My ZJ has been delclared clynically dead, What to replace it with?

1997 ZJ, great vehicle I purchased 5 years off lease. 100,000 miles
later, the "frame" is gone. Factory transmission, factory service
during the time I have owned it. NY winters and salt have claimed the
body, but not its spirit! What would you replace it with, not liking
the smell of a new car. 5 years newer? Last of the hard front ends?
I fear that I must take the Toyota from the back yard, and put the
jeep ZJ op on blocks in her place (the last long term love, a B4Runner
by Winnebago)

Thank you,

WoodsStalker wrote:
> 1997 ZJ, great vehicle I purchased 5 years off lease. 100,000 miles
> later, the "frame" is gone. Factory transmission, factory service
> during the time I have owned it. NY winters and salt have claimed the
> body, but not its spirit! What would you replace it with, not liking
> the smell of a new car. 5 years newer? Last of the hard front ends?
> I fear that I must take the Toyota from the back yard, and put the
> jeep ZJ op on blocks in her place (the last long term love, a B4Runner
> by Winnebago)

Wow! Still have my 93 ZJ, only rust it has is on a few rock scrapes
under the body and one "love bump" when it tried to mate with a tree..
That's the problem with places that use salt. :/

Still though, you got a good amount of years out of it for being in
the salt belt.

--
DougW

On Wed, 7 Mar 2012 22:03:39 -0600, "DougW"
> wrote:

>WoodsStalker wrote:
>> 1997 ZJ, great vehicle I purchased 5 years off lease. 100,000 miles
>> later, the "frame" is gone. Factory transmission, factory service
>> during the time I have owned it. NY winters and salt have claimed the
>> body, but not its spirit! What would you replace it with, not liking
>> the smell of a new car. 5 years newer? Last of the hard front ends?
>> I fear that I must take the Toyota from the back yard, and put the
>> jeep ZJ op on blocks in her place (the last long term love, a B4Runner
>> by Winnebago)
>
>Wow! Still have my 93 ZJ, only rust it has is on a few rock scrapes
>under the body and one "love bump" when it tried to mate with a tree..
>That's the problem with places that use salt. :/
>
>Still though, you got a good amount of years out of it for being in
>the salt belt.

It has been great. LONG driveway, many times stopping to clear the
windshield so I could line up on the fence row and well equipment.
May never forgive the dealership for missing the "I packed the
breather with snow" and replacing the computer! (cought it the second
time my self) Oh well, time for a Toyota.

On Wed, 7 Mar 2012 22:03:39 -0600, "DougW"
> wrote:

>WoodsStalker wrote:
>> 1997 ZJ, great vehicle I purchased 5 years off lease. 100,000 miles
>> later, the "frame" is gone. Factory transmission, factory service
>> during the time I have owned it. NY winters and salt have claimed the
>> body, but not its spirit! What would you replace it with, not liking
>> the smell of a new car. 5 years newer? Last of the hard front ends?
>> I fear that I must take the Toyota from the back yard, and put the
>> jeep ZJ op on blocks in her place (the last long term love, a B4Runner
>> by Winnebago)
>
>Wow! Still have my 93 ZJ, only rust it has is on a few rock scrapes
>under the body and one "love bump" when it tried to mate with a tree..
>That's the problem with places that use salt. :/
>
>Still though, you got a good amount of years out of it for being in
>the salt belt.

The trek starts tuesday at a company named RS Motors, where my ZJ, in
for a fuel line repair is declared (I still had the oil changed). I
have a stack of buisness cards and am the new best friend of many car
salesmen by late evening Friday. Saturday morning my wife and I head
out to look at more, having run the lakeshore of WNY on the way back
from Hamburg to look at a 98 ZJ. (~130 mile round trip, less the
lakeshore drive) She decides that we should go pick up my work truck
that is in for repairs, from RS Motors first, to leave us all day to
shop for that next vehicle. A contendor, the nissan frontier is gone,
met the salesman, Frank. Looked at it on tuesday, gone thursday. The
inevitable question, "what is your price range". "5 year off lease,
$10,000" the reply. Max takes us to Little Valley to look at a couple
of vehicles he took in trade and has not looked at. Diamonds in the
rough. The Nissan did not pass muster. The 04WJ was sold when it came
around the end of the row of cars I cannot afford. (per my wifes
comment "we just found our next one, dident we") Candy wrappers and
kid prints (we wont mention the dog hair) later, a test drive and back
to the salesman we go. Looking forward to picking up the next 10 year
DD tomorow. Its a Jeep Thing.

On 3/7/2012 21:03, DougW wrote:
> WoodsStalker wrote:
>> 1997 ZJ, great vehicle I purchased 5 years off lease. 100,000 miles
>> later, the "frame" is gone. Factory transmission, factory service
>> during the time I have owned it. NY winters and salt have claimed the
>> body, but not its spirit! What would you replace it with, not liking
>> the smell of a new car. 5 years newer? Last of the hard front ends?
>> I fear that I must take the Toyota from the back yard, and put the
>> jeep ZJ op on blocks in her place (the last long term love, a B4Runner
>> by Winnebago)
>
> Wow! Still have my 93 ZJ, only rust it has is on a few rock scrapes
> under the body and one "love bump" when it tried to mate with a tree..
> That's the problem with places that use salt. :/
>
> Still though, you got a good amount of years out of it for being in
> the salt belt.
>

Car wash with the underbody spray. Or a wand wash or a pressure washer
and good kneepads. Massive volumes of water to help flush the areas
in the body where it inevitably collects. Your ZJ should look like a
waterfall for several minutes after a good carwash as it drains out from
the body.

On 3/14/2012 18:07, WoodsStalker wrote:
> On Wed, 7 Mar 2012 22:03:39 -0600, "DougW"
> > wrote:
>
>> WoodsStalker wrote:
>>> 1997 ZJ, great vehicle I purchased 5 years off lease. 100,000 miles
>>> later, the "frame" is gone. Factory transmission, factory service
>>> during the time I have owned it. NY winters and salt have claimed the
>>> body, but not its spirit! What would you replace it with, not liking
>>> the smell of a new car. 5 years newer? Last of the hard front ends?
>>> I fear that I must take the Toyota from the back yard, and put the
>>> jeep ZJ op on blocks in her place (the last long term love, a B4Runner
>>> by Winnebago)
>>
>> Wow! Still have my 93 ZJ, only rust it has is on a few rock scrapes
>> under the body and one "love bump" when it tried to mate with a tree..
>> That's the problem with places that use salt. :/
>>
>> Still though, you got a good amount of years out of it for being in
>> the salt belt.
>
> The trek starts tuesday at a company named RS Motors, where my ZJ, in
> for a fuel line repair is declared (I still had the oil changed). I
> have a stack of buisness cards and am the new best friend of many car
> salesmen by late evening Friday. Saturday morning my wife and I head
> out to look at more, having run the lakeshore of WNY on the way back
> from Hamburg to look at a 98 ZJ. (~130 mile round trip, less the
> lakeshore drive) She decides that we should go pick up my work truck
> that is in for repairs, from RS Motors first, to leave us all day to
> shop for that next vehicle. A contendor, the nissan frontier is gone,
> met the salesman, Frank. Looked at it on tuesday, gone thursday. The
> inevitable question, "what is your price range". "5 year off lease,
> $10,000" the reply. Max takes us to Little Valley to look at a couple
> of vehicles he took in trade and has not looked at. Diamonds in the
> rough. The Nissan did not pass muster. The 04WJ was sold when it came
> around the end of the row of cars I cannot afford. (per my wifes
> comment "we just found our next one, dident we") Candy wrappers and
> kid prints (we wont mention the dog hair) later, a test drive and back
> to the salesman we go. Looking forward to picking up the next 10 year
> DD tomorow. Its a Jeep Thing.

10K is pretty close to what I see the last of the solid axle full-size
jeeps going for around Denver area.

Thinking about one, or just spring for the poor man's land rover version.