Anonymous
Unregistered
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I'm looking for a Wrangler or a FJ40 Landcruiser - something in the $6k range (6cyl, 5 speed). I'm wondering what sort of honest comparisons people can make between them. Toyota stopped making the FJ40 in the early 80's, so it's harder to make an apples-to-apples comparison, but any help is appreciated.
I'm guessing I'm going to have trouble finding an FJ40 that I can afford and that meets my needs, so I'm pretty much counting on buying a Wrangler. What are the more reliable years for Wranglers? Ideally I would be looking for a late 90's soft top, but are early-to-mid 90's models more reliable or easier to work on? What sort of problems do these models tend to have that I should look for? Thanks!
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TX4wl
Rock Warrior
Reged: 05/26/04
Posts: 910
Loc: dallas,tx
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stay away from pre 90's unless you prefer having a carb that never likes to run right .....as far as the fj's they are great but seem to be pretty pricy for my taste and theres alot more parts for jeeps as far as upgrading ...inna perfect world i love to have an fj because i think they look awsome ..  hope that helped oh and one more thing try and get the 6cyl you wont regret it..and no im not biased about going 91' and up ...i have a 90 and i hate it ....
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tomriddle
Rock Warrior
Reged: 01/14/05
Posts: 616
Loc: upstate ny
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for anything other than getting your groceries wranglers are going to need modifying to be reliable off road. axles are important, you don't want a d-35. the engines without carbs are quite reliable and run lotts of miles. i've changed so many things on mine that i really wouldn't know where to start, but they are a lot of fun being so small and being able to pull the doors so easily is cool too. i know nothing of fj's, but you can get tons of information about weak points in wranglers at this forum if you dig around a little. good luck
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94 yj 456gears, detroit locker and 30 spline axles out back, 33" bfgs
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valleycat
Body Damage is Cool
Reged: 12/07/03
Posts: 1056
Loc: Phoenix, AZ
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my friend had an fj40. it was manual steering, 3 speed with no syncro to 1st. you had to come to a complete stop and it would still grind into first. i drove it and hated it. the brakes on his fj had 2 wheel cyliders each and they were very expensive, as were the rest of the replacement (wear parts). i would never trade my cj7 for an fj40 but i would consinder a fuel injected yj.
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Fred Blackstone
Body Damage is Cool
Reged: 01/20/00
Posts: 1817
Loc: Higlands Ranch, CO
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You know what, Geoff? All the Jeeps are reliable!  It all has to do with how much care the owner gives his rig. Apparently, you would like to have a Jeep to work on? Any CJ5 or CJ7 will fit that bill; those carburetor-ated Jeeps will keep your head under the hood for a great deal of time! 
I'm sorry, it's just that every time a new poster combined Jeep and TLC in the same sentence, they always seem to be talking about a Jeep's reliability. I owned a 72 FJ40 (new) and I liked it a lot. But, the FJ40 isn't as reliable IMO as the Wrangler YJ or TJ! Reliable . . . back then, the FJ40 had a problem getting the heat away from the valves, but Toyota made some changes and replaced the valves at their expense and my inconvenience. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since those days, and the new toyotas are very nice rigs, but I still dislike what they did to the present TLC.
But your talking about a worn out piece of iron and seeking reliability . . . hmmm . . . I suppose if you totally rebuild / restore the rig you can have reliability. $6000 is not enough to get into the better TJ Wranglers (97 to present), but will get you into the YJ's, but I would encourage you to consider the EFI 4L engine equipped YJ Jeeps.
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94 YJ, SOA, 2-1/2 Alcans, ARB-front, Detroit-Rear, 4.56:1 gears, Oasis Trailhead compressor, 4:1 Terra Lo, 37x12.50x15 SSR's, 8000 lb Ramsey, & etc.
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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It all has to do with how much care the owner gives his rig.
And that's hard to tell sometimes when you're buying someone elses rig with 80k on it. Obviously that statement holds true for all vehicles at some level (ie. if someone only changes the oil every 30k, then I wouldn't expect the engine to go more than 90k).
Apparently, you would like to have a Jeep to work on? Any CJ5 or CJ7 will fit that bill; those carburetor-ated Jeeps will keep your head under the hood for a great deal of time!
Actually I'd rather have something that just ran. If I could find a '00 with 60k on the engine and in great shape for $6k, I'd probably jump on it. Unfortunately, those are hard to come by. It seems I might be able to find a '97 or '98 4cyl 5speed soft top with 80-90k on it for $6k - whether or not that's worthwhile would be the question. Really my goal is something that can hold up as a daily driver and isn't terribly expensive.
I don't ride the trails all that much, though I do live up a bunch of steep switchbacks on a small mountain in Virginia, so I need something I can drive all winter and not worry about it breaking down. My wife and I own a '00 4Runner and a '99 Civic. In the winter, she drives the 4Runner, which leaves me to drive the Civic and use chains a lot or park at the bottom of the mountain if they're predicting snow and walk 1-2 miles up - and doing that in the snow and ice sucks.
So, I'm looking for a relatively inexpensive 4WD vehicle. I like Jeeps, and I like FJ40s. Toyota hasn't made an FJ40 in 20 years, so one of the down sides of those are that they are bound to have small stuff always wrong with them, even if they are in "good shape" (read certainly more unreliable than a 90's Wrangler), and they are easily as expensive as a mid-to-late 90's TJ Wrangler. Wrangler parts are much cheaper, and it's considerably easier to find a vehicle, so that's why I'm leaning towards a Jeep.
All of that said, my goal is something reliable that I can get 4-5 years (maybe more) out of without much worries, for about $6k. I ask about Wrangler reliability not because I don't trust them, but because I'd like to know if there are certain years to avoid. For instance, in college I owned a 1990 Toyota Celica. 1990 was the first year of their new model, and the vehicle was great except the A/C had to be fixed yearly. So if someone asked me about buying a 90's Celica I'd tell them that if they bought a 1990, they should forget about having A/C, but that supposedly that issue was fixed by 1991.
It sounds like you'd say the early-to-mid 90's YJ Wranglers are pretty reliable. If I found a '95 with 100-120k on it, for instance, what sort of things might I need to look out for on them? You say definitely get a 4.0 with EFI - anything else to look for (or look out for)? Any issues with the 5 speed tranny or brakes or anything else that tends to show up?
Thanks for all your help!
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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I new a guy with a fj40 he had it on the road one year... That was about 9 years ago.
I also have a buddy with an 84 toyota pick up and he was always fixing it, like always, way more then me and my jeep thats for sure and his girl would rarely let him take it out wheelin to boot.
I did the unheard of... I put a carter ON my cj  and it is great it really is. It is pre-computer controlled and with a manual choke no prob what so ever.
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Fred Blackstone
Body Damage is Cool
Reged: 01/20/00
Posts: 1817
Loc: Higlands Ranch, CO
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And that's hard to tell sometimes when you're buying someone elses rig with 80k on it. Obviously that statement holds true for all vehicles at some level (ie. if someone only changes the oil every 30k, then I wouldn't expect the engine to go more than 90k).
I think when buying a used Jeep, mileage is important. A well maintained Jeep 4L engine will normally last nearly 200,000 miles before you'll need to rebuild the engine. I would not hesitate to purchase a Jeep YJ with the 4L engine that appears in good shape and under 100,000 miles. The YJ rides a little rough, but the suspension can be improved to give a better ride without spending an arm-and-leg.
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94 YJ, SOA, 2-1/2 Alcans, ARB-front, Detroit-Rear, 4.56:1 gears, Oasis Trailhead compressor, 4:1 Terra Lo, 37x12.50x15 SSR's, 8000 lb Ramsey, & etc.
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tomriddle
Rock Warrior
Reged: 01/14/05
Posts: 616
Loc: upstate ny
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my 94 has 168000 miles and still runs strong and doesn't use much oil. my synchros in the 5 speed manual are less than perfect and i can't speed shift by any stretch of the immagination. i'd make sure that it shifts well, as changing the synchros is involved. all and all i think it's pretty common sence buying any used car stuff. on a side note, i prefer the early 90's yjs because diamler chrysler didn't really have enough time in yet to make too many "executive decisions". i like leaf springs and other tried and true basic reliable stuff, but the lack of carb rocks too. the military certainly beats the snot out of everything, and till the hummvee lil leaved jeeps served them well.
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94 yj 456gears, detroit locker and 30 spline axles out back, 33" bfgs
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Geoff, I commend your wisdom to do your homework. I wish I would have asked a few more questions before I bought my Jeep. I love my Jeep (too much sometimes) but like everyone has suggested, I would have prefered to get one without the emmission controlled carb. It took me a while to find out the idle tubes are too small on a Carter and even though it runs good now, I still think about trading up to the 4.0 EFI...so my advise is to start there. Everything else on the YJ is pretty much straight forward and easy to work on.
Good deals are out there if you know where to look,
So Good luck!
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