Opinions on best Jeep model for a smaller budget

BaddestCross

Active Member
My son is coming back home from overseas in a couple of months and is considering picking up a Jeep for a daily and trail use. His budget is going to be about $5k on the high end, so I'm wondering if he should be looking at CJs, YJs, or early TJs.

If this was you on a military budget and a wedding coming up soon, which model would you be looking for in terms of reliability and low cost to repair assuming there will be issues with an older Jeep.

All opinions and info would be appreciated. And if you've got a line on a good Jeep in his price range, that would be great too. 😎

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Clifford33

Caught the Bug
I would be looking at a TJ especially if it’s going to be a Daily driver. But man I haven’t seen much TJs go for that low. You may find a YJ that’s in good shape for that price.


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BaddestCross

Active Member
I would be looking at a TJ especially if it’s going to be a Daily driver. But man I haven’t seen much TJs go for that low. You may find a YJ that’s in good shape for that price.


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I've seen a couple late 90s TJs around $6k but I don't know enough about anything other than JKs to help him make an informed decision.

Also would need advice on what to look for when shopping for any of these models as far as common problems that should be addressed or aware of.

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ob_tj

New member
I don’t think you are going to find a tj for that low.. unless it’s a pile and needs work. I know I wouldn’t go under 5 figures for mine. Maybe try a YJ.


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BaddestCross

Active Member
I don’t think you are going to find a tj for that low.. unless it’s a pile and needs work. I know I wouldn’t go under 5 figures for mine. Maybe try a YJ.


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We've been looking at the YJ. After reading the recent posts about the vacuum powered transfer case it kinda made me nervous. How much of an issue is it really?

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fiend

Caught the Bug
CJs are cool and I have seen some in that price range. But at this point any CJ is going to be 30+ years old, with everything that entails in terms of lack of modern conveniences and safety. It probably also will have some rust, leaking seals, and rats nest wiring from a prior owner’s “improvements.” Unless your son has the time, interest, and skills for a project, I’d stay away from CJs and find a TJ. Even a high mile one probably would be a better choice. I don’t know much about YJs, so can’t comment on those.
 

BaddestCross

Active Member
CJs are cool and I have seen some in that price range. But at this point any CJ is going to be 30+ years old, with everything that entails in terms of lack of modern conveniences and safety. It probably also will have some rust, leaking seals, and rats nest wiring from a prior owner’s “improvements.” Unless your son has the time, interest, and skills for a project, I’d stay away from CJs and find a TJ. Even a high mile one probably would be a better choice. I don’t know much about YJs, so can’t comment on those.
Interest and skill isn't an issue. Time and space may be an issue, though. I'm sorta leaning CJ because I'm betting they're easier to work on due to the lack of modern conveniences. 😎 We're both into working on older cars... Computers in vehicles annoy me. 🤣

The goal would be - whatever he ends up with - to stay away from basket cases. I've had to deal with other people's problems before and it's never fun.

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kyle521

Member
You can find decent TJs for around $5k. The key is to check your local listing every day or so because they sell fast. At least thats the case in CT, in may be different on the other side of the country.
 

kyle521

Member
You can find decent TJs for around $5k. The key is to check your local listing every day or so because they sell fast. At least that's the case in CT, in may be different on the other side of the country.
 

98XJ06LJ

New member
On that budget I think you're best bet is going to be a reasonably clean 4.0 litre / 5 speed YJ. Easy to work on and parts are cheap. Very easy to upgrade T-case with junk yard NP 241 if it presented a problem.

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5k goes a long way in a yj, will buy a stock mostly okay tj, and cj’s are going up in price so probly won’t find a good one there.

All of the above have issues with frame rot, check every inch, repairing suckkkkks.

Don’t bother with the 2.5/2.4 to save money, get the 4.0l. All around better and cheaper to work on.


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conner

Member
Look at some YJs, main thing I would do is make sure the frame isn’t rusted to shit. 5k can get a damn good YJ.
 

TOPLESS

Caught the Bug
My vote is something with round headlights. 80’s cj7 with dana 300 transfer case and straight 6 is a good platform.
 

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
Tough budget. You can get an overpriced XJ or mediocre YJ for that price. For camping and DD I would tell him to look for a WJ. $2-3k for the jeep then can throw some bigger tires on it.


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BaddestCross

Active Member
Yeah, it's tough for sure. We talked about an XJ, but he prefers a Wrangler.

It's hard to get past the square headlights of the YJ, but there is a lot more of them to choose from for the price.

The little I've looked around, there are some late 90s TJs out there that may fit the bill, just need to be patient... and fast when one comes up.

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OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
Yeah, it's tough for sure. We talked about an XJ, but he prefers a Wrangler.

It's hard to get past the square headlights of the YJ, but there is a lot more of them to choose from for the price.

The little I've looked around, there are some late 90s TJs out there that may fit the bill, just need to be patient... and fast when one comes up.

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Build Thread - Adventures of Fiona - https://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=47407

They will be destroyed with a 4 cylinder. Not worth it.


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