New Member Questions on Jeep Purchase

[OU812]

I found this one on craigslist in San Diego. Looks like a deal to me especially with the hard top. Nice rig to get you started. ---LINK---

Oh and I have 225K on my YJ but Im on motor #2 so its not quite as cool.:thumbs_up

[The-Hurricane]

i think that you would be more than ok with a dana 35 and some 33's. considering your wife is in a wheelchair (sorry to hear that) wheeling may not be terribly fun for her as alot of the time is spent up out of the jeep climbing obsticles and checking under the jeep and stacking rocks or digging. staying on easy to moderate scenic routes and having a blast might be a better option for you guys. also consider your lift and tire size when you factor in having to lift your wife in and out if thats an issue, you might be able to do it now but in ten years, when you can still wheel, you might not be able to lift as well as you used too. dont want to put a damper on your plans but its just another thing to consider when picking a jeep. best of luck and im all for 4wheeling being accesable to everyone!!!

[gmorell]

The wheeling is primarily for me. The wife will want to come sometimes just to ride along or to be my dd, but not that much. She is very mobile and light (85lbs) so getting her in and out isn't a problem. I plan on putting in a 5-point harness for her so she'll be strapped in tight. The thing that I am more worried about right now is where I will put her chair. I doesn't fold. I can put the rear seat down but that doesn't help when we bring the kids.

[OU812]

You should be able to put a fold up chair behind the rear seat even if people are sitting back there.

[The-Hurricane]

good call on the 5 points! i want to install a set soon too, they are great, i find people who havent 4wheeled before dont know enough to hang on, and harnesses would really help that.

if you get a tj its pretty simple to remove the back seat or just flip it up against the front seats and put the chair behind, but then it drops the passenger count

[Guest]

A rear Dana 35 axle is going to serve you well as long as you stay with 32" tires or smaller, and for starting out in the sport that is where you want to be anyways. I agree on the cruise, it's not going to be of much use. You won't have any problems with the 4.0-I6 well into 200k miles, that engine is just awesome. I have >180K on my '91 YJ and she is still running strong. +if there isn't any damage/scratches on the underside, you can bet the miles were highway miles. If you require A/C your better with a Hardtop, otherwise she will never really cool down, I mean it works, but not as well... I know this is gonna sound crazy, but you should meet up with some of us and do a 'ride along' on a trail or two, you either love it or hate it..... :2:

I agree. X2

[inVERt'D]

I found this one on craigslist in San Diego. Looks like a deal to me especially with the hard top. Nice rig to get you started. ---LINK---

Looks clean--bet he's never done any real wheeling in it. Heck, if you don't want the hard top, you could sell it for around a $800-$1,100, and spend it on something else.

Oh and I have 225K on my YJ but Im on motor #2 so its not quite as cool.:thumbs_up

I've got about 165K on my TJ and the engine is still going real strong. They aren't hot rod engines (more like tractor engines), but they're great for durability and low-end.

[JeepGal]

Gerald-

You may find your wife LOVES wheeling. It gets her out in places she would probably never see in a wheelchair.

One of the ladies in the San Bernardino Adopt A Trail program is confined to a wheelchair, and has a specially built Jeep that she wheels HARD. I believe she is paralyzed from the waist down.

Let me know if you'd like to speak to her about making your Jeep more easily accessible for your wife. Im sure shed love to help.

Tam

[Dezertdog]

Gerald,
Don't worry about that I6...
I put 427,000 on an XJ (Cherokee) I owned B4 my Tj.
It was a daily driver and wheeler. I did not wheel it that hard though. Because it was a DD.
My Tj is trail only and maybe a trip around town now and again.
It's an '05 and coming up on 60,000 miles.(70% dirt)
No problems but the occasional parts I break on the trail.
It's a "rag top" but I have to disagree with Jesse (Kodiak) The air works great when the top is up.
(I only use it when the wife is with me)
You may consider a roof rack for that chair if it does not fold. If that's all you have up there you won't be too top heavy.
Good luck in you search...
If you would like to experience an underprepared Jeep getting in over his head...:hide: You are more than welcome to ride with me.
I will PM you when I go on another run if you like.

Scott

[gmorell]

Gerald,
Don't worry about that I6...
I put 427,000 on an XJ (Cherokee) I owned B4 my Tj.
It was a daily driver and wheeler. I did not wheel it that hard though. Because it was a DD.
My Tj is trail only and maybe a trip around town now and again.
It's an '05 and coming up on 60,000 miles.(70% dirt)
No problems but the occasional parts I break on the trail.
It's a "rag top" but I have to disagree with Jesse (Kodiak) The air works great when the top is up.
(I only use it when the wife is with me)
You may consider a roof rack for that chair if it does not fold. If that's all you have up there you won't be too top heavy.
Good luck in you search...
If you would like to experience an underprepared Jeep getting in over his head...:hide: You are more than welcome to ride with me.
I will PM you when I go on another run if you like.

Scott

I was thinking about a roof rack of some sort for the chair. I just worry if I ever flip the thing, I will ruin a 2K chair. Maybe I will fix one of her old chairs up for the trails, this way if it gets smashed, I don't care.

I'd like to do a ride along at some point. Please do pm me when you go out. I'll be out of town for the 4th. Other then that no current plans.

[Desert Jewel]

If you do the harnesses, you'll want one of these to properly install them: http://www.rockhard4x4parts.com/cart...H1012-C&cat=11

The upper shoulder harness should be level with the bar and the harness holes in the top of the seat.... Rockhard is great and they will answer all your questions about the install so everyone is safe. Or PM me or Kodiak Spirit when you are installing them.