Folks, I write these words with a heavy heart. In the short time I've owned my Wrangler, I have become passionate about the vehicle, the brand, and the hobby. I've been a backpacker most of my life. That'll never change, but the JK has opened up a wonderful new past time--wheeling--that I had never seriously considered or understood well before. It has perfectly blended my love of automobiles with my love of the outdoors.

This forum, too, has been an incredible resource. I feel like I've received an undergraduate education in four-wheeling during my time here. The skills and confidence I have discovered are gifts that I will take with me for a lifetime. I talk to many of you (Mark D., UnderDawg, Goody, Echo, planman, etc) more than I talk to some of my real world friends, and I would gladly hit a trail with you any time, any place.

BUT, I've decided to sell the Jeep. And I'm buying an Off-Road package Xterra instead.

It sounds weird to even write those words. I freakin' adore my Jeep. I've crawled on, under, and around it. My sweat and--occasionally--blood is dried on it in numerous places. I've removed or replaced large chunks of it at various times. It has taught me a whole new set of skills and a tremendous appreciation for the complexity of off-roading and the intelligence of the off-road community.

I don't even dislike the "Jeep Thing" parts of Wrangler ownership. So what if it rides like the tires are made of concrete? Who cares if the top whistles on the Interstate? Even the lack of power has never really bothered me. Just slow down, chill the f*** out, and it's all good.

PJ O'Rourke recently said of the Wrangler:
Amen, brother.

The problem is that I've stopped trusting my Jeep. I had a scary episode of death wobble a few months ago that I traced to a loose axle-side track bar bolt. I tightened it to spec and the DW has not returned. But I can see that the hole is wallowed out a bit. So I've got a JKS brace on order from Northridge. But despite all the bracing in the world, the JK's solid front axle does not seem to have been properly engineered by Jeep. The axle-side track bar mount appears to be the main culprit, but it frankly seems like there's something fundamentally "off" with the amount of pressure the front track bar is under at all times. Like an engineering problem.

I should stop here because I don't want this to sound like hating. Let me just say that the wonky front end issues, coupled with Chrysler's ridiculous treatment of Jeeps with any kind of lift (even for problems that have nothing to do with the lift), have left me with a sense of dread that either (a) something on the front end is going to blow out on the highway and I'm not going to be able to catch the DW like I could last time or (b) something really expensive on the Jeep is going to break and it'll cost an arm and a leg to repair it.

I understand that this is a big boys' hobby and that it can occasionally cost big money to play, but... I dunno... I've just lost confidence in my rig. Death wobble is terrifying, and the experience sticks with you--in a bad way.

I have to travel hundreds (or thousands) of miles to do the kind of wheeling I enjoy. That means I need a rig that I trust--because getting stranded a thousand miles from home sucks big time. We also have a growing family, so having four doors is becoming more and more of a pressing priority.

It all adds up to swapping the Jeep for an Xterra. It should be a good rig for my purposes, and the D44 and locking rear diff on the Off-Road model means it should perform decently on the trail. Don't take this to mean that I'm dissing the Wrangler. I could list five dozen things I like better about it than the Nissan and on a gut level I'm not real happy with trading the one for the other.

But for my needs, I feel this is the right call. I hope to keep hanging around the forum and hope to disprove the notion that you never see Xterras on the trail (true though I'm sure it is).

I love this community and I love wheeling. If my off-road playground was in my backyard and I had a second vehicle as a daily driver, I'd keep the JK. But that's just not my reality, and some of the spooky stuff that's going on with JK front ends has severely eroded my confidence in the ability of my Jeep to make it the 1,000+ miles to Moab, Ouray, or wherever, and get me, my wife, and my kids back without incident and in one piece.

I hate to write this post. This isn't an official goodbye, but I did feel the need to explain my decision. It's been a hard one.

 

That sucks JK-Tex...enjoyed some of your photo's of your off-roading adventures! Good luck with your Nissan X-terra and hopefully one day you will be back into another Jeep Wrangler in the future!

 

Sorry to see you go.....if indeed you still buy an Xterra AFTER totally researching it.....lol, please let us know how you like it....

All the Best......

 

Sucks you are getting rid of it, do you want to sell your cb setup and JKS rear trackbar?

 

Yeah, we're gonna miss you.

No, seriously, we really will. The only thing about your post: I'm leaving in the morning for a couple thousand mile drive to NY to visit with my son. And I've been having this strange, can't seem to find it, knock in the front of my JK. I've never met DW, and hope that I never do. Good luck and happy trails, no matter what you may drive in the future!

 

Damn, no mercy from the vultures!

Those two parts, no, because it'll take way too much effort to remove/replace the CB license plate mount and I think the new owner is entitled to the track bar since the lift will still be on the Jeep.

That said, I will be parting out some of my mods in the near future. Need a barely used 2-door Trektop? Looking for a factory track bar to keep as a spare on the trail? Stay tuned...

 

I have had 2 jeeps before, Renegade and Cherokee and will never forget them, and I am now in the worlds best Rubicon. I tend to go harder and farther than most (well maybe not most on this site). I owned a Xterra for a couple of years and I loved it. The thing was a mountain goat. My stock would go anywhere any other stock could go and a little smoother. Comfort and dependability are what is important, if you don't trust her she will sure fail you.

I hope to see you out there, your not gone just on another path. And hey, I don't judge! After all who should.

 

Didn't mean to come off as being an ass, just curious to see what you may be parting out. But what about that Tuffy Security Drawer

 

I know exactly how you feel. I have been battling this front end since day one. No other issues with my Jeep. All constant front end parts going, holes wallowing ect. I don't feel safe in it either.

 

That sucks, sorry to hear that. Ive been lurking here for awhile and I am thinking of getting a 4 door JK, but the thing Im having a hard time getting over is its a Chrysler product. (drove nothing but Chrysler products from 1988-2005, once I got over my childish blind-loyalty thing, I realized I think theyre crap) Good luck to you. Myself and most of my family have Nissans (Titan, Xterra, Rogue, Frontier, Murano) and everybody loves them and swears by them.

Still, those 4 door JKs are beautiful looking machines!