Question: What is the best year/model of Jeep that a Jeep Wrangler fanatic would recommend? I am planning to get a Jeep Wrangler to fix and customize. I want to know which model/year to pick for good performance.
Answer: It depends on what you want from your Jeep.
CJ-5
The CJ-5 is a fantastic vehicle, and it’s ridiculously inexpensive. The best years for it, again, depend on what you want. The 72-75s have a Dana 44 rear and a V8 option. The 76 and newer have a more robust chassis, but a smaller engine bay. The 77-79s had a boxed frame and disc brakes. Finding 76 and newer parts is still fairly easy to do. Earlier ones … well, you’ll do a lot of searching. The good news is that during it’s production run, there were 603,303 CJ-5s manufactured between 1954 and 1983.
CJ-6
The CJ-6 is a strange little Jeep. I wouldn’t get one unless you’re a collector, as there were only 50,172 produced between 1955 and 1975. It’s, basically, a long wheelbase CJ-5. The Forest service picked up quite a few of these. The wheelbase on the CJ-6 is considerably longer – 20″ longer! – than the wheelbase of the CJ5, although the cab area is only a foot longer than the CJ-5.
The basic “rule of thumb” when it comes to CJ bodies for the 5, 6, 7, and 8 is that the cab section length is the number; the CJ-5 is 5′ long, the CJ-6 is 6′, the CJ-7 is 7′, and the CJ-8 Scrambler is 8′ long.
CJ-7
The CJ7 was a really robust replacement for the CJ5. I liked the longer doors on mine, and the hardtop & hard doors were actually useable. Assembling the top still required the user to either be (a) an Eagle Scout; or (b) good at cussing.
Getting a post 1982 CJ-7 won’t get you the heavy-duty parts that came on the earlier rigs, but you will get wider axles, Dana 300 transfer case, and it’s not that difficult to find one that came with a Dana 44 rear end. I’d recommend the straight 6 over the V8; same torque, better MPG (although MPG isn’t the reason you buy a Jeep).
CJ-8
The CJ-8 Scrambler is an absolute kick-ass Jeep. It’s a long wheelbase CJ-7 with a longer cab. I can’t think of one single reason not to buy one. It’s my absolute favorite CJ model Jeep. The same rules apply when looking for a CJ7 – earlier rigs have heavier duty parts, later rigs have wider axles, the Dana 300, and there are plenty of CJ-8s that had the Dana 44 rear end.
YJ – the introduction of the Wrangler
The YJ was the replacement for the CJ-7. Technologically, It was leaps and bounds beyond the CJ-7 … but the square headlights really irked Jeep purists. The hood was also really, really long (which really lends itself well to a number of engine swaps). You’d want to get the straight 6, and you want a later year. The ’91 – ’92s had the fuel injected 4.0 HO motor without the ABS. ’94s, I believe, got the bigger knuckles, while the ’95s all had the galvanized body tub (some of the late ’94s also got the galvanized tub – but finding one is kind of a crap shoot). Of all of them, the 95 – last year – had the best of everything. I’d recommend the last year, 6 cylinder, with the manual transmission.
TJ
The TJ came out in 1997, and stuck around for 9 years. The biggest major departure for the TJ was the coil spring suspension, instead of the leaf springs the CJ and YJ had. It has a better ride than it’s predecessors – from my hours of ‘seat of the pants’ driving. The aftermarket is strong for the TJ. Get the straight 6, get the manual if you’re looking at this model.
In ’03 the Rubicon model came out, with a special “Tomb Raider” model released at the same time the second Tomb Raider movie came out.
In ‘04.5 the long wheelbase two-door “Unlimited” came out (it’s not a TJ; it’s an LJ). Personally, I’d recommend you look into one of these; the longer wheelbase makes for a better ride, you’ve got some extra space, and they’re a good looking vehicle.
In order, I’d recommend the LJ, TJ (Rubicon), TJ, ’95 YJ, CJ8, or CJ7. There’s nothing wrong with the CJ-5 or CJ-6, but they’re more of an “enthusiasts” vehicle; they’re spartan, they’re small, and they’re not very comfortable for longer rides.
Don’t get a 4 cylinder. They’re not bad Jeeps, they’re just really underpowered and don’t have the stronger drivetrain of the 6 cylinder.
I’ve owned pretty much every single model (including the newer JKs).