XJ vs. TJ

[hittinghard]

i know this is a XJ and MJ site but the TJ is a jeep so i figured what the hell. and many of you also have a a yj or TJ CJ ect...

i'm only 20 and i have a 93 XJ 3inch lift. but i want a new car so its between the 97+ XJ or the 95 or 96+ TJ.(don't know what year they came out in the TJ). like how likley are you to roll it (mostley the TJ, cuz my dad doesn't want me to get one cuz of that. but it has a FRAME not a UNIBODY which is nice, cuz unibodys crack and do all sorts of fun stuff) the XJ i have is a 4 door and i never use the back 2 doors or the trunk cept for my sub and the 1 time i went camping . i want to run a 31inch tire and i think it would be easyer to do on a TJ then a XJ just cuz you would atleast have to get a 3inch and ADJ track bar, SYE for the Newer XJs since they changed the tcase. and this would be for a DD and off road once and a while.
sorry that this is so long i'm just wanting to get the facts about each.
thanks!

 

[warwagon98xj]

i know this is a XJ and MJ site but the TJ is a jeep so i figured what the hell. and many of you also have a a yj or TJ CJ ect...

i'm only 20 and i have a 93 XJ 3inch lift. but i want a new car so its between the 97+ XJ or the 95 or 96+ TJ.(don't know what year they came out in the TJ). like how likley are you to roll it (mostley the TJ, cuz my dad doesn't want me to get one cuz of that. but it has a FRAME not a UNIBODY which is nice, cuz unibodys crack and do all sorts of fun stuff) the XJ i have is a 4 door and i never use the back 2 doors or the trunk cept for my sub and the 1 time i went camping . i want to run a 31inch tire and i think it would be easyer to do on a TJ then a XJ just cuz you would atleast have to get a 3inch and ADJ track bar, SYE for the Newer XJs since they changed the tcase. and this would be for a DD and off road once and a while.
sorry that this is so long i'm just wanting to get the facts about each.
thanks!

i dont know about em cracking ive been wheeling my xj for 2 years now and no probs. im running a 3" without an sye and i do just fine yeah a nice heavy frame they both have pluses and minuses

 

[camin0127]

hey man.........you might get better responses at a tj oriented forum.....i personaly think for a commuter....an XJ is a way more fit for Daily Driving and such forth.......thast just me..........i gottta 97xj and my girl has a 99tj
both manuals mines stock though and hers is 2inch BB and 32/11.5(just put it on too def worth the 250 bucks).............. the tj stock isnt super highway friendly compaired to xj stock.........but if you dont have to highway it.......whatever

 

[camin0127]

oh yea...........tj's clear 31 stockish.......or atleast they said........ 30" is factory........you always could do what i did 2inch BB and run them 31's like a champ........

 

[Fred85]

TJ's have no storage space, not very good highway manners, and are easily broken into which means you have to buy a bunch of locking stuff

but if those things don't really affect you it's kinda just personal choice

i've got a 2001 XJ and my dad has a 2002 TJ, i prefer my XJ by far..........the only thing i like more about the TJ is the seats and the fun to drive factor

this is of course all from a daily driver standpoint

 

[Begster]

ya my buddy has a stock TJ with 31x10.50, and some offset rims, and they stick out pretty far past the fenders, but I never see them hitting or him complain. Another guy has 31x10.50 BFG with a stock TJ. Rubicons come stock 31" An XJ seems like the more practical choice, especially for a DD. My friend who was a TJ wishes he had an XJ because he thinks its more practical. You live in Canada, so you see snow, XJ is better in the snow, and my friend always complains thats its freezing in the winter and everything. As for the unibody? where have you heard that from. I have never heard about anybody's unibody cracking, or doing anything funky at all. The only bad thing I have heard about unibodies are you can't do a body lift to clear bigger tires, and if you get in an accident, then they are more or less done because you can't really fix them. But thats because they were in an accident, frame would still get bent, but you could bend it back and everything. I run my 99 with 4.5 and 32's and I dont have an SYE, It doesn't run the smoothest, but you don't need one (you would probably want to get one if you do a ton of commuting). And for the years up until '95 was the YJ, they didn't make a wrangler in '96, and the TJ came out in '97 and is still produced today.

I'd go with an XJ, more comforatable, but the choice is purely yours, I love driving a TJ, but they are both fun. but do a search because there is another forum that compares XJ's and TJ's and about which one is better

 

[RichP]

We have both XJ and TJ's and YJ's, hard tops and soft on the shortys. For daily commutes the TJ can be a bit tiring at hiway speeds, winds kick it's butt all over the road at 60+. No storage in the shortys. Just took one to work yesterday and there was a good 40mph side wind blowing on the PA turnpike both in the morning and afternoon.
As for years, there was no 96 Wrangler, the TJ came out model year 97, YJ ended 95 and the interior was changed in 98, minor change, heater controls went from slider to round ones and some other sheet metal differences that happend mid year 97 that you don't notice till you need to replace like a grill, hood, fender, marker lights, BTDT.
Engine is tighter to work on, the 4.0 is in there pretty tight compared to the XJ. Like the 00+s because the relocated the alt and A/C compressor and have plenty of room for an additional compressor for onboad air...

 

[javik]

Yeah, i have 2 XJs right now and im considering going to a tj for a different reason. Scarcity, its just really damn hard for me to find a pre 1999 xj in nice shape with less than 50k. But i havent made my decision yet. What i really want is an unlimited rubicon, but those are even more rare and i cant find one for less than 28K, ANYWAY

For DD, the xj is by far quiter, handles better because of the longer wheelbase, its warmer or cooler depending on AC or HEat, It gets better gas milage, and is more comfortable.

You can Also tow something almost 3 times as heavy in an XJ (that should say something about the strength of the unibody)

Also, the Xj has mor the double the cargo space of a TJ. I know your 20 and that doesnt mean much now, but in a few years when you might have a wife and a kid that space rocks. Believe me, there will probably come a time when you wish you even had a litle more space than what the xj offers u.

XJs on the whole are much MUCH cheaper ( all things being equal) than wrangler

But the tj has its perks, like the top off, a real frame and body, giant wheel openings, factory Rubicon edition, but the TJ isnt close to an XJ for a DD.

 

[jeepnfahey]

XJ's are cheaper, they get better gas mileage, and they are more practical for a daily driver. I have never heard of the unibody cracking, but i could be wrong. Tj's are pretty sweet. The fun facter is high, but the gas mileage is lower. Your stuff might get jacked if u park in a busy area. I am just saying if i were u i would look for a 97+ XJ and take that extra cash u were going to spend on the tj and put it in the xj. Dont get me wrong i love wranglers they are a bad as rig.
I would go with the XJ.

 

[Highmiles]

I've had both. I would recommend calling your insurance agent first for a quote on a TJ vs an XJ. I'll bet the TJ is about twice as expensive.

Also, even with a full frame, I'd much rather be in my XJ than my old YJ in an accident - especially when I had the roof and doors off.

Finally, my old YJ was crappy in the snow. I had the 4.0 with a 5 spd and I could spin that thing around in a instant. I think it's high torque, light weight and short wheelbase make it tricky to drive in the slick stuff.

That said - If I could afford a second "fun" car, I'd pick up a TJ just for those summer days to bomb around with no roof, no doors, and my foot hangin' out on the nerf bar :sunshine:

 

[warwagon98xj]

I've had both. I would recommend calling your insurance agent first for a quote on a TJ vs an XJ. I'll bet the TJ is about twice as expensive.

Also, even with a full frame, I'd much rather be in my XJ than my old YJ in an accident - especially when I had the roof and doors off.

especially at your age!

 

[shortxjdoug]

i have a cj and 2 xj's and i would recommend an xj. i carry a lot of stuff that i don't want stolen. the noise is also annoying after while. even though my xj runs some loud mud terrains it doesn't hold a candle to the wind in a top. but its personal preference, i love all my jeeps equally, even though the cj scares the hell out of my girlfriend

 

[RichP]

This was my sons YJ, he was at a stop sign, stopped, when a woman in a big infinity came around the corner from the main road at 60 and hit him almost head on, drove him back 25ft with his brakes locked, the bumper was toast and is removed in the pic but he drove it for another month till we got the TJ. The infinity's nose, engine and tranny was totaly sheard off from the body and it took two flatbeds to remove it from the roadway

Hitting a wrangler or getting hit by one is like getting or hitting a boulder and they do weigh more than the XJ....you oughta try pushing one sometime, geeze... the yj is down in south carolina now getting a rebuild from one of the members of ...

 

[87manche]

proving that Jeeps never die, they just get sold and rebuilt

 

[91Limited]

My friend who was a TJ wishes he had an XJ...

dude get a life and stop talking to jeeps :laugh3:

I always think back to when i was talking to this guy about his tj (4", 32's-33's...something close to that). I was looking at one so i asked him about it, he said softtop doesnt matter, the heater will burn the hell out of you. Also, the first thing he said, and kept stressing throughout the conversation was DONT take it fast around corners, it can flip pretty easy. He kept saying that, so i guess you might want to consider that.

 

[98XJSport]

Ive owned YJ and XJ both had thier pros and cons. Both fun to drive with the 4.0. Top off on the YJ was nice, but didnt have a soft top only hardtop, so when it rained I was using a blue tarp and bungees. Couldnt camp out as good in the YJ. I put it this way to a friend once, The things that a yj/tj are good for they are great for. For everything else they are just inconvenient. It really matters what you are looking for in a vehicle. Never found the YJ to be tippy at all, but im used to this kind of vehicle. They just don't like sudden jerks of the steering wheel...

 

[JeffsJeep04]

I've daily driven both. The XJ is better hands down. For a DD/WW, you cannot beat an XJ. Mine is staying stock because it's such a practical vehicle as is. I wheel my YJ now. For a dedicated wheeling rig, it doesn't make very much sense to start with an XJ, but you aren't at the point where you need to worry.

 

[Ray H]

If all you want to run is 31s, then a 97-06 TJ is your best bet. They can fit 31s with no suspension mods at all. The TJs arent the "rollover machines" that your dad thinks they are. Truth is that a stock TJ on 31s is probably more stable with a lower center of gravity than an XJ lifted 3" to fit 31s. Obviously, there are drawbacks to the TJ. The main drawback being storage area, the second being price. If you want any kind of security, get the hardtop. The softtop is fun but it really does require a lifestyle change.
The YJ (87-95) is a cheaper option. If you still want to run 31s, a YJ will work best with a small lift. I know people that run 31s on stock YJs and its a tight fit and rubs alot. Personally, I dont think you will be happy with a YJ after owning an XJ. The ride is quite a bit harsher than either the XJ or TJ. you have the same issues with storage and security that you do with the TJ and you will probably want to throw a small lift on it to run 31s, although a small body lift is an option with the YJ and shouldnt effect the road handling or GC much at all.

 

[Kingfish]

As far as top down security goes......... http://www.raingler.com/shop/products.asp?catID=11


It's at least something.

 

[Ray H]

The nets are a great product and do well to keep things from falling out but arent much in the way of keeping people from stealing your junk. They unbuckle easier than unzipping a softtop window.