I got my 2018 JLU Sport used for a really good deal in 2019 and recently got offered a good offer on it from a dealership and I took it in for appraisal and was offered a few hundred over what I paid for in 2019. I've always wanted a TJ but was concerned about reliability as a daily driver so I got the JLU as my first Jeep ever. I love the JLU and have had a lot of good memories and experiences with it but I got it because I figured a newer Jeep would be more reliable than an older Jeep but at less than 60,000 miles I've already had to work on it a lot for a pretty new vehicle at the time and I do all the work myself. So I figured since I have to pay a lot of attention to the JLU in maintenance I might as well sell it for a few hundred dollars more than what I paid and get a TJ which is the Jeep I've wanted anyways and I was going to upgrade the entire suspension on the JLU in the future anyways so I figured just do the whole suspension upgrade on the TJ and it should be a reliable daily driver. Wanted to know your thoughts or advice if this is a good idea in making a TJ as a daily driver if the suspension gets upgraded besides the axles as I like the stock look and plan to keep stock size tires. Thanks!
Thoughts on going from a JLU to a TJ?
- Thread starter TJay100
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I think one consideration is parts supply chain. TJ being 2 generations away, OEM parts and aftermarket things are going to take lower priority to the JK and JL.
I loved my TJ as a daily driver, usually driving it 75-125 miles a day.
Had my jeep for 7 years as a daily and have taken mine across the country 5times and one being coast to coast with just over 5k miles. They’re pretty comfortable (never had back problems), parts are everywhere (even tho the newer ones are taking priority now), with some preventive maintenance (my jeep is 25 years old) it’s never given me a problem. Only thing I wish I had was the 6cyl for highway speed (my 4cyl is topped at 70 but I get 20mpg) and some ac for driving through the desert.
That’s a big difference going from a JLU to a TJ. Things to consider:
-do you have a family w kids? Is four door more practical than two doors?
-do you need the trunk space?
-will you be ok with a slower, louder, rougher ride than the JLU?
That being said, I semi daily drive my TJ but it’s not my only vehicle. It’s nice to have a backup vehicle if you need to tear into the TJ for repairs or just want to jump in something more modern. I also have two kids that I like to zip around town with them in the back but they’re small enough that the back seat room isn’t a huge issue.
If you have a family and it’s your only vehicle, I’d say keep the JLU. I’d you can swing another family vehicle, I say go for the TJ.
-do you have a family w kids? Is four door more practical than two doors?
-do you need the trunk space?
-will you be ok with a slower, louder, rougher ride than the JLU?
That being said, I semi daily drive my TJ but it’s not my only vehicle. It’s nice to have a backup vehicle if you need to tear into the TJ for repairs or just want to jump in something more modern. I also have two kids that I like to zip around town with them in the back but they’re small enough that the back seat room isn’t a huge issue.
If you have a family and it’s your only vehicle, I’d say keep the JLU. I’d you can swing another family vehicle, I say go for the TJ.
so with the JLU I was going to the trails once a week for the first two years and had a long commute so the four doors was comfortable for long drives and the space was useful for camping. But starting last year I don't have any time right now for any type of camping or off-roading so it will mostly just be for 20 minute commutes on the freeway and some city driving 5 days a week. Which is another reason I figured the TJ would be great since I'm planning on using it as a daily driver probably for the next year or two and I love the look of a stock TJ so I want to keep everything stock. Then when I have some time to go to some trails next year or so I'll start upgrading the suspension.
i have a 1999, got with 120k miles in 2015. At 158,000 now. Not sure how it was maintained before I owned it but I have maintained and replaced as needed. Only things that I have replaced and issues are the engine when the engine block cracked, 32rh transmission completely failed over time, u-joints, A/C system, fuel pump line electrical short that left me stranded on a mountain, hubs, a sensor that failed and left me stranded, 2 radiators, exhaust rusted out, rain gets in the hardtop somewhere, an electrical burn smell that comes from behind my heater switch. Other than that just aftermarket parts that wore out.
Our son is a Jeep tech at a Dodge Dealership.
He would never recommend anyone buy a late model Jeep.
He has great story's every time I see him about the problems he sees.
The only one he would own is a TJ or earlier Jeep.
He would never recommend anyone buy a late model Jeep.
He has great story's every time I see him about the problems he sees.
The only one he would own is a TJ or earlier Jeep.
I would never recommend a TJ as a daily driver to the average Joe or Jolene. Compared to a "modern" car it gets terrible fuel mileage, is uncomfortable and has a noisy cabin. Having said that, I daily drove one for ten years. 
A JLU is a comfortable family car. A TJ is a fun Jeep. You can't put a price on fun. 
p.s. My brother owned both at the same time. He drove the TJ everywhere and gave the JLU to his wife.
p.s. My brother owned both at the same time. He drove the TJ everywhere and gave the JLU to his wife.
Well, by keeping it stock, you are already eliminating half of the crap we complain about on here, if not more.
Find TJ without electrical gremlins and your imagination... or slowly disappearing discontinued sensors :-/ , is the limit.
DIY resource is huge, guys on here can point you in the right direction on about everything.
You will be trading comfort for simplicity, but there is always room to upgrade with something more useful and user friendly than the cheap crap manufacturers stuff their cars with this day.
I would trade, 160000 miles on mine, 80000 of them are mine. Trouble free box on wheels that keeps gifting joy and smiles.
Find TJ without electrical gremlins and your imagination... or slowly disappearing discontinued sensors :-/ , is the limit.
DIY resource is huge, guys on here can point you in the right direction on about everything.
You will be trading comfort for simplicity, but there is always room to upgrade with something more useful and user friendly than the cheap crap manufacturers stuff their cars with this day.
I would trade, 160000 miles on mine, 80000 of them are mine. Trouble free box on wheels that keeps gifting joy and smiles.
A JLU will give you two things, out of the box, a TJ won't, space and creature comforts. How much do you value either of those?
In addition, how much getting beaten up from a daily drive do you want? I have a 2005 Tj, and my 2020 JT. I'd love to keep miles off the JT, but it rides like a luxury sedan compared to the TJ.
I'd say it comes down to what will get you the most smiles per gallon. (I have 2 Jeeps, so either drive is a win). Maybe keep the 4 door, and add to it a TJ...
224k on mine. Started driving it with 92k. If reliability is your biggest concern, the TJ is a better fit. 99 4 liter manual. Never *knock on wood* had any major failures. Only work that has been done has been to parts that are expected to wear out, and none of them wore out before they should have. In my experience, less electronics equals less headaches.
As someone above alluded to, once you start swapping out suspension and driveline components to fit bigger tires, you'll open the door to reliability issues. But if you do that work correctly (quality parts, properly installed), you will mitigate a lot of those reliability issues.
It's not particularly comfortable. It's not particularly practical. And I can't imagine driving anything else.
As someone above alluded to, once you start swapping out suspension and driveline components to fit bigger tires, you'll open the door to reliability issues. But if you do that work correctly (quality parts, properly installed), you will mitigate a lot of those reliability issues.
It's not particularly comfortable. It's not particularly practical. And I can't imagine driving anything else.
I have 2 TJ's and a JKU (I realize it's not a JLU but its a reasonable comparison in this context). I drive them all more or less equally. Around town, it's a TJ 99% of the time. Door & top off, there's nothing better. But if I need to head to the other side of the Metroplex, I'm almost certainly going to hop in the JKU.
Here's what I think every time I get into a TJ:
* this is so much more fun
* oh no, what's that noise?
Here's what I think every time I get into the JKU:
* this is so much nicer
* oh no, what's that noise?
I don't ever find myself really wanting to drive the JK, but the storage space & noise/handling/acceleration on the highway makes it a better choice. On the flip side I'm always looking for opportunities to drive a TJ.
As much as I love everything TJ, if I HAD to pick one, I would probably go with the JK. The highway comfort & storage ultimately trumps the fun factor of the TJ for me. Having said that, I also know that I can pretty much fix anything on the TJ and there is a strong DIY community to support troubleshooting. That barely exists at all for the JK and is undoubtedly worse for the JK community, so you'll need to have the courage to dive in yourself. Thankfully I don't have to choose, and so long as I have TJ's I'll constantly ask myself why I have the JK when a truck/suv would probably suit my purposes better.
Here's what I think every time I get into a TJ:
* this is so much more fun
* oh no, what's that noise?
Here's what I think every time I get into the JKU:
* this is so much nicer
* oh no, what's that noise?
I don't ever find myself really wanting to drive the JK, but the storage space & noise/handling/acceleration on the highway makes it a better choice. On the flip side I'm always looking for opportunities to drive a TJ.
As much as I love everything TJ, if I HAD to pick one, I would probably go with the JK. The highway comfort & storage ultimately trumps the fun factor of the TJ for me. Having said that, I also know that I can pretty much fix anything on the TJ and there is a strong DIY community to support troubleshooting. That barely exists at all for the JK and is undoubtedly worse for the JK community, so you'll need to have the courage to dive in yourself. Thankfully I don't have to choose, and so long as I have TJ's I'll constantly ask myself why I have the JK when a truck/suv would probably suit my purposes better.
I have an TJ unlimited and a JLU. Vastly different beasts but each just as enjoyable to drive as the other. My LJ is quite quiet on the highway (for a TJ) with hard top, headliner, and sound insulation in the tub. The JLU is a nicer highway vehicle.
If I owned a JLU, all I would think about is the car payment and how I'm scared to scratch it. 
If I owned a JLU, all I would think about is the car payment and how I'm scared to scratch it.
Take it out day one, get it dirty with a scratch or two... no more worry!
Quit making ex-wives, and you won't worry about the car payment...
When Jerry drives a TJ, it is automatically considered “unlimited.”
He would not be afraid to drive a four-door to show his feminine side, but he doesn’t have a feminine side.
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Guys, Let me know if I need to send the OP an application to drive a TJ. There is still a mandatory road test.