Need HELP from you OLD School Jeepers
07-20-2008, 06:13 PM
#1
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Need HELP from you OLD School Jeepers
I will try and keep this short as possible. 
I am 31, married, have a 9 month old little girl and have been into Jeeps since I was 16 years old ( My Dad helped me buy my 86 CJ7) I have owned and restored two CJ's since then and still kept the 86Renegade. I have been working on it off and on in the garage for years and almost have it back to 90% Restored or where I want it for a baddass olschool Jeep. I recently got the great Idea to sell my 05 Dodge Ram Hemi and (also sell the 86 CJ) and I went and picked up an 08 Sahara. There was something about them I loved. ......Well although I do like the Sahara, I just finished some stuff up on the CJ and broke it out of the garage for the first time in 8 months 
After driving it for 10 minutes I realized that I don't LOVE my new Sahara near as much as my CJ and now don't want to sell it and am stucmk with two Jeeps, one being a DD that I was going ot Mod soon. I am at all and am having a hard time with the decision I made and can;t seem to sell the CJ, but need the garage space
Any advice from those of you that have been in my shoes. Here she is...
Getting ready for a full bottom coat of POR 15
I am 31, married, have a 9 month old little girl and have been into Jeeps since I was 16 years old ( My Dad helped me buy my 86 CJ7) I have owned and restored two CJ's since then and still kept the 86Renegade. I have been working on it off and on in the garage for years and almost have it back to 90% Restored or where I want it for a baddass olschool Jeep. I recently got the great Idea to sell my 05 Dodge Ram Hemi and (also sell the 86 CJ) and I went and picked up an 08 Sahara. There was something about them I loved. ......Well although I do like the Sahara, I just finished some stuff up on the CJ and broke it out of the garage for the first time in 8 months After driving it for 10 minutes I realized that I don't LOVE my new Sahara near as much as my CJ and now don't want to sell it and am stucmk with two Jeeps, one being a DD that I was going ot Mod soon. I am at all and am having a hard time with the decision I made and can;t seem to sell the CJ, but need the garage space Any advice from those of you that have been in my shoes. Here she is...
Getting ready for a full bottom coat of POR 15
07-20-2008, 06:22 PM
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My two cents.
BB for the sahara, take the tires from the cj--look like 33's, and slap them on the JK.
Use the JK as a daily driver and use the money you were going to spend on the JK and turn it into a full on rock crawler, with 40's etc. etc. etc.
JK's are great but you can't get rid of that CJ. The insurance on it can't be that much.
Keep em both whatever you do.
You can always park the JK on the street or outside. In my house Garages are for tools not cars.
BB for the sahara, take the tires from the cj--look like 33's, and slap them on the JK.
Use the JK as a daily driver and use the money you were going to spend on the JK and turn it into a full on rock crawler, with 40's etc. etc. etc.
JK's are great but you can't get rid of that CJ. The insurance on it can't be that much.
Keep em both whatever you do.
You can always park the JK on the street or outside. In my house Garages are for tools not cars.
07-20-2008, 06:30 PM
#3
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My two cents.
BB for the sahara, take the tires from the cj--look like 33's, and slap them on the JK.
Use the JK as a daily driver and use the money you were going to spend on the JK and turn it into a full on rock crawler, with 40's etc. etc. etc.
JK's are great but you can't get rid of that CJ. The insurance on it can't be that much.
Keep em both whatever you do.
You can always park the JK on the street or outside. In my house Garages are for tools not cars.
BB for the sahara, take the tires from the cj--look like 33's, and slap them on the JK.
Use the JK as a daily driver and use the money you were going to spend on the JK and turn it into a full on rock crawler, with 40's etc. etc. etc.
JK's are great but you can't get rid of that CJ. The insurance on it can't be that much.
Keep em both whatever you do.
You can always park the JK on the street or outside. In my house Garages are for tools not cars.
07-20-2008, 06:56 PM
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I hear ya. There is not much rock crawling around here, but I built the CJ up for trail and offroad. I use to take it wheeling a lot when I was younger. It has a beefed up 4.2, borla exhaust, headers, dana 44's, the tires are 35's. It's a torque monster, it seems like it moves those 35 MT's much quicker then the JK moves the damn stockers 
I think they both have 3.73s in them also...
I think they both have 3.73s in them also...
07-20-2008, 07:29 PM
#5
Well, last December I was in the same situation you now find yourself. For nine years I spent every spare cent turning my '99 TJ into a rock crawler. I accomplished that mission and had created a very specialized Jeep. Great in the rocks and not much good anywhere else, especially not good on the road.
Loud and harsh ride and 12 mpg was considered a really great. 10 mpg was average. Once you ride in a 2008 JK Unlimited 4 door, with its solid ride and quiet and cool cabin, oh wait you have, you will have a difficult time going back to the CJ. Add the great mileage and room for everything you might want to take on a trip and the CJ won't make sense to a man with a young family. Does the JK have short comings? Yes, and you addressed the most glaring, the lack of low end torque. The old I6 we all know and love, developed most of its torque at 1800 rpms. The new V6 doesn't develop its torque peak until
4000 rpm. A big difference if you are used to driving a CJ/YJ or TJ with the I6.
BUT, the V6 gets much better mileage, I get 20 mpg in mixed driving and have achieved 22 mpg on the highway, and my JK has an auto tranny and 3.73 R&Ps. I spent several days doing a "pro and con" comparison and the JK came out on top by a large margin based on comfort, storage space, operating expenses and expected driving environments = 10% off road and 90% on road. I traded my TJ in on the JK and have never regretted it one moment.
Loud and harsh ride and 12 mpg was considered a really great. 10 mpg was average. Once you ride in a 2008 JK Unlimited 4 door, with its solid ride and quiet and cool cabin, oh wait you have, you will have a difficult time going back to the CJ. Add the great mileage and room for everything you might want to take on a trip and the CJ won't make sense to a man with a young family. Does the JK have short comings? Yes, and you addressed the most glaring, the lack of low end torque. The old I6 we all know and love, developed most of its torque at 1800 rpms. The new V6 doesn't develop its torque peak until
4000 rpm. A big difference if you are used to driving a CJ/YJ or TJ with the I6.
BUT, the V6 gets much better mileage, I get 20 mpg in mixed driving and have achieved 22 mpg on the highway, and my JK has an auto tranny and 3.73 R&Ps. I spent several days doing a "pro and con" comparison and the JK came out on top by a large margin based on comfort, storage space, operating expenses and expected driving environments = 10% off road and 90% on road. I traded my TJ in on the JK and have never regretted it one moment.
07-20-2008, 11:16 PM
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As one who drove a rusty CJ in college, then restored it with my father, I am loyal to the CJ. I love my JK for the lockers, flex, and road manners, but for plain ol cruisin with the top down the JK feels nothing like the CJ. The older Jeeps really give that open air feeling that all the safety features have really taken away on the new stuff.
Gotta show off the 1980 Jeep, just ignore my ugly arse driving it....
Gotta show off the 1980 Jeep, just ignore my ugly arse driving it....
07-21-2008, 01:28 AM
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I would say find a way to keep both. I also have an 82 CJ7 I am working on. It needs a new body tub but I just keep patching it. I drive it all around. If funny, I get all kinds of weird looks cruising in it with the top down and doors off. I don't get those looks in the JK even with the top and doors off.
Believe it or not my wife told me I am not allowed to sell it. She likes the JK but there is nothing like the CJ.
Believe it or not my wife told me I am not allowed to sell it. She likes the JK but there is nothing like the CJ.
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07-21-2008, 06:01 AM
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Well I can really agree with the last two of you that posted. I am not trying to take anything away from any other Jeep owner, but unless you have owned an old CJ and put a lot of your time and $$ into it and gotten the looks in it that I have through the years....you just would not know the feeling of owning a CJ. I have had so many looks, compliments, offers on it since I started working on it back in 1998. Even with 35's and some new wheels on the JK, I don't think I would get half the looks. There is NOTHING like an old done up CJ, itts just tough looking and I love the feeling of driving it and the old dash and rough ride I have decided that since I have almost sold it twice now and have a new paint job on it, and just finished sand blasting the bottom and getting ready to paint that I am that much coser to having it where I have wanted since I restored it when I was younger. I have decided to Keep it and drive it on nice days and maybe fins some trails here and there and keep the Sahara, do a mild lift on it, keep the stock wheels and throw some bigger 33 AT's on it and not go crazy, but have a nice new, NON stock JK 
Now I just have to clean my racing Quad out of the wifes side of the garage and get here space for her SUV, like I promised when we bought the house 2 years ago
I owe her that for her understanding about the CJ....
I have decided that since I have almost sold it twice now and have a new paint job on it, and just finished sand blasting the bottom and getting ready to paint that I am that much coser to having it where I have wanted since I restored it when I was younger. I have decided to Keep it and drive it on nice days and maybe fins some trails here and there and keep the Sahara, do a mild lift on it, keep the stock wheels and throw some bigger 33 AT's on it and not go crazy, but have a nice new, NON stock JK Now I just have to clean my racing Quad out of the wifes side of the garage and get here space for her SUV, like I promised when we bought the house 2 years ago
I owe her that for her understanding about the CJ....
07-21-2008, 09:31 AM
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Man I expected more old school guys to pick up on this thread...O well...I think I am going to keep both and have fun and keep working on one and do minor work and use the JK as nice DD and Grocery getter for the wife