Why have TJs come down in price?

[jeepguy03]

They weren't.

I think there have been alot of people out there evangelizing the "greatness" of the XJ lately. Jason Camissa, Doug Demuro, Dex, Uncle Tony's Garage and a bunch of others. If you were looking a Jeep content, the Youtube algorythm would take you there. For a long time they were way cheaper than YJs/TJs. The unibody construction was pretty innovative in it's time and I enjoyed driving them when they were new. Where you could find one in really good shape 7 or 8 years ago for $3000 and rough ones for $800, it seems too many are chasing too few of them and those days are gone.

They're one of the few crossover SUVs with a solid front axle and are pretty easy to mod as a result. One advantage was that people did not tend to mod them until the prices dipped, so you could find nice clean ones, at least out west. The paint would fade, but the rust isn't bad. ZJs and WJs are out there too and a WJ 4.0L shares the motor mount layout with the TJ. I considered buying a high mileage running WJ as a donor for a stroker build, but it doesn't make financial sense either.

My brother in law has one of the last 2 years of production of the XJ Cherokee in excellent stock condition and he takes as much joy from owning it as most of us do from our TJs. I think he may have bought it new. They definitely have their fans.

Don't get me wrong I loved mine and still do love them, just not for the price they command. The driving experience is not worth the price, IMO. They are cool and definitely have their place, but 10k for one with high mileage and basically every wear component needing replacing is not worth it. I grew up in the back seat of an XJ, and was a member of NAXJA for 12+ years. The XJ was built as an economy vehicle, and it drives like one. While I'll agree with the other posts that a ZJ/WJ can be an electrical nightmare, at least they drive a lot nicer. They were "expensive and hard to find" back when I bought my last 2000 XJ with 76k miles for $6000, and that was in 2009.

 

[BlueC]

This is true. Supply and demand. Supply will be lower and demand for the last true Jeep will be higher. One would think stock would be desirable, and that may be today when there are still TJ aftermarket parts available to build it how you want it, but in the future they will likely diminish substantially. This will make a well-modded, well-maintained Jeep TJ and especially LJ highly desirable. Engine swaps can always be done to deal with higher mileage or to get what one wants in an engine/transmission/axle setup.

This is simply just the classic car market, which TJs are crossing into. If you want to have a basic idea where I believe classic Jeeps are and where TJs are heading, look to the classic Camaros. I say classic Camaro market because there are multiple generations, stock, modified, resto, drivers and rare examples are all generally excepted and reflected within the market, and old Camaros and old Jeeps seem to have a similar consumer base.

 

[AOSJ]

I think we're living in the last good years where you can pick up a TJ for an affordable price.

I hate to be "that guy" but TJs are in my opinion the last "real" jeep. in about ten years when the newest TJ is 30 years old i think they're gonna get much more expensive.

disclaimer: I like JKs and JLs and have owned them, but they just don't compare.

agree, these things are going to be even more sought after in about a decade when the last JK ends up in the junkyard

 

[jeepguy03]

The only reason prices got crazy was Covid. Outdoor activities exploded and cash stimulus payments had everyone spending money in a supply limited market.

Partially, but I think a lot of it also has to do with sites like bring a trailer and cars and bids turning cars into "investments" that people over pay for then hide away until they try to sell it at the right time to get the highest price. When I turned 16 in 2006 (damn I'm old) my first vehicle was a 1990 XJ limited with 89k miles on it. I think I paid $1800 for it, but it was almost mint condition. It was the typical "grandpa drove it to church" type of vehicle that was in good condition and sold for a fair price. I certainly got lucky with how clean it was.

That doesn't exist anymore. Anything older and clean, especially something with somewhat of a following is scooped up and put on ebay or one of those car auction sites previously mentioned to go to the highest bidder. A family member had an older Chevy truck (late 1990s) that was clean and fairly low mileage that he posted on Marketplace. He probably received 90 messages about it from weird dealers across the country trying to buy it so they could post it on one of those sites.

 

[wayleigh]

I saw an insanely clean example of a TJ get snatched up for ~$12.5K, single owner, summer-driven by a now 70-year-old man, with no accidents, all stock and with less than 60K miles. And that was a deal. I see stuff like that going lately for $15-20K. But yes, every vintage somethingorother that hits the Internet becomes part of it, which is why the only deals to be found seem to be involving seller urgencies or sellers without a particular knowledge or ready facility/access to the Internet.

Edit: Also, if you turned 16 in 2006 then there are plenty of us on here as (damn) old (or older) than you...

 

[Rickyd]

Because Bronco

And Stellantis can hardly give away new jeeps.

You mean you don't want to buy a piece of shit that costs as much as a new diesel pickup?

 

[ColoJeep]

At a time when most cars were rear wheel drive only, a Jeep could get you around in the snow better than most other vehicles.


They're no better or worse now than they ever were, but with most cars now having FWD or AWD, the whole equation has changed. I take the Jeep out in the heavy snow for fun, but most of the time my wife's AWD car is much better.

A square body 4-spd . K-20 Suburban is the best thing Ive ever driven in any type of snow . We had a Subaru Forester which was Okay , at least until the engine jumped through it's ass at 58,000 miles . Our TJ's on the other hand our used TJ's have been trouble free since 2008 and 2011. The Subaru went 5 1/2 year from new before failure . Never again .

 

[AOSJ]

A square body 4-spd . K-20 Suburban is the best thing Ive ever driven in any type of snow . We had a Subaru Forester which was Okay , at least until the engine jumped through it's ass at 58,000 miles . Our TJ's on the other hand our used TJ's have been trouble free since 2008 and 2011. The Subaru went 5 1/2 year from new before failure . Never again .

"engine jumped through it's ass"
lol