Do I want a ZJ or a WJ?

[mrg]

Help me

[justajeep]

If you can find a rust free one, ZJ for sure.

[Deleted]

These are pretty

[dan]

definately ZJ. So much offroad support, and still simple enough that they can be fixed with a test light and a battery.

[theonlybull]

so far, i'm pretty happy with my wj, though, the lack of rust and 4" lift were big reasons

[backwoodsLJ]

The ZJ's are getting back there in years the 98 being 15years old already!Getting harder to find a lower mileage Grand that the rear subframe is still good or the control arm bracket area is not rotted also.Most have the D35 with V8's having D44A.Should build with longarms as the rear especially moves forward even with 3" lift and needs trimming or looks bad or rubs during articulation.I like the looks of the WJ and there's not many being wheeled hard around also.They have big bulky bumpers that can be hard to make something that looks good in its place but hey thats the challenge.There seem to be a fair amount of issues with the 99 to 04's too that scare me alittle and are pricey to lift because they are slightly different in the front(springs bigger?) and the rear is also a different setup.I'm not being much help good luck either would be fun to build!

[theonlybull]

Ebay prices for the 4" rough country for mine, is around 600 $. The lift was already in it when I bought it from nick (.valleyguy) it could definatly use long arms and the trackbar bracket is the shits. It'll need an adjustable bar someday.
Mine is my dd, and going to be mildly wheeled.

Like alan said, the bumpers are hard to replace and have look "right" unless I start wheeling hard, mines gonna keep stock, trimmed bumpers, and just add some center skids and protection.

[lazyglht]

It depends what you're really looking for. Out of the box stock a Quadradrive WJ is going to be tough to keep up with in a ZJ. The vari-loks in the QD WJ are the next best thing to a locker BUT you CAN'T easily add lockers to the vari-lok diff like you can an open diff. You need to replace the carrier and axle shafts with open diff parts.
If you're lifting and locking, you might want to start with a ZJ though. The WJ arguably has more reliability issues and is more expensive to lift and modify in most cases. On the road the WJ is just a nicer ride, but again it depends on what you really want. The 4.7s are often maligned for being failure prone, but are a great engine when they don't blow up. I would avoid 99-02 (or high mileage) models as they are a lot more 'buggy' than the 03-04, just check the TSB list! For me, a ZJ was just too spartan but it's still plush compared to your typical wrangler. My WJ is actually cushier than my brother's Disco II.
For me the deciding factor would probably be what you could find that's rust free and well optioned. If you're on a tight budget, the ZJ will probably be cheaper to work with over the long run. There's a good buyers guide on JF that lists all the little things to look for when buying.

[jaketj]

Try to find a 5.9 zj would love to find one of those !!!

[kaz95xj]

I was going to get myself a WJ. Learned as much as I could over the last year or so. Couldn't wait to build one up. Really wanted to have some fun with the V8 HO. I finally found one that I wanted, from the States, hardly any corrosion under her, took it for a test drive and fell in love. Ended up switching gears entirely and buying a JK all because the sales dude was a dumb fawq! He couldn't answer my simple questions and couldn't get back to me on anything I asked him. Anyway, for me, I was after the HO engine, 99-04, but preferably not quadra drive due to the unique characteristics of the axles having to have the proper fluid changes and lack of any locker upgrades. I read that they are out there but a bit hard to find. Love the JK but will eventualy.... One day before gas prices kill the V8's, get me a WJ to replace my XJ for mud play. JK is the "family" rig for now. Hehehe.

[theonlybull]

Aww too bad an idiot dealer ruined the deal. I love my wj. Sure it has some issues, but it drives and works soo nice

[eastcoastcam]

Oct 9, 2013 23:16:07 GMT -4 kaz95xj said:

I was going to get myself a WJ. Learned as much as I could over the last year or so. Couldn't wait to build one up. Really wanted to have some fun with the V8 HO. I finally found one that I wanted, from the States, hardly any corrosion under her, took it for a test drive and fell in love. Ended up switching gears entirely and buying a JK all because the sales dude was a dumb fawq! He couldn't answer my simple questions and couldn't get back to me on anything I asked him. Anyway, for me, I was after the HO engine, 99-04, but preferably not quadra drive due to the unique characteristics of the axles having to have the proper fluid changes and lack of any locker upgrades. I read that they are out there but a bit hard to find. Love the JK but will eventualy.... One day before gas prices kill the V8's, get me a WJ to replace my XJ for mud play. JK is the "family" rig for now. Hehehe.

It's not a surprise the salesman couldn't answer your questions. If you are asking anything really technical, unless they are an enthusiast, chances are they will know little more than the options it has...

[littlemulticoloredwagoneer]

cj-8!

[kaz95xj]

When I test drove it the Engine MIL Light was on, not a big deal to me. He said it was an electrical thing at first, then said a sensor or something had gone and the new part was on order. So I asks him please find out what the part is and what codes came up on the computer? I phoned him several times and he couldn't or wouldn't give me a straight answer, guess he didn't really want to sell it, probably knew I'd ask for better price once I knew what the problem was. Bet it was just the mixing doors too!

[mrg]

Oct 10, 2013 8:13:26 GMT -4 littlemulticoloredwagoneer said:

cj-8!

lol