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I've been posting in NAXJA since I got my Cherokee, about a year. User name is Leica99XJ, you would have never known it was me.  BTW RyleyF....er, I mean Jack_Handey, I got my tires mounted on the wheels and it actually looks pretty good, although I wish I would have went with 4.5 BS instead of 4, sticks out just a wee too much but it cool I guess. I'll post pics tomorrow. 
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Nov 8, 2008 02:08
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 18:32 |
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Ok guys, I'm in Florida at the moment and I'm seriously considering picking up a Wrangler while I'm here......If I can talk the wife into it  What I need to know is which TJ's are the best? Should I spend the money for a later one, or are the earlier ones just as good? There are early TJ's (97's) going for around 5k, seems pretty good but I'm wondering if I should just splurge and get a low mileage 04 or something.
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Jan 14, 2009 01:56
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Tossed_Salad_Man posted:03-06 Rubicon and be done. I won't be off roading it so I'd rather not pay the premium for a Rubicon. Wrangler Sports are what I'm currently checking out. Did the earlier TJ's have any teething issues?
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Jan 14, 2009 04:50
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Anyone do any significant towing with their XJ? I'm planning on buying a pop up camper and taking road trips, so the Jeep would be fully loaded with two adults, one child and all the gear associated with camping and probably a paddle board strapped to the roof, in addition to a medium sized pop up. Think a stock XJ would handle this ok or would it be a good idea for some mods to help it out?
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Mar 25, 2009 03:43
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I'm selling my 99 XJ 4x4 because I'm moving back to FL (from NY), I don't need 4wd in FL so I'll be looking to buy another XJ or WJ 2wd when I get there. My dilemma is XJ or WJ.....I already know quite a bit about XJ's but need to know more about WJ's.....What is the "best year" WJ and what kind of issues can I expect from one? How are the transmissions, do they use the same auto trans as the XJ? I also plan on towing a camper and it seems that the WJ is more suitable for towing, is this accurate? I'm also assuming the brakes on the WJ are better since it has rear disks. I'd like another XJ, but WJ's are WAY more plentiful and right around the same price so I think I'd be able to find a nice one pretty easily
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Jun 6, 2009 02:08
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Yeah well I don't plan on doing any off roading. If I didn't need something to tow a camper I probably wouldn't be getting one. That being said, if I run across a really clean low mileage 4x4 I'm not going to pass it up. I just don't want to drag my XJ with me back to FL. Besides, I can get good money for it up here since it's a FL car and every other XJ for sale up here is rusted to poo poo.
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Jun 6, 2009 15:16
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Ok, my wife and I decided we might splurge and go for the Wrangler four door unlimited...... I'd like to know how they are as a daily driver, and if they are comfortable on road trips. We plan on doing lots of camping. I've read reports of a "death wobble" on Edmunds, is this a common problem? Also trying to decide if used or new is the way to go, looks like there's an incentive that if you buy a new one you can get write off the tax, and am I right to assume the lifetime warranty doesn't transfer?
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Jun 8, 2009 22:16
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carlcarlson posted:And no, the lifetime power train warranty does not transfer. I figure that you might be able to get a better deal buying new just because the dealerships are so hard up for business, but that may not be the case. Not sure how it is in other states, but in Texas anyway, you can write off sales tax, and a big ticket item like a car can help you with deductions next year. Looks like the average price for an unlimited with the "s" package and hard top is 30K sticker.....What are people getting them for these days? [edit] Did a little research and it seems the norm is about 5k/6k off sticker.....Can anyone comfirm this? I'd be better off with a new one getting the warranty and tax break. Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 00:33 on Jun 9, 2009 |
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Jun 8, 2009 23:29
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Grater posted:Yeah, I recently bought a new 09 X with a few options and got about 5k off sticker. In addition I got 0% financing; well they offered 0% but it turns out the 09's weren't included with that offer so I actually got 2.6%. I was going to walk at that point so they took took the finance costs out of the price on top of what I'd already gotten off the price. So how did you go about it? Did you tell them right off the bat, hey I want this Jeep for 5k less than sticker, that's what everyone else is getting? I'd be paying cash, not sure if that would help or hurt me. Jesus, I really didn't plan on spending this much on a Jeep, I need to test drive one first to make sure it's worth spending more than twice what a used WJ would cost me. Not to mention I need to make sure we'd want to keep it for a LONG time to take advantage of the warranty.
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Jun 9, 2009 03:26
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I'd buy one if it was a good bit cheaper than a 4x4. Living in Florida and cruising the around the beaches there's no need for 4wd. There's a lot of them in FL. Most Wranglers never go off pavement anyway.
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Jun 11, 2009 20:26
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I'm going to look at an '04 Unlimited here in a few days. Are there any teething issues with the first year Unlimited? Also, it has a factory towing package, what does this entail besides the hitch and plug? Tranny cooler I hope?
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Jun 24, 2009 02:03
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Anyone ever retrofit power locks on their Cherokee? I'm thinking it shouldn't be too bad since everything is pre wired. Also, I got a toy for my Cherokee to pull:  The camper weighs less than 2k lbs, and the Cherokee tows it effortlessly. That's dry though, after a couple hundred pounds of gear we'll see how it does. I've already ordered a Yakima roof rack and some Airlift air bags to help out the rear end since it sags pretty good already with no gear. incredibull posted:Like the smell of your own farts, you learn to love it... Heh, gear oil is nothing. Try getting used to the smell of burnt ATF, never gonna happen. When I dropped the pan of my '00 Caravan with 140k on it, I literally gagged.
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Jun 30, 2009 14:14
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incredibull posted:That is one sweet camper. How much did you pay if you don't mind? That's exactly what I want in a few years. Actually, I lucked out. The guy I bought it from won it in a contest and wanted to unload it for cash and I got it for 5k brand new. It retails for over 9k at dealerships depending on options. It's the smallest pop up Jayco makes, but it has lots of cool stuff like a torsion axle, hydraulic brakes, and a deep cycle battery that automatically charges whenever I plug into my Jeep or an outlet. The only option it doesn't have is A/C which I'll be adding soon, it's pre wired, all I have to do is take out the roof vent and the AC unit drops right in. Gotta have AC when camping in Florida haha.
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Jun 30, 2009 17:42
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fordham posted:That trailer have brakes? My XJ tows my 2000+lb boat without a problem (though I recommend a tranny cooler if you are planning to go long distances (especially in FL)). My problem is stopping the drat thing. No trailer brakes Yeah it has hydraulic surge brakes, and the Jeep has the Towing package with the tranny cooler already. I need to change the fluid though and I'm not looking forward to it especially since I need to clean out the pan and filter. 
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Jul 1, 2009 01:23
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Clamwacker posted:You don't wheel your amazingly capable Jeep? Unless I'm mistaken, because of your towing package you're rocking a Dana 44 in the back, which is extremely rare in the XJs. You should go out and flog the poo poo out of that fat bitch sometime. You'll be glad you did. Oh poo poo, are you sure? How can I tell for sure if it's a D44? By the way I have been wheeling it, just not lately. I used to manage a campground with miles of hiking trails and I used it to "maintain" them.  
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Jul 1, 2009 14:43
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Molten Llama posted:Dammit, i just saw a write-up on this last month when I was looking for something unrelated. Pictures and everything. I searched NAXJA and couldn't find anything like that. Also I do not have the Dana 44 dammit.....Didn't think so.
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Jul 1, 2009 23:16
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Tossed_Salad_Man posted:Look at the chart, does it look like what they have shown as a Chrysler 8.25? It's the 35. Oh well, no biggie, once I get back to Florida it won't be off road much anyway 
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Jul 2, 2009 00:39
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Where can I get those Zombie Outbreak stickers?
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Jul 7, 2009 04:08
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n0tqu1tesane posted:The Samurai was and is a lot cheaper than a Jeep though. That's why I used to call mine a poor man's Jeep  Although they seem to be more expensive these days, used to be you could pick one up for a grand easy, now they're up around 3-4k in good condition, then you might as well buy a YJ.
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Jul 11, 2009 04:52
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Tossed_Salad_Man posted:Okay. Here are the "I'm loving hot and goddamn tired but it's on and I'll gently caress with the minor details tomorrow pics". Holy crap, I've never seen that and it's incredible. How much do the kits run? Does it come with a "half" roll bar? And what did you do with all the parts you took out of it? It looks so much like a Scrambler, I wonder why Jeep didn't have an Unlimited Scrambler option it probably would have sold a poo poo ton. [edit] you should remove the Rubicon decal and put on a Scrambler decal
Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 16:45 on Jul 19, 2009 |
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Jul 19, 2009 16:40
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Tossed_Salad_Man posted:Next purchase will be fiberglass uppers for the halfdoors from https://www.bulldawgdoors.com. So why are you ditching your full doors? Also for decals, hit the person up in SA mart that does the Zombie Outbreak stickers, she does great work at reasonable prices. You could easily replicate the old Scrambler style decal if you can find a good example and go retro.....Or use the Rubicon font, that would be pretty loving cool too. Man I gotta say I've never been more inspired, I've always loved Scramblers and this looks like the ticket. I'm starting to reconsider my next Jeep.....
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Jul 19, 2009 19:03
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How much does the boat weigh? You really should have some sort of trailer brakes electric or surge. Hell my pop up camper weighs less than 2k and it still has surge brakes on it, I can barely tell I towing it. Also look into upgrading you Jeep's brakes, Hawk LTS pads make a big difference, and upgrading to rear discs also helps a lot. I wouldn't spend 18k on a truck just so you can tow a boat, If anything I'd buy an old 3/4 ton silverado or something for a few grand. [edit] it's a bad time to be selling an SUV right now, I tried to sell mine awhile back ('99 80k miles) and had no luck. Good thing though since I got a camper and need it now. If you live in a winter climate I'd wait until right before winter when everyone is looking for a 4x4. Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 04:18 on Jul 20, 2009 |
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Jul 20, 2009 04:14
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fordham posted:How does one go about doing this, and what is "relatively cheap"? I change my own oil, transmission fluid, brake pads, differential fluid, but that's about it. I have relatives who are mechanics but I try not to lean on them too much with my own side projects. I'll tell you my plan for brake upgrades, since I just got a camper and want to have more stopping power. I've already got Hawk LTS pads, and I'm getting ready to get new rotors to do the job. The consensus on NAXJA is get the best pads you can get (Hawk) and cheap rotors, since expensive rotors (slotted/drilled) seem not to make much difference.....Although I think cryo treated rotors would be optimal, they are just too expensive. NAPA rotors are around 25-30 bucks and do fine. As far as rear discs, with minor modification grand cherokee discs swap right on, and there is no need to upgrade the booster unless you have a pre '98 XJ. OR you could just swap in a whole Dana44 with the discs already on it and have better brakes and stronger rear end, and I think that;s the route I'll eventually take. Here's a link to the Mad XJ technical page, on it you'll find how to do the rear disc swap. http://www.madxj.com/
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Jul 20, 2009 18:10
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Any reason why you didn't have the "lip" sprayed? That part of the bed usually gets the most abuse.
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Jul 24, 2009 21:45
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Gotcha, very nice. I'm going to be so jealous when you're done..... So did you go this route because it's cool (it is) or because you'll be using the bed for hauling wheeling gear? I imagine in this configuration it gives you a lot more options and room for hauling camping gear and other poo poo, rather than dealing with the soft top being in the way.
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Jul 24, 2009 23:39
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Reason posted:I'm looking at economical ways to keep a kayak on my roof. Does anyone know if Yakima Universal Mighty Mounts will work with a '94 Jeep Grand Cherokee? Does anyone have any experience with them? Just get a used set of Yakima/Thule towers and bars. I picked up all my parts off craigslist. Yakima towers/locks for $75, 66" crossbars for $40, and a Thule Frontier cargo carrier for $75, all from different sellers. I saved 300/400 bucks buying used. Also the stock racks are poo poo, a complete aftermarket system is the way to go if you're carrying anything substantial like a kayak. upsciLLion posted:What do you guys think of 97+ Cherokees as daily drivers? I'm going to have to start commuting ~40 miles a day soon and am looking for something cheap, reliable, and able to deal with the occasional snowfall in Seattle. Is there anything off-putting (besides the fuel economy) about using them for commuting? I actually like my Cherokee as a DD, the interior is spartan (especially the SE) but situated perfectly. The armrest, cupholder, radio, climate controls are perfect IMO, I've always said it has the best cupholders of any car I've had haha. It rides a bit bouncy at times on rough roads but you get used to it, it's a 4x4 with solid axles so what are you gonna do. You can improve the ride a bit with suspension mods, I plan on it in the near future. Pretty much the perfect all around vehicle minus the lovely mileage but oh well, better than driving a Civic.
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Jul 27, 2009 02:18
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99 all the way, the interior upgrade alone is worth it IMO. LPG conversion sounds pretty cool too.
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Jul 27, 2009 15:54
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fordham posted:Looking to get new cross-drilled, vented/slotted front rotors for my 2000 XJ to go with some hawk pads for better towing fun. Yeah, don't waste money on cross drilled or slotted. If you really want good rotors you can get some that have been cryo treated but they are upwards of $150 a piece. I just got a set of LTS pads and some $30 rotors from NAPA, it seems like that's the way to go from everyone's experiences. I'll be installing them here soon, and I'll post the results.
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Jul 30, 2009 01:27
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Installed some Air Lift air bags the other day and I gotta say they're pretty awesome. Originally I got them for level towing but they have really helped out the sagging leafs with just a bit of air pressure, ride is great too was a bit worried about that. It looks a lot better with equal wheel gap all around. Also installed cruise control with some used parts and praying it's gonna work haha.
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Jul 31, 2009 19:48
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So does anyone have experience loving with cruise control on 97+ Jeeps? I got used parts from Storks and having no luck getting it to work on my XJ.
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Aug 2, 2009 02:25
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FYI for anyone thinking about ordering parts from Storks Automotive, don't. 2 out of the 3 parts they sent me for the cruise control were the wrong parts, which wouldn't have been the case if they pulled the parts off the correct year XJ like they said they would. What a pain in my rear end.
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Aug 2, 2009 22:14
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Just installed the Hawk LTS/Napa rotor combo today on the XJ and I'm really happy with the results. It seems like my stopping power has doubled, but it may just be because the old rotors were warped a bit. At $75 for the pads and $30 each for the rotors I think it's a worthwhile upgrade.
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Aug 4, 2009 02:52
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Does anyone here tow with their XJ/Wrangler 4.0? Do you tow in OD or 3? Today my XJ overheated on me while towing, and someone in NAXJA seems to think it was because I was towing in OD, while in that same forum people say it's fine towing in OD as long as you're not going up any hills......Is it feasible for hot tranny fluid to heat up the engine coolant through via tranny cooler and consequently overheating the coolant?
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Aug 6, 2009 00:49
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I have the towing package with tranny cooler. Also have the electric fan. my camper is just under 2k dry, but we were fully loaded with two adults, two children and all the gear to go with it, so I'm guessing about 3k total. I also had the A/C on when it happened. Engine overheated, don't know by how much because I have the idiot light (SE) instead of the proper gauge. The overflow didn't spill coolant until I pulled over, so I'm hoping I didn't do too much damage. It seemed to be having a hard time towing from the start, took a long time getting up to speed (65mph) do I need to work my way up to speed in 3 before shifting to OD? And is it obvious when the trans is searching around, because I didn't notice it otherwise I would have downshifted to 3. Also I have recently replaced the thermostat and flushed the cooling system.
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Aug 6, 2009 01:34
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fordham posted:From the sound of things just your engine overheated. See, that's what I thought, but some dude in NAXJA seems to think that because I was towing in OD I overheated the engine which i kind of find hard to believe. The trans was doing fine honestly, I went up one hill which was a big hill but gradual climb, not very steep, and the trans downshifted once.....Although it was at the top of the hill when it overheated so who loving knows. I really need to get a real gauge cluster with a tach and temp gauge, this SE cluster blows. Who the gently caress puts temp idiot lights on cars anymore?
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Aug 6, 2009 03:08
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Over a year ago, not that recent, but recent for a thermostat. Now I'm starting to wonder if I have the correct temp stat in there..... also, it runs perfect normally, it's only done this to me while towing although i wonder if the load just brough a problem to the surface. Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 03:36 on Aug 6, 2009 |
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Aug 6, 2009 03:27
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Yeah, awhile ago but I have no clue what temp it was. I could have got the wrong temp thermostat without knowing it, I've read on NAXJA that XJ's are finicky when it comes to messing around with different temp stats. I think it needs to be 195.
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Aug 6, 2009 16:25
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So what is the consensus of the four cylinder motor? Now that I'm back in FL, I've been looking for a wrangler and it seems like most of them around here are four bangers. Do they get good mpg compared to the 4.0? Are they just as dependable?
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Oct 11, 2009 19:48
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03's are out of my price range. I'm looking at late YJ's and early TJ's. (about 5k to 6k dollars) I'm on the fence about YJ's.....TJ's are such a huge upgrade ride wise, this is just going to be a beach cruiser with an occasional road trip to the Keys, no off roading. There are quite a few YJ "fixer-uppers" going pretty cheap but I'm torn whether or not just to splurge and get a TJ. Anyone feel free to voice their opinions on YJ vs. TJ, could help me sway my decision.
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Oct 11, 2009 20:42
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 18:32 |
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Yeah it looks like I may be leaning towards a 4cyl TJ since there are so many around here....Are there any teething issues with first year TJ's? 97 was the first year, correct?
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Oct 12, 2009 01:23
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