quick question on interior size

[irish1371]

hello all, new to the forum and have a good quick question.


I'm an lj guy that does overlanding/trails/camping. I have a wife a 4 yr old and a 10 yr old and a pita dog .

the lj has been very good to us but now my 10 yr old daughter is wanting to bring a friend with us on our camping trips and this is just not possible in the lj. I use an off roaded trailer to haul my camping gear but still 3 kids in the back of a tj/lj is just not fun.

so do I bite the bullet and get a jku and un soccer mom it to the point of being useful and spend 45k or pick up an xj do some serious mods and spend 15-20k?

My main issue is, will like two 10 yr old girls and a 4 yr old boy be able to sit in the back of an xj and not feel like they are dying on a 2 hr road trip and then maybe an hr off road to a camp site?

I love what you guys did to the give away raffle xj the club did some awesome work there. I was looking for a parts list to that build so I could see what the costs of getting an xj to that point would run me but I can't seem to find one in the build threads.

If any of you guys have some well tested tricks for seating mods in an xj then throw me a bone please. I should be starting my build in December of either a jku or an xj.

Another reason I am leaning towards the xj is like with my lj I prefer to do the work myself. I also feel that the xj would allow me to be able to do any repairs that happen vs the jku that has too many bells and whistle to make a solid long term trail rig imho.

so any opinions/ideas/ help on whether an xj will fill my bill would be great

thanks a ton
Irish

 

[Ex Jay]

In my experience 3 kids in the back of a limo will find a way to strangle each other. If your only driving 2-3 hrs then my first priority would be the vehicle. Id rather have my sh!tty xj over a jk anyday, unless I was towing. If I had an adventure trailer Id go jku all the way, they drive and tow so much better as long as ya get the pentastar. Ive sat in the back of both and the width feels about the same to me. Mpg is about the same and I see no difference between the two when it comes to wrenching.

That being said if I had 45k to spend id build the living heck out of my xj and spend 20k traveling in it.

 

[irish1371]

I agree with you but the one disadvantage to me for the jku is the size when compared to an xj I prefer the smaller rigs for off road.

My over all purpose for this would be more comfort for the kids in back, ease of entry with 4 doors, and some creature comforts as far as power windows cruise control ect.

Around st george ut and here in pa the jku has become the new harley every ass hat with some cash bought a rubi to show they have money. you tend to see a lot of jku's with the soccer ball and stick families in the back windows and that is an annoyance for me

I am also wondering how the jk will handle long term as in 10-15 yrs with all the sensors sway bar disco ect. I'm sure there is nothing that can't be fixed over the long haul. I just for see larger reapair bills for replacement of electronic pieces along with the regular costs of what off roading does to a rig.

 

[rocknxj]

A 4-year old will require a child seat, and the back seat will be cramped, especially if you put the child seat on one of the sides (not center). That being said, the 2000 and 2001 years came equipped with the child restraint systems. Previous years ('99 preferred) would need a mod for an anchor point for extra safety. Also, the rear seat does not contain head rests and I have always worried about sitting in the back and suffering a rear ender.

10 year old girls will soon be 14 year old girls, and that means camping years are over. Consider building a 2000-2004 Grand Cherokee WJ with strong V8, plush interior, and decent after market part support. A built WJ on 33's is a decent wheeler and you have the room you need for the kids and cargo.

 

[irish1371]

the boy is large enough to be in a highback booster seat so there isn't really any lost room to the left and right. We had a hella time finding seat that work correctly in the LJ for sure.

Thanks for the yr info for seat restrraints

 

[Johnnie Walker]

I would consider a ZJ or WJ. They are larger, more comfortable seats.

 

[GordoSmasho]

I run three carseats in the back of my two door. It works. It's tight but it works. Where ever three children are gathered there will be an instigator. So I don't know if there is a way to get away from that. Just gear appropriately and you'll be fine. The xj is a very capable vehicle with minimal cost IMO. You can build a very capable rig that hywy and tow ready for less than 10k. I have about 3k in mine and that included the purchase of the jeep.

 

[irish1371]

thanks Gordo