I'm curious what some of you think as far as the TJ vs the old Willy's jeeps. I know technology wise the TJ has a better engine, lots of sensors, etc. But I am wondering about the original purpose of a jeep. Small rugged 4 wd that can be maintained by most, is tough and durable. I love my TJ, but I miss the older Willy's jeeps I've owned over the years. I could take one apart and rebuild it in my garage with simple hand tools for the most part. And I miss the smaller size and shorter wheel base of the originals. Do you all think the TJs are just as much of a Jeep as say a 1965 CJ-5? My favorite was the CJ-5 with the V-6 oddfire engine and simple T-90 transmission. After all the posts I see here on so many problems all of us deal with, I miss the simplicity and toughness of the older Jeeps, and as I recall I could diagnose and fix any problems that came up. Don't much like computers and all the sensors make me afraid to touch a TJ at times.
TJ vs the Old Willys Jeeps
- Thread starter Peter Panagakos
- Start date
My family had a '65 Kaiser Jeep CJ-5 with factory V-6, T90 transmission and a Warn overdrive, purchased new in 1965. I drove it in high school, then it was handed down to my brother, and then to my sister. I purchased it from my dad the year after I graduated from college and owned it until the late 1980's. I once drove it the length of Baja, put it on the ferry to Mazatlan, then drove it back north on the mainland to Arizona and home. Every 4th of July and Labor Day weekend we would drive it to the Pismo dunes, Glamis for Thanksgiving, and it was a regular explorer in the SoCal and AZ deserts and mountains. Great jeep!
I've also owned a '49 Willys Wagon, '54 Willys CJ-3B, and a '83 AMC CJ-7. [And a Cherokee and a Grand Cherokee.]
While all of these jeeps had their charms, and if I could find the right Willys CJ-3A or CJ-3B I would buy it in a heartbeat, my LJ is much more comfortable on long trips and more capable offroad than any of the early jeeps I have owned.
Ironically, in the late 1990's, my old CJ-5 appeared one day on the lot of Jeeps R Us in Laguna Beach CA. It was essentially unchanged from the day I sold it. The owner of Jeeps R Us, a good friend, tracked me down and offered to give it to me if I wanted to restore it for the sake of nostalgia. However, I already had a built CJ-7 and after the opportunity to drive both jeeps for a month or so I decided that I could put a pile of money into the CJ-5 but it still wouldn't perform as well as my CJ-7. I let Jeeps R Us sell it to someone else. So much for nostalgia. [One jeep may be "just empty every pocket" but two jeeps equals divorce or bankruptcy or both.]
I've also owned a '49 Willys Wagon, '54 Willys CJ-3B, and a '83 AMC CJ-7. [And a Cherokee and a Grand Cherokee.]
While all of these jeeps had their charms, and if I could find the right Willys CJ-3A or CJ-3B I would buy it in a heartbeat, my LJ is much more comfortable on long trips and more capable offroad than any of the early jeeps I have owned.
Ironically, in the late 1990's, my old CJ-5 appeared one day on the lot of Jeeps R Us in Laguna Beach CA. It was essentially unchanged from the day I sold it. The owner of Jeeps R Us, a good friend, tracked me down and offered to give it to me if I wanted to restore it for the sake of nostalgia. However, I already had a built CJ-7 and after the opportunity to drive both jeeps for a month or so I decided that I could put a pile of money into the CJ-5 but it still wouldn't perform as well as my CJ-7. I let Jeeps R Us sell it to someone else. So much for nostalgia. [One jeep may be "just empty every pocket" but two jeeps equals divorce or bankruptcy or both.]
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When I was looking for a TJ I actually looked for an SE because I felt that it was most like an older Willy's. They are cheaper, more simple, easier to work on but yet very capable. I appreciate the simplicity of design and what they were meant for.
