When to let the Jeep go?

Cherokeekid88

Cherokeekid88

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2007
Location
High Point, NC
I have owned a XJ since I was 17 years old. (so 10 years) I had an 88 that I sold to buy a newer one (current Xj I have now) and I have spent a lot of money and time into it and I drive it everyday...problem is, things are starting to need attention and I just don't have the interest or time anymore to fix them and its only got 156k
nothing major, just little things that just need some TLC.
I never go wheelin anymore. Its been at least 2 years since I have been and can't see me going wheeling anytime soon.

I really want a motorcycle and a little DD to drive back and forth.

At what point for those of you have sold your only 4x4, did you say "its time"?
 
I bought my 'main' jeep in 1986, a '73 CJ5. Still got it, and plan to for quite a while.

I go in phases -- I've done some work on it recently, but don't think it's left the shop in the past year. Some years 0 miles, some a few thousand.
 
Sell it. You'll find something just as, if not more enjoyable.
Selling something you created with your own hands is tough. I know this all to well. My last one left on a trailer for an amount that barely covered the junkyard core cost of everything in it. Yes after it was gone I walked over the bushes and threw up for five minutes, cried for an hoyr or so, but after a while I was fine. I used the money to climb out of debt, pay for college classes and take care of family....etc, useful things that going wheeling never could. Maybe that was easier on me since I've owned, built, insured and daily driven 24 cars in the last ten years and will make it to 26-27 by the end of 2015. Idk..
Last time I went wheeling, I decided that it's not worth it when I can be doing other things with the money I was spending. With other hobbies I enjoy (backpacking, camping, kayaking, fishing, hiking), wheeling just does not bring near the pleasure as the others and always costs astronomically more! Especially when you're living tight on cash.
You can use the opportunity of selling this jeep to do several things. The more productive and thoughtful you are with this money, the less it'll hurt to sell. Just my two cents, buy you and lady a kayak or canoe, camping gear, and get up with friends that like to do the same things and enjoy some good times outdoors that doesn't rape the debit card.
 
my wife and I bought a mazda 3 for her to drive and I kept my XJ and sold hers...it is my only mode of transportation right now, but my wife and I work about 2 miles from home, so car pooling wouldn't be that bad but sometimes a little tricky, until I found something.
I do have a love/hate relationship with it.
 
If you give it up in favor of another vehicle, you may not regret it as long as the other vehicle is as fun or more fun than the Jeep. If you give up the Jeep in favor of a responsible lifestyle, you will regret it with every fiber of your being.
 
XJsavage said:
I decided that it's not worth it when I can be doing other things with the money I was spending. With other hobbies I enjoy (backpacking, camping, kayaking, fishing, hiking), wheeling just does not bring near the pleasure as the others and always costs astronomically more! Especially when you're living tight on cash.
You can use the opportunity of selling this jeep to do several things. The more productive and thoughtful you are with this money, the less it'll hurt to sell. Just my two cents, buy you and lady a kayak or canoe, camping gear, and get up with friends that like to do the same things and enjoy some good times outdoors that doesn't rape the debit card.
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XJ speaks the truth here.

If I'd only bought 2k worth of Micro$oft in 1986 instead of my CJ5, I'd have about 2 BILLION in stock now. :D

Really, offroading is an expensive hobby. More so I think than keeping a trailer boat up.
 
ManglerYJ said:
If you give it up in favor of another vehicle, you may not regret it as long as the other vehicle is as fun or more fun than the Jeep. If you give up the Jeep in favor of a responsible lifestyle, you will regret it with every fiber of your being.
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well that's why I'd like to sell the jeep and be able to buy a little project motorcycle and a nice little civic or something that I can just drive back and forth to work. We drive the Mazda at night and on the weekends anyways.
 
kaiser715 said:
Really, offroading is an expensive hobby. More so I think than keeping a trailer boat up.
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By FAR! boating is another hobby of mine. Dependent on equipment condition and age/usage, its pennies to dollars. I spend $150 a year in taxes on my 15' Jon with 25 horse and trailer. Bearings last years, tires, same. Each trip with food, ice, beer, gas included I spend $60-80 for a two day, overnight day trip. Maintenance, maybe $100 a year and that's if I have a flat, blow a prop or something dumb.
 
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If you haven't wheeled in 2 years, and don't have any interest in going, then sell the XJ, and get what you want.
 
XJsavage said:
By FAR! boating is another hobby of mine. Dependent on equipment condition and age/usage, its pennies to dollars. I spend $150 a year to insure my 15' Jon with 25 horse and trailer. Bearings last years, tires, same. Each trip with food, ice, beer, gas included I spend $60-80 for a two day, overnight day trip. Maintenance, maybe $100 a year and that's if I have a flat, blow a prop or something dumb.
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Not to mention there's a helluva lot more places to put a boat in the water than there are legal places to wheel anymore... That's why I'm building my jeep as more of a multi purpose vehicle. Not to mention the cost of tires and parts have almost tripled since I got into wheeling. I still love it and don't want to see it go anywhere, but I'm thinking more practical with this build.
 
Best two days of my life were the day I bought my boat and the day I sold it. Mine was a hole in the water that I poured money into. Completely my fault, though... I knew nothing of boats and bought it on impulse at an auction. 3 year old 17' Larson outboard with a 175 (if I remember correct) Mercury and a trailer included for $3000. That was the cheap part. Seems like every time I took the boat out, I was replacing something.
 
Cherokeekid88 said:
At what point for those of you have sold your only 4x4, did you say "its time"?
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I had been slowly losing interest for some time, but Calallantee shutting down was the straw that broke the Camel's back. I have moved on. I won't try to tell anyone that I don't miss the good times we had with the trail rig, but we have had a lot of good times since it has been gone. Life goes on. :)
 
Calallantee was the reason i Had to go 1 ton. It's closing is the reason my jeep is all but useless now. One of my good friends is working in atl for 10 months and will probably move there. I've been taking his boat out almost every weekend all summer and have really enjoyed it. I've never really wanteda boat before this (just need a friend with a boat)but I will probably end up owning it soon. I'm not ready to ditch the jeep yet but pulling a @jeepinmatt keeps looking better and better.
 
I was in the same boat as you and decided to go looking for a new car a few months ago. To me, there is nothing close to the XJ on the market right now. Those crossovers are too low and don't give you any cargo room in back height wise, and any larger SUV is just too big. I decided to keep mine and buy something small and cheap to bomb around in. I'm a little lucky in the sense that my XJ only has 130k on it though...
 
My TJ hasn't seen a trail in over a year and a half. It occasionally is driven to church or to work, and that is it. I keep saying I'm going to sell it and buy a stock Wrangler, but I don't want a car payment.
 
Sold a few rigs, keep coming back to this hobby. I used to unload a rig to fund another hobby instead of being patient and letting one sit til I was able to mess with again. My vote is keep it until your time, money and finances allow you to do what you want to it. Speaking from experience, if its a time issue, you won't have enough time for another toy like a motorcycle. If you don't have the money to mess with the small stuff on an XJ, you won't have the disposable income to keep a motorcycle running and to the proper preventative maintenance on one. Do you know you'll enjoy riding motorcycles or have experience riding in the past? Might suck to unload your rig just to get another toy that you may not like or use as much as you like. Same situation, different vehicle.
 
i feel naked with out a trail capable vehicle. whether i have time to go or not....it just feels better to know i CAN go.
 
StretchASU said:
If you don't have the money to mess with the small stuff on an XJ, you won't have the disposable income to keep a motorcycle running and to the proper preventative maintenance on one
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i have to agree with this bro!! i see so many people/customers/friends who get rid of one toy/hobby thinking they will have time for the next but their next hobby/toy just becomes ornament as well. If you can't make time for a hobby...personal opinion here...you're not living life man. What's the point of living if all we do is work, pay bills, save, work, pay more bills then get old and crap out!! LIVE BROTHER!! make time for fun...make time for a hobby...it's what makes anyone have hope in the next day or the next weekend and all those long hours working feel like it's for something.
On a side note....wheeling doesn't have to be very expensive at all, period. (ask me how i know, i'm the master at building the cheapest yet still very capable xjs that will give me loads and loads of fun and not brake the bank or take away from the family or bills). for the "serious" enthusiast, sure they spend the big bucks cause they have it and use it for their desired purpose but i see so many many buying all these fancy expensive crap just cause it's what they hear they need or think they want but waste of money. Most people are too afraid to wheel XJs in their stock form because of all the internet fear mongering going around about how weak they are but many especially myself beg to differ strongly. So i conclude with this friend: XJs are one of the cheapest vehicles to maintain and upgrade (most would agree). fix it, budget build it and have fun if that's what you desire in your heart and make time for it....if not the jeep than make time for fun period and give yourself that time of joy that you deserve for all the hard work you put out in your job and home and family. Every man needs their "guy thing" and without it life takes a huge toll on us more than it already does. Good Luck friend and enjoy whatever route you choose but decide with your passion not your wallet!! (i went roughly 6years without my own jeep to play with and life got very depressing just fixing/building and selling them so i know) just my 02 cents...not ruffling feathers here lol.
 
karatejosh said:
Why are there so many people on here that don't go 4 wheeling? I would have never guessed that. If your bored with it why would you get on here and talk about it all the time?
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couldn't agree with you more..i only get to go when the closest park invites the public but i go out of my way to make sure i go lol. for me, driving in the woods is the only escape from all the crap in the world. Just the Jeep, the Trail, and the fun of sharing the experience with those around!!!
 
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