A rig for the wife?

[DLoweinc]

So my (soon to be) wife has expressed an interest in trading our suburban for a jeep for her. Evidently she likes the '84ish CJ7's and old FJ40's.

I'm just curious if your wife has a rig for light wheeling/camping and what it is... what she would do different or any issues or thoughts that I should be on the lookout for.

Thanks in advance

[SuicideTireZJ]

First off, nice find. Being with someone that obviously enjoys your hobby isn't always easy to find.

So she's getting rid of a suburban for a Jeep? Well if she gets one of the shorter wheelbase ones (CJ, YJ, TJ, FJ40) it's going to take her a while to get use to the downgrade in size, unless she's going to pick something else up as a DD.

The older the rig is, it's more likely for it to be unreliable (especially jeeps!). And with vehicles like this, there's a big chance that they've been abused in the past so definitely have a mechanic look at anything before you buy it.

If she's just looking for some light wheeling/camping/fishing etc, what's wrong with an XJ or ZJ, or maybe a landcruiser? Or does she just want an open-topped vehicle? A short wheelbase, leaf-sprung is going to ride like shit unless you really dial the suspension in, and are pretty bare-bones. I don't know your fiance though, so she might be able to live with that more than a lot of girls I know.

[redline61]

I am also curious if this is going to double as a DD? I would rather drive a geo than getting stuck in an old ass Jeep or Toyota.

[DLoweinc]

Well, both her mom and her dad owned FJ40's (land cruiser) when she was a kid and she has a sentimental attachment to them.

The suburban that we have is a spare vehicle that we are selling and a few people have been offering trades. Up until yesterday I didn't even realize that she was interested in a trade.

Currently she drives a Lexus RX400h, so the light wheeler would definitely not be a DD. I'm working on my ZJ and we plan to have it ready for late June or mid July. I know she likes the amenities of A/C, power windows, stuff like that so i'm not so sure that she will be happy with an older, open-topped rig (although I owned a TJ previously and she enjoyed that but complained about no A/C etc).

I have a feeling that she will like the way that a rig looks, either an FJ40 or earlier short wheel base jeep and get it, then end up driving my ZJ all the time on the trail for its amenities.

I love that she shares an interest in my hobby and just don't want her to take my toys

[slim616]

my girls does just what your talking about, see sig. works well, I tow my rig on the trailer and she tows the pop up camper behind her rig.

[DLoweinc]

my girls does just what your talking about, see sig. works well, I tow my rig on the trailer and she tows the pop up camper behind her rig.

so did she think that she wanted something different in the beginning like a short wheel base vehicle or did she know she wanted a Grand?

Just curious as I don't really know how this will all play out hehe... I don't want to get her an older vehicle that rides rough (wheels well) but doesn't have the amenities that she is accustomed to because then she'll drive my ZJ all the time

[slim616]

her DD is a 05 escalade so it wasn't a issue of her driving the zj all the time. I found this grand for a real good deal, so she said she wanted it so she could do her own thing on the trail.

[DND]

My wife loves wheeling her rig, a '97 XJ. She's a bit more cautious and tries harder to avoid body damage, ie. she'll turn around sooner than I will. She chose the XJ over the ZJ based on body style and interior comfort to her. Word to the wise, building two rigs gets expensive and whenever you get something new you may have to fight to keep it destined for your rig.

Over the years her's has spec'd out to the following after we bought it brand new off the showroom floor -

'97 XJ Sport - ARB's F&R turning 4.56's - 265/75 MTRs on Rubi rims - Alloy USA front shafts - Yukon rears with ZJ disc swap - Crane covers
Kevin's rocker armor - Arb front bumper with 9K Magnum & PIAA lights - Trail Ready rear bumper - Surco roof rack (Kevin's is next) - Currie steering - Kevin's track bar - JKS c/a's - RE 4.5" springs - Rancho 9k's - on bord air - K&N FIPK - Kolak ignition - Bank's header - 2/5" mandrel exhust w/Flow 70 - Alpine/Kenwood medium audio system.

She wants to go to 33's but still can't bring herself to cut sheet metal. Current talk is a DD and turn the XJ into a wheeler only.

So yeah, I'd say she's in to her rig. Sure makes camping trips with two 100+ pound German Shepherds easier. I carry kit and she carries the beasts, plus some stuff up top.

Best thing is I ALWAYS have someone to go wheeling with.

Crap that's long winded.

[DLoweinc]

Thanks for the reply DND... I'm thinking that I'll wait until my rig is at some sort of wheelable level before spending time searching for a vehicle for her. I'd rather not have 2 unwheelable jeeps in the garage

We have dogs, no kids yet but we will in the next few years. Seems like no matter how much storage space I have, we always seem to fill it up

[BigDaveZJ]

http://www.tlc4x4.com/2000/SpecPages/fj60_specs.htm

I've always wanted to build one of these too.

[ILikeMud]

My gf DDs and wheels (the odd time) a 03 TJ. It's got a BB and 31s and it does good for what she wants to do with it.
She bought it before we met, her main reason for getting it was it's a convertible she can drive all year around.

It has never given us too many issues, just regular maintenance. Just did a new clutch and flywheel on it.

[DLoweinc]

http://www.tlc4x4.com/2000/SpecPages/fj60_specs.htm

I've always wanted to build one of these too.

I believe she likes the FJ 40.. those 60's are bigguns.

Every time she mentions getting a Toyota I try to convince her on a Jeep if for no other reason than a Jeep is something i have a moderate amount of experience with

EDIT: ILikeMud: I just sold my 2000 TJ last summer and while she liked it, I'm not sure it's for her... maybe if it had an auto, A/C etc.... I think she likes those early 80's white Barbie CJ's haha

..... Does look pretty sweet though

[BigDaveZJ]

I know the 60's are bigguns, that's why I suggested it. More room for gear, dogs, kids, etc, plus it'll be more stable with the longer wheelbase. More creature comforts (like a/c) than a 40 as well.

[bshows73]

You have to love Land cruisers. Personally I like the 60. I used to weld/fabricate for 4+ products we supplied Man-A-Fre with everything from roll cages to brake caliper mounts and so on.

[ILikeMud]

I don't see the point of A/C in a TJ or any Wrangler for that matter.
Most the summer the gf drives hers around with the top down, there's your A/C right there.
Plus you can put the soft top up in a matter of minutes if the weather turns bad. You can forget doing that in a CJ or YJ.

[DLoweinc]

i agree about the top and such... having A/C is nice though... we do some trips to the desert and when it's 110+ out, having the top down doesn't solve the heat problem when you are crawling at 5mph or less. If I got a TJ or wrangler again I'd definitely want A/C if for no other reason than turning it into OBA.

[slim616]

the key to keeping it cheap is buy a rig that is mostly built and the owner has gotten tired of it or is in a money crisis. This way you you can sut the cost of the jeep almost in half. For hers I had to drive to NY to get it but it came with eveything you see on the sig except the 8.8 for $2500 and it only had 106,000 miles on it. Just take your time and crusie the for sale boards and wait for a good deal.

[Tommy]

My wife has a CJ-8 for light trail duty, and it gets driven from time to time down to San Diego, to the store for groceries or pizza. I have a few more mods I need to do, but overall it has been a good money pit....

x2 on looking for something most of the way done. That is what i did for the CJ-8. The CJ-8 has the 360, automatic tranny, D60, 14bolt, PS fullwidth kit, sound system, blah, blah, already on it. For CJ-8's I got a decent deal.

[DLoweinc]

Ya well we all know that the vehicles never sell for the amount of money put into them so buying one that is nearly done or all the way done is a big savings.

[Roadhouse]

This is my wifes rig, she seems to like it.

[midwestxj]

Try and find a Golden Eagle CJ-7 if she wants the A/c in here rig.

[Skyline]

So my (soon to be) wife has expressed an interest in trading our suburban for a jeep for her. Evidently she likes the '84ish CJ7's and old FJ40's.

I'm just curious if your wife has a rig for light wheeling/camping and what it is... what she would do different or any issues or thoughts that I should be on the lookout for.

Thanks in advance

I would think a better option, especially if one's wife likes Toyotas, is to consider a new 4 Runner. Your wife could then get by with a single vehicle. Trade the Lexus in on a new 4 Runner Limited. (This is what my wife has as a DD).

They are quite capable off road. Excellent ground clearance, electric locking center diff, low range plus 2wd/FT 4wd option. A very good electronic off road traction control. Descent control. Bigger tires than a ZJ stock, but tons of tire clearance as well....so room for bigger tires. Full frame vehicle. Plenty of aftermarket support in case you decide to upgrade. IFS or not, it is way more capable off road than a stock ZJ. This is primarily due to much better ground clearance, and all the electronics....like 'em or not they simply work.

On road, they are much more comfortable than anything else with a low range except maybe a Range Rover or Cayenne. They have very large brakes, which is nice if you want to tow anything. I regularly tow a 2500lb boat trailer with my wife's 4 Runner, and it drives like it's not even there, (I know this would not be the same story towing another vehicle on a trailer, but a 4 Runner weighs a LOT more than a ZJ). Pretty much all the luxury features you could want, power everything, heated seats, dual climate control, in dash CD changer, voltage coverter, sat-nav, etc.; even if not quite as cushy as the Lexus.

The drivetrain is absolutely silky smooth. We have a V6, but a V8 is available. I don't see the need...the V6 is more than enough. This is NOT like getting a Jeep with an I6; this V6 is very adequate; more powerful than a ZJ's 5.2. You'd have to drive them back to back to tell the difference, and even then, it was very subtle. After owning a ZJ, it's nice to have an automatic that never hunts for gears, and shifts right when you need it, and completely smooth. We average 16mpg, with lots of city driving; which is not bad for a 5,000lb+ SUV with my heavy footed wife at the wheel.

The final word is reliabliity. You simply can not beat a Toyota for reliability. So far, in 85k, the only thing that's failed on our Toyota is a tire pressure sensor. I would buy another in a minute.