Baby on the Way - Jeep has to go?

My kids (6,4,2) love my TJ. I think the youngest rode in it when she was 18 months or so. Any younger than that and the ride is a little jarring on them. Our 7 week old has not been in it yet except to just look at it.

If you love the Jeep and can get by with always taking the baby in the other vehicle for 1-2 years, then keep it. If not, sell it. Like you said, you can get another one later.

Where in TX are you? Do you have any pieces and parts that you might sell? I'm in the DFW area.

Well, if you can't find an older minivan so you can keep the Jeep, find a recent XJ, 3" Lift, 31s, ARB front & rear.

Why? Sure, the baby will not tolerate winters very well, but after the first winter blasts through, the baby will be fine. We can't do much about your wife's attitude, but don't worry about the kid. If the wife makes you move on, then move on. If the wife is OK, then keep the Jeep.

It is a '97, and the odds are it is paid for at that age, assuming you bought it new. And you can keep it around for a weekend vehicle - which for my money is the best way to have a TJ anyway - and get a new Truckster Family Sedan with a herd of baby seats strapped in the back. Never mind, I just read the rest of your post. If the payment is manageable, keep the Jeep and get the Truckster anyway, otherwise do what the Mrs. says.

So, what to do? Any advice from people who've

My son is 5 mos. old now and he seems to like the YJ. His first ride was at about 4 mos. No long trips, just local errands. I'm a bit reluctant to have the top down when he's in it though. He's still in an infant seat so he's firmly planted. He does go to sleep pretty quick from the bumpy ride. Fortunately my wife had her own Saturn, which died about 4 months ago, so we went out and got her a used Grand Cherokee. She loves it and there's plenty of room. So, don't sell your Jeep... get another one ; ) Kris Andrews

91 YJ 96 Grand Cherokee

I am in houston and need more info on the Jeep...I can pay cash on the spot!

-- Jarod Sprauer

281-807-JEEP (5337)

I have 5 kids and one on the way. The last two came home from the hospital in the Jeep.

1 in February with the soft top up and the other in May with the soft top down. I live in Las Vegas so May is one of the best top down jeeping months.

My wife likes the TJ. ALL of the kids love it. We have a Suburban if we need to take a trip or haul the whole family somewhere.

The TJ hold a car seat just as good as any other car I can think of.

Pete

i dont understand this. what does having a baby have to do with selling your TJ? if you told me that you had a new unlimited rubicon with a $600 a month payment i could understand your concerns depending upon your financial situation, but a '97 tj?

so tell her not to drive it.

bah. your baby is safer buckled in an appropriate car seat in a swb jeep than it would be in a minivan or some other frame-less wonder. see

to see how well a swbjeep fares in a nasty wreck.

you be a man. if your wife doesnt like your jeep she doesnt have to drive it....or ride in it for that matter. if youre looking for an excuse to sell the jeep anyway then good luck selling it, but otherwise dont punk out just because the wifey told you to.

i brought my daughter home from the hospital when she was born in my '00 sahara and when she got older the '03 rubicon rarely left the yard without her.

then be a man.

Sell the wife?

HarryS

Your not the first to post this question, but the real question is can you get the baby's car seat into the back, without throwing your own back out of whack? All the rest of the issues are simply static IMHO. The TJ is as safe as any other car on the road and safer than many. (Of course if you drive it like it is a sports car all bets are off, but if you drive it like an SUV you'll never have a problem.)

When my son was born I had 2 two door cars. After a few months it was obvious that my wife's back was not up to the task of putting the baby seat in the back. So I bought her a 4 door car. I kept the other 2 door. Since schlepping the baby around fell onto my wife's shoulders 98% of the time, she drove the 4 door. When I had to take him somewhere I just put him in the back of my 2 door. Since it only happened on occasion it wasn't a big deal. On weekends and trips the family traveled in the 4 door.

The other thing to know, is babies don't stay that way very long. My "baby" is as tall as his mom. From about the age of 1 3/4 - 2 years he has been able to get into his car seats under his own power. So the real problem with 2 doors only lasts about 2 years.

If it were me and I had at least one 4 door car in the family I'd keep the jeep. If ya gotta sell it, but used Cherokee. Properly built they are killer off road and they've got 4 doors. ;-)

Dean

All,

Thanks for the posts. Lots of good points to consider....except selling the wife. She's my best friend and I kinda like having her around. :) Best part is, she isn't pressuring me to get rid of the TJ. I'm the one who thought it might be the right thing to do.

So, anyone ever actually been involved in an accident while your kid was straped into the back seat? That's what scares me.

Brad

I would feel a lot safer in a TJ in an accident than a Mini-Cooper it is all relative.

HarryS

You issue is really just the hassle of installing a child safety seat in the back of the TJ. Depending upon year it should have all the proper anchors for the seat, but it might be difficult getting in and out. As for safety, since the YJ short wheelbase Jeeps have had excellent crash safety records. You're a lot safer in the TJ than in most of the small cars out there.

Having my family involved in any car that is in an accident scares me. My solution to that problem was to buy them a Ford Expedition. While not the biggest thing on the road it is bigger than most. And when you get into an accident size matters and the bigger guy always wins. To that end a TJ is heavier than most cars. Add some off road accessories and skid plate protection and the thing can out weigh most cars on the road.

At the end of the day your skill as a driver is the single most important accident avoidance tool in the vehicle.

Dean

My daughter came home in our 95 YJ...

Ben

95 YJ 2.5L

Do what I did.. I put the kid in the car seat from the rear.. Open the tailgate and lift the softtop up... Made things easy for me... And my daughter thought it was a game... As for putting in the car seat, it is pretty easy putting it in from the rear also.

Ben

95 YJ 2.5L

My wife and I just had a baby on 11/17 (Evangeline Adina 8 lbs14 oz 22") and we have no intenention of selling my 02TJ. My wife wants to wait until th baby 'wobbly' head phase is over, then she can ride in the Jeep. heck, we were just looking at getting a new TJ.

Well, I got the TJ clean up and put it up for auction on ebay. We'll see what happens. Item number# 4510075517 if any one is interested in a good, clean TX TJ.

Brad

Chad Fraker wrote:

This is what I did as well and it is actually rather easy. My kids were babies when I had my YJ and it was no problem and I considered it to be as safe as any other vehicle. I still get things in and out of my TJ via the rear today. Tomes