Wrangler or Cherokee

[RalphDogg]

my 2cents... There are a ton of DD's that you can wheel other than Jeep, try to find out what you need as a DD/weekend wheeler. I'm not bashing Jeep, I just want you to see that theres more than just one brand of off road DD. What is your lifestyle? What are your hobbies? I think the cherokee in general is way overpriced on the market. Almost all of them will have the usual rust spots and are a pain to work on because they dont have a frame. Look around on Pirate4x4, offroad vendors, and see what you like. it all comes down to if you are wheeling it you are going to work on it.

[offroadordie]

well the off roading i would be doing is just light...trails, mud, dirt etc...something to get me to and from school and work, be good in the snow, fun to do s**t too and still be able to beat on it everyonce in a while not a asphalt queen but something to get me to place to place and take it 4wheeling every once in a while

[ridgerunner97]

Cherokees are mechanically fairly simple and easy to work on. However Ralphdogg has some very valid points and i'm a Cherokee owner. You'll cuss the shit out of that unibody countless times but in the same breath you'll be amazed and singing its praises. I love the cherokee but hate the unibody, however I deal with it and am basically almost done to as making it as close to having a frame as you can get without building one to bolt the unibody onto LOL Cherokee has a large and ever growing aftermarket support and they are the ultimate dual purpose rig that is readily available anymore it seems. I like foreign wheelers too don't get me wrong, and Ralph has wrenched on or built more rigs of different varieties than most guys on this board, mostly rice and they have their strong points, i'm a huge huge huge yota fan, look into 4 runner's as well....

[offroadordie]

aight man sounds good....maybe wen i get one since your in there area you could show me the ropes?

[RalphDogg]

If you you don't mind traveling, you can shop in the Columbus area for a cherokee. They have mild winters which means minimum rust.

[anodyne33]

see the thing is im pretty sure i can afford one but my parents think that they are nothing but problems and i told them i know somethings about cars...i can change oil and rotate tires and such but idk is it easy to work on a cherokee? i know i would have a repair manual for it...any suggestions?

I'm just a novice wrencher, but the only thing that's really had me frustrated on my XJs is the headlight switch. Somebody on NAXJA suggested that they seem to have built the rest of the Jeep around that damn thing and I'm inclined to agree.

[Sloth_Fratelli]

I'm just a novice wrencher, but the only thing that's really had me frustrated on my XJs is the headlight switch. Somebody on NAXJA suggested that they seem to have built the rest of the Jeep around that damn thing and I'm inclined to agree.

THIS!

but a carpenters pencil jammed between the dash and the lever will keep the lights on, the high beams at least lol.

before i got my XJ i diddnt know how to do much, learned most of my stuff from here and friends.

youll get instructions if you buy a lift kit and its not really that hard to do, i did one in two days using a crescent wrench and the wrong size sockets just by following the directions and was suprised how easy it was. oh, and buy mapp gas or a kangaroo kit lol

[offroadordie]

wats mapp gas and a kangaroo kit?

[muddeprived]

wats mapp gas and a kangaroo kit?

Mapp gas is my best and cheapest friend. It's the older wiser bigger brother of propane gas. In other words, we use it to heat up bolts that love to seize up and not turn. It's cheap, readily available, and very hot.

[Sloth_Fratelli]

Mapp gas is my best and cheapest friend. It's the older wiser bigger brother of propane gas. In other words, we use it to heat up bolts that love to seize up and not turn. It's cheap, readily available, and very hot.

dont get propane, i spend 45 mins getting a bolt red hot once and that was the last time i ever used it.

if you have 300 to spend on a kangaroo kit (oxy/acet torch) id say do that but have somebody show you how to use it first so you dont melt everything. took me a good hour to be decent with one