flexyfool
GDW
- Location
- Boise, Idaho
Best Jeep Performer
'04-06 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited
high torque and reliable 4.0L
4 speed OD auto tranny
4:1 transfer case
Dana 44's with selectable lockers
104" wheelbase
hard top
It is the 1 vehicle I would buy to do it all. Install a long arm kit, 37's, body armor, bumpers, winch, and that's it. Daily driver. Tow a small trailer. White knuckle it through the tight Idaho rock trails. Drive it to Moab going 65 MPH and enjoy the long wheelbase, roomy interior, and OEM reliability.
Best Jeep for a Rock Crawler to Beat On
'94-95 YJ. It has the 4.0L HO with better fuel injection. Rock solid AX15 manual or TF999 auto. Low geared 2.72 NP231. High pinion Dana 30 with the large 297 U-joints. The frame is stronger and more rust-resistant than the CJ7. These Jeeps have the best bodies of any ever made. They are basically CJ7 thickness but are galvanized so they don't rust. The electronics and the fit and finish is much better than the CJ7. A slip-yoke-eliminator kit, an 8.8 rear axle with locker, a Detroit true trac geared limited slip in the front, 4.88 gears, 4" lift, 37's, body armor, bolt in roll cage, and you're good for some real tough trails.
Best Jeep for the Money
High mileage late 90's Cherokee. These are selling for a couple thousand nowadays. You get all the good parts of the YJ of the 90's, but at a bargain basement price, and a coil front suspension.
Worst Jeep for the Money
'80-86 CJ5/7
The optional AMC 304 V8 was discontinued to be replaced by the optional awful AMC 4 or GM 4 cylinder. The boxed frame rusts out. The body rusts out. The electronics and fit/finish is on par with the crap that Detroit was putting out in the 70's and early 80's. The synchros on the SR4 and T4 manual trannies last about 75K miles for daily driving. The AMC 20 has weak tubes and the hubs spin on the shafts even with an open diff and 4 cylinder engine. The Carter and Motorcraft carbs need constant rebuilding. Back in the 80's, you wanted one of these. Not today. A nice stock CJ7 is way overpriced. Buy an earlier CJ2/3/5 for way less money and upgrade it or buy a YJ or an older high mileage TJ for a little more money and OEM reliability.
Best Grill
'42-45 MB and GPW.
Worst Grill
Commando. No not the last year that looks like a Scout, but the other years where the grill extends over the fenders and has big round blinkers over the fenders.
Best Engine for Its Day
Dauntless Buick 225 V6
Compact and reliable. Bolts to an SM420 or the typical Jeep manual trannies of the day. Huge off idle torque and horsepower rivaling a small 1st gen V8. The engine was a leap ahead of the 4 cylinders offered at the time. The 232/258 I6 that came after was a 1/2 leap backwards. This is the only Jeep engine before the 4.0L that I would not swap out.
'04-06 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited
high torque and reliable 4.0L
4 speed OD auto tranny
4:1 transfer case
Dana 44's with selectable lockers
104" wheelbase
hard top
It is the 1 vehicle I would buy to do it all. Install a long arm kit, 37's, body armor, bumpers, winch, and that's it. Daily driver. Tow a small trailer. White knuckle it through the tight Idaho rock trails. Drive it to Moab going 65 MPH and enjoy the long wheelbase, roomy interior, and OEM reliability.
Best Jeep for a Rock Crawler to Beat On
'94-95 YJ. It has the 4.0L HO with better fuel injection. Rock solid AX15 manual or TF999 auto. Low geared 2.72 NP231. High pinion Dana 30 with the large 297 U-joints. The frame is stronger and more rust-resistant than the CJ7. These Jeeps have the best bodies of any ever made. They are basically CJ7 thickness but are galvanized so they don't rust. The electronics and the fit and finish is much better than the CJ7. A slip-yoke-eliminator kit, an 8.8 rear axle with locker, a Detroit true trac geared limited slip in the front, 4.88 gears, 4" lift, 37's, body armor, bolt in roll cage, and you're good for some real tough trails.
Best Jeep for the Money
High mileage late 90's Cherokee. These are selling for a couple thousand nowadays. You get all the good parts of the YJ of the 90's, but at a bargain basement price, and a coil front suspension.
Worst Jeep for the Money
'80-86 CJ5/7
The optional AMC 304 V8 was discontinued to be replaced by the optional awful AMC 4 or GM 4 cylinder. The boxed frame rusts out. The body rusts out. The electronics and fit/finish is on par with the crap that Detroit was putting out in the 70's and early 80's. The synchros on the SR4 and T4 manual trannies last about 75K miles for daily driving. The AMC 20 has weak tubes and the hubs spin on the shafts even with an open diff and 4 cylinder engine. The Carter and Motorcraft carbs need constant rebuilding. Back in the 80's, you wanted one of these. Not today. A nice stock CJ7 is way overpriced. Buy an earlier CJ2/3/5 for way less money and upgrade it or buy a YJ or an older high mileage TJ for a little more money and OEM reliability.
Best Grill
'42-45 MB and GPW.
Worst Grill
Commando. No not the last year that looks like a Scout, but the other years where the grill extends over the fenders and has big round blinkers over the fenders.
Best Engine for Its Day
Dauntless Buick 225 V6
Compact and reliable. Bolts to an SM420 or the typical Jeep manual trannies of the day. Huge off idle torque and horsepower rivaling a small 1st gen V8. The engine was a leap ahead of the 4 cylinders offered at the time. The 232/258 I6 that came after was a 1/2 leap backwards. This is the only Jeep engine before the 4.0L that I would not swap out.
