Help me get a YJ

I had an '89 Sahara for a few years. The ride didn't bother me. It's a Jeep ! The main issues were vacuum leaks from all the emission control plumbing on the thing. That and the weak Peugeot transmission. I once had the gearshift leaver come right out in my hand. I believe the later YJs had fuel injection and a better transmission. I solved all those problems with a 350 Chevy engine and an AX15 transmission. Doing it again, I'd match the 350 with a 700R4 automatic. I agree with previous statements on this thread however. A nice rust-free TJ is a considerable improvement.

1989 Jeep YJ Sahara with canoe.jpg
 
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the vacuum emissions systems flworry me a bit; almost worth considering a CJ that didn’t have as much emissions controls.

The one I’m looking at is ‘95 so it has fuel injected 4.0 along with AX-15.

I wonder if it’s the same 4.0 as the TJs…
 
The 4.2 was replaced by the 4.0 in 1991, the same year the carb was replaced by fuel injection. It's the same engine as in the TJ, with year over year improvements.

Same engine, kinda. You can't swap a 4.0 from a 1995 YJ into a 2004 TJ, for instance. Well, you could, but its a lot of extra work. Somewhere along the way, I think when they killed the XJ, they changed some of the block bosses on the 4.0 and making the brackets and things fit up is tough.
 
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at least it’s close enough that it would be familiar.

Maybe if it needs a valve cover gasket it won’t have that PITA wiring bridge.
 
He says it’s got plenty of power, but it’s on 33’s with original 3.55 gears. I’ll have to see for myself.
 
The best riding YJ is a YJ on factory springs and better shocks. As soon as you put lift springs on a YJ, you are leaving a lot of ride quality behind. Custom leafs are around $500 each. The poor ride quality comes from the nature of it being extremely light, short wheel based, and on leafs.
I prefer 93-95's and am always looking for them. if you can afford it, look for the FI modes, a 4.0L, and a manual trans.

That to say, keep it on stock springs and choose better shocks, C rated tires, a tall sidewall, so 15-inch rims max, and a little more gear in the axles goes a long way.

YJ's can be really hard to find even in decent shape, as most have all be trashed for whatever reason. Be patient and find what you really want. Keep your search down south or out in SoCal, Arizona, Texas area.

I also have a draw to the spice interior, as it looks best to me. The YJ has a very simple interior and doesn't need much for a Sunday morning drive. Most yuppies jumped on the TJ models when they came out because the TJ had a lot more creature comforts. Dare I say the same way people jumped on the JK when it came out, it added a lot of creature comforts that people these days refuse to live without like electric windows and door locks. Full transparency, each new generation of Wrangler performs better suspension-wise which draws in customers.

The spice cloth seats on the SE models can be replicated almost to the "T" if you shop around for a good upholstery shop. My brother had his Spice cloth seats redone and it's almost impossible to tell the difference between the OEM seat covers and the ones he had made. Every now and then some pop up on ebay. there is a whole set on there right now but the "Buy It Now" is $2500.

Even on stock springs, coffee can be a risk if you don't have it in a thermos with a top and haven't learned what bumps will unsettle the Jeep enough to cause a splash/spill.

Most YJ's have all been modified, IMO, in a very untasteful way. One place I see this is the center console, the stock center console looks amazing, again, my opinion. For some reason everyone swapped them out for some cheap Chinese made center console that doesn't 'fit' the rest of the factory interior.
 
My main question is how affordable is it to obtain interior parts in the tan colors. If I find a good specimen with a gray interior, can I reasonably expect to source tan dash, bezels, carpet, console, steering wheel, door panels at earth-bound prices? Or if tan interior is my main goal, should I hold out until I find that?

Good luck finding a spice factory console, steering wheel leather from an SE model, or door panels in spice. they are all very rare parts.

To my knowledge, which isn't that deep, only the SE models and a few select others had leather on the steering wheel.
 
The dash and door panels look to be in good shape; I can’t see the console in the photos.

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It’s high mileage, and apparently he just put the lift on with the 33’s this year. I don’t want to pay a premium for that because I’d prefer stock height and smaller tires anyway.

The seats could be reupholstered to match. I found a local shop that did great work for cheap.

I much prefer full half doors, and the bikini “top” is the only top it comes with. Along with the high miles, I don’t want to pay what he’s asking, but if the interior and body are pristine, it may be worth buying.

Stock springs are still available?
 
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It’s high mileage, and apparently he just put the lift on with the 33’s this year. I don’t want to pay a premium for that because I’d prefer stock height and smaller tires anyway.

The seats could be reupholstered to match. I found a local shop that did great work for cheap.

I much prefer full doors, and the bikini “top” is the only top it comes with. Along with the high miles, I don’t want to pay what he’s asking, but if the interior and body are pristine, it may be worth buying.

Stock springs are still available?

I understand not wanting to pay a premium for the options the seller has added.

The seats are not factory YJ seats. Although the seat mounts are OEM.

Passenger door pull is not OEM, not a big deal to most, would bother me though.

Console doesn't look factory from the little I can see in the photo.

Oem springs are long gone from the market. But factory spec springs can be had easily.
 
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I understand not wanting to pay a premium for the options the seller has added.

The seats are not factory YJ seats. Although the seat mounts are OEM.

Passenger door pull is not OEM, not a big deal to most, would bother me though.

Console doesn't look factory from the little I can see in the photo.

Oem springs are long gone from the market. But factory spec springs can be had easily.

He says its an OME lift; is there a resale market where i could recoup some $$ if I take it off?

He says it always starts when cold, but sometimes needs a second crank when warm. I’m not sure what to make of that.

Thanks for all the input BTW!
 
I drove it today; it's in decent shape but is a bit of a project. We found a significant fuel leak near the tank that he swears he didn't know about. Minor rust issues. Needs tie rod ends and parking brake work.
 
he's asking 11.5; I offered 8 and he countered 9.

at 174,000 miles I have a hard time going over 8k but maybe $8500 is as good a deal as I can expect for something overall in good shape.

Thoughts?
 
he's asking 11.5; I offered 8 and he countered 9.

at 174,000 miles I have a hard time going over 8k but maybe $8500 is as good a deal as I can expect for something overall in good shape.

Thoughts?

8500 seems like a fair deal for a fuel injected YJ with a 4.0, 5 speed, and full doors. Deff within the fair market value.