I have been looking at 4-wheel drive vehicles for about a year. I have considered many vehicles, such as the old CJ, the Wrangler (TJ and JK), the old Cherokee, the new Cherokee, the Grand Cherokee, the Land Rover Discovery as well as other Land Rovers, the X-Terra, Hummers (H2 or H3), the Toyota Tacoma TRD edition, and many others. It took me a year of looking to come up with a decision.
If I had my choice, I think I would have chosen an old CJ-7. There is just something about those vehicles that just calls to me. I have always loved them. I know the leaf springs don't have the same flex as the new coil systems, but I still dream of getting one. I looked long and hard at CJ-7's, but then my wife so lovingly reminded me that I have a daughter that is less than 2 years old and we will have another kid in the not-so-distant future. She said a vehicle with no AC and only 2 doors is probably not the best idea with little kids. I grudgingly agreed. Maybe I shed a tear, but I will never admit it. Even though I wanted a CJ-7, I couldn't argue with her. She was right.
I narrowed my search to 4-door vehicles with AC. Ideally, I would have liked a Wrangler, the 4-door Rubicon. My pocket book, on the other hand, didn't like it. I decided on buying the XJ. I found one for $4,500, AC works well, and only mild rust. It called to me. It didn't call as loudly as the CJ-7 calls, but the XJ looked and felt like a "real jeep." I don't know how to describe it, but it felt like something that should be taken off road. I feel like the XJ was yearning to be in the mountains, not on pavement. I was drawn to it almost as much as I am drawn to a CJ-7. As an added bonus, it fit my wife's requirements. I am now the proud owner of a real 4-wheel drive vehicle. I can actually go exploring the roads of Colorado and Utah that are more than a gravel road. I think the Cherokee will be a temporary vehicle (maybe 5 years) until I can afford a 4-door JK Rubicon for my wife, but for now it will be my baby. And since the Jeep is 14 years old, I won't feel bad if I beat it into the ground and destroy it. I'm excited to try it out and be able to post my trail-runs on this site!
I bought this Jeep while visiting my in-laws in Utah last week. The next day I started parking the Jeep with a tire on a curb and other similar positions. I really needed to take it off road. My trip to Utah was short, and I only had 2 free hours that didn't have something scheduled. After much begging, I finally convinced my wife to go on a drive. We went up American Fork Canyon, a canyon I know well from my childhood. Since I only had 2 hours free, I couldn't go far. I did, however, spend about an hour on dirt roads and even got to put my tires on some rocks and try out the low range. Yes, my new love affair with the Jeep has begun. At least my wife can be a part of the affair, and she is slowly starting to fall for the Jeep.
While I was out, I did realize that I need to buy some quick disconnects for the sway bars. That will probably be my Christmas Present this year. As you can see, I had no flex in the front axle. I actually had more flex in the rear leaf springs than the front coil springs! Oh-well, the money pit that is called a Jeep has already started.
Here are a few pictures of my new Jeep.
