Thank you LOST - Goodby, (KJ is gone and I am relieved)

Spike6901 · **Posted:** Mon May 12, 2008 1:25 pm

Thank you very much fellow LOST members for years of valuable insight, advice, group buys, and much, much more. It was a love and hate relationship with the KJ and now that it is gone, I actually feel a bit relieved.

I traded in the KJ on Saturday for a Toyota Camry (I know don't laugh) and feel pretty good about the decision. My wife and kids now have a ton more room, a nicer ride, better fuel economy and I have a lower payment. I will just keep riding my motorcycle daily to work, put a tow hitch on the car for my little trailer, and the world will be good.

The KJ has gone through a front diff, a rear diff, an x-fer case and a few other annoyances under warranty. The warranty expired at 70K and at 70,120 miles, the idler pulley and A/C compressor died. Also, the valve guide seals were leaking so it was smoking on start up, the front diff was moaning, the rear pinion seal was leaking (for the 4th time), and the rear tracklok was clunking. I used all synthetic lubes and changed everything at Jeep's ridiculous intervals including the plugs. It seamed like I was always doing some kind of maintenance to the darn truck. There was no lack of maintenance. The KJ was also treated very well and was not hammered off the pavement either. It saw some action but nothing more than casual wheeling.

Its fuel economy had dropped about 2mpg over the last year too.
So, Chrysler will not get anymore of my business unless it is a used Wrangler that I build into something special. I started as a Toyota guy with my '83 PU and my '80 FJ-40 and will be heading back that way. Either a Tacoma or a FJ cruiser will probably join the family in the next three years.

My KJ just didn’t hold up very well but I did like the machine and it did perform pretty good.

So, goodbye and thank you again.

Does anyone need a free set of stock ’04 KJ springs? mrclortho@yahoo.com

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Mon May 12, 2008 2:50 pm

The price of 4x4 was never cheap. Congratulations on the new Camry and good luck with the Future.

InCommando · **Posted:** Mon May 12, 2008 3:29 pm

Hey, don't let Japan's restricive & unfair trade rules get to you. Just slap an American flag on that thing & pretend to be a proud citizen. Our farmers thank you for your support.

Sport · **Posted:** Mon May 12, 2008 3:48 pm

and what, you guys bought a jeep because it was american made. :roll:

sad

SpankyKJ · **Joined:** Fri Mar 28, 2008 4:20 am **Posts:** 83

We had 237,000 miles on our camry then the engine started knocking so we traded it in for the Jeep. Camry's a good car.

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Mon May 12, 2008 4:36 pm

There's nothing wrong with the Camry.. It's the best selling car for a reason I'd think.

Sad to see so many leaving KJ land but I suppose that is expected with the current outlook on things.

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Mon May 12, 2008 4:57 pm

InCommando wrote:

Hey, don't let Japan's restricive & unfair trade rules get to you. Just slap an American flag on that thing & pretend to be a proud citizen. Our farmers thank you for your support.

Toyota hires an aweful-lot-of american workers.

the wife's · **Posted:** Mon May 12, 2008 5:49 pm

... a man has got to do what he's got to to. Sorry to hear about your Jeep woes... The wife and I have nearly 80K (2004) on ours and not even a lick of trouble, even the mileage, although not great, seems to be better than others. Best of luck with what life brings to you and your family.

Clark

tommudd · **Posted:** Mon May 12, 2008 6:02 pm

Any make and model has problems, non are immune from it.
What I see happening is a few leaving 4 WD ownership and this is about right for the current conditions. 4WD ownership goes in cycles, sort of like locusts, has happened over the years several times since I first bought my first 4WD in 75 everyone wants one for a while, then everyone sells out etc.!!
Well not everyone, there are those diehards like me that feels they always have to have one (at least) in the driveway. :roll:

In the 70s gas shortage I owned 5 vehicles 4 were 4 wheel drives all with V-8s and big tires! :twisted:

Over 102,000 on mine and no problems at all!!!

Tom

snowsport · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:52 pm **Posts:** 1211

Yeah, Spike it sounds like you had yourself a bit of a lemon. Sorry to hear you had such a run of problems with your Jeep. Good luck with your Camry, I've heard good stuff about them for reliability and maintenance.

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Mon May 12, 2008 7:11 pm

Your KJ must have been a Friday or day before the holiday's build. That is a lemon for sure to have those problems. Good luck with the Camry. Just don't have a flashback to off-roading and try to take that Camry on a trail.

Guest · **Posted:** Mon May 12, 2008 7:44 pm

A Camry? Jeez. (You said "I know", so you knew you had it coming...)

I don't mind the current gen Camrys so much, as long as they've got the 3.5L and all the bells and whistles...but man...I couldn't imagine going from my KJ to a stripped down model like my mom's 99 Camry was *shudder*...4 popper, auto, beige..."but oh, it's got the spoiler on the back and a sunroof! it's SPORTY!!"

Good luck with the Camry. It, and every other ubiquitous milquetoast sedan in production (Accord, the bottom-feeder Mazda 6s, the stripped down Altimas) are as exciting as vanilla extract...but at least you sometimes have a vague idea about what might happen with it (like my mom's '99 that shat a timing belt at 60,000 miles - they have 90k intervals - puked a transmission at 80...my KJ has 107,000, nothing replaced but a hub assembly and a radiator...we don't even WANT to go into what she had to do with her 4runner

)

At any rate...I genuinely hope that you enjoy the Camry. Sounds like that KJ should've been lemon-lawed.

Tom...I'm not scared o' gas prices...we're headin into our third crisis and I've got the pedal down with no intent to do anything but beat on my Jeep :lol:

Good thing about this little temporary setback is - gasp - CHEAP JEEPS!

We'd better stockpile 'em so when gas prices go back down we can PROFIT :lol:

InCommando · **Posted:** Tue May 13, 2008 3:27 am

tommudd wrote:

Any make and model has problems, non are immune from it. What I see happening is a few leaving 4 WD ownership and this is about right for the current conditions. 4WD ownership goes in cycles, sort of like locusts, has happened over the years several times since I first bought my first 4WD in 75 everyone wants one for a while, then everyone sells out etc.!!
Well not everyone, there are those diehards like me that feels they always have to have one (at least) in the driveway. :roll:

In the 70s gas shortage I owned 5 vehicles 4 were 4 wheel drives all with V-8s and big tires! :twisted:

Over 102,000 on mine and no problems at all!!!

Tom

I am certain that the KJ , the product of a German company, had far fewer problems then its segment mates IF you used it as a Jeep. Could you imagine the condition of RAV4 or CR-V if you tried to take them off-roa?. Well, actually it seems the breakage would be limited by their inability to get themselves into enough trouble to casue breakage.

Best thing about an '83 Toy P.Up? The handy bodywork experience you had to learn by about '86 & the skills you gaind building a "custom flat bed" by about '89. All while not breaking stuff by putting a whopping 59 HP to the ground.

Toyota employs many Americans, at the cost of American jobs where the profits do not go to a country who has pretty much unrestricted access to our various markets will closing their markets to us.

Cousin Frank may assemble Honders, but it is easy to forget uncle Henry & cousin Jeb who lost higher paying jobs building domestics or working for their suppliers. Ignorance & apathy....

Don't let the door hit you on the way out

Spike6901 · **Posted:** Wed May 14, 2008 2:30 pm

Not that it matters, the Camry has all the bells and whistles but I wanted the 4 banger for the milage. I guess I am just boring but how many of you ride a motorcycle as their only vehicle? :lol:

If you honestly think that the KJ is "American made" then I will just not say anymore about that.

On another note, this is a market where the produts speak for themselves. Why else would Toyota be on top? My '83 PU ran for 165K miles of hard, hard, teenage driving and I think I had to put a battery in it once.

At any rate, I just wanted to thank the people of character who helped me out in the past and hopefully I could help others.

And to the haters, well, have fun with that.

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Wed May 14, 2008 2:56 pm

Spike6901 wrote:

Not that it matters, the Camry has all the bells and whistles but I wanted the 4 banger for the milage. I guess I am just boring but how many of you ride a motorcycle as their only vehicle? :lol:

If you honestly think that the KJ is "American made" then I will just not say anymore about that.

On another note, this is a market where the produts speak for themselves. Why else would Toyota be on top? My '83 PU ran for 165K miles of hard, hard, teenage driving and I think I had to put a battery in it once.

At any rate, I just wanted to thank the people of character who helped me out in the past and hopefully I could help others.

And to the haters, well, have fun with that.

I hate and I am having fun with it.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Wed May 14, 2008 4:18 pm

InCommando wrote:

Hey, don't let Japan's restricive & unfair trade rules get to you. Just slap an American flag on that thing & pretend to be a proud citizen. Our farmers thank you for your support.

Spike6901 · **Posted:** Wed May 14, 2008 4:36 pm

Wow, own a Jeep and you are cool, sell it and you are a commie.

To bad a 4 year member who has run a 4wd trip, had a LOST sticker on his jeep for 3 years, attended meetings and even helped with some installs is leaving with a bad taste in his mouth.

Moterator, please do everyone a favor and lock this post. There is no point on dragging this out.

God bless and goodby.

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed May 14, 2008 5:10 pm

Sorry to have you leave with a bad taste in your mouth, not sure why, but sorry you are, lots of great people on here and stop back anytime, but as with any forum its pretty much open to say what you think.

I made a comment over on I8MUD a while back and mentioned Jeep, that was the wrong thing to do, I now go and read but do not comment and it was about camping!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :shock:

Tom

jerbacher · **Posted:** Wed May 14, 2008 5:24 pm

Spike6901 wrote:

Wow, own a Jeep and you are cool, sell it and you are a commie.

To bad a 4 year member who has run a 4wd trip, had a LOST sticker on his jeep for 3 years, attended meetings and even helped with some installs is leaving with a bad taste in his mouth.

Moterator, please do everyone a favor and lock this post. There is no point on dragging this out.

God bless and goodby.

I see where he's coming from here. Its about the sarcastic comment involving buying a foreign car apparently making you a bad citizen. Too bad the "no politics" rule of this board doesnt apply to this thread? :roll:

Anyone is free to buy any vehicle they want regardless of the manufacturer's country of origin and they shouldnt be judged to be a bad citizen because of it.

InCommando · **Posted:** Wed May 14, 2008 6:12 pm

I have stated repeatedly that Jeeps purchased from DaimlerChrysler are german regardless of their assembly point. ( Check your VIN. If it starts with "1" it is assembled in the U.S. This does not mean it ws made by an American company.)

A person can choose to buy a japanese car. But your choices do not render you immune from comment. Just as he is free to buy it, I am free to think less of him for it. Keep your trap shut in public if you do not wish a public response.

This being political is really a stretch. It is less poitical than even gas prices, for example. This is economic. And that seems pretty obvious.

People can talk "global economy" if they wish, but you need to check into japan's participation in this philosophy and then see who your dollars are supporting. An extremely protectionist trading partner is hardly an equal partner.

Thank you LOST - Goodby, (KJ is gone and I am relieved)

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