i do agree. However, the YJ people said that about the TJ and the CJ people said that about the YJ. .........just wait for the JK people to say that about the JL im going to laugh
Why are TJs so much money?
- Thread starter gg1
- Start date
i do agree. However, the YJ people said that about the TJ and the CJ people said that about the YJ. .........just wait for the JK people to say that about the JL im going to laugh
But I agree with CJ's, YJ's and TJ's all being "real Jeeps" If I wanted a cheap plastic toy Jeep I'd buy a hot wheels or match box version!!
This is a really good point and I think this may be part of what makes them scarce later on. There's a lot of people not only driving their Jeeps into the ground, but also modifying the hell out of them because they're still such good cars, even with all of the more modern options available.
Years down the line, it's really going to be tough to find not only a Jeep in good shape, but also in stock form for people who want to collect them.
TJ2
TJ Expert
I actually like the standardized size of the CJ-7/8, YJ Wrangler and then the TJ/LJ Wranglers. For 30 years you could count on the major dimensions of the SWB Jeep body to be within 1/2" on all three generations. The YJ borrowed so heavily on it's predecessor the CJ-7 that one of the best build/swaps you can do to keep your old rusted out non-galvanized CJ going is to swap the tub of a YJ Wrangler onto your CJ-7 or go the other direction and swap your front clip including hood, dash, fenders, radiator core support/grille onto a YJ Wrangler for several benefits. The biggest being track width & a stronger full boxed in frame instead of the two piece "C" channel welded frame of a CJ-7. It's hard to spot a CJ built up using the YJ tub or frame & tub for that matter except the tail gate/door, fuel filler neck on the "wrong" side of the tub and possibly the axles with the Dana 30 front pumpkin location & lack of manual hubs. Personally, if I had another YJ, I would install a CJ front clip & dash in it for that classic CJ look on a very strong, solid and reliable YJ frame. The fuel injected 4.0L powertrain a definite plus over the 4.2L carburetor and better wiring would help to blend the best of both worlds.
These are a few examples of how interchangeable these Jeeps are, I've seen guys install YJ hard tops and half doors on TJ's with just slight modification and I installed a YJ Wrangler Bestop supertop with factory YJ half hard doors on my old CJ-7 for a perfect fit. It really is incredible how similar these three generation Jeeps are. I miss that commonality with the new JK and JL series since 2007 but time marches on right?
These are a few examples of how interchangeable these Jeeps are, I've seen guys install YJ hard tops and half doors on TJ's with just slight modification and I installed a YJ Wrangler Bestop supertop with factory YJ half hard doors on my old CJ-7 for a perfect fit. It really is incredible how similar these three generation Jeeps are. I miss that commonality with the new JK and JL series since 2007 but time marches on right?
Thanks for posting this. I'm going to use it for future reference. I feel like I've learned a lot about the TJs since acquiring one and joining this forum, but still know little about the prior years/models. The frame difference (strength) is a new one, for example. And I would love to do the CJ front clip on a YJ tub, knowing it can be done with relative ease. Man, the wheels in my head are turning now! LOL
For that matter, I know a fellow Jeeper who swapped a TJ frame under his YJ to obtain coil spring suspension and then swapped the CJ front clip and dash so he has a coil sprung CJ-7 now that looks and performs killer on the trail.
Another guy on one of the other forums from years ago in the rust belt needed a new frame for his CJ-8 Scrambler. He sourced a wrecked Rubicon LJ Unlimited frame and swapped his tub completely over and it looks great. I fully believe in the future that the LJ Unlimited will become as rare and prized as a CJ-8 Scrambler is today. Only time will tell though for sure.......
Another guy on one of the other forums from years ago in the rust belt needed a new frame for his CJ-8 Scrambler. He sourced a wrecked Rubicon LJ Unlimited frame and swapped his tub completely over and it looks great. I fully believe in the future that the LJ Unlimited will become as rare and prized as a CJ-8 Scrambler is today. Only time will tell though for sure.......
If you look at the price of a good condition CJ-7, YJ wrangler or TJ/LJ Wrangler, you will find that the price is high because these icons share a special spot in American automotive culture. Listen to the radio and you hear other companies reference to the "Jeep" as a tool to get to the top of a mountain and which is better, the Ferrari or the Jeep Wrangler to get to the top? Resale is going to be high because we're dealing with an American Icon and something unique that if left stock or if built for off-road performance, will always be something other motorists long for or desire. Just look at The Jeep Wave. What other vehicle has such a cult-like loyalist following that it has it's own secret hand shake, in this case "wave"?
The only thing I can think of that even comes close is owning a Harley Davidson motorcycle.......... That's as close as I can come to the phenomenon that is the Jeep Wrangler. This coming from a former Harley rider that switched to Jeep almost just because of this botherhood.
The only thing I can think of that even comes close is owning a Harley Davidson motorcycle.......... That's as close as I can come to the phenomenon that is the Jeep Wrangler. This coming from a former Harley rider that switched to Jeep almost just because of this botherhood.
You and me both. I'm also a former Harley owner / rider, and you're dead on with this statement.
I actually enjoy driving the Jeep more than I did riding the Harley. Not by much, but just enough to make me like the Jeep more.
Since I can't ride anymore, (actually it's cause I don't have the stones to ride a Harley here in Los Angeles metro traffic) I switched to Jeeps with a full roll cage. I can still ride with the top down, wind through my hair and music on my stereo without worrying about getting killed by some motorist not paying attention. I also turned my need for speed in my youth to an extreme desire to "crawl" instead. Believe me when I say you can build up just as much adrenaline at 1/2 MPH as you can going 100....... My survival rate has increased greatly and with three kids, I don't want to miss a moment with my family & friends.
That's part of it too! We have three kids, and my wife is a stay-at-home mom. While the traffic here isn't as bad as the Los Angeles metro area, it's still bad enough that I was always worried about someone taking me out on my motorcycle.
With the Jeep, I get a very similar experience, but a full roll cage as you mentioned. In addition, it's so lifted that most people who run into me will go right under me.
I'd like to stick around as long as I can for my kids... at least until they are old enough to where I know they can take care of themselves!
I love driving my Jeep,way more than my Norton. I was always on edge riding in Chicago. I love the Jeep and I will never regret selling my bike.
You know, there's a trend in American
automotive manufacturing where things sometime get worse before they get better....the
FORD 6.0 Diesel debacle , the 4.6 mustang , the 3.8 jk Jeep's ....there are tons of powertrain combinations out there that we're just odd choices to some degree or another . The TJ stands at the brink of one of those manufacturing changes we never quite grasp.
The 3.6 pentastar is likely the return of the performance side of the jeep equation owners want , and the 2019 diesel will likely be a big hit.
The Tj stands as the ultimate refinement of the Jeeps' development to that point , and is largely the reason Jeeps are as popular today ...the return to the classic grill/headlight layout alone was a huge statement that Jeep would stay the course.
The TJ brought a more driver friendly. , refined platform that ushered Jeep into the mainstream market . It's an important part In Jeep's story , and they are the perfect combination of Jeep's rugged , no nonsense philosophy, yet refined enough for most anyone to appreciate. That's a balance hard to accomplish, and the TJ nailed it .
Dealers can't order that.
automotive manufacturing where things sometime get worse before they get better....the
FORD 6.0 Diesel debacle , the 4.6 mustang , the 3.8 jk Jeep's ....there are tons of powertrain combinations out there that we're just odd choices to some degree or another . The TJ stands at the brink of one of those manufacturing changes we never quite grasp.
The 3.6 pentastar is likely the return of the performance side of the jeep equation owners want , and the 2019 diesel will likely be a big hit.
The Tj stands as the ultimate refinement of the Jeeps' development to that point , and is largely the reason Jeeps are as popular today ...the return to the classic grill/headlight layout alone was a huge statement that Jeep would stay the course.
The TJ brought a more driver friendly. , refined platform that ushered Jeep into the mainstream market . It's an important part In Jeep's story , and they are the perfect combination of Jeep's rugged , no nonsense philosophy, yet refined enough for most anyone to appreciate. That's a balance hard to accomplish, and the TJ nailed it .
Dealers can't order that.
Last edited:
Remember when convertibles were no longer produced in the US? The '77 Cadillac Eldorado was the last one, if I recall correctly, until the Chrysler K-cars brought the drop-top back in '81. And what about the "inevitable demise of the V-8" that the late seventies and early eighties had us all thinking about? A '75 L48 Corvette was rated at 165hp. And just look at us now! A 2018 Dodge Demon is built with 808hp! So, yes, I agree with your statement. Glad you pointed that out.
I do not agree. Lack of people that know how to drive a car without ABS maybe. Over 60 years of cars without ABS and people understood how to drive and use the brake.
Now with all the eletrical crap on cars people don't know how to drive.
How many times at the tire shop have you heard my tires droped 3 lbs last night i must have a leak.
We now have cars that auto brake if you forget..... (i wish that one was never invented) people need to put down the phone and drive. (Im guilty of looking at my phone too)
People are starting to have problems backing up without a camera.
I could go on but that would just show my age and hatred for the new stuff on cars.
I'm not arguing whether having ABS is responsible for worse drivers. Point is that I'm 34 and this is the FIRST car I've ever had without ABS. That means people younger than me have had zero chance to learn how to drive without ABS and there's a good possibility that the first time they experience brake lock is when the chance of totaling their TJ is a real possibility. Ask me how I know.
Just stating the facts that it's a real issue with older cars beloved by younger more adventurous people.
My wife cringes each time I parallel park my old Dodge truck in a place that she is absolutely certain will not accommodate something of its size. She also can't understand why I would "risk" pulling between two vehicles/buildings/whatever with mere inches of clearance on either side. I tell her the same thing, every time: "Know your vehicle". The issue you refer to with older cars is not an older car issue. It is a driver issue. If the driver knows their vehicle, they drive accordingly. I never drive my four wheel drum brake Rambler the same way I drive my four wheel disc brake Lincoln. They stop differently. I don't try to pull out into traffic with my 1.6 liter Mazda the same as I do my wife's XJ. They accelerate differently. A vehicle does not adapt to the driver. The driver adapts to the vehicle. Us old farts survived the old technology, and adapted to (and appreciate, to some extent) the new technology. But it doesn't seem that the younger drivers quite understand the difference until they drive beyond their vehicle's capabilities, or their own. Put a kid who's balling around town in his Evo or STi behind the wheel of a slow, 6 cylinder, drum braked Dodge Dart, and he'd probably hurt himself. You can't drive everything the same way.
"Know your vehicle"
Last edited: