Why do people hate jeeps

[loggy1968]

Originally Posted by junglejuice

, almost always the people who complain about their Xj's have bought a cheap, poorly maintained example and then compare them to the overpriced Toyotas.

JJ

yup , that was me .... but it seems that most of the xj's i looked at,at the time, were in the same mech neglected state. must think cause its a jeep doesnt need maintaining.but the best thing about an xj is the amount of ground clearance you get compared to roof height. try reach your roof racks while standing on the ground on a patrol or cruiser even in their stock form.

[junglejuice]

Originally Posted by loggy1968

yup , that was me .... but it seems that most of the xj's i looked at,at the time, were in the same mech neglected state. must think cause its a jeep doesnt need maintaining.but the best thing about an xj is the amount of ground clearance you get compared to roof height. try reach your roof racks while standing on the ground on a patrol or cruiser even in their stock form.

I've had my Xj at 4" in the past and it still fitted in my garage even on larger tyres (30's), a stock Prado is pushing to fit let alone a lifted one....

[junglejuice]

Originally Posted by BillabongXJ

The "its not a full chassy therefore blah"
so i hear toyotas get used in the mines because they have a thicker chassy compared to nissan or anything else, so they take longer to rust out. which is fine for their commercial purposes but i can save probably the weight of half an engine block by having a uni body cherokee and i cant see any downside not having a full chassy for recreational purposes. the big complaint is they cant just weld their rock rails straight to the chassy, ok so you need to be a bit more cunning when modifying a cherokee so in that sense its not unlike modifying a drag car where you need to use the same kind of techniques to box/reinforce things where required, not a real issue if you can cut and weld steel.

The one down side to a unibody is that a full chassis gives extra isolation to noise and vibration which is particularly and advantage on corrugations so if you plan to use it on corrugated roads then you need to be careful which shocks you use, I found that the Old Man Emu shocks were absolutely terrible on corrugations....

Originally Posted by BillabongXJ

A toyota owner told me "they're too small"
Well they're small but they're a box shape, thats the most efficient way to shape for space. The mid size is an advantage for maneuverability when your in tight tracks and Im not packing for the whole family so the room in a full sized 4wd wagon is too much for me.

Yes that can be an issue as can be seen from a recent trip to Tassie for 3 adults...

The back was kinda full...


The back seat was kinda full, barely enough room for the Mother-in-law to fit...


As well we had a roof pod and it was just able to close...


So yeah space can be an issue but we normally take a trailer which makes a huge difference....

Originally Posted by BillabongXJ

Just a follow on question if your reading this, i haven't been driving jeeps for long and im curious, what reaction do you get from other XJ owners on the road? so far ive found a lot will plain ignore me but had a few stop at my house looking for parts and who are up for a chat. so its a bit mixed but i get the feeling on the road xj owners just want to avoid eye contact, lol.

it is not uncommon to see up to 3 Xj's in my driveway, normally looking for parts but then I not only sell parts I actually make some as well....

JJ

[hillsjeep]

Originally Posted by junglejuice

I must be in trouble as I have had mine for 9yrs,

JJ

Ditto!! My XJ is now the longest serving vehicle I have ever owned and has proved to be the most reliable even though we used to use it to tow a 2 tonne pop top around Aus. Now in its semi retirement it only has to tow a small boat around.

Up until recently I could say it has never been towed due to mechanical breakdown, but that record was ruined by a rebuilt aftermarket radiator letting go.

But as JJ said, mine was bought when it was relatively new and has always been well serviced.

[Auberon]

You guys will love this one. Please bear in mind it is a shortened version of a REAL conversation. I have used a little licence to shorten the story up.
This IS true in its essence.
Bloke I know:
You own a Jeep? (alarmed)
Arent they C!@p?
We had one that sucked the air filter into the engine.
They are no good. It totally wrecked the engine.

My reply:
Must've had good compression.
Don't Air filters go in one way only with a grid on one side to stop being sucked in?
Was it the Jeep engine sucking air well or the filter installed upside down so the element could be sucked in?

So who was sucker (his name) or a well pumping engine?
You said you installed the filter yourself yeah?
Must've been a POS filter or.......(no words needed)

His Reply. Yeah. uummmm (mumbled with eyes fixed to the ground, foot scuffing back and forth not able to look me in the eye any more).

My parting comment:
Clearly a Jeep thing. Yeah?
I quite like mine. She does pretty much what I ask her to and then some and goes like the Clappers (if I ask her).

I walk away thinking to self:
AAH! The informed mind.

[Felix]

I'm on my 1st Jeep, JGC WK2 & absolutely love it. Mates I know that have owned Jeeps absolutely love them, no problems other than general wear & tear, same as other vehicles. All negative comments come from those that don't own or have never owned a Jeep. Usually know someone whose friends, cousins, mother in laws Vet owned one & had problems....
My thoughts have always been thay have probs from lack of maintenance, doing extreme or badly performed modifications & putting them in situations that would stuff up any 4x4

[kyphonii]

Quote JJ "it is not uncommon to see up to 3 Xj's in my driveway, normally looking for parts but then I not only sell parts I actually make some as well...."

I have 4 XJ that live here and 1 that's visits.