Is a 2.5 manual '97 Jeep Wrangler TJ worth buying?
- Thread starter iamthecrazychild
- Start date
If you are patient you can find a good deal on a 4.0 6cyl.
I paid 6k for mine a few months back. Picked it up in Phoenix. I searched for a long time and jumped on this when it fell in my lap. I posted a want ad on FB. Got a lot of replies and this one came up.
6cyl, 160k miles, great paint. No rust. Very clean inside and out.
Snowbird owned it.
I paid 6k for mine a few months back. Picked it up in Phoenix. I searched for a long time and jumped on this when it fell in my lap. I posted a want ad on FB. Got a lot of replies and this one came up.
6cyl, 160k miles, great paint. No rust. Very clean inside and out.
Snowbird owned it.
All the folks that tell you NOT to get it had bad experiences with their 2.5. There are those of us who liked our 2.5's and I drove mine on the freeway every week. I also climbed some serious hills with it. Are you gunna out run any other rigs out there?? Heck no.
Going 75 MPH is pushing it with 65-70 MPH is more like it. But you have to be willing to push that 4 popper and wrap it up to 5K RPM a lot of times. Stay with stock sized tires and don't add stuff to it until you do the V-8 swap.
Going 75 MPH is pushing it with 65-70 MPH is more like it. But you have to be willing to push that 4 popper and wrap it up to 5K RPM a lot of times. Stay with stock sized tires and don't add stuff to it until you do the V-8 swap.
ShaveLazer
TJ Enthusiast
You won't win any races with it but sure it'll work for you. Nothing wrong with them, my dad loved his 4 Cylinder when he had one. I think the question to ask is are YOU going to be ok knowing that you will struggle on the hill and freeway sometimes. Also not going too big on the tires and lift to keep good performance unless you do an engine swap. Like after you drive it for a week are you going to be thinking you should have saved for a 4.0? I had a choice for a 4 Cyl and I am happy I waited a while longer to get the I6 but that's just me.
I generally can only go 50-60 at the fastest while driving to work. With all of the input I have gotten, I don't think I will regret it. I do not want to lift it as I am not vertically gifted and don't want to climb in and out of the car every day.
Thank you for all the advice. I plan on saving for a hardtop, then the engine change right away so if I ever feel like I want more power, I can have my engine replaced. Thank you for all your advice! I definitely won't be lifting it since I am "vertically challenged".
I have a 2.5l YJ (not the same I know), and it was fun.. in town. The best advice will be to leave it stock and keep it light. The freeway is more annoying than scary. 8k does seem a little high but I haven't seen it, maybe its immaculate.
Like Wildman said, 75 will be a pipe dream unless you're going downhill or wrapping it out, but doing the speed limit is doable.
Like Wildman said, 75 will be a pipe dream unless you're going downhill or wrapping it out, but doing the speed limit is doable.
You don't want a hardtop with a 4 cyl IMO that is just too much weight.
There are enough people who have done a V-8 swap into a TJ and pass CARB. I had to have more power and have a Dodge 5.9 going into my TJ right now. Had a 5.2 V-8 before.
ShaveLazer
TJ Enthusiast
Don't know if you already posted a link/pics to it somewhere but plenty of guys and gals on here could let you know if you might be walking into a Jeep that's gonna have some issues pretty soon after you buy it, and give other advice about it.
My 99 2.5 was a DD for 2 years from the Jersey shore to Queens NY after semi-retiring and giving up the company wheels. It was a 140 mile RT 3 days a week and she was a champ.
I work in a bad area and wanted the safety of the hardtop. I am Do not come from a family who is good with cars and therefore knows very little about them myself. I have no idea how to swap out an engine which is why it's not something I would be doing right away. I know that I would have to pay to have it done. Do you have any recommendations on how I can learn more about car mechanics so that I could possibly thin about doing this engine change myself?
I'm seeing it again Saturday, but it's actually going straight to my mechanic. He is super trustworthy. He checks cars for free and has already checked 2 Jeeps for me that turned out to be bad.
I love my 2.5. Sure, there’s times two more cylinders would be nice. I’d probably wish for two more cylinders if I had six, though too. I daily drive mine, and I live in the mountains. I don’t have problems climbing hills. Am I going to go 60 over a mountain pass highway? It all depends on the grade. I have no fear getting on the interstate. @Wildman has the right of it, 75 may be a tad squirrelly, 70 is comfortable. I’m running 31’s with 4.10 gearing, and that’s about the max. Beyond that tire size and your performance and mpg drop precipitously. Below 4.10, stay stock.
I also spend many summer weekends loaded up and camping. In the mountains. No complaints about going up hills.
All that having been said, 8k does seem a little high, but maybe not for L. A.
If you can get the price down a little and you understand that there are some limitations to a 2.5, with what you are planning for down the road as far as upgrading I’d say yes.
I also spend many summer weekends loaded up and camping. In the mountains. No complaints about going up hills.
All that having been said, 8k does seem a little high, but maybe not for L. A.
If you can get the price down a little and you understand that there are some limitations to a 2.5, with what you are planning for down the road as far as upgrading I’d say yes.
ShaveLazer
TJ Enthusiast
Sounds pretty good, as for working on cars I was pretty shit until I got my Jeep. Now I'm still shit but I like to learn and do a lot of work myself. This site has great guides and helpful people that can help you to learn how to wrench on you Jeep. YouTube helps as well, just find stuff you want to tackle, watch some videos and guides, and decide if you can do it yourself. Engine swaps have a lot to go with them, and although I've never done one myself, it's difficult from everything I've seen. Probably not something to tackle right off the bat.
Thank you. I have been doing more research and I think I may just ask my mechanic for a price and go with that. I can ruin this car if I try to change the engine and I don't feel comfortable going that. That being said, I think I will try to tackle smaller projects.
It's a great vehicle to learn on due to it's simplicity and your first fix is simple, everyone here drives a Jeep not a car. Good luck
I've been wrenching on stuff since I was about 8 years old and rebuilt my first engine at 10. It was a 5 HP Briggs & Stranton engine but I did it all myself. With that said trying to learn to wrench while doing a engine swap isn't a good idea.
As for places to learn? Find a community college or technical college that offers automotive classes and enroll in night school.
As far as the living in a BAD part of town your best option is to buy GOOD locking storage like Tuffy and don't leave anything for them to steal. And leave your doors unlocked with a soft top and just hope they don't cut the windows to get in.
As for places to learn? Find a community college or technical college that offers automotive classes and enroll in night school.
As far as the living in a BAD part of town your best option is to buy GOOD locking storage like Tuffy and don't leave anything for them to steal. And leave your doors unlocked with a soft top and just hope they don't cut the windows to get in.
Just so we are are all on the same page, a Jeep is not an investment. It’s kinda like a boat that you go off-road with. Always something else to buy for it, and always something to do to it. I sold my boat, but kept the Jeep.
Rubicon88
TJ Addict
I crimged when you said freeway and hills.
The two biggest enemies of the little 2.5 Jeep engine.
Third being tires larger than stock. Yeah...like 1 size up can really suck the blood from the anemic littke guy.
Now...if you've got v8 plans sooner than later...it's great because you've already got 4.10 gears with that package. Add 150 horsepower and 33's and no need to gear change.
Good luck.
The two biggest enemies of the little 2.5 Jeep engine.
Third being tires larger than stock. Yeah...like 1 size up can really suck the blood from the anemic littke guy.
Now...if you've got v8 plans sooner than later...it's great because you've already got 4.10 gears with that package. Add 150 horsepower and 33's and no need to gear change.
Good luck.
Rubicon88
TJ Addict