Dex can you please do a video about your knowledge on comanche’s! My dad passed away and I have his 87 5speed 4x4 4.0 Comanche. You’re the smartest person when it comes to anything jeep related
I also started watching your stuff cause I came into possession of a Comanche. Stayed cause the channel is great. But more Comanche content would be awesome.
One time me and some friends went wheelin, one guy brought his granpas Comanche. He ended up jumping it and splitting the frame in half. Gramps was pissed!
I’m glad I’m not the only one. The Comanche I have has been sitting 10+ years, but yesterday I hooked a battery up and got fuel up to the regulator. Just trying to figure out why the key isn’t turning it over now
yup.... Had a friend who picked up a Mitsubishi 3000gt. A cool car... or could be... but parts are so limited for it you will spend most your time searching for parts. Not for me....
I wouldn't mess with wranglers just because of the type of people that drive them. Something isn't right with jeeple. XJ people aren't jeeple imo. I know it sounds stupid to judge people based off of their car preferences or to say that their car defines them but the numbers don't lie. I've never met a wrangler owner that didn't have screws loose in their head or something really freaky about them. And idk any other model of car that so many posers drive.
Hmmm, I've currently got 2 XJ's, MJ, LJ, and JT. Had another XJ or so and MJ for parts. I definitely have seen some hate from the SWB from "CJ to JK" crowds.
5-10 years ago TJs were around $5k or more and XJs were around $1k or more if they drove. Today I am seeing TJs for $3k and XJs closer to $2k. You bought at the right time! I think you might want to start looking at buying Wranglers, as Cherokees are finite. Plus there are 5 million Wranglers built that are going to be or need parts.
@@imchris5000 For the last year and a half I have been trying to find an auto XJ for a engine and trans swap into my CJ. Have not seen one local that is running for under $1.5k
@@benmudn look out for zj's they are not as popular as the xj but has mostly the same stuff some pretty desirable like the hi pinion dana 30 in the front. you should look at whats happened with the 32rh not long ago you could get them for next to nothing now they are 1k for just a bare case
TJs are well over $10k where I am if they have a good drivetrain. YJs are almost unobtanium now and prices are going to skyrocket like they did the CJs. You can't buy a CJ7 for under 30 grand anymore. XJs are going the way of the YJ. The values are climbing and they won't stop. More and more people are appreciating good, small SUVs with good powertrains.
It is crazy how similar us XJ guys are, I have owned like 9 Cherokees. I've only owned 1 wrangler, and I still own it, because the price was too good to pass up. And it was way more than I'd ever pay for a Cherokee.
The clock is running out but, in my area you can still find XJ's and WJ's (my personal favorite) under 1000$. Most can be driven home (carefully) if you take a battery/fresh gas with you. Parts are readily available for WJ's and very reasonable. If you have a couple donors of your own, you can pretty much build yourself a brand new truck, bumper to bumper for ~ 5k.
I drive a tj wrangler I buy all my front end parts for a cherokee, it's the wrangler name that brings money, most of the junkyards are like 10 20 bucks cheaper than buying new
@spener1313 That ain’t no lie, I like to buy 2wd Cherokees and swap them to 4wd. I use to pick up front axles for 100-150 bucks and now I can’t hardly find them and when I do people want to much.
Yes, many salvage yards, even in early 2000's acted like the XJ front axle was gold plated in some areas. There were YJ's -TJ's and some CJ owners buying them for their Jeeps.
Had a general contracting/painting business in 2005 through late 2007 until the housing market crashed. Had to close up shop and make money another way. Between 2008 and 2010 I paid my bills and fed my family selling/parting out XJ,MJ's. The Cherokee market has stayed pretty strong still flip'em here and there
I have a 1997 Wrangler Sport I bought from a friend of mine. He bought it from a friend of his who had passed away, the widowed wife needed money for expenses. It's not pretty to look at but it's a serious build made for rock crawling 6 cylinder 5 speed everything works on it including the ac. I bought it as a backup vehicle. Now it's my favorite.
I laughed when you said you cant give a factory bumper away. I had mine on facebook for free for months and just threw them in the trash at work. Same with my stock drivelines. Couldnt give them away.
Your math is right on I just finished my tj last week , bought it for$ 2500 and to make it a good daily driver I have $6500 if you count the tools I didn’t have close to 7k I FB market placed all my parts nothing really new , I put a cheap raptor paint on it it was a lot of work but I do have a nice “stock” tj no 35’s no gears just stock
I have a 98 xj 5 speed with a hd 1.5-inch OME suspension replacement and some clean stealth mods. It gets a surprising amount of love in a sea of rubicons with a crap ton of unused gear bolted all over them.
Great video! Thank you! Very informative and very interesting. The experts that you deal with probably understand what the economics are. But I can understand that the amateurs probably have no idea and are very very difficult to deal with for that reason.
Many years ago I had a small business selling used XJ and MJ parts. I thought about Wranglers, but it just didn't make financial sense. They were much more expensive to buy, even as part's vehicles- at that time I could buy endless XJs for well under $500 each, while even very worn out Wranglers were over $1k, with very few below that. And very few used Wrangler parts were in demand, because just about everything was available aftermarket, while the XJ was ignored by the aftermarket back then. And finally, Wranglers were "toys", which got fixed up when people had the extra money, with parts demand going down when the economy got bad, while XJs were family vehicles as well as off roaders/toys- when times were good, people built off roaders; and when money was tight, they invested in used parts to keep the old family SUV running.
@@ajaxracing bought a police ZJ for 500 with a service record as big as the Bible. Went through two computers though and decided to scrap it. Had qtr mil miles though
@@eagleone5456 when I got mine had a "reman" computer then started stalling on me turns out there was nothing remanufactured about it I resolder the connection and it's been solid ever since about to hit 200k
We locally had a guy make a fortune with Saturn cars for years until he couldn’t find anymore to rebuild. Rode the wave until he couldn’t. Also a couple of locals had a similar side business with Toyota 4-Runners until they couldn’t find many to rebuild. One guy banked some serious 💰💰💰, then his Ex-Wife got half. 😳😳😳😳
When wrenching on YJs I noticed the Wrangler tax a long time ago. Used to get parts from XJ/ZJ parts for pennies and stick stick them straight on my Wrangers.
In the past 30some years I’ve had 3 XJ’s basically for my young family. Kids are fetched up so 3yrs ago bought a nice 2-door with 155k for 5,000$. Runs great, we get offers to sell it mostly due to the looks. Great vehicles and community.
Drive a 98 Tj daily with 440000 ks no diff issues gearbox issue no rust. Motor goes for ever . Also brought a 97 TJ new and a O6 65 model all manual . Owned all models XJs and our family own XJs also . Yep here in Australia my TJ be worth $15000 now paid $6500 9 years ago . XJ still bring good money in Australia 🇦🇺 👍🏻🇦🇺✌️.
The crazy thing is you will never see one in a average scrap yard. Wranglers have their own corner of the insurance salvage market. Insurance companies flip them and remove the history of accidents in the title. Either swapping the frame or body tub.
Dana 35 shafts from an XJ aren't worth crap, but if you list them for a wrangler you could get a couple hundred for them. It's pretty funny, same with the ZJ/TJ front axles...
@@landonking4282 ya, I don't know about that. A HP "round here at least" runs minimum 150$ then you gotta get gears and master install kit which will generally run 300$ for all that. I don't know of any gear shop worth their salt that will charge less than 600$ to do a job and auto lockers run at least 240$ last I was looking 4 years ago I doubt those got any cheaper. Now, depending on the stare and what bargain you can try to work it could be done possibly but someone is loosing on that gig for 1,000$ and it wouldn't be the customer loosing it would be whoever gave up some of the labor or parts for free at that rate... imo.
I like the YJ Wranglers. But ive owned a 91 Cherokee Laredo, a 98 Cherokee Se 4x4 5speed 4 cyl, a 05 Jeep Liberty and a 17 Compass. But I love Jeeps because of that 91 Cherokee. A 50th Anniversary model. It had full time four wheel, (np242). Power everything. The only option it didnt have according to the build sheet was a sunroof and leather. I have been on the lookout for an SJ Cherokee. Found a 79 four door with a six cylinder 4 speed awhile back. Somebody bought before I could. Jeeps are fascinating. 😊
I knew where you were going with this. Even people who are parting out wranglers themselves think they are a golden goose. Or they really don’t want to sell parts.
wrangler tubs are huge money if you take the time to cut them into easy to ship sections. theres hundreds of people needing tub parts but few people doing full tub swaps. those cowl corners go for insane money its one of the few parts not being reproduced on tj's
Have a good day too dex 😂, Man I could talk about Jeep xj’s all day , I remember when they used to be dirty cheap .. like you could buy one that runs and drives for 1,000$(with title) Now days your paying 3,000$ plus,
I bought a 2004 Special Edition which had been seriously cared for and a ton of important parts replaced just prior to selling. $5000. All service records and reciepts for all work/parts replaced. The seller basically sold it for $2000. It has one weird asspart which needs replacing. That part is impossible to find. Fortunately, there is a workaround. So that's going to be around $500. Absolutely worth the money.
Wrangler guys and community are a totally different thing than cherokee guys. But you have had really smart business sense. And its worked out well for you. Long money is better than short money.
Thinking Dex doesn’t emphasize enough how he started with no money and couldn’t afford a Wrangler salvage business, especially debt free. With hard work, the Cherokees have worked just fine for him.....providing well for him and Mrs. Dex. 😎😎😎😎😎
Not sure what world people live in, I bought my tj about a year ago will a fresh reman 4.0, ax15 trans, dana 44 rear swap and a newly installed sye for about 4500. I live mine. The guy also stripped the interior and raptor lined the whole jeep including the frame. Only thing I had to do was gear match the front axle to 410
What world? A world where he makes a ton more profit off not dealing with wranglers? It’s a business decision. He isn’t trashing wranglers as jeeps. It’s just not his best business model.
I have the same problem looking for a RHD (right hand drive) vehicle. Anything in my price range is going to be too far gone to fix and drive. I was holding out hope for maybe a mail truck because they are replacing them with that new version, I like the aluminum body too and can change it over to a manual shift but I think the USPS are going to require conformantion on those being crushed.
Only questionable thing I saw was the $ for used tj axles 30/35. No way I've ever gotten that much for them. Last 2 sets I scrapped and probably going to throw away another set shortly. They don't sell in Ohio lol. Maybe bring a trailer full of them down to you. So the money making on a tj is even less in my experience. Good job!
I live in upstate NY. Acouple years ago I found a pretty good shape 00 tJ. 6cyl 5sp. I was happy and took a lot of looking to find one that good. Only needed a transmission and tires with 200k on it for 7500. I want to replace the front half shafts with xj ones that have the cv joints. For my use they will be better. I've had 3 TJ's. Four of you count the one I refound and bought back.
Have to watch the zj axles have long pinion low pinions and i believe the control arm brackets are slightly different but interchangeable with cam bolts
i love my jk unlimited and i owned 3 xj's before it. I don't blame you for not parting out wranglers cuz the cheapest useable wrangler is a 200k mile 4 cylinder 1995 rio grande yj for some reason those are always right around 5k! It doesn't make sense if the profit isn't there and I get that completely!
I bought my tj for $1600. Runs great, had to dump money in it to make it what i want but what i love most about the wrangler is the short wheelbase and soft top.
Great video🎉 I figured it had to do with the price! Do you know about bonded titles? I'm trying to get one for my 2000 Cherokee, lost the title before it was transferred into my name. Any advice would be helpful! Thanks
I agree 100. Sudsy I’m an idiot and deal with diesels. You can’t pop the hood for less than a grand. If you’re not proficient it’s 5-10 grand to have to pay I was doing jobs for free and just had them pay for parts and people complained. But they could give someone 10 grand and truck break down a mile away from the place that had do it and not say anything to them.
My buddy needs the stock ring gear for his JK dana 30 (sheared every tooth off it with the pinion towing in 4wd). We figured theyd be a dime a dozen since people regear wranglers all the time but no; his Wrangler has 3.21 gears and the ones we can find are across the country.
Woah you're backwards on the doors there too. Half doors for TJs are worth a crapton of money because almost nobody optioned them. The YJ doors fit but the strikers are different so they have to be modified. Difference is, TONS of YJs came with half doors, so the YJ full doors are worth a crapton of money too.
I was looking for a YJ (but only to 94) with a hard top and an automatic for over a year that I could afford for winter. Just to have something small to make it up my apartments hill in winter. Nothing makes it up consistently even with studs. Except for a little crappy 4x4 Sportage 2dr. And I can't find 2dr sportages, Monteros, Raiders, Sidekicks, Samurais, Metros... They're all either too clapped for me to fix in the apartment parking lot. Or already stripped for parts and no junkyards here have anything pre 2000. All crushed. Save for one yard that's permanently closed.
yea things have drastically changed with the 4 doors taking over its still expensive but the not as bad the really expensive stuff is the 2 door only or the manual trans stuff
Do you have any videos on how to make a 95 jeep wrangler engine and trans harness stand alone so I can wire it into a different vehicle like my 96 Dakota?
I just recently bought a 2017 JK. Love it. Family loves it. A blast off road. I love my XJ. But finding one in my area for under 3k is impossible. And they are beat. But when i tried selling mine it sat on marketplace for 2months. 4" lift. Tons of aftermarket offroad stuff. Bunpers wincjes. Straight 6. Ran and drove mint. Couldnt sell it for 2k. Couldnt sell it for 1.5k. I was mind blown. Now that i wanna buy another one. Cant find one that runs and drives for under 3k. All have over 200k miles and are beat
I own a 91 XJ limited 158k miles. Bought it 14 years ago. ABS brakes failed on me going 60 on a country road. If you know you know. The system will get you killed. The engine has an intermittent tick. Likes to tick on warm startups. Goes away after a second or continues to tick. It was rear ended before I bought it so the rear subframe is a bit jacked up. But I love it. I also own a 09 JK two door 6 speed. 204k miles. I like it too but there is just something about the XJ that makes me smile more than the JK. Currently in the process of completely rebuilding the XJ. Going to spend more than what it’s worth but when I get it back on the road it will be worth it.
Oh as ive said the factory style am fm CD player cassette tape player stereo is actually from a steering wheel audio performance controller equipment jeep zj its in a 2000 dodge ram..
I bought my 96 cherokee or copart, got a hell of a deal, 1400$ few small dents, everything works, evern AC, came with lockers, big exhaust and I think a stoker kit, haven't measured the piston throw yet, auctions are hit and miss
Bought a burnt orange tj for 500 cause I wanted the half doors. Sold the wheels and tires for 200 frame for 800 and the axles was a Dana 44 rear so I got 850 for the pair could have asked for more. Body tub still sitting in my yard and it was rust free nice shape. No one wanted it.
I have a 2006 lj with factory hard top. Everything is in great shape. High miles 200k. Some mods mostly stock. Dont leak runs like a top. No rust on tub. Very little on chassis. Cant sell it if my lide depended on it. Pait 8k for it. Cant get an offer better than 4k.
Understand that Dex rebuilds and sells the nicest Jeeps for good profit. Using the rough and wrecked Jeeps for parts to fix nice ones is economical, then sell scrap. Selling parts is a hassle, mostly having to deal with people 🥴🥴🥴🥴. Lastly, don’t underestimate how hard Dex has worked to get where he is. Many loooonnng hours!!
This is why i never found any tj's or yj's that were a good deal. The days of me buying a 79 cj7 for 1200 are gone. I stay well away from them. I currently only have xj, wj and compass in my driveway.
My ex wife had a Jeep while we were married. To this day you couldn’t pay me enough to drive one of those piles of trash straight off a cliff. To each their own, but I just can’t understand what people’s fascination with those damn things are. Especially the new models. People buy them, THINK they can “off-road”, then literally the first one stuck in a mud puddle my Audi can get through. It makes zero sense
All the people i know that have 90s jeeps in oregon paided like 3 to 5k for stuff that ran but needed a lil work, i got a 1998 4.0 zj Laredo for 1300$ off a high school kid that was driving it 40miles a day only thing that didnt work was broken drivers door handle and missing headliner
Look at you dude! video's up for a little more than a week and you've got 70k views. The channel is growing! Good work! EDIT: Also, I personally don't understand why the XJ doesn't get more love. Maybe because they made so damn many of them, the prices are slow to come up? Nearly 3 million of them were made from 84-2001, so maybe they are just staying cheaper for longer because the market is "flooded," although really nice ones are harder and harder to find and usually command a good price. XJ's are awesome though. Super reliable, reasonably quick (or at least not terribly slow), plenty of storage space, huge aftermarket presence, cheap parts, and the ride is really nice. They just feel good to drive. And the engine/drivetrain is just the best thing, you can't go wrong with a 4.0 mated to an AX-15. The only thing I've ever had to complain about is the fuel mileage and size of the tank. And when it comes to off-road they are just as good as a wrangler.
Lol, his mom physically counted all his Jeeps in June 2024. Was a total of 825 then. Drone wouldn’t show all in multiple buildings, across the road on Justin’s side, plus stored at his parent’s property. In excess of 850 Jeeps as of 09-24. Kudos for taking the time to count via a drone shot. 👍👍👍👍👍
Here in northern northern NY. They all have bad frames from the salt. Rarely will ya find one not needing frame fix or has it done right or cobbled. Xjs are obvious even just from pictures knowing what to look for.
It's unbelievable. Price a new one - idk who's buying them. 70k plus for a rubicon blows my mind. I have an 07 and I'll never buy another Chrysler product ever.
Dex can you please do a video about your knowledge on comanche’s! My dad passed away and I have his 87 5speed 4x4 4.0 Comanche. You’re the smartest person when it comes to anything jeep related
I also started watching your stuff cause I came into possession of a Comanche. Stayed cause the channel is great. But more Comanche content would be awesome.
One time me and some friends went wheelin, one guy brought his granpas Comanche. He ended up jumping it and splitting the frame in half. Gramps was pissed!
Definitely need Comanche content, hopefully a vid on renix to HO one day.
I’m glad I’m not the only one. The Comanche I have has been sitting 10+ years, but yesterday I hooked a battery up and got fuel up to the regulator. Just trying to figure out why the key isn’t turning it over now
All you guys should Google comancheclub. Huge absolutely huge amount of knowledge there and an absolutely helpful and active forum.
I tell people all the time. If you want to pick a good project car pick one that has high production volumes.
yup.... Had a friend who picked up a Mitsubishi 3000gt. A cool car... or could be... but parts are so limited for it you will spend most your time searching for parts. Not for me....
I wouldn't mess with wranglers just because of the type of people that drive them. Something isn't right with jeeple. XJ people aren't jeeple imo. I know it sounds stupid to judge people based off of their car preferences or to say that their car defines them but the numbers don't lie. I've never met a wrangler owner that didn't have screws loose in their head or something really freaky about them. And idk any other model of car that so many posers drive.
You’re not the only one that notices
That’s fair enough. I own a Cherokee and a Wrangler, and I’m not ashamed to say I’m definitely a weird fellow. 😂
@@BigCheeezer
You probably should be ashamed
True. I own a v8 zj, a tj, and a few xjs. And I identify as a Cherokee guy, I always have and I always will…
but the tj sure is fun to drive 🤫
Hmmm, I've currently got 2 XJ's, MJ, LJ, and JT. Had another XJ or so and MJ for parts. I definitely have seen some hate from the SWB from "CJ to JK" crowds.
5-10 years ago TJs were around $5k or more and XJs were around $1k or more if they drove. Today I am seeing TJs for $3k and XJs closer to $2k. You bought at the right time! I think you might want to start looking at buying Wranglers, as Cherokees are finite. Plus there are 5 million Wranglers built that are going to be or need parts.
5 years ago I was still buying clapped zjs for sub 500$ and running them into the ground then scrapping them for most my money back
@@imchris5000 For the last year and a half I have been trying to find an auto XJ for a engine and trans swap into my CJ. Have not seen one local that is running for under $1.5k
@@benmudn look out for zj's they are not as popular as the xj but has mostly the same stuff some pretty desirable like the hi pinion dana 30 in the front. you should look at whats happened with the 32rh not long ago you could get them for next to nothing now they are 1k for just a bare case
TJs are well over $10k where I am if they have a good drivetrain. YJs are almost unobtanium now and prices are going to skyrocket like they did the CJs. You can't buy a CJ7 for under 30 grand anymore.
XJs are going the way of the YJ. The values are climbing and they won't stop. More and more people are appreciating good, small SUVs with good powertrains.
You're one solid dude, straight up and humble. I'd buy from ya any day.
It is crazy how similar us XJ guys are, I have owned like 9 Cherokees. I've only owned 1 wrangler, and I still own it, because the price was too good to pass up. And it was way more than I'd ever pay for a Cherokee.
The clock is running out but, in my area you can still find XJ's and WJ's (my personal favorite) under 1000$. Most can be driven home (carefully) if you take a battery/fresh gas with you. Parts are readily available for WJ's and very reasonable. If you have a couple donors of your own, you can pretty much build yourself a brand new truck, bumper to bumper for ~ 5k.
I drive a tj wrangler I buy all my front end parts for a cherokee, it's the wrangler name that brings money, most of the junkyards are like 10 20 bucks cheaper than buying new
Stay away from our Cherokee parts 😂
@spener1313
That ain’t no lie, I like to buy 2wd Cherokees and swap them to 4wd. I use to pick up front axles for 100-150 bucks and now I can’t hardly find them and when I do people want to much.
@spener1313 hey now! I'm just trying to save a buck!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Yes, many salvage yards, even in early 2000's acted like the XJ front axle was gold plated in some areas. There were YJ's -TJ's and some CJ owners buying them for their Jeeps.
@@dougj.8288Illinois their 150 front differentials.
Had a general contracting/painting business in 2005 through late 2007 until the housing market crashed. Had to close up shop and make money another way. Between 2008 and 2010 I paid my bills and fed my family selling/parting out XJ,MJ's. The Cherokee market has stayed pretty strong still flip'em here and there
I have a 1997 Wrangler Sport I bought from a friend of mine. He bought it from a friend of his who had passed away, the widowed wife needed money for expenses. It's not pretty to look at but it's a serious build made for rock crawling 6 cylinder 5 speed everything works on it including the ac. I bought it as a backup vehicle. Now it's my favorite.
I laughed when you said you cant give a factory bumper away. I had mine on facebook for free for months and just threw them in the trash at work. Same with my stock drivelines. Couldnt give them away.
Your math is right on I just finished my tj last week , bought it for$ 2500 and to make it a good daily driver I have $6500 if you count the tools I didn’t have close to 7k I FB market placed all my parts nothing really new , I put a cheap raptor paint on it it was a lot of work but I do have a nice “stock” tj no 35’s no gears just stock
I have a 98 xj 5 speed with a hd 1.5-inch OME suspension replacement and some clean stealth mods. It gets a surprising amount of love in a sea of rubicons with a crap ton of unused gear bolted all over them.
Great video! Thank you! Very informative and very interesting. The experts that you deal with probably understand what the economics are. But I can understand that the amateurs probably have no idea and are very very difficult to deal with for that reason.
I've got a TJ and a XJ. Drive the XJ every day, TJ sits in the garage. Cant explain it, just love the XJ!
Many years ago I had a small business selling used XJ and MJ parts. I thought about Wranglers, but it just didn't make financial sense. They were much more expensive to buy, even as part's vehicles- at that time I could buy endless XJs for well under $500 each, while even very worn out Wranglers were over $1k, with very few below that. And very few used Wrangler parts were in demand, because just about everything was available aftermarket, while the XJ was ignored by the aftermarket back then. And finally, Wranglers were "toys", which got fixed up when people had the extra money, with parts demand going down when the economy got bad, while XJs were family vehicles as well as off roaders/toys- when times were good, people built off roaders; and when money was tight, they invested in used parts to keep the old family SUV running.
I miss the days of buying running ZJs for 500 bucks .
I still have my 400$ zj one of the best buys I have made
@@ajaxracing bought a police ZJ for 500 with a service record as big as the Bible. Went through two computers though and decided to scrap it. Had qtr mil miles though
@@eagleone5456 when I got mine had a "reman" computer then started stalling on me turns out there was nothing remanufactured about it I resolder the connection and it's been solid ever since about to hit 200k
Tj frames are a solid $2500 now in New England
We locally had a guy make a fortune with Saturn cars for years until he couldn’t find anymore to rebuild. Rode the wave until he couldn’t. Also a couple of locals had a similar side business with Toyota 4-Runners until they couldn’t find many to rebuild. One guy banked some serious 💰💰💰, then his Ex-Wife got half. 😳😳😳😳
I know a guy that did the same thing with Geo’s.
When wrenching on YJs I noticed the Wrangler tax a long time ago. Used to get parts from XJ/ZJ parts for pennies and stick stick them straight on my Wrangers.
In the past 30some years I’ve had 3 XJ’s basically for my young family. Kids are fetched up so 3yrs ago bought a nice 2-door with 155k for 5,000$. Runs great, we get offers to sell it mostly due to the looks. Great vehicles and community.
As a wrangler owner and daily driver I cannot blame you. They are good when they are working but so many problems and finniky things
Drive a 98 Tj daily with 440000 ks no diff issues gearbox issue no rust. Motor goes for ever . Also brought a 97 TJ new and a O6 65 model all manual . Owned all models XJs and our family own XJs also . Yep here in Australia my TJ be worth $15000 now paid $6500 9 years ago . XJ still bring good money in Australia 🇦🇺 👍🏻🇦🇺✌️.
Didn't know australia got jeeps too, no fair. I'll trade you my no rust 05 TJ 6-speed manual for one of them toyota hiluxes 😂
@@joshmanwaring3848 Where did you think ARB came from??
If it says rubicon, price is 8000 wrecked
The crazy thing is you will never see one in a average scrap yard. Wranglers have their own corner of the insurance salvage market. Insurance companies flip them and remove the history of accidents in the title. Either swapping the frame or body tub.
Really? Is that before or after they tell you it’s totaled & not insurable?!
Love your videos man. Always an interesting watch. You seem like a good dude, cheers!
I sure do enjoy your videos
Dana 35 shafts from an XJ aren't worth crap, but if you list them for a wrangler you could get a couple hundred for them. It's pretty funny, same with the ZJ/TJ front axles...
Who the heck is paying $1000 for a low pinion D30? Around here you can't give those away. Everyone wants the HP.
That's probably more so for the gear ratio than anything else. 3.73s (what most TJs had) are virtually impossible to find in a high pinion 30.
@@rocksannexj3195 I guess. For $1000 though you could buy an HP 30 and pay someone to rebuild it with an auto locker and whatever gears you want.
@@landonking4282 ya, I don't know about that. A HP "round here at least" runs minimum 150$ then you gotta get gears and master install kit which will generally run 300$ for all that. I don't know of any gear shop worth their salt that will charge less than 600$ to do a job and auto lockers run at least 240$ last I was looking 4 years ago I doubt those got any cheaper.
Now, depending on the stare and what bargain you can try to work it could be done possibly but someone is loosing on that gig for 1,000$ and it wouldn't be the customer loosing it would be whoever gave up some of the labor or parts for free at that rate... imo.
I sold a front and rear axle(HP front) for $500 total to my neighbor with an XJ
@@landonking4282 100%
I like the YJ Wranglers. But ive owned a 91 Cherokee Laredo, a 98 Cherokee Se 4x4 5speed 4 cyl, a 05 Jeep Liberty and a 17 Compass. But I love Jeeps because of that 91 Cherokee. A 50th Anniversary model. It had full time four wheel, (np242). Power everything. The only option it didnt have according to the build sheet was a sunroof and leather. I have been on the lookout for an SJ Cherokee. Found a 79 four door with a six cylinder 4 speed awhile back. Somebody bought before I could. Jeeps are fascinating. 😊
I knew where you were going with this. Even people who are parting out wranglers themselves think they are a golden goose. Or they really don’t want to sell parts.
wrangler tubs are huge money if you take the time to cut them into easy to ship sections. theres hundreds of people needing tub parts but few people doing full tub swaps. those cowl corners go for insane money its one of the few parts not being reproduced on tj's
Thank you Dex, you and Mrs.Dex have a wonderful day as well. 😁
Have a good day too dex 😂,
Man I could talk about Jeep xj’s all day , I remember when they used to be dirty cheap .. like you could buy one that runs and drives for 1,000$(with title)
Now days your paying 3,000$ plus,
Some Wrangler people suck!
And that’s coming from someone that’s had 3 Wranglers, including my current ‘03 TJ that I love!
The story about how the guy cussed you out about the $200 for the seats… God I hate those people.
I own a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. 4.0l straight 6. 95%+ in mint condition. I just put new tires on it. 186,000 miles.
I bought a 2004 Special Edition which had been seriously cared for and a ton of important parts replaced just prior to selling.
$5000. All service records and reciepts for all work/parts replaced. The seller basically sold it for $2000.
It has one weird asspart which needs replacing. That part is impossible to find. Fortunately, there is a workaround. So that's going to be around $500. Absolutely worth the money.
@flawedexistence I can't find one part for my throttle body. Yet. Cleaning it and replacing the other two. Increased HP and fuel mileage.
I miss my 99 WJ with the straight 6. My friend bought it from me and it now has 300k miles.
I spotted a jeepster near the wranglers. Build it!!
People think YJ and TJ tubs are worth as much as the CJs and military tubs, so the prices are outrageous.
Yeah my point
Wrangler guys and community are a totally different thing than cherokee guys. But you have had really smart business sense. And its worked out well for you. Long money is better than short money.
Thinking Dex doesn’t emphasize enough how he started with no money and couldn’t afford a Wrangler salvage business, especially debt free. With hard work, the Cherokees have worked just fine for him.....providing well for him and Mrs. Dex. 😎😎😎😎😎
Not sure what world people live in, I bought my tj about a year ago will a fresh reman 4.0, ax15 trans, dana 44 rear swap and a newly installed sye for about 4500. I live mine. The guy also stripped the interior and raptor lined the whole jeep including the frame. Only thing I had to do was gear match the front axle to 410
What world? A world where he makes a ton more profit off not dealing with wranglers? It’s a business decision. He isn’t trashing wranglers as jeeps. It’s just not his best business model.
I have the same problem looking for a RHD (right hand drive) vehicle. Anything in my price range is going to be too far gone to fix and drive. I was holding out hope for maybe a mail truck because they are replacing them with that new version, I like the aluminum body too and can change it over to a manual shift but I think the USPS are going to require conformantion on those being crushed.
Most rhd vehicles go for significantly less than lhd versions in the US
Only questionable thing I saw was the $ for used tj axles 30/35. No way I've ever gotten that much for them. Last 2 sets I scrapped and probably going to throw away another set shortly. They don't sell in Ohio lol. Maybe bring a trailer full of them down to you. So the money making on a tj is even less in my experience. Good job!
It's HIM! HE'S the one who has all the cherokees left in the nation! Get him! Man I'm jealous of his yard.
the big reason stock wrangler parts are not worth much is the why replace when you can upgrade mindset most owners have
It's because replacement parts are way higher quality than what comes stock.
Half doors bring way more than full doors from yj up.
I'd start collecting yjs and tjs in a field. They're getting more and more popular
I live in upstate NY. Acouple years ago I found a pretty good shape 00 tJ. 6cyl 5sp. I was happy and took a lot of looking to find one that good. Only needed a transmission and tires with 200k on it for 7500. I want to replace the front half shafts with xj ones that have the cv joints. For my use they will be better. I've had 3 TJ's. Four of you count the one I refound and bought back.
Have to watch the zj axles have long pinion low pinions and i believe the control arm brackets are slightly different but interchangeable with cam bolts
i love my jk unlimited and i owned 3 xj's before it. I don't blame you for not parting out wranglers cuz the cheapest useable wrangler is a 200k mile 4 cylinder 1995 rio grande yj for some reason those are always right around 5k! It doesn't make sense if the profit isn't there and I get that completely!
I bought my tj for $1600. Runs great, had to dump money in it to make it what i want but what i love most about the wrangler is the short wheelbase and soft top.
Great video🎉 I figured it had to do with the price! Do you know about bonded titles? I'm trying to get one for my 2000 Cherokee, lost the title before it was transferred into my name. Any advice would be helpful! Thanks
How about Yj ‘s ive got an old one with soft top and half doors 4 liter 5 speed in great shape no accidents. Whats that worth.
I agree 100. Sudsy I’m an idiot and deal with diesels. You can’t pop the hood for less than a grand. If you’re not proficient it’s 5-10 grand to have to pay I was doing jobs for free and just had them pay for parts and people complained. But they could give someone 10 grand and truck break down a mile away from the place that had do it and not say anything to them.
Thanks Dex, I was wondering about that.
My buddy needs the stock ring gear for his JK dana 30 (sheared every tooth off it with the pinion towing in 4wd). We figured theyd be a dime a dozen since people regear wranglers all the time but no; his Wrangler has 3.21 gears and the ones we can find are across the country.
Woah you're backwards on the doors there too. Half doors for TJs are worth a crapton of money because almost nobody optioned them. The YJ doors fit but the strikers are different so they have to be modified. Difference is, TONS of YJs came with half doors, so the YJ full doors are worth a crapton of money too.
I paid 350 for my ZJ got it running and driving for 600$ 2 years ago you can’t buy 4x4 with v8 for that price anymore.
I was looking for a YJ (but only to 94) with a hard top and an automatic for over a year that I could afford for winter. Just to have something small to make it up my apartments hill in winter. Nothing makes it up consistently even with studs. Except for a little crappy 4x4 Sportage 2dr.
And I can't find 2dr sportages, Monteros, Raiders, Sidekicks, Samurais, Metros... They're all either too clapped for me to fix in the apartment parking lot. Or already stripped for parts and no junkyards here have anything pre 2000. All crushed. Save for one yard that's permanently closed.
yea things have drastically changed with the 4 doors taking over its still expensive but the not as bad the really expensive stuff is the 2 door only or the manual trans stuff
Do you have any videos on how to make a 95 jeep wrangler engine and trans harness stand alone so I can wire it into a different vehicle like my 96 Dakota?
It’s old but I do. Need to remake. Search stand alone on my channel.
I just recently bought a 2017 JK. Love it. Family loves it. A blast off road. I love my XJ. But finding one in my area for under 3k is impossible. And they are beat. But when i tried selling mine it sat on marketplace for 2months. 4" lift. Tons of aftermarket offroad stuff. Bunpers wincjes. Straight 6. Ran and drove mint. Couldnt sell it for 2k. Couldnt sell it for 1.5k. I was mind blown. Now that i wanna buy another one. Cant find one that runs and drives for under 3k. All have over 200k miles and are beat
I own a 91 XJ limited 158k miles. Bought it 14 years ago. ABS brakes failed on me going 60 on a country road. If you know you know. The system will get you killed. The engine has an intermittent tick. Likes to tick on warm startups. Goes away after a second or continues to tick. It was rear ended before I bought it so the rear subframe is a bit jacked up. But I love it. I also own a 09 JK two door 6 speed. 204k miles. I like it too but there is just something about the XJ that makes me smile more than the JK. Currently in the process of completely rebuilding the XJ. Going to spend more than what it’s worth but when I get it back on the road it will be worth it.
Love my xj cherokee platform and have more than i should. Wranglers on the other hand, ive had a few. They always disappoint in every metric for me.
Oh as ive said the factory style am fm CD player cassette tape player stereo is actually from a steering wheel audio performance controller equipment jeep zj its in a 2000 dodge ram..
I bought my 96 cherokee or copart, got a hell of a deal, 1400$ few small dents, everything works, evern AC, came with lockers, big exhaust and I think a stoker kit, haven't measured the piston throw yet, auctions are hit and miss
I wonder if I bid against dex for it haha
7:00
I'm saying if they totaled this there's serious rust / rot we can't see in these pics.
Bought a burnt orange tj for 500 cause I wanted the half doors. Sold the wheels and tires for 200 frame for 800 and the axles was a Dana 44 rear so I got 850 for the pair could have asked for more. Body tub still sitting in my yard and it was rust free nice shape. No one wanted it.
I have had both jeeps,the tj got too small for my needs. Bought an 89 renix Cherokee and love the room in it.
Unibodies are disposable. Full frame vehicles can live for ever - more straigtforward for rust repair.
I have a 2006 lj with factory hard top. Everything is in great shape. High miles 200k. Some mods mostly stock. Dont leak runs like a top. No rust on tub. Very little on chassis. Cant sell it if my lide depended on it. Pait 8k for it. Cant get an offer better than 4k.
Ive been trying to do a straight trade, my full dorrs for half doors. No takers yet. Half doors are wanted more
I still don't understand how you live off the wrecking yard, but you seem like you are living the dream.
It’s the south you can make due with what you have everyone wants a xj part right now including me.
Understand that Dex rebuilds and sells the nicest Jeeps for good profit. Using the rough and wrecked Jeeps for parts to fix nice ones is economical, then sell scrap. Selling parts is a hassle, mostly having to deal with people 🥴🥴🥴🥴. Lastly, don’t underestimate how hard Dex has worked to get where he is. Many loooonnng hours!!
Cool shop
Very interesting learning about the jeep world
This is why i never found any tj's or yj's that were a good deal. The days of me buying a 79 cj7 for 1200 are gone. I stay well away from them. I currently only have xj, wj and compass in my driveway.
Where are you located. I need some parts and some knowledge on how to fix a problem.
Bethel Springs TN 38315
Dex, would love to see you build a 1 ton xj with some coilovers 4 linked
Been looking for a windshield for my ZJ. What is the cost for glass and ship to Buffalo, NY ?
My ex wife had a Jeep while we were married. To this day you couldn’t pay me enough to drive one of those piles of trash straight off a cliff.
To each their own, but I just can’t understand what people’s fascination with those damn things are. Especially the new models.
People buy them, THINK they can “off-road”, then literally the first one stuck in a mud puddle my Audi can get through.
It makes zero sense
Will a Cherokee gear selector bezel that goes under the shifter for an automatic that showed the P,R,N,D position swap from a Cherokee to a TJ? 🤔
I love this dude something about his personality 😊
All the people i know that have 90s jeeps in oregon paided like 3 to 5k for stuff that ran but needed a lil work, i got a 1998 4.0 zj Laredo for 1300$ off a high school kid that was driving it 40miles a day only thing that didnt work was broken drivers door handle and missing headliner
What do you think about KJ/KK and WKs? Are you planning expanding into those as they age?
Look at you dude! video's up for a little more than a week and you've got 70k views. The channel is growing! Good work!
EDIT: Also, I personally don't understand why the XJ doesn't get more love. Maybe because they made so damn many of them, the prices are slow to come up? Nearly 3 million of them were made from 84-2001, so maybe they are just staying cheaper for longer because the market is "flooded," although really nice ones are harder and harder to find and usually command a good price.
XJ's are awesome though. Super reliable, reasonably quick (or at least not terribly slow), plenty of storage space, huge aftermarket presence, cheap parts, and the ride is really nice. They just feel good to drive. And the engine/drivetrain is just the best thing, you can't go wrong with a 4.0 mated to an AX-15. The only thing I've ever had to complain about is the fuel mileage and size of the tank. And when it comes to off-road they are just as good as a wrangler.
I got 2 you can have a 87 with 2.5 and 5 speed command trac and 89 4.0 auto bring wheels and lug nuts or a flat bed
I would have assumed there wouldn't be much market for factory/stock Wrangler parts. The volume of wrecked Wranglers at auction is crazy.
I love my tj but you are right, wranglers are pricey.
You have made the right decision, same as surfer know what you can make money off stick with it and every morning ain't work it's another day
Is the prices you have to charge for parts federally regulated like shops are with labor and LKQ?
Honestly im sure you also have them because Jeep Cherokee people are relatively easy going for parts than Wrangler people
What about YJs? I only saw you mention TJs
Same principles
Please tell me you have an Ebay store Dex!
I do not 😞
Are there a lot of laws you have to abide by owning a salvage yard?
Any advice for turning off converter lock up 97 and up?
U never find wranglers in the junk yards around me. U can find Cherokees everywhere. I just buy new parts for my tj.
Still, nothing more fun off-road than a good ol TJ! 😎
Idk, maybe it’s just the area I live in but I can never give xj parts away. I’ve attempted parting out several, never had any luck.
only counted 453 vehicles in the drone pic and that was the one up by the shop too
Lol, his mom physically counted all his Jeeps in June 2024. Was a total of 825 then. Drone wouldn’t show all in multiple buildings, across the road on Justin’s side, plus stored at his parent’s property. In excess of 850 Jeeps as of 09-24. Kudos for taking the time to count via a drone shot. 👍👍👍👍👍
we have a 99 5 speed 2.5 litre Jeep Wrangler are those actually worth money? It has about 100k miles on it
You got your axle pricing backwards there. The high pinion earlier XJ D30s are worth way more than the TJ D30s are. Nobody wants low pinion axles.
Just depends on where your from lol
Here in northern northern NY. They all have bad frames from the salt. Rarely will ya find one not needing frame fix or has it done right or cobbled. Xjs are obvious even just from pictures knowing what to look for.
I saw a 2017 Wrangler for sale. It was a private party. I saw it in a parking lot. Nothing real special.
They wanted $32,000.
It just blew my mind. 🤯
It's unbelievable. Price a new one - idk who's buying them. 70k plus for a rubicon blows my mind. I have an 07 and I'll never buy another Chrysler product ever.
@thomastrain7311 it's not me. I know that for a fact. Lol