There are some wheelers out there that believe it's better to take a rusty, beat up rig out to the trails than something that still has it's clear coat intact, because it's "Just gonna get fubarred anyways..."

What do you guys think of this? What are your arguments?

When choosing your poll answer, keep in mind ALL factors in wheeling, such as land damage, safety, dependability, capability, driveability, etc... And imagine all options are equally equipped...


I, for one, feel that taking a clean rig forces you, to a point, to be more responsible and careful when on the trail. I would argue that choosing your line carefully can be just as challenging, if not more challenging than just taking the most hardcore, impossible line where you're guaranteed damage. To say your nice clean rig will eventually see some damage if you take it off road is true, but I'll bet if two guys take the same trail, driving an equally equipped, same model rig, the guy that is concerned about denting his body panels will drive more carefully, safely, and cause less land damage, not to mention rig damage... The guy with an already beat-up junker is more likely to push his rig to the breaking point...

I also think that a daily driver will be more dependable than a trail-only rig. You NEED that thing to get you to work and back, so you are bound to be more diligent in maintenance, and repairs. As well, you won't be quite so prone to making poor and potentially destructive decisions when you have to drive it home afterwards.

I have always used trucks or Jeeps in very good condition when offroading for a couple of reasons.

1) A vehicle in good shape is less likely to break down randomly.

2) I hate leaving an oil trail where ever I go.

3) A new Vehicle requires less money per month to keep it running, unless you are paying the bank then it is about even in the long run. I always found it more convenient to pay planned expenses over the suprise repair bills every couple of months common with a rig in rough shape.

4) Dents will happen regardless of vehicle age and are just a good reason to upgrade parts.

5) All parts have a life cycle and the older the vehicle the closer you are to the end of each parts life with the frame being one of the more critical ones.
While they can all be replaced it is something I would like to put off as long as possible.

One thing my offroad rig has always been my daily driver and I don't beat on it too hard instead try finesse first and when that fails find another way or stand on the gas, depending on my mood at the time and what will cause less damage overall.

john

all in with john. older clean good reliable trail rig. not beat up. but if you need to fix you can do the repairs yourself and also a good daily driver with minimal leaks. clean up after yourself if your going to drive a leaker

Experience is the coolest appearance mod. There's nothing like dents to separate the real wheelers from the "If you can read this, roll me over" sticker guys.

Last time I saw on of those stickers in Town (Winniepg) the guy had it on upside down. Boy was it tempting to roll him over while he was in the mall


john

so you wanna roll my dad's (remedytj) jeep over?

Yeah lets do it. That would be funny! Don't ya think Will. Your dad would sh... umm crap!!!

kidding of course. I wouldn't do that... nope -->

I can't really decide what option to choose on this poll because there is a few answers that could be given. So, I choose "the one I'm driving now" because well that is how it is at the moment. But, if a guy could afford it, I would like to have another model or two - perhaps newer or perhaps older - that were built for different things. I would build one for faster on-off road cross country racing/rallye type events and one that is built for the trails that would likely not meet road legal requirements.

Getting into the older vs newer discussion, I'm with John on this one, he said it well. I would just add that IMO it is really either personal preferance or a monetary influence that would kind of make this decision for most folks.... in the end, it's what you can afford. I like the CJ series of body styles but the technology and improvements of the TJ series. Maybe a 2006 TJ Scrambler diesel might be a nice choice. Oh wait that's the TJL aka: T1 built for the Egyptian army. But beefed up a bit for trail use. Not too much, just enough and with just the right look and where form follows function. Sorry, got into daydreaming again

The one I have now has to due triple duty as a DD, a trail rig and a workhorse when required for other non jeeping tasks around the yard or back country. So I slowly putter at building it up to the standards I require of it with the equipment I need for what I do with it, and an ultimate goal and limit in mind. All the while keeping it road legal, in good operating condition, safe, reliable and capable. It has to be like the proverbial trusty cowboy steed that you can always count on. Having or operating a rig that you can't count on or that places you at risk while miles away from home, just doesent cut the mustard and not only affects you, but those you trail with. Of course, chit happens regardless of age or condition sometimes, but why start out handicapped if you can help it.

Quick story: My original intent was to buy a 95 or 96 YJ and build it up to what I wanted and felt I needed. It was going to be 31's on 44's enough lift to accomplish that, some good skids, and lockers (maybe air, maybe mechanical that was never decided), a winch and other trail helpers and a flat military-ish paint job that I didn't have to worry about scratching. I never had the cash to do that; so years went by. Then in 03 the Rubicon came out. It was pretty much what I was going to build except in the newer TJ series. That was what I was going to have and save myself all the build time and frustrations of same. LSS, in 05 that's what I got and so far it has pleased me with few exceptions and still leaves some room for me to build it my way. I may have paid more than to build it from a YJ, but I also got all new parts, coil spring suspension, 5 years of warranty, peace of mind, backing by a huge global corporation, and not a single bloody knuckle.

In summary, the best option would be a well built and reliable rig regardless of older or newer status. But that answer kind of opens up a different view on this topic. At best another question.

nice try for a 96 yj. really there were no options that year except for brazil and also europe. north america did not have a 96 model. very wierd

I thought they were still marketting 95s in 96 for the 96 year as the TJ was still in development for 97. Regardless of the error in years (I failed that part of the Jeep test ) the 95 model was the one I was interested in.