I bring up this debate because its something thats been on my mind for a few years now. Looking at the way some things get done I've always looked at it as you've either got more time to do things yourself or you've got the money to pay someone to do it for you. Same goes for the add-ons we daydream about for our jeeps, in certain cases but not all - you've either got more time and ability to make your own extras or you've got the money to buy in the aftermarket.

Now that im a little bit older and absolutely have more money than what i did as a teen-young 20's adult at my discretion, I definitely don't have as much free time as it were. Having a family as well among other responsibilities definitely takes up the majority of free time available. So with that i've always enjoyed fabrication and doing things myself, definitely making a vehicle my own with custom armor, recovery, storage and suspension. That however takes a lot of time - time i don't have as much freedom to burn up as i used to.

Which leads me to the point of this thread

The temptation to let go of all the custom work and vehicle(s) in favor of something newer, simpler and about as capable if not more has been on my mind. Nothing is without maintenance off course especially when it comes to taking vehicles off road and testing their limits. However - a 25+ year old Jeep thats limited on original factory components now to better suite going off trail and as a result the ride quality suffers as well definitely has you performing routine maintenance fairly often. Comparing that to something a bit newer and also a bit more tailored for being off road likely wont be as entailed with remembering what year make and model you converted parts over to make the jeep perform "better".

This begs my question

Would you sacrifice your self fabbed-self built on-road/ off-road multi-purpose jeep build for something simpler, newer and similar in capability? OR would you keep on the old offroad jeep hustle, each year investing more money into keeping the thing on-road and off-road capable?

Pro and Con stories/experiences encouraged

 

My XJ is nothing more than a hobby to me. Which means at some point, as is with most of my hobbies, I will be selling it when I'm ready for a new hobby.

That said, part of the reason I bought mine was to have both a hobby and vehicle to drive in retirement. I can't afford to buy two new/good vehicles so I decided to buy the XJ now while I have some years with an income stream to rebuild it into a fairly dependable car.

But mine is not an off-road toy so my thoughts and ideas probably don't line up with most on this forum. Or for most of the XJ owners. I suspect when I do sell mine, the new owner will commence to chopping it up to give it some off-road capabilities that it doesn't have in mostly stock form.

And finally, if I find a way to afford two newer vehicles by the time I do actually retire, I'll have them instead. The new stuff does pretty much everything better and by the time I'm knocking on 70 years old, washing and waxing will be enough "maintenance" for me.

So, yes, I would let go of my multi-purpose Jeep for something simpler and newer and more capable. I suspect that a new Tacoma, Bronco, Ranger or Colorado is more capable than what I am building.

 

I had a '87 sport that had shotgun size holes in the frame. So I decided to run it until it blew up and not put any more money in to it. It drove for another year or so before the head gasket went. I gave it to a buddy of mine to romp around his property until the frane gives. I found a decent '00 sport with 110,000 miles. And the new project begins...I never pictured myself driving anything other than an XJ.

 

What newer vehicle would you invest in? The only thing similar to an XJ now that is worth buying is a Wrangler but I don't really like those much.

 

The thought is to get into a 2012-2015 JK - auto trans, preferably a rubicon. Little more room, more comfortable and with some work just as capable as my current family wheeling rig - the 1998 Jeep Cherokee. I feel that JK platform is far more purpose built for some mild wheeling over the XJ as it is. I took it on an overland type trip a few weekends back and had a pretty good time with it. Covering about 165 miles primarily on seasonal, forest service, ORV and dirt roads was a whole newer experience. No pressure of breakage, just relaxed cruise and enjoy the adventure of exploration seeing how far north we could get by saturday evening. Sunday was just the straight line drive home which the reality of the 98's DD abilities really sunk in - they weren't exactly the most enjoyable. Given the fact that since the beginning of my Jeep experiences as a teen with my buddies - it has always been going bigger, going better and hitting the harder trails. As with most any other XJ the combination of other makes and models parts are slowly starting to creep in. Typically only going to private land parks and hanging around the difficult feature obstacles doesn't fair well on the factory xj components. This overland aspect has me thrilled though with a new environment to explore and also build to suite as well. While I can stand behind all the work i've put into that 98 XJ and also the numerous things i've learned from the overall build Its almost looking like time to move on. I still have other capable wheeling rigs to for the "lets get wild" trips so its not like im sacrificing my options, just potentially settling on a simpler solution for my needs to explore this overland approach.

 

You have done so much to your '98! I'm too old and too poor to do anything to that extent and I'm not interested in the kind of stuff you have taken your through, but I am interested in trips like you describe here. Seasonal roads, forest service, maybe some two-track would be fun.

Mine is basically stock with the exception of the Upcountry "clone" suspension kit put on it. Other than that, I'm spending time and money on making it as dependable as I can and keeping it rust free.

 

A built XJ will out wheel a built JK in most situations. I have gone places in my XJ on 35s that JKs and JLs on 37s and 40s couldn't without winching.

 

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I appreciate your attention to the 98's build thread. For as common as that jeep looks at a glance im satisfied with how Un-complex but also unique its been to this point. I've never had the intention or Need to make it an extreme wheeling vehicle but i also cant help myself but continue to add to it. Its been around this long mostly to satisfy my tinker itch for XJ specific things and also fits the whole family better than my MJ does. Considering though how much it sits and also how much work needs to keep being put into it after each use I'm kinda over it.

Not at all worried about this side of the argument. In reality - my MJ will out wheel both the XJ and "A JK" regardless. At this point the XJ just sits on a pedestal next to my driveway. Reserved as the family wheeling rig but when we go anywhere to actually wheel - the MJ takes the role. This whole overland side of the house has me re-thinking what's practical - Ultimate capability isn't at the top of my priorities now -ride comfort and simplicity are up there and i would argue those JK's ride a heck of a lot better than an XJ does.

Thanks for the wheelbase reference

 

Keep it. Buy another toy as well. OR is a sensible word for people who live more than once.

 

Currently have A 73 J2000 - ultimate adventure style build, an 87 Jeep Comanche - truggy with full exo cage, 1 ton axles and big sticky tires, another 87 Comanche thats LS swapped and also 1 ton axles, then theres the 98 Cherokee i'm referencing here that is a simple build which serves as a family wheeler.... I daily drive a 2014 Chevy Caprive PPV and also have a 2010 silverado as a tow rig. I clearly have plenty of toys/vehicles with or without this 98 XJ and just buying another so plainly financially doesn't work. The Jk's i'm considering are anywhere from $19k-$27k so the sale of this 98 xj would be key in the purchase of the JK.