whoopsie on the font colors. That's why I switched back.

 

Honestly, I use dark mode wherever it's available. Easier on my eyes

 

I absolutely cherish this forum specifically. Comancheclub is in there too for my jeep passed times but really you guys are right about all of this. The short attention spans of the new comers is showing its fatigue on the die hard members here. The rapid fire threads and comments that don't hold up for fact or reasoning I think deserve the trash can. Flippid reacurring posting potentially followed up with warnings or suspension?? Would dispelling these users be that tragic??

When it comes to trying to engage in an askhole manner I tend to pry the ears on a narrowed down Facebook group. For example: FSJ LS swap group on book face has been beneficial for one of my projects specifically - just a little to narrowed down for this forum. The frequency and broad span of ideas and setups shared there is very helpful.

Now when it comes to technical writeups and an encyclopedia of build progress and referancable notes - these forums/threads is where it's at! Also the stats and accountability that can be held here is appreciated.

I plan to ride these shenanigans out as long as this site is still accessible fwiw

 

 

I've been browsing this forum for a few years without an account because I figured that everything had already been posted about and I didn't want to pollute the threads with things that had already been answered. Plus, I figured I didn't know enough to make helpful posts. Today I made an account because I saw someone had a problem that I thought I could help with. But, as Jack Pullo said here I think XJ's are slowly dying off; casual owners are reaching the point where it's not worth keeping the old girls around. I've been slowly bringing my XJ back to life from whatever XJ's get dropped off at the scrapyard. They always crush arrivals within a few months, but there's always a new one for me to go and scavenge off of. It's been great for my Cherokee, she wouldn't even be on the road right now if it wasn't for the scrapyard. But, as good as it feels that there's always a new XJ for me to yank parts off of, it still makes me sad to watch these old cars die. Pretty much, every time I get to fix something I've been waiting on for months, it's because somebody else's dream died. Just got my exhaust hanger plate of an old blue '97 XJ named "Betty Lamb"... seems the old owner died (couple of hints, personal belongings inside and even a blank check that I ripped up) and whoever inherited it didn't want to bother with an old car. "Betty" was in great condition, looks like her old owner loved her. Eventually, these are gonna be collectors cars going for insane prices at vintage auctions. My XJ and I are the same age...as long as I'm kicking I plan to keep her going, but a lot of people don't see any value in older cars.

 

Gotta keep mine going 'cos I couldn't afford one now.

I came to this forum late (almost too late it seemed for a couple of weeks, but we 've pulled through that) & wish I'd found it earlier, as it's the 1st Jeep one I'v found that I've felt at all comfortable in.

I have no time for (take that however you like) or interest in social meedja because it will forever be associated with what someone's neighbour's cousin's 1/2-brother's step-mother's dog had for dinner - as though anybody cares - with pictures! Besides, it's the very antithesis of how I wish to live my life, populated as it is by those who believe glass houses provide too much privacy.

 

Best description of fakebook and twatter ever lol

 

Glad someone shares my prejudices - & sense of humour.

 

Bought my XJ and joined here in 2015, but after initially getting the thing sorted it just hasn't needed much attention other than normal maintenance. I do still check in here periodically but haven't been very active.

 

What happens when XJs no longer show up at the junkyard. When you need a part but it has been discontinued and you can't find any used. For parts that aren't easily fabricated or rigged together. I haven't been able to find an inner door handle and trim piece that's in good shape. Lots that are for sale are cracked.

How many XJs would you guys estimate are left (that are actually functioning, aka runs and drives)?

 

Forums as a whole have just died. I joined back in 09 when i first got my XJ in highschool. Forums were all the rage, and where phenomenal to meet and interact with others. About 2011ish, FB had just started Groups, and Photobucket decided to block any and all photos if it wasnt a paid account to host pictures. So an astronomical amount of knowledge and threads were immediately lost and useless right then and there. So i seemed alot of people went to FB groups, even though it sucked...I think shortly there after there was a company that were buying alot of the forums and turned it into trash (like Pirate4x4). Since then forums havent recovered. Im only apart of one other forum thats pretty active, but the community is extremely small and tight. There was a concerted effort to bring the forum back from the FB group. Plus for me, in 2011/2012 i graduated, then women, diffferent vehicles (mainly cummins and desert go fast stuff. Youd be surprised to see how well a 8k lb truck can handle through the whoops with 3" kings, long arms, and long travel leafs)

 

Just means you'll be in the same position as us outside the US, where there are precious few junkyards & none have XJ's in them & there's not been a source of new parts, except aftermarket service items, for at least 10 years.

So far as I know all the handles on my parts '96 are good but not sure which "trim piece" you mean. PM me the details & your address & I can mail it, for the cost of the stamps rounded up to nearest $10. Of course, if you can wait 'til next year, when I hope to resume visiting, it'll be cheaper. .

 

These forums are vital to keeping old cars/machinery/anything society as a whole doesn't really care about anymore going. I joined to sell my wife's 99 XJ since she bought an 06 LR3 (the LandRover experience has been...interesting), so I'm trying to help answer some technical threads to get my post count up but I rely on forums like this to support my old farm machinery collecting/restoring habit and I have a 76 CJ5 that I'll keep forever. Nothing compares to being able to ask a targeted community technical questions and swap parts.

 

Im new to this forum bur before this jeep acquired me as it's owner, I was the proud papa of a 1983 Nissan 720 pickup. Which sometimes has parts from an 84 and has a pretty rare engine for where I live anyways. Which is the z20 L4 she has a four speed two wheel drive transmission and neither are her original parts since the door sticker says she's a 4x4 with a z24. Anywho driving that truck is a non stop adventure just today (I had to pull off and call the old lady to bring me a jack (I used it on the jeep and forgot to put it back) So I could get the passenger brake caliper unstuck. I joined a forum called ratsun.net and even if no one else would datzenmike would answer any question within 24 hours usually much faster even If he'd answered the same question a hundred times. I was reading though the posts one day and saw he'd answered everything I'd asked at least a dozen times already and later on I saw him answering newcomers even after me and I joined in to share anything I'd learned along the way which was not an insignificant amount. I've posted 3 threads (2 were the same with different intros) and I've received one answer which was so half hearted that I almost didn't even respond to it. And these jeeps are fairly new when compared to a 40 year old pickup...

 

Username checks out lol.

The problem with old vehicles is... hardly anyone can fix them. There aren't a whole lot of people left in this world that know how to work on a carburetor. Everyone knows about fuel injection now. But give it time and the same cycle will happen. When electric cars come out in mass, people will shift to learning how to work on them and we will slowly lose knowledge on how to work on fuel injection vehicles.

YouTube, the internet in general, and archives (paper manuals) will slow this down somewhat, but everything eventually dies off.

I will say, certain communities can thrive and keep cars alive a lot longer than others. Look at Mustang communities. There are still lots of 1960s, 1970s, 1990s, etc. Mustangs left because there is a cult like following to them. Those types of communities will last the longest. In order to keep and maintain an older vehicle, you have to have some sort of obsession with it. That's the key.