XJ vs WJ

J

Joe94xj

NAXJA Forum User
Location
colorado Springs
Ok so here is my situation. Currently have my 97xj with some goodies on it. The wife is tired of dealing with the xj's. This is the second xj in 6 months to bite the dust. So she wants me to take our current 2000 wj Laredo and sell the xj. Reason being is it's newer, well maintained with less miles at 100k. She has made up her mind one has to go and she wants the xj gone. She is all for me building the wj. The advantages for the wj I think are better condition, more options, plus I like the v8 vs the 4.0. The disadvantages for keeping the wj would be i would have to start from square one. Long arm setups are expensive vs the xj. I want long arms on it since I have been spoiled with the long arms on the xj. Just going to use it for daily driving and camping type rig. So what would you do? Sell the xj and start over with the wj? Or keep the xj and deal with the issues as they come.
 
i would say keep the xj.

i had a built xj on 34s. sold it cuz i wanted coils all around and a better driving rig. wanted a wj, ended up w/a zj, front and rear long arm kit on 35s. it was a heavy ass pig, and i didnt like it. sold it and bought another xj.

every veh will have problems. xj to me, is easy to fix, has good torque, cheap, light, just a better dual duty rig if you ask me. this xj will only be on 3" and 31s. should be capable, still get ok mpg, and have a good ride.
 
My $.02

Keep the XJ. You've already made considerable progress on getting it built to te spec's you want.
Parts are fair cheaper and there's alot more aftermarket support for the XJ than there is for the WJ.

The WJ may have a V-8 but it's rather small and not the ideal motor IMHO...and I think you know a guy that's swapped a real V-8 into an XJ.:anon:

You'll be starting out with less than stellar axle in the WJ too. LP D30 and the Bastard Child D44A. (Yes, your's is the D44a). There's virtually no aftermarket support for the d44a, just try to find an HD diff cover for it.

Exterior upgrades are few and far between as well.

Have ya noticed the tiny wheel wells?

All in all, you've already got a great platform Joe and the mods you've done are great ones too.
 
IMHO I'd stick with the XJ. I've gone back and forth on the XJ vs ZJ vs WJ debate just for myself. Every time I find myself buying another rig I revisit the debate but ultimately keep going back to the XJ.

Is the XJ a tad small for the family? Yes, it is. Would a V8 be nice to have? Sure, it would. Do front and rear coils sound über comfy? The do, in principle.

In the end though, the XJ is a cheaper platform to build. It has enough power to get the job done, especially with proper gearing. It has a more rugged/reliable drivetrain. And with the right springs and shocks it still rides very nice on and off the trail. It's also easier to work on.

For me, the only thing that would surpass/replace the XJ as a family camping/weekend wheeler rig is a 4dr Rubicon. Until that time I'm going to stick with the XJ.

Now for a dedicated crawler, well I have other preferred platforms for that.
 
All good points. Trying to convince the wife is another story. I want the xj just mainly because it's almost done for what I want. Just need front bumper/winch setup and gears/locker. Maybe if I sell the wj I can get a reman trans and engine for the xj.
 
My dad has wj with a inline 6 in it. His mpg sucks compared to my Xj not saying mine is great by anything. We put a new motor in it when he bought it used. My thoughts on wj are great dd only after working on it. Do the Xj, but if you were to do something with more creature comforts if that's what the wife is hinting towards then I would do a third gen 4 runner. Flame suit on. Lol. Good luck.

P.S- if you take the wj what will the wife drive or wants?
 
Well when I killed the xj. We made the decision to trade my mustang in for a 2012 JK unlimited. So that's what she is driving. The wj was hers. The Thing she doesn't understand is why I want give up a very nice reliable wj for the unreliable xj. I can't justify keeping three 4x4 jeeps. Her other point is I have yet to use the xj for what I want. I work weekends and it's kinda hard to find anyone to wheel with during the week days. I agree with this point. Do I just call it quits and give up till life will allow me the chance. Or do I keep it and actually use the xj once or twice a year.
 
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I know you're down in the Springs but I have Monday's off and that's when I typically go wheeling. I like that it's less crowded on Monday's.
 
The wife would prefer to wait till the jk is paid before we beat on it. It's her jeep and she doesn't really care for the lifted jeep beat on it type thing. Tuesday's and Wednesday's are my days off. Been that way for 11 years so I don't think my schedule is goin to change. Only time I have any weekends off is holidays and vacation time.
 
OK, I'll share my 2 cents as a former XJ owner/wheeler and a current WJ owner/wheeler... Not a single piece of misinformation above, as far as I can tell.

*Aftermarket parts and general parts availability for XJs (given their loooooong production cycle) is much better than the WJ;
*WJ can have some serious electrical gremlins, although seemingly the bulk of them are simply ground issues, if you can find the offending ground;
*The WJ axles bring the suck if you plan to run something larger than 32's, again with the aftermarket thing, and also because the LP30 axles are goofy CVs as opposed to u-joints, unless you get seriously lucky;
*Lifting a WJ enough to fit something larger than 32's is expensive -- you've indicated a desire for longarms;
*Your main tech resource is here -- NAXJA -- and while these fellas are the bomb, their WJ knowledge is justifiably limited;

All that being said, you indicated that you plan to have a DD/camper, not a rock crawler. You can pop 32's under you WJ with a $90 budget boost and do that. The ride quality of the coils all around will likely make you not crave longarms at that height, saving you some serious cheddar. They really are a comfy/cushy ride for a DD, though consistently getting better than 17mpg out of the 4.7L V8 in mixed driving is tough (the same is generally true for a 4.0 in an XJ, though, so that's kindof a wash). Lastly and perhaps most importantly -- a happy wife is a happy life.

With the WJ, though, you're going to run the risk that the highly contagious and common Jeep disease of inchitis will creep up on you, and then your wallet will definitely get stretched. In my case, I traded my semi-built XJ for a stock WJ and enough cash to build it -- that allowed me to pick up a full Clayton kit, 4.5" springs, JK axles front and rear, and 34" rubber, without dipping into the old savings... While I sometimes miss the XJ, I'd do it again. The WJ wheeled like a champ this weekend, even without the rear locker functioning (I suck at all things automotive electrical...)
 
The wj we have had for about 4 years now and I must say the only issue we have had with it was the radiator took a crap. No other issues. Last week on the drive to Longmont pulling a trailer both ways with city driving mixed in. I averaged 18.5 mpg. Cant even get close to that with the xj. Wj currently sits on 245's and a budget boost. There is room for the 265's. It's a nice smooth ride even with the crappy rancho shocks. If I sold the xj some money would go to the wj. Just trying to make the best decision here.
 
I managed slightly better than 18mpg this weekend, but that was one day of wheeling and 360 miles of highway (I did manage 22 on the way north to Hot Sulpher Springs, but I think I had a serious tailwind)... 18.5 pulling a trailer rocks, I get more like 12 when towing in the WJ, but then again I'm 5" up in the air running heavy 34's on stock gears, and that Clayton LA kit weighs a shitton by itself, so I guess that's to be expected.
 
If you decide to sell the WJ let me know. I am considering selling my XJ just for the fact I would like something to tow a motorcycle trailer and pop up camper, plus the wife really misses her old one. Granted this would be mine, but I am sure she would find a way to make it hers.
 
My experience on reliability of jeep models:

99WJ<97XJ<90XJ.

The WJ had to have a tranny at 95k miles. Yours has the better tranny, but...

My 90 has towed home all our other vehicles, including the Honda. Course the 90 has been towed home. :)
 
I am really glad this conversation has come up, as I have been debating a very similar situation for the past few months.

The only difference is my XJ is not a daily driver. With the addition of the wife a few years ago and now having a 21 month old girl, I just don't really have time to use it. Mine is pretty built: never built enough for wheeling, but overbuilt for daily use (plus the gas mileage sucks). Tthe Aussie in the front makes it suck for winter driving, but I can't see dumping the money into it for an ARB or E-locker set up.

So like the OP said, do I hang onto the XJ to just use it a handful of times in a year?

The WJ's seem like a nice step sideways. Similar enough to the XJ to know what is going on, but with some advantages and disadvantages. It seems like the v8 is a big plus. More oomph for the same mileage? As mentioned, would I better like that with a mild BB and slightly larger tires in the WJ? I could use it everyday if need be, but still do some wheeling and would be set for camping and such?

Every time I get excited about one, I think about the cons mentioned: expensive for a nice lift, the 44A, cv front shafts, etc., etc. By the time you figure those out, you're into it for a fair amount of dollars.

Like Dutch said, a 4 door JK would be nice, but I can't justify that kind of cash. I've actually pondered an FJ cruiser too.

I feel your pain...

Since we are discussing the WJ's, which years would be considered most desirable?
 
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