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Jeep TJ

JDG.

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had a jeep jk for a few years, but sold it for a better daily driver. The family really enjoyed the doors/roof experience so im considering picking up a TJ.

I know a bunch about JKs but not so much about TJs. What should I look for or avoid? I wont consider the 4 cylinder and the wife refuse a manual but thats about it. Just looking for a sunny day cruiser.
 
TJ is the best value for the dollar in Jeeps IMO. Coil springs on all corners and the inline 6 makes it a decent ride & easy to upgrade/work on. Parts are plentiful & cheap.

Try to get one with the Dana44 rear end, a quality soft top and rust free. Not that much to them...its just a motor, wheels & a bunch of zippers.
 
When I went looking for mine I checked for a few things:
4.0 (make sure cooling system checks out)
Preferred one without a lift so I could do it myself (lots of poorly done lifts out there, the rear shaft is short and not forgiving, and lots of people put huge body lifts on them and that’s a no no)
I looked for one with a hard top because soft tops are cheap, but a good fairly priced hard top is hard to find
Mine is an auto (32rh 3spd) and I like it.
If you find a Sahara (which I did,) it will have a 3.73 gear ratio so putting some larger tires on it won’t make you immediately want to regear

Yes it would be good to find one with a Dana 44, although they are harder to find. The Dana 35’s don’t like the skinny pedal with larger tires on the trail. So if you get one with a Dana 35, negotiate so you have the money for an axle swap to something like an 8.8, so you can be rough with it on the trails without twisting off axle shafts.!

All in all, if you have the cash to spend you could hunt for a TJ Rubicon, but that’s if you’re planning on doing some wheeling. Best bang for buck with 4.10 gear ratio, 4:1 transfer case for slow crawling, Dana 44 front and rear axle assemblies with pneumatic lockers. They are harder to find and hold their value.
 
Its been a while since I was in the market but I dont recall any specific models that came optioned with the D44 factory besides the Rubicon. My brother has a Sahara TJ and it had a D35 that he swapped for a ford 8.8. when he lifted it.
 
How can you tell if it came with the 44? Which models? Thanks for the info so far.
Best way is to get down on one knee and take a look. If you have trouble telling you can google the number markings on the diff cover too.
 

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Best way is to get down on one knee and take a look. If you have trouble telling you can google the number markings on the diff cover too.
I was hoping there was a way to know before i went to look. So safe bet with a rubicon, option on lesser trims. Itll be something I look at when I do then. Thanks.
 
I was hoping there was a way to know before i went to look. So safe bet with a rubicon, option on lesser trims. Itll be something I look at when I do then. Thanks.
You could always ask the seller to take a pic of the rear axle assembly and send it to you if they’re not certain what they have. It was an optional axle on everything except for the Rubicon, on which it was standard.
 
I wouldn’t stress too much about the Dana 35 unless you plan on doing a lot of wheeling or plan to put larger than a 33” tire on it. If it’s just trail riding and beach going you really shouldn’t have to worry about breaking anything unless you have a real heavy foot.
 
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