wife wants a wrangler. which one is better tj or yj. about how much should i pay for one? i want it bone stock and modify it myself. she wants 5-speed 4.0

 

i like tj's better myself. my mom has a 5 speed, there expensive though, like twice as much as an xj usually more.

i DD'd it for like 3 months was gonna take over the payments on it but i didnt really like it, it was cool and all taking the doors and top off but it wasnt practical and it felt like driving a boat on the highway.

now my mom has it with the pink "silly boys jeeps are for girls" sticker on the back window

 

so, it doesn't handle highway as good as an XJ?

 

they are even less aerodynamic and have a way shorter wheel base. the short wheel base makes for a bumpy ride. my dad had an 89 wrangler when i was 14ish. it was fun but definitely not a practical vehicle unless you are single and have another vehicle.

my wife was thinking of trading her liberty for one but gave up after actually getting in one

 

in my experiences no, its the only wrangler ive driven though so take it with a grain of salt.

i'd definetaly check some out though and test drive quite a few

 

hmm. i guess i'll have to take her by some used car lots and let her test drive a few. she said if she doesn't like it she might consider a ZJ and we'll make the XJ 5 speed.

 

my wife loved our zj. she still looks at them when we see them at car lots. super comfy

 

Yes, let her test drive a few Wranglers. She'll change her mind.

 

TJ

 

Definately a TJ. They resell really well, and the bottom of the market is going to be around $4,000 for a high mileage 4 cylinder. You can expect to pay at least $5,000 for a 6 cylinder with pretty high miles. To me, they are over priced, but they have a novelty factor built into them regardless of condition and/or miles.

 

They both have their advantages. The YJ is cheaper to buy and cheaper to lift. But the TJ rides better and has more aftermarket support. Take your pick.

 

well i love wranglers...ive had 2 YJs and a TJ...my dad had a YJ from when it was brand new in 86 as the 87 model to just a month or so ago when he sold it...and he used that as a family car when i was growing up...so in other words, ive been around wrangler since i was one..lol..so heres some info

yes, YJs ride more rough then TJs...due to the fact the YJs have 4 leaf suspension and the TJs have the coil sprung suspension..between the two of them, the TJ is the better dailer driver...BUT, i YJ with stock springs is really not as bad as some people make it out to be...its when you put after marked springs on them to lift it that are arched more, thats what gives them a horrible ride

the first year that jeep used the 4.0 in the Wrangler was 91...the AMC 4.2 carbed engine was a good engine too tho...didnt have the HP that the 4.0 has, but the 4.2 in my dads went 300k miles with out ever having to rebuild it, and its still running...as far as the tops go on wranglers, in 87, those were the most prone to leaking...dont get me wrong, all tops on YJs leak, even hard tops when it rains hard enough, it comes in above the windsheild...but in 87 pretty much everything where the top made contact with the jeep was buttoned down, leaving gaps between each button...even on the windsheild frame, they had buttons allowing the rain to come in easier..after that tho, they put channels on pretty much everything so it had a solid contact..

BUT TJs, were even better...instead even of the channel, they clamp with two clamps to the windsheild fram with a seal snuggled nice and tight between the top and the windsheild frame...when i had my TJ, it never leaked...

if you buy a YJ, be careful, some dealers thro a "Sahara" spare tire cover on and call it a sahara, which is the YJs top of the line model from 88-95, so they can sell it for more money...a lot of people end up paying a couple grand or more, more then what it was really worth bc it was actually an SE model or something...the saharas, as far as the YJs are concerned, only come in green and tan...from 87-91 they came in olive drab and a yellowish tan that is much more rare...another way to tell they are a sahara is they have body/fender flare matching paint..the SE doesnt...its got black flares...the islander also has matching flares but comes in yellow and teal and blue...also the saharas had olive drab seats with tan leath accents with a green dash board, up until 95, they put a tan dash in the saharas..

the TJs, i havent seen as many dealers try to seel TJ sports or SEs as saharas to make a quick buck..but on TJs, they are clearly marked whether its a Sport or sahara...YJs only were marked if they were a sahara..in 03, the TJs got more comfortable seats...wider seats..they were just a little nicer on the inside, and more comfortable..in 2005 is when they introduced the 6 speed man trans into the TJ....

but all in all, as i said, the TJ is a better choice for ever day driving...if youre just looking for simplicity with a removable top and doors, the YJ is the way to go

 

I owned a '93 YJ 4x4 5spd with the 2.5 from 2006-2008 and it was a great trail rig. I've ridden in both the models and thought that the YJ was a much better wrangler. it had plenty of gauges you could monitor, there's less plastic to f*** up, theres less electronic features. etc. If your wife wants creature comforts get a TJ. If your wife wants a real Jeep. Get a YJ.

 

Great info. Thanks guys. We're gonna try a few tjs in a couple of weeks.

 

the TJ has the same gauges but they are all in the one gauge cluster with the RPM and the SPEEDO witch are right beside each other too unlike the YJ where the rpm was on the left of the steering column and the speedo on the right, and you had to look all the way across the dash to see all the gauges in the YJ...

Dont get me wrong, i LOVE yjs, they are my favorite of any jeep, including the two jeeps i have...i want to get another YJ but they are so expencive if you want to buy an unmolested one...heck, even the molested ones are a lotta money...thats what i like about the XJs...i paid 1k for it, it runs like a new jeep, at the time it looked like a new jeep, but then i got my hands on it..and you can even buy an 01 for 4 grand if you look hard enough...

but like i said ive been around YJs since i was 1 so im sure thats why i like them so much