TJ vs JL conversation.

[cj7ox]

Never owned a YJ or TJ. I do still own an '85 CJ7. Great off road, and only ever left me stranded once (alternator). The clutch threw a transverse spring in Lubbock during a road trip from Huntsville, AL to El Paso, TX. Drove a whole day without being able to engage the clutch. LOL! Popping it in neutral to coast to a stop, shutting it down, putting it in first then engaging the starter was fun! I'll never get rid of the old girl, but am introspective enough to know that 1) I'm too old and broke down to drive her on road trips and 2) she's too old to like highway speeds. The JLU is much nicer on my old bones. ;-)

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[Nitehawk92]

I loved my TJ, but it is pretty primative compared to my JLU. The one thing I would love to have on my JLU that I had on my TJ is the JP08 wheels. I loved the way they looked. But they won't fit a JL and they do not make them for a JL.

 

[flyer92]

Never owned a YJ or TJ. I do still own an '85 CJ7. Great off road, and only ever left me stranded once (alternator). The clutch threw a transverse spring in Lubbock during a road trip from Huntsville, AL to El Paso, TX. Drove a whole day without being able to engage the clutch. LOL! Popping it in neutral to coast to a stop, shutting it down, putting it in first then engaging the starter was fun! I'll never get rid of the old girl, but am introspective enough to know that 1) I'm too old and broke down to drive her on road trips and 2) she's too old to like highway speeds. The JLU is much nicer on my old bones. ;-)

I can totally relate, as I sold my beloved CJ-5 and purchased a 2-door JL. Only broke down on me once, and that was due to a failed ignition control module, which is common with older vehicles and is both cheap and easy to repair. Like a lot of folks, I carried a spare after that happened but never had to use it. REALLY miss the old girl, but long drives were a little hard on my injuries and I didn't have the space for both the CJ and JL. Hold on to your baby as long as you can. I guarantee you'll regret it if you let her go.

 

[D00KEY]

The only item I didnt like about the TJ platform was the internal space. Or rather.... lack of space. Now I drive a humongous boat because my dog gave me the side eye.

 

[Vinman]

My JLR does just fine on tight trails and parking lots must just be a school bus issue.

A TJ would have fit here, just sayin’

 

[Opus]

Viagra Edition???

 

[Zandcwhite]

Although the TJ is obviously less comfortable that the JL, I've always believed its benefits were well worth it. Yes, the JL is a comfortable ride, but the TJ was far more reliable, simpler to work on and upgrade....and more importantly, less likely to leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere. Sadly, I sold my '99 TJ to a co-worker in 2004, and after 180K miles, is still running strong with the original drivetrain. Pretty sure our fragile, plasticky JLs won't last as long, but only time will tell.

Or because they were nowhere near as comfortable or capable on road it took 30 years to put 180k miles on it. In my opinon the service life before major repairs should be ~200k miles. I think the TJ and JL have the same odds of getting there. The big difference is the TJ needs 30 years to do it and our JLUR will be there in about 10 because you can roadtrip it all day at 85mph to get to Moab, air down and out wheel the TJ with ease. Of course the poor bastard driving the TJ needs an extra 8 hours just to get to Moab and the driver is so wore out he needs a recovery day before the wheeling starts.

 

[flyer92]

Or because they were nowhere near as comfortable or capable on road it took 30 years to put 180k miles on it. In my opinon the service life before major repairs should be ~200k miles. I think the TJ and JL have the same odds of getting there. The big difference is the TJ needs 30 years to do it and our JLUR will be there in about 10 because you can roadtrip it all day at 85mph to get to Moab, air down and out wheel the TJ with ease. Of course the poor bastard driving the TJ needs an extra 8 hours just to get to Moab and the driver is so wore out he needs a recovery day before the wheeling starts.

To each his/her own, but I never felt beat up or exhausted after driving my TJ, even after days-long road trips. Sure, the JL is more comfortable, but my TJ was my DD for 5 years and I drove it coast-to-coast two times with no issues. My use case doesn't involve a lot of road tripping anyway, so for whatever the TJ lacks in creature comfort, it makes up for in spades when it comes to reliability, simplicity, and ease of upgrading/maintenance.

In short...I'd rather be a little less comfortable in a TJ than getting stranded by another electronic gremlin, clutch failure, rear diff failure, engine failure, death wobble, or the litany of other "Jeep things" that exist with the JL. It is for this reason, that I'd never go wheeling by myself in it, unlike the TJ, which never let me down. But hey...YMMV and hope your JL provides yeoman service for years to come.

 

[Zandcwhite]

To each his/her own, but I never felt beat up or exhausted after driving my TJ, even after days-long road trips. Sure, the JL is more comfortable, but my TJ was my DD for 5 years and I drove it coast-to-coast two times with no issues. My use case doesn't involve a lot of road tripping anyway, so for whatever the TJ lacks in creature comfort, it makes up for in spades when it comes to reliability, simplicity, and ease of upgrading/maintenance.

In short...I'd rather be a little less comfortable in a TJ than getting stranded by another electronic gremlin, clutch failure, rear diff failure, engine failure, death wobble, or the litany of other "Jeep things" that exist with the JL. It is for this reason, that I'd never go wheeling by myself in it, unlike the TJ, which never let me down. But hey...YMMV and hope your JL provides yeoman service for years to come.

I'm very aware that our use is on the extreme side for the average jeeper. Our AZ property is 600 miles from our house so roadtrips at 80+ mph are nearly monthly. So is freeway speed on washboard dirt roads. All of that is doable bone stock in a JLUR or JT. Those speeds in the dirt in a TJ were terrifying at best. Once lifted and on 35s the TJ didn't like cruising 70+. We've taken the JLUR stock through the Rubicon without issues. It's even better now lifted on 39s and still just as comfortable on the freeway at speed. Sure there are a lot more fuel stops, although it's now on par with the TJ on its best day. Conversely I wouldn't want to run the trail in a stock TJ on its 31s and making it better in the trails made it worse on the road. The JT gives up a bit off road with its length but it's even more stable on road and especially out in the desert at speed. The TJ could not safely do what the mojave does on a regular basis. As far as reliability, used the same I'd still bet on the JL to outcast the TJ. Driven more modestly the TJ would win, but if I wanted boring and reliable a Honda civic kills any Jeep. Sure you could v8 swap the TJ, throw on long arms and much better shocks, and get it about to the point where the JL started, but would it still be reliable after you rebuilt the whole thing? We all know they are far cheaper, even a mint LJ. And yet we are here on the JL forum paying way more... because they are WAY better.

 

[yokramer]

A TJ would have fit here, just sayin’

Had they taken a better line the JL would have been fine too.

 

[flyer92]

I'm very aware that our use is on the extreme side for the average jeeper. Our AZ property is 600 miles from our house so roadtrips at 80+ mph are nearly monthly. So is freeway speed on washboard dirt roads. All of that is doable bone stock in a JLUR or JT. Those speeds in the dirt in a TJ were terrifying at best. Once lifted and on 35s the TJ didn't like cruising 70+. We've taken the JLUR stock through the Rubicon without issues. It's even better now lifted on 39s and still just as comfortable on the freeway at speed. Sure there are a lot more fuel stops, although it's now on par with the TJ on its best day. Conversely I wouldn't want to run the trail in a stock TJ on its 31s and making it better in the trails made it worse on the road. The JT gives up a bit off road with its length but it's even more stable on road and especially out in the desert at speed. The TJ could not safely do what the mojave does on a regular basis. As far as reliability, used the same I'd still bet on the JL to outcast the TJ. Driven more modestly the TJ would win, but if I wanted boring and reliable a Honda civic kills any Jeep. Sure you could v8 swap the TJ, throw on long arms and much better shocks, and get it about to the point where the JL started, but would it still be reliable after you rebuilt the whole thing? We all know they are far cheaper, even a mint LJ. And yet we are here on the JL forum paying way more... because they are WAY better.

Well, I respect your opinion and I'm happy that you love your JL. I probably would love mine better if it weren't for all the "Jeep things" and other gratuitous complications that make it so fragile and unreliable, compared to the TJ, YJ, CJ, and even the M38. Regardless, I hope you enjoy your rig and have many happy years with it.

 

[beast40]

I'd pay 40k to have my TJ back. I sold it during the 08/09 crash to a guy that said he was going to finish it, instead he parted it out....

The JL is superior in most every fashion but its also very wide and full of wiring harnesses/electronics.

 

[GabeBoyTheGreat]

I recently traded my 2018 JL 2-door for a 2004 TJ. Absolutely 0 regrets. It is amazing to me how far vehicles have fallen in that period of time. Mainly, I got tired of trying to fix some of the terrible design choices on the JL (removing the AUX battery, for example), and every time you touch the thing to make it better, you have to repogram the computer or it will cause faults. If you don't like something on the TJ, you can just replace it without the computer fussing at you.

However, the main issue with the JL in my case was the 6-speed transmission. As most of you know, the clutch and gear spacing are terrible. I thought about dumping $10k+ into it to make it better, but then I realized how ridiculous it is that I should have to spend $10k on essentially a brand new vehicle just to make it run like it should have from the factory. It was at that point that I decided I could get a TJ with a transmission that is 10x better from the factory. Now if we were comparing automatics, then yea, the JL hands down has the better transmission.

After getting the TJ, I realized how much I missed the low-end torque of the 4.0l. Between that and the superior gear spacing (even with 1 fewer gear), it is much easier to choose the right gear for any situation in the TJ. And the clutch is SOOOO much better. Even my wife, who learned to drive manual on my JL, much prefers to drive the TJ, because in her words, "it just works."

Can't say there is anything I miss about the JL in particular except that you don't need nearly as much lift with the JL to fit bigger tires. That being said, I also own a 2025 JLU, but I needed the capabilities of the 4-door for kids when they come along as well as for towing. So I unfortunately have to deal with the overcomplicated design of the JL in order to get the capabilities that I need. But comparing the 2-door JL to the TJ, the TJ is far superior.

 

[yokramer]

I'd pay 40k to have my TJ back. I sold it during the 08/09 crash to a guy that said he was going to finish it, instead he parted it out....

The JL is superior in most every fashion but its also very wide and full of wiring harnesses/electronics.

3" on each side isnt anything to notice especially out at Uwharrie.

 

[yokramer]

After getting the TJ, I realized how much I missed the low-end torque of the 4.0l. Between that and the superior gear spacing (even with 1 fewer gear), it is much easier to choose the right gear for any situation in the TJ.

Except that at any usable rpm both the 2.0 and 3.6 make more torque than the 4.0.

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