Everything you'd ever want to know about the WJ Jeep, and then some:

http://www.wjjeeps.com/index.htm

 

Another question I have is, which vehicle would be least expensive to life though?

 

According to me - Jeep LJ Rubicon Unlimited.
Longer Wheel base than the TJ
Nice ride
4:1 transfer case
4:11 gears
lockers
SYE
Dana 44s

 

looking for more opinions please.

cant decide between wrangler, WJ, XJ.

 

Ill chime in on this being an ex jeep guy. I love the old xj's but the simple fact is that they are a 9 yo suv, and as stated most will have around 100k by now so you'll be doing repairs off and on.
For the TJ, I would only get one if it was an unlimited. The short wheel base will beat you driving it everyday, not to mention if you lift it and put larger tires on it.
For the WJ, you can get an 04 Laredo 4x4 with decent miles for under what your willing to spend. If you went with this one, I would get the 4.7 for the simple fact you say you'll pull with it and it gets 1-2 mpg less than the 4.0. I agree though, stay away from the Limiteds. The blend doors are enough to not buy it. Its a 1500 repair at the dealer and still a few hundred on your own.

Maybe even consider a ZJ. But you'll be in the same boat as the xj. Older and may have some miles on it. But the 98 5.9 Grands sometimes can be found with low miles.
For any three you'll have alot of support. ZJ and TJ's have lots of interchangeable suspension parts, included the Dana 44's under the Rubis.

For 3000-4000 you may be able to find a ZJ or an XJ and that'll leave you some extra cash to fix any issues and for mods.

 

thanks man.
Another question I have is, how much can these jeeps be lifted before needing major modification or parts changing beside beigger tires and rims?
I plan on buying lift kit and tires and rims, thats all i plan on doing.

 

With a d35, I do believe you'll be limited to 35in tires. The axle can't handle it. Don't be fooled either, the Dana 44a and 44 are two different axles. The 44a doesn't have available lockers for it either i believe. If memory serves me right, Aussie did but they stopped because there wasn't enough support.
Not sure about the TJ's but the ZJ, XJ's, and WJ's all have Dana 30's in the front and 35 in the rear with ZJ's and WJ's having a Dana 44a.

 

The 44a (AKA 44HD) is stronger than the 44 when trussed. However you are correct in saying that there aren't lockers available for the 44a. Aussie is the only one. They stopped production for awhile but IIRC they are making them again, however they're around $400 for a lunch box locker.

Also, all 96-98 V8 ZJ's had the D44a in the rear, and some 4.0's had it.

You can run 33's with stock gearing (3.73's) and drive train components. That's about the biggest tire you want to run on one of these rigs anyways. To fit 35's on a WJ you have to do some pretty major trimming and unless you want an absolute terrible ride with terrible pinion angles, you will have to put it on long arms. Not to mention regear, truss the D44a, and build up the D30 in the front if you want it to be reliable.

However like I said 33's on 4.5-5 inches of lift is the furthest most people go as it's a pretty good combo.

As mentioned a ZJ isn't a bad rig either if you can find one with low enough miles to suit your needs. I have a ZJ and I love it. They just aren't quite as refined as the WJ. Aftermarket support is just as good if not better than the WJ's, and axle swaps are more feasible (Ford 8.8" and HPD30 is a great combo for 35's.)

My buddy has his Slate Grey 1998 5.9L Limited ZJ is for sale with 129,000 miles for $4500. It's in really nice condition and 129,000 isn't much for these Jeeps.

 

Boy this changed fast, went from wanting a reliable daily driver and now its gonna be lifted...LOL...

 

Thanks Jr for clearing some of that up for me. Its been almost 2 years since I've been in my 96 zj. I miss that thing.
Check out: jeeps unlimited.com
No space, lots of great info. Go into the discussion forums and search around. You'll find alot of the answers there.
Thats the Jeep website whereas this is the site for dodges.