well I didn't have it very long but I had fun and learned a lot from it. The weak cross pins and cost of parts where major issues. I had to pay $130 for a water pump..it was pay the price for a local one or miss a weekend camping trip. On the trail I spent most of my time being pulled my Jeeps but to be fair the Jeeps were on 33's and locked f/r. I just bought a '97 Jeep cherokee for $400...yeah I know..booo cherokee..but nothing comes close for the combination of reliability, cheap and easy to find parts and off-road performance. I kind of feel like the married man with kids that had to give up his cool sports car for a mini van.

 

that sucks man... you kept your D2 though? you finding it more reliable than the D1 was?

 

yeah I'm keeping the DII..it has been more reliable but it has a lot less miles and has had a much easier life than the D1. I enjoy driving the D2 so I'm selling my car and keeping it for daily use/snowboarding trips/camping trips and use the cherokee as a toy/off-road beater.

 

Sorry to hear..this is why I am so glad that the PO rebuilt the engine, new gaskets, pumps etc. I dont have to worry about it too much for a while..just keep up on the maintaince

 

I think you will be happy with the cherokee. They tend to run warm so make sure the cooling system is in good shape.

 

yeah they will run hot on the trail..a $35 electric fan usually solves that problem. I haven't owned a cast iron block/heads in years..I'll probably still be freaking out when I see the needle move a tick towards hot for the first few trips lol.