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Reasons to buy a CJ8

Having $16-20K to spend opens up a lot of options, as well as some restrictions by the lender (in this case, Dad).

My first car cost $800, and I bought it with summer-job money. I had tools though, and plenty of mechanical guidance from my dad. That was my daily driver for years, and I got really good at taking it apart and putting it back together.

If I'd have had more money to spend to begin with, I probably wouldn't have ended up with that VW Bug I wanted so badly, and loved so much!

I can see both sides of the argument... I guess we'll have to see where Glonk lands with his dad on this.
 
CJ7Pilot said:
Ordering and waiting for parts was a lot different in pre-internet days, wasn't it?!? :rotfl:
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OMG, it was terrible waiting 2-3 weeks for parts sometimes :eek:

I ordered most of my parts, that i couldn't get at regular parts stores, from a place called "Leon Rosser Jeep". They were a pretty large outfit based out of Bessamr, AL, so not too far away.

Leon Rosser is no more, don't know what happened to them :shrug:
 
Long story I wont' go through, but my Scrambler was my daily driver Junior HS and 1 semester in College. 1996/97-99. Lived in a small town <4k people and college town was one of the larger ones in our state, couldn't tell you how many probably over 100k, but still had small town feel. Drove it everywhere and got to where I didn't want it sitting outside at school all the time, it was going to rust away, leaks whenever it rains (its a Jeep), defrost works okay, it wasn't fuel efficient, it wasn't a speed demon to go down the highway and had zero interior space to take you or someone else with you other than tool box I had in the back.

I ended up buying a 1991 Chevy Shortbed 2wd with V6 5spd to use for many years and parked the Jeep. I still didn't have much space, but more than Jeep. This kept miles & more rust off the Jeep, not to mention possibility of theft or someone running into it. Those two things there are what I worry about now driving it places. Old Jeep's are toy's, collectors, weekend drivers etc at this point. With so many people on a phone all the time it is a matter of time until you get hit. You could do it and drive it as a daily, it has been done for years by many, but I don't think my son will have a Jeep as a primary mode of transport when he is old enough to drive unless it is something more modern.

Buy the Wrangler or an LJ that was suggested if you want a Jeep, and get a Scrambler later. At least it will have good AC, go down the highway with traffic, and if it is stolen or wrecked it can be replaced. They are still fairly straightforward to work on as well.
 
Randyzzz said:
Maybe I’m coming from a different place. My first car was a 53 Ford, totally cool but I spent time every weekend fixing something. I learned a lot in a short time. Then I was blessed and got a new 78 Mustang ll King Cobra for graduation- and within a year had wrecked it twice, racked up lots of tickets, and sold it to keep out of trouble. At that point, I got into off-roading. Figured I could get as crazy as I wanted in the dirt. But- every vehicle I bought was my only vehicle, every vehicle needed constant work, and every vehicle taught me more about turning wrenches. I learned how to do brakes on my lunch hour, how to swap an engine in a weekend, and how to be mechanically adept. Friendships were forged, skills were learned, and a love of older vehicles grew stronger. Yes, there were times where I had to bum rides, times that were discouraging, but that’s part of life and learning to be resilient and prepared. And having the desire and responsibility of keeping a cool vehicle running kept me from making a lot of bad decisions- kept me away from drugs, even kept me from smoking. ( A pack of smokes or saving for new wheels?) As years passed I eventually bought several new or newer vehicles, only to regret it and sell them shortly after. I have had over 200 vehicles pass through my hands in the last 40 years. And I wouldn’t change a thing.
Long story short- buying a vehicle that I knew I would have to work on, to keep running- it made me who I am today. Is it for everyone? Heck no. But in my opinion life would be pretty boring if we always took the “safe” choice.
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Wow Randy that was a good story ! 200 cars is amazing. My CJ is my 2nd vehicle and was my daily driver for 16 years. I'm only on my 5 car in life, and those have all been my daily driver since, and all have just been considered transportation and all bought used. That being said I know I'm the odd ball with that statement :)
 
What about an ‘04-‘06 TJ Unlimited? 2 door long wheelbase. Limited production years. Kinda like a Scrambler. Always thought they are the next collectible Jeep and should increase in value over time. We passed on a red, loaded Florida non-Rubicon for $15,000 3 years ago. They should be in your price range.
 
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