Reece

This might be the wrong sub-forum for this but I trust you guys more than the yahoos in the chat room. You all have been a great help over the last year.

I'm about to trade in my Cherokee for a new Wrangler Sport S. I had all but made up my mind until this morning going to work. I stepped out the door and there she was, pretty as ever and the sadness hit me. Then on my commute I saw 2 more Cherokees, one beauty with a 5" lift and a renix that looked like it had never been washed. Both cruising I-10 at 65 mph and looking strong.

My 2001 already had the head replaced when I bought it a year ago. I've spent that year doing a lot of cleanup, maintenance, and minor repairs. I've got about $11,500 invested in a bone stock beauty with 68,000 miles on it. About a month ago it started losing coolant and it also has a slow Freon leak in the evaporator. I pulled the valve cover, cleaned the oil off the head and pressurized the cooling system but couldn't find a crack. The aftermarket head looks good, not an 0331.

This weekend I'm going to run it up to temp with the radiator cap off to see if I'm getting any exhaust blowing into the water jackets which would indicate a head gasket failure. What about head bolt #11 and the required sealant? My only alternative is to take to my mechanic who will probably charge me a grand to fix it and then there is still the evaporator. I'm losing confidence in my old girl and I need a dependable Jeep.

I just don't know when enough is enough. I know lots of guys pour big money into their rigs only to abandon them at a great loss. I'm about there but it's going to be a sad, sad day. I can either pour money into my Cherokee or pour money into a new Wrangler. At my age, 66, I might be better off with the Wrangler. What say you?

djb383

FWIW, have never owned a Wrangler but have ridden in a couple. After both short rides, the "one word ride description" I remember reading in ConsumerReports a few years back came to mind..............that word was "brutal".

caronaxtr

Honestly... askin advice about a wrangler vs xj on an xj forum is brave. That said, there is a place for those wranglers with me. Having owned a TJ, (2)XJ's, aZJ, and a WJ, for the price of the XJ's their great, but if the wranglers were priced less I'd have gone with a wrangler. Mod's for the wranglers seem to be a bit more pricy than the XJ's not by much though.

I'm in pretty much the same boat. 2001 XJ w/95,000 miles & $12,000 plus into her. My decision is to keep mine and keep building mine. I'd hate to start all over again.

Tough decision, good luck! My favorite by far was the WJ.

cdhebert

You mean Cherokee Chat? You do realize that we are the same yahoos, here, right?

Hard to compare a 2001 vehicle of any type to a brand new one and ask relibility questions. I love the new Wranglers. I also love my Cherokee. I also don't have 25 grand to drop on a new Wrangler. I could finance one, but the 500 bucks a month car note would pay for a lot of repairs on the XJ. I have made the decision to drive older vehicles and do my own maintenance in the hopes that I'll be coming out ahead financially in the long run. It "feels" like I'm saving money, but I've never done the math either. I know this - My 2001 F250 with a 7.3 diesel rarely ever needs repair. If I were looking for a vehicle specifically for the purpose of long term reliability, I might look at vehicles "other than Jeep". That might be blasphemy here, but you didn't ask what kind of vehicle you'd "love" more, only which was a better decision...

Good luck! (Nobody will hate you for buying a Wrangler)

FYI - I have a 1952 *****'s CJ3A that still runs strong with the original engine, tranny and axles. How's that for long term relibility?

97AT4x4XJ

If you don't repair your cars, you should probably get newer car.
Or you have to be ready to pay for repairs.
Evaporator replacement is not easy quick job.
About your engine problem, you have to pay somebody to diagnose it. They should know, that you will not pay them for repair.

Reece

I enjoy my Cherokee hobby and I enjoy older vehicles. I've driven them all my life and I do all my own maintenance and many of my own repairs. My line is pretty much drawn at the torque wrench. I don't own one. This Cherokee has turned into a love/hate relationship for me. I guess I'll go drive a Wrangler and see if it's too brutal on my old back. I like the simplicity of it though, crank windows and manual transmission, basic 4X4 with solid axles and AC. Since I'm still working, my S.S. check alone will pay it off pretty fast, hopefully before I die on the job.