XJ vs. TJ

[Kingfish]

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.

A valid point indeed, but with a little creativity they could be made to do what any other lock does......Keep honest people honest.

 

[RichP]

A valid point indeed, but with a little creativity they could be made to do what any other lock does......Keep honest people honest.

Realistically, you don't lock a wrangler unless it's a hard top. I can open the TJ's soft top faster than I can get the keys out of my pocket just by unzipping either a back or side window. Downside is the asshats that steal stuff would rather cut the windows than see if the doors are locked...and those windows are NOT cheap and only come in pairs...

 

[87manche]

sounds like you need to put a sign on it
"doors unlocked, don't F up my windows please"

 

[scorpio_vette]

i personally own a XJ and a TJ. i think they're both great daily drivers. i've taken the TJ on several trips from georgia to wisconsin with no problems.

this is my personal experience and opinion:

XJ's are cheaper to buy, but TJ's are cheaper to build/fix

XJ's have more room, but can't remove the top and doors (at least not legally in most places)

XJ's require more lift to clear equal tires. TJ's hold 31's stock w/out problems. i have 4"lift to clear 33's and my XJ needed 3" lift and still rubs 31's. that's a big bummer for me since i like big tires.

TJ's don't roll as easy as people say, but yes they are topheavier than almost anything out there. the rollover stories started with the old CJ's that were really tall from the factory and had really short axles. as the jeep progressed, the alxes got wider and so did the tires. also with the suspension redesign in 97, they became even more stable than the YJ's. i have driven my TJ extremely hard at times to where i've almost had people crying and have yet to roll it. then again i can push my XJ harder and faster than my TJ (assuming i have the front and rear swaybar hooked up).

XJ's do better at fast speed. i've had my XJ at about 110-120mph, and if felt comfortable. my TJ starts feeling really light after about 85mph. then again you shouldn't drive that fast anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem.

i do like the fact that the TJ has a full frame. i know the unibody is strong, after getting t-boned by a suburban and not having any more than body damage, i highly doubt the XJ would have survived that. i also had a girl hit me in the front passenger side. she hit dead center in the tire and only took out the axle and suspension. having been there and doing the repair myself, i think my XJ would have been totaled both times.

XJ's have a great towing capacity if that matters. i would comfortable to jet ski's behind my TJ, but anything more (snowmobiles, etc...) i would use my XJ.

so that's it. like i said, that my personal experience from owning both at the same time and still playing hard.

 

[zfinger]

I'm asking myself the same question... I have a 97' XJ, but I think I want a 97+ TJ. I love my XJ, I love having 4-doors, and I love the storage space. And it goes like hell offroad with just a 2"BB nad 30's.

But... The TJ's hold their value so damn well. And I can probubly get one at auction through a friend for roughly what I can get for my XJ at a private sale. So I wouldnt have to spend too much to upgrade to a vehicle that books for more. And it has a frame, the top comes off, ladies get wet when you pull up in a TJ, the list goes on. There just so damn cool, I like the look.

But...x2... It would be my DD and my trail rig. Speed dosnt matter with the TJ, becasue I have a 240sx that should be 400hp by the end of the summer. And god do I hate leaning the seat forward to let people in. And I love my music, so I have to have the cd player, amp and sub, but that dosnt fly with the stealability of a TJ. So I have some thinnking to do before I make my decision in late May.

Or... I could just buy a used WRX, thats another car I do love so much.

 

[scorpio_vette]

god do I hate leaning the seat forward to let people in. And I love my music, so I have to have the cd player, amp and sub, but that dosnt fly with the stealability of a TJ

i solved the problem of leaning the seat forward by eliminating the rear seat. no rear seat, no passengers, no leaning. and we do have a nice cd player, amp and sub in our TJ.

you can take the face plate off and take it with you, or put it in your tuffy security console. and with a decent alarm and a properly installed system, it'll be easier to steal the whole jeep than it would be to take the system.

 

[zfinger]

I took the rear seat out of my Nissan becasue I hated leaning the seat forward. And I cant bring myself to own two 2-seaters. And I like bringing friends out on the trail, around town, typical social group activities. No one likes a loner.

 

[Begster]

XJ's are cheaper to buy, but TJ's are cheaper to build/fix

Not true, TJ suspension systems cost more because they have the rear coil system (control arms and coils and track bar and such) XJ's just have leafs
Rubicon Express 4.5 systems: XJ= $1,000 TJ= $1460

XJ's have more room, but can't remove the top and doors.
XJ's require more lift to clear equal tires... still rubs 31's.

Nothing a saws-all and a little bit of reengineering can't fix

TJ's don't roll as easy as people say

I read on a website a long time ago that Wranglers had a better roll over rating/ safety than Cherokees, My dad wouldn't let me get a TJ because the thought they were unsafe as well

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

Sorry dude, I get lonely, I don't have many friends. JK

 

[scorpio_vette]

Not true, TJ suspension systems cost more because they have the rear coil system (control arms and coils and track bar and such) XJ's just have leafs
Rubicon Express 4.5 systems: XJ= $1,000 TJ= $1460

you are correct if we're talking lift for lift. but if you talk lift for tire clearance, then you need a around 4-4.5" to clear 32's on a XJ w/out trimming, but you would only need around 2" to clear them nicely on the TJ. and that's how they turn out to be cheaper.

i look at it this way. the less money/time i spend clearing the tires, is more time/money i can spend on other upgrades.

and to be honest, i always get a little jealous at my wifes TJ for having so many more different upgrades and selections to choose from.
i saw so many TJ bumpers that i couldn't find for my XJ for example. that kinda sucks a little. and alot of other parts seem to be cheaper for the TJ since they don't need all the extra "re-enforcement" for the unibody.

 

[RichP]

you are correct if we're talking lift for lift. but if you talk lift for tire clearance, then you need a around 4-4.5" to clear 32's on a XJ w/out trimming, but you would only need around 2" to clear them nicely on the TJ. and that's how they turn out to be cheaper.

i look at it this way. the less money/time i spend clearing the tires, is more time/money i can spend on other upgrades.

and to be honest, i always get a little jealous at my wifes TJ for having so many more different upgrades and selections to choose from.
i saw so many TJ bumpers that i couldn't find for my XJ for example. that kinda sucks a little. and alot of other parts seem to be cheaper for the TJ since they don't need all the extra "re-enforcement" for the unibody.

Thats the tough part, I go into OK4wheeldrives store and TJ stuff is just hanging on the walls screeming 'buyme' vs XJ stuff you need to track down on line somewhere. At the Jeepjambos and campjeeps the vendors are overflowing with TJ stuff with maybe a token bumper or rockrails for the other jeeps in the line. I prefer working on the TJ, just so much easier [unless we're talking under the dash, for that either one or both front seats come out...I can't bend like I used to...with the added blessing of easy off doors.
My 98XJ is the best set of wheels I have owned and for a DD it's unbeatable but the TJ sans top in the summer, good tunes, nice roads or trails is just so cool...I've been running a TJ for the last two days while the XJ is layed up, cold, windy and noisy is all I can say....

 

[DenLip]

And it has a frame, the top comes off, ladies get wet when you pull up in a TJ, the list goes on. There just so damn cool, I like the look.

Well, put the da**ed top up, and the ladies won't get so wet!!

My dad had a softtop TJ for about a year before I bought my XJ. It's definitely, as someone else noted, a "lifestyle change". I'm too worrysome to park it open. And too busy to mess with opening and closing it all the time. So it would likely have ended up being closed all the time - like my XJ!

Den