ok so guys which is the better rig?
which is better off road on road ect.....
cuz i starting to lean toward getting a TJ then a XJ.
i'm only 20 and i have a 93 XJ 3inch lift. but i want a new car so its between the 97+ XJ or the 95 or 96+ TJ.(don't know what year they came out in the TJ). like how likley are you to roll it (mostley the TJ, cuz my dad doesn't want me to get one cuz of that. but it has a FRAME not a UNIBODY which is nice, cuz unibodys crack and do all sorts of fun stuff) the XJ i have is a 4 door and i never use the back 2 doors or the trunk cept for my sub and the 1 time i went camping . i want to run a 31inch tire and i think it would be easyer to do on a TJ then a XJ just cuz you would atleast have to get a 3inch and ADJ track bar, SYE for the Newer XJs since they changed the tcase. and this would be for a DD and off road once and a while.
sorry that this is so long i'm just wanting to get the facts about each.
thanks!  

TJs are 97-06. they can run 31s stock.
XJs can come in a 2 door also.
weight is comperable. XJ has a better auto tranny. TJs do very well in crash tests, maybe better than XJs (frame and role cage) but I never checked. XJ gets 3 or 4 mpg better. XJs less likly to spin and have a higher tow rating because they are longer. they are the same width. TJ has better head room. ride is about the same (coil rear vs. longer wheelbase). the only way to roll a vehicle is doing something stupid. do stupid things slowly.  

totally agree on this one.

xj is rated for 5000 pounds towing, tj 2000.  all due to wheelbase.  it's about stopping, i think ... short wheelbase just doesn't do it well with a trailer.

even in 4hi, a TJ is a bit of a handful on snow/ice.  xj will definately be better on snow/ice (as Groo said).

i think you can fit 30's on an xj stock, with minor rubbing.  And there's plenty of TJ owners getting rid of them.

as for doing stupid things slowly, i bow to Groo. nicely said, and oh so true.

pete

yeah like tj has better aproch/depatuer angles, but xj climbs better, and has more room for all your stuff, and other stuff that goes on in the backseat.

but a question of my own is are all xj's unibodys?

All XJs are unibody. Even the Comanche MJs are unibody in the front with a grafted on frame for the bed

I think a mild lift is needed for 30s, but not 100% sure.

http://www.jjournal.net/jeep/reference/Tires/indexref.html

above is a link to tire fitment, but i think realworld feedback from an xj owner would be best.

Pete

Dude the cheapest and best looking route is trimming and adding bushwackers, thats what i did works great. you might even fit 32s  

With a little beefing up in the right spots you can keep the unibody from cracking, but even so you have to thrash on them to break them- I've beat the hell out of my Comanche and it's still holding strong- stock and rusted.

two wheel drive, and no lift, I had 30" BFG's on my Comanche.. never saw any rubbing.  coil spacers and blocks out back would easily make room for 31" tires.

The XJ and the Wranglers are about the same width, so it seems to me they are both just as likely to roll over with the same center of gravity, but the shorter Wrangler is more likely to spin out and roll..  I have never had a 7 or a Wrangler, but I did have a 5 and man was she touchy.. the Scrambler is way more road friendly.

Someone suggested a 2 door XJ.. that seems like the best bet.  They are more rare, and though I know they made them after '97, I don't know when they quit making them.

my 2 cents

i would go with a the tj, as long as its 4.0.  a jeep tj that is all beefed up against an xj that is all beefed up. the tj would win in every event, other than towing. its true that the xj has a better auto, so just get a manual. my tj has been veryy good to me and i just got a comment today at lunch saying that is a nice jeep.  PLUS, tjs have one of the best resale values on earth.  i bought mine from a dealer 00 tj with no lift half doors and soft top with 4.0 with 64K and for 10.5K$ and know i can sell it for more(i put 31 bfg ats on it and black unique rims on it).

ITS MY BABY