FEMALE BUYING USED 1997 WRANGLER. TIPS WANTED please

[KAZZA]

HELLO, IM WONDERING IF SOME OF U COULD HELP ME?
NOW I DRIVE A TOYO HILUX 97 2"SUSPENSION LIFT AND 2.5"BODYLIFT
33" TYRES MUDDIES , EXTRACTORS, SPORTS EXHAUST THE WHOLE THING.
BUT I FELL IN LOVE WITH A MODIFIED WRANGLER. 1997. 130000
IT HAS A 3.5" LIFT WITH RANCHO SHOCKERS
33" MICKEY THOMPSON BAJA CLAWS BRAND NEW 90%
IPF LIGHTS EXTRACTORS SPORT EXHAUST BULLBARS
THIS FELLA WANTS $17000 FOR IT WITH RWC

and how difficult is it to put a winch on a tj?

IS THIS AN OK DEAL
DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE POINTS FOR ME TO WATCH OUT FOR
p.s. ::as a woman i love four wheel driving and thought my hilux would just about conquer anything and it pretty much does but at a very high fuel cost. do jeeps use as much fuel?

[AussieCJ7]

p.s. ::as a woman i love four wheel driving and thought my hilux would just about conquer anything and it pretty much does but at a very high fuel cost. do jeeps use as much fuel?

Most Jeep owners would say a hilux is dirt cheap on fuel compared to a Jeep

Not sure what sort of economy figures you get on your hilux but Jeeps like a bit of a drink

[Wooders]

Kazza,
The old TJ isn't particularly fuel efficient.
BUT aside from that the TJ is a great rig and you'll be amazed at how capable they are.

[KAZZA]

well on the fuel efficiency.

i have a 60l petrol tank and do anywhere between 200 and 270 km on that tank
would u say a tj uses as much as that and how bis is their petrol tank by the way

[YankeeDave]

i just bought the wife a TJ on 31's and it gets about 11.5-12.2L/100km

[AussieCJ7]

well on the fuel efficiency.

i have a 60l petrol tank and do anywhere between 200 and 270 km on that tank
would u say a tj uses as much as that and how bis is their petrol tank by the way

there is something really wrong with your Hilux that's approx 22 to 30 L/100K ??? I know worked V8's drinking less than that

Jeep are somewhere between 11 to 15 L/100K but if you add bigger tyres and dont fix the gearing expect worse than that and if you drive flat to the floor all the time expect worse

[chunkz]

well on the fuel efficiency.

i have a 60l petrol tank and do anywhere between 200 and 270 km on that tank
would u say a tj uses as much as that and how bis is their petrol tank by the way

holy crap!!!!

get that looked at

[mattc]

Either need a winch compatible front bar (ARB, JBITZ etc) or a winch cradle (WARN, maybe Chrysler too) to fit beind the stock bumper.

Fuel economy for me (33's and 4.56) is around 15l/100K city or highway.

cheers
Matt

[KAZZA]

thank you matt,

i think i can really live with 15l/100ks
how much will it cost me to fix my gear ratios?
is this something you can have done in any garage or would you go to a jeep garage?

Sorry about all the questions but i just dont want to end up with a fierce petrol guzzling machine again.

[mattc]

Honestly, I never saw much fuel difference between 33's on stock 3.07 vs my current 4.56. However, 5th gear is useful now and I have much better 1st in both hi and lo. (A little better than stock).

I ran on stock ratios with 3.07 for 2 years but having gone to 4.56 (and detroits at the same time), I would have done these earlier and not bought alloy rims and aftermarket softtop. But that's cos I like steep and rocky terrain.

It's not cheap. AFAIK $500 per end for the ring and pinion would be a good price for a good brand and then you have install on top. Going from 3.07 to 4.11 or 4.56 covers a carrier break so you will need new carriers (or hemisheres). That's why many people say try and do lockers at the same time as ARB/Detroit are the carrier. But ARBs are approx 1K per end plus compressor although the install of lockers and ratios at the same time will save $ on labour.

Depends on the type of driving whether you want to regear straight up.

Apart from big wheels and a lift to clear on your hilux, its hard to say how "hard core" your hilux is and what you'd expect in a Jeep. If you can find out what brand lift is on the TJ you are looking at that would help in judging if its good value.... there are complete system type kits in the thousand if you replace arms, sye, etc and then "budget" lifts like the OME one and lots in between. All are good depending on what you want.

As to where for regearing... take it to a Jeep garage or any reputable diff shop or anywhere that you like the workmanship and prices - a diffs a diff. Mine was done at the local diff shop (who incidently gets all the drivetrain work from the local Jeep dealer).

Lift and ratios are two of the most common questions on other Jeep boards and solicit a gazillion views. One I agree with, is just drive it as is till you work out what mods will work for you - and check out lots of other Jeeps for what they did and what different it they could start again.

[jeep97tj]

well on the fuel efficiency.

i have a 60l petrol tank and do anywhere between 200 and 270 km on that tank
would u say a tj uses as much as that and how bis is their petrol tank by the way

there is something really wrong with your Hilux that's approx 22 to 30 L/100K ??? I know worked V8's drinking less than that

Jeep are somewhere between 11 to 15 L/100K but if you add bigger tyres and dont fix the gearing expect worse than that and if you drive flat to the floor all the time expect worse

Nope there is nothing wrong with her hilux, thats what the petrols are like. I would use 18L per 100km on the road with 37s.

I own a hilux now, If u think your hilux was good off road, u will be very very happy with a TJ, u cant compare the 2

Whe buying if it has a rear main leak knock $500 off, have a good look around the exhaust manifold for signs of leaks, they are known to crack on models befor 02 if its cracked try and knock off $500-1000. If u have a sensitive bum and feel some vibs dont worrie they all do that, there park brakes never work. check for water stains around where the raditor core joins to the tanks, also make sure u check the front wheel bearing for movement, they are not serviceable so if there is any movement u will need around $600?? to replace them.

[KAZZA]

tx alot everybody, ive learned a fair bit here.
i think its now time to look at some more tj's.
i will let you know as soon as i bought one.
or i'll just keep you posted on whats happening.
i think i am out of questions for now.

thanks again

[tommosjeep]

My old patrol used about 25-30L/100kms on gas, but the TJ uses about 16 on petrol. (You can't put them on gas.) With extractors etc, you can expect it to use AT LEAST that much. And it costs more to repair than the tojo, and the accessories are more expensive. And it's not going to be any better than the Tojo at anything important, except that it's shorter.

But it's way more cool.