What are those 32's? Fairly mild build comparatively speaking.

But if I were you I'd just get another DD beater as soon as you can. Best mod I ever did for my Jeep was to get a Honda. Even if you DD your Jeep for a year in the mean time, get another DD.

 

[sidewaysstarion]

I average around 14 on my commute which includes a mix of highway and city driving and a small hill climb.

 

[4x4StationWagon]

Looks like a fine DD to me. What are those 32's? Fairly mild build comparatively speaking.

But if I were you I'd just get another DD beater as soon as you can. Best mod I ever did for my Jeep was to get a Honda. Even if you DD your Jeep for a year in the mean time, get another DD.

It has 31's. True that it "seems" mild which was one of my goals. every part has been upgraded to handle 33s/35s. From the steering, to the 1/4in plate welded lower control arm mounts, even the rear leaf spring plates are upgraded.

I realize mentioning all that, I feel like I'm wasting it. It needs an owner who takes it out to the desert much more frequently than I do. Of course having a newborn hampers that.

hmmmm maybe its time to yank the front bumper and winch off and sell her.

 

[hawkeye 1]

It really sounds like you made up your mind a long time ago to get a JKU. You answered your own question over and over again. Just sell it and be happy.LOL

 

[Johnnie Walker]

It really sounds like you made up your mind a long time ago to get a JKU. You answered your own question over and over again. Just sell it and be happy.LOL

You're supposed to tell him to not be "that guy". Haha.
Considered a WJ? It's an upgrade in many ways. Newer, bigger/wider, better MPG, and not a whole lot more $$$.

 

[4x4StationWagon]

Actually I started looking for a 97+ XJ last night that I could swap my lift + axles to.

That may be the best option here.

 

[crash02]

As it is, I can only fit the older two kids in the Jeep. The baby seat won't fit with the other seats..

Where there's a will there's a way.
I had 2 big britax car seats and a smaller toddler seat in the back of mine(with a cage) and boy was it tight but it worked.
Here is a pic of the inside.

 

[4x4StationWagon]

Wow. Well maybe there is hope. I've taken the armrests off of one of the seats already of the two that are in there. I can't believe it fit with the cage.

Was that a "kit" or was it all fabricated?

I've been driving it the past couple of days and loving it. It's finally setup the way I want and I really don't want to let it go.

I'm hoping the mileage is sufficient to make it work.

 

[crash02]

The cage is pre fabbed from T and J performance, not sure if they still sell the kit.
It was a very tight fit with all my roof and trim intact, so I had to re-notch.

 

[4x4StationWagon]

update:

Ended up selling the XJ and getting a commuter car.

As much as it sucks to sell my project, i'll have a JK in 2-3 years.

 

[xcm]

selling the Jeep to fund a JKU purchase would be nice.

BOOOOOOO! Have fun with your payments...