Looking to buy a YJ or TJ

2005KJSport · **Posted:** Wed Apr 29, 2009 2:23 pm

I am currently looking into getting a YJ/TJ and have found a few that I am going to look at further. About 1/2 of them have 4 cylinders and 1/2 6 cylinder. Can someone give me some insite on which one I should be leaning more toward? Pros and Cons of either?

jsc7002 · **Posted:** Wed Apr 29, 2009 2:42 pm

I like the inline 6's I think they are good motors and they have more power than the 4 cyl

KJ kyle · **Posted:** Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:17 pm

4.0 is a great motor, very good low end torque.. and you can run the pants of those things. my friend has 2 cherokees with 4.0s and both are clear over 200xxx miles with no problems

JeepBumm68 · **Posted:** Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:57 pm

The 2.5 L is a great economy motor, but it dogs really bad. The 4.0L is a good economy motor also, and like others have said plenty of power for your everyday needs. I drive a 2005 Rubicon 4.0L 6cyl, running 33's, 4'' LA lift, and 4.10's. I do great on highway and in mountains.

jsc7002 · **Posted:** Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:59 pm

I dont know what all came in the YJ but it could also be the 4.2L

JeepBumm68 · **Posted:** Wed Apr 29, 2009 4:08 pm

ya up to 1990 they cam with the 4.2l i think. can't remember

KJ kyle · **Posted:** Wed Apr 29, 2009 4:16 pm

4.2 isnt a bad motor either. you go to a junkyard and get a top end from a 4.0l and you gain like 30 hp. and fuel injection if your lucky.

bill97redtj · **Posted:** Wed Jun 17, 2009 6:26 pm

I have the 2.5. Good motor with over 130000 but wish I had 4.0 power. Hopefully my Dana 44's with 4.88's will help a bit.
So my vote is get the 6!! You'll be happy, unless you ever plan to do a v8 swap like us one day then it don't much matter. I do like the tj flex better than the yj.

ken · **Posted:** Wed Jun 24, 2009 1:39 am

Stay with a Tj they're set up way better out of the gate. Softer ride,coils instead of leafs and the I-6 4.0 is the only way to go for a powerplant. (Unless you get a hi output 4.0). My buddy was gonna buy a 98 tj with 4 banger for cheap and he thanks me every time we wheel that I talked him into holding out a week longer to find the inline 6, 98 tj, it was a couple thousand more but well worth the cost offset. Remember the old addage you get what you pay for..... It is so true. My06 rubi with 35's and 5:38's rolls sweet behind the 4.0 in any type of terrain. Don't matter if it's 1/10th mph or 80 mph. Anyways that's my opinion.

Hope ypu find what you're looking for...... :lol:

LibertyFever · **Posted:** Mon Jun 29, 2009 3:28 pm

bill97redtj wrote:

I have the 2.5. Good motor with over 130000 but wish I had 4.0 power. Hopefully my Dana 44's with 4.88's will help a bit.
So my vote is get the 6!! You'll be happy, unless you ever plan to do a v8 swap like us one day then it don't much matter. I do like the tj flex better than the yj.

I must agree with bill97redtj, chose a six cyl. I too have a four cyl and it is good on gas but lacks the power to get up steep hills and sucks bigtime on the highway. And the 4.0L six cyl engines are hard to kill.

As for which to chose, a YJ or a TJ I'd have to say a TJ. The newest YJ you'll be able to find is a 95 and they often are in hard shape & high mileage.
With the relatively cheap price of the brand new JK's you should be able to find a TJ for a bargain price.

Let us know what you buy.

meduncan · **Posted:** Mon Jun 29, 2009 8:51 pm

As with the others that have owned or own a TJ I have the 4 cylinder and I would definitely go with the inline 6 now. Granted, if you gear the thing to 5.33 like I have then the 4 banger performs decently. It even handles the highway fairly well, but it still loses speed on hills and if you're going up a hill against a headwind then you better forget going over 60 mph 'cause you'll have the pedal floored just to maintain anything above 55 mph.

So long story short, get the inline 6. Another thing I would redo would be my transmission choice. Manual is great for control, but it also detracts from the trail experience. Of course, take that with a grain of salt since I'm coming from the 4 cylinder viewpoint. Perhaps the 6 would be different.

I test drove a 2003 Rubicon two days ago and wanted to trade in my TJ right then and there. I didn't because the dealership wanted $16,500 for the Rubi and would only give me $9,000 for my TJ. Some day I'll get into an inline 6.

ken · **Posted:** Mon Jun 29, 2009 10:35 pm

meduncan wrote:

As with the others that have owned or own a TJ I have the 4 cylinder and I would definitely go with the inline 6 now. Granted, if you gear the thing to 5.33 like I have then the 4 banger performs decently. It even handles the highway fairly well, but it still loses speed on hills and if you're going up a hill against a headwind then you better forget going over 60 mph 'cause you'll have the pedal floored just to maintain anything above 55 mph.

So long story short, get the inline 6. Another thing I would redo would be my transmission choice. Manual is great for control, but it also detracts from the trail experience. Of course, take that with a grain of salt since I'm coming from the 4 cylinder viewpoint. Perhaps the 6 would be different.

I test drove a 2003 Rubicon two days ago and wanted to trade in my TJ right then and there. I didn't because the dealership wanted $16,500 for the Rubi and would only give me $9,000 for my TJ. Some day I'll get into an inline 6.

That someday will leave you kicking yourself as to why you didn't do it a long time ago and as far as the tranny preference well that too would change immediatley.

meduncan · **Posted:** Tue Jun 30, 2009 9:13 pm

Now if I could just find someone willing to do a straight up trade for a built up '05 TJ for a stock Rubicon (any year) with an inline 6 and automatic in good condition I'd be all set.

mjp75jazz · **Posted:** Wed Jul 01, 2009 5:01 pm

have to agree with the popular opinion here. get the 6 cyl!!! we have a 97tj now with the 4cyl & it's WAY less powerful than the 4.0ltr 05tj we used to have, but we still love it just as much... AND it does keep my wife from getting speeding tickets! lol... oh, manual tranny all the way. anyway you go, a wrangler is ALOT of fun! you really can't go wrong.

Looking to buy a YJ or TJ

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