ZJ or XJ jeep for expedition ?

[Hranni]

Hello forum members, im new here from Iceland so have in mind i dont write the best english

I have a litle question, my rig gave up his life this summer, so i put my pajero/monter for sale. and want to buy a another expedition rig, i found out that cheapest cars to modify is jeeps and also the market price is way under japanes cars and they are often driven much more.

i have 2 big dogs one GSD and Border Collie and a wife to fit in the car mostly my dogs , is Grand Cherokee bigger than the XJ is more cargospace in them ?

im going to be mostly Summer trips camping and drive over the highlands, Ruff terrain and watercrossings.

Im thinking of I6 4.0 engine ( XJ ) but for ZJ not sure yet ( like to try out the 5.2 318 mopar ), i found 1 XJ in good shape and ZJ v8 in good shape no rust even thou the roads is covered in salt over winter months. Like to know what you think i will do a litle mods but its not going to be a rock crawler or anyhing like that just camping rig and a DD.

my main mods are going to be
ARB rear bumber with tire carryer, jerry can holders, adn some other stuff.
31'' or 32'' tires 15'' rims , can also be in 16'' BFG Km2
drawers in the back for tools and spearparts. and basic gear for camping/fishing trips.
ARB lockers back and front.
stiffen up the unibody
and a Old Man Emu suspendion system

im going for the XJ but cant make my mind, have owned 3 Xj before on 30'' , 35'', 38'' tires all a good cars some of them where beaten bad.
over the years.

wich car would you take and why ? ,

 

[madZJ]

The ZJ will have more room, and the 5.2L motor is solid with plenty of support still available factory or aftermarket. I had a '98 5.9L on OME HD springs and an ARB front bumper running roughly 31" tires. I was very pleased with it, till some one made a uturn right in front of me and totaled it. I had a chance to visit your fair island back in 2011 and can not wait for my next trip over there.

 

[Hranni]

Some people think they are alone in traffic ! *********, at first i was looking for the 5.9 98' only 15 cars were inported to Iceland and 5-6 cars are on 38'' tires and 42-46'' inc Tires ready for some glacier/snow driving. there is't any 5.9 for sale, and they are sure hard to find.

Both cars have problems, so if there is a problem then there is a solution for it out there, just have't found them all yet. its hard to find a good XJ here, salt on the roads over winter monhts so they are all rusty as hell.

i have found 2 cars:
XJ 1995. I-6 and automatic driven 200.000 km everything looks like new and has already a litle lift to it and ome suspendion
Zj 1996-7 5.2 V8 318 automatic and driven 142.000 km in mint condition.

i know the I-6 engine pretty well after my past Xj's, but never had a ZJ, so im looking for storys from people that use them as a overlanding vehicle

And also thanks for the Pm i will post this thread up for questions and maybe show my past XJ's.

I will carry a gear around 200-300 kg for longer trips top ( maybe its much more than i actually will have in the end but it's better to take more waight in than be sorry afterwards).

Sounds like your trip was a win hope you come again and explore more of our island.

For this year its alot MORE tourist than i have ever see. I live now in Reykjavík wich is the Capital of Iceland and im in 101 ( postcode for downtown ) i see much more of Land Rovers and Lc 80 all kind of rigs that people have inported for overland use here in iceland, also seen 3 Xj jeeps going across iceland thats been modifyed. and they are here for 2-3 months and then leav again.

 

[comptiger5000]

A V8 ZJ and an I6 XJ have pretty similar power to weight ratios, so that's not a huge difference. The ZJ is a little bigger (and about 1000 lbs heavier) than an XJ and the unibody is also a bit stronger. But other than that, there's no massive differences between them as far as building or wheeling one. They both have the same front suspension, although the XJ has a high pinon D30 and the ZJ has a low pinion D30 axle. For the rear end, a 93 - 95 V8 ZJ will have a D35, a 96 - 98 will have a D44a (not the same as a standard 44). Rear suspension on the ZJ is coils compared to the leafs on the XJ, similar layout to the front end (4 link with track bar).

The only quirk with the ZJ driveline is the full-time 4wd transfer cases all of the V8s have. They work fine (although 93 - 95 don't lock in 4lo, 96 - 98 do), but eventually wear out and start to bind up like you're in 4hi all the time. When this happens, you can swap in a 231 or 242. For a 96 - 98 ZJ, any 231 or 242 from a 96 - 98 I6 ZJ or 96 - 01 XJ bolts right in.

 

[L_Kilkenny]

Had both, couldn't go back to an XJ. There is a huge difference in cargo capacity. FYI, a 31" and probably a 32" will fit in the factory spare location on a ZJ. I have no idea your terrain but a I6 ZJ is fine unless you are mountain highway driving. It will get better MPG and already has the better transfer case. If you are mountain driving at speed you'll appreciate a V8 though.

 

[comptiger5000]

In the dirt, the I6 ZJ has plenty of power. IMO, especially once you're loaded and traveling, they're pretty damn slow on the road. They do get a bit better mpg though. Most 4.0s do have the 242 t-case and a few have the 231. Some did come with the 249 full-time case like the V8s though.

 

[Hranni]

Thanks for posting guys

im spinning around its hard to have 2 cars want both, maybe thats the solution buy them both and find out. hahaha look on my girlfriend face would be pricless thou.
or im just not asking the right questions.

as this is going to be a DD, and use for exploring/camping. mpg is something to think about to. im going to be driving on mountains highways but im never in a hurry so I-6 will do the trick/ as i owned suzuki sidekick 1.6 on 33'' this thing tought me to not hurry as it didnt go werry fast even downhills with the wind in the *** and me pushing it

will seatle for T-case swap if the 5.2 cars is in great condiction, will take some time to find one
spare tire will be on tire carryer, dont like it in the back. if i think about it i have't had one in years on my rigs just a litle set to fix, no problems yet 7 9 13 knock on wood

as i testen one zj last week i was pleased with it. more space around driverseat and passengers, cargo space does not seem to be much more at first but seem so it is a loot bigger
the ride was also smooth and nice. didnt drive it for long thou just around the block.

if you have to choose wich one would you take and why ?

Found on this forum video from guy on here when he went to iceland and drove over some part of the higlands ( hope its okey to post the link )
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/143142-ICELAND-forgotten-tracks

 

[Melosrey]

I have a 93 Limited ZJ. I chose it over the XJ because they seem to be less expensive, similar capabilities, V8 power, and bajillions* in local pick n pulls. I never planned on crawling it, light trails and exploring is all I ever wanted out of it. Its fairly comfortable on long trips, seriously like a high clearance minivan. So far I have 31" grabbers, teraflex BB, NP242 Tcase, and rear disc brakes. I bought IRO adjustable control arms, 3.5 RE springs with matching Bilsteins, RE trackbars F+R, Extended SS brake lines, and New oem coil isolators about a year ago, since I've been happy with the TF BB, I have yet to install all the parts! I've done my best to get every little issue straightened out and pretty happy with it. I will say though I always look for XJ's on craigslist, window shopping because I really like the way XJ looks. Good luck deciding, I'll vote for ZJ just because you really cant go wrong with either.

 

[comptiger5000]

As a DD, the ZJ is much more comfy than an XJ. I've been DD-ing a 5.9 ZJ for over 5 years at this point. The mpg isn't great, but for what it is, it's not awful. Around town, 4.0 vs V8 is only a 1 mpg difference from what I've seen. On the highway, it can be as much as 2 - 5 mpg depending on speed and conditions. In addition, 4.0 ZJs seem to get the same or slightly better highway mpg than 4.0 XJs. The XJ will burn less gas around town though (less weight).

 

[Ranger Steve]

I would go for the zj due to your dogs plus comfort for yourself. I'm a fan of coils vs leafs. Aftermarket support for both is pretty good.

Realistically with either one you will be happy. I've had both and now a WJ. I'm just a fan of having more room inside my rig.

 

[Mitch502]

ZJ, reasons:

More luxury for daily driving
Easier to find leather in (dog hair on cloth sucks!)
Heated seats easy to find (luxury!)
Same amount of aftermarket support if you're looking in the right places
More leg room for driver/passenger
If you're wanting to do a transfer case swap, it's not too difficult

As far as bumpers go, ARB has ZJ bumper but it's worth looking into other options. I'm very happy with my DIY Flatland 4x4 bumper. It's everything a ARB would be and I have well under $500 into it. Probably more like $350.