I'm a sixteen year old with a dilema. I need to choose my first 4x4 (which will also be my first vehicle in general), which I have to buy on my own. I'm down to two choices, both great running 4x4's. The first, an early eighties stock Dodge longbed pickup with a 360 v8 for four hundred dollars; and the second, a mid seventies cj 5 for five hundred dollars. Both very cheap, and in pretty good condition considering the prices.  i've checked up on suspension/tire prices and decided that for the Dodge I would go with an 8" lift from Skyjacker and some 38x14.5x15 gumbo mudders; and for the cj, I was thinking about a 4" lift on 33x12.5x15 BFG mud terrains. I live in North Georgia so my main use would be on the local trails and as much mud as possible. So if anyone has any idea on a decision, I could really use the help; or if you have any better ideas on mods it would be greatly appreciated, dont worry about difficulty, im from a family of mechanics who are more than willing to help out in every way possible. 

Go with the Jeep.  Chicks dig 'em, there are a million parts for 'em, and they're just plain cool.

And they are a LOT more unstable on icy and slick roads too. About 3 year ago I watched two of them spin out on a bridge overpass on I-70 never about 30 second apart here and they were both totaled. The second one hit the first one in the median and went thru and over it. The guy in the first one was cut up pretty good and was only saved by the fact that he was hit on passenger side otherwise he would have be dead because that side was pushed into the drivers seat and his laptop that was on passsanger seat was crushed like a pop can. I do not call that "fun" to drive. I would go for the old dodge. They are a bit homely lookin but they are sturdy too.  

go with the jeep iam also 16 and just bought a cj5. the only bad thing is the insurance but who the hell cares its a jeep how many other 16 year olds have cj5. plus suspension lifts are a lot cheaper good luck on the build up.  

ANd the reason they have high insurance is two fold, very unstable on slick pavement and poor protection for passenger in a wreck. Not the best vehical to learn to drive in especaily if you are in a snowy area. After watching 2 jeeps wreck the same spot 30 seconds apart in winter with seasoned drivers I would never let my kid in one. They are not a "toy" so to speak.  

By "seasoned" I assume you mean older.  Age has nothing to do with how well a person can or does drive.  If the people driving those Jeeps had known what they were doing; they wouldn't have wrecked.  Also, it can be better to teach someone in an unstable vehicle.  It teaches caution and respect for the vehicle.

A "seasoned" driver means one who has experience, or age. Granted, not everyone is a good driver, but new drivers (16 years old) do not generally have knowledge of how a vehicle can react. I was 26 when my Postal Jeep encountered ice and hit a bank. I was 32 when my Ford Taurus wagon encountered ice, activated ABS and skidded out of control through a wire fence. BOth situations were on clear roads, during the winter, and clear skies. However, when I had my 77 Dodge 1-ton dually 4x4, the sixteen year old I drove over (little Oldsmobile Achieva) stated that he didn't see my truck. Anyway, the vehicle doesn't make the driver. My Dodge won the collision with a 2-inch smile dent versus the totalled Olds.

For the purpose of responding to your initial question, the Dodge will excel over a relatively stock CJ5 on your muddy trails. Granted the lift parts cost more, but the Dodge (as stated) has the 360 and your not going to harm the drivetrain too badly with 38's. Though for longevity, I would swap out the Dana 44 front and Corporate rear and run 1-ton stuff (Dana 60's), or larger. Why not some Rockwell Duece axles? Then you can run 44's. Cut the top off the Dodge, caring to run good cut lines, and you can make a hardtop like the So Cal mini trucks of the 80's, and run topless in the summer... I have a 75 Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4 now, and I am looking into a Jeep. I'm calling the kettle black a little...buy both!

That corperate rear it not the weak and as long as he does not get wild with engine, it should hold up fine. Short wheel base vehical like a Jeep are a heart attack on icy roads though. I drove a 91 Toyota Camary 215K in 13 years and some of that time on the icy winter roads of Montana and Idaho that were icy and snow covered up to 6 months a year. Best vehical I ever drove on ice in my life. Very stable and predictable and I used to leave my 4x4 burb parked when it was bad with icy and take Toyota down to Idaho. It never even came close to leaving the road with it. Driving 200 mile round trips and never seeing the pavement during the winter was not unusual out there were we lived.

Also the last winter we lived out there, there was a 16 year old girl that had been driving alone for less than a month that was killed when she spun out her Jeep type vehicle in front of another car coming the other way on a icy road.

It seems you don't pay attention very well.  He says he lives in north Georgia. How much winter do you think he will see?  I agree a cj jeep flat out sucks on icy roads.  I test drove one on dry roads when I was "unseasoned" and thought it was unstable and chose to stay clear of it.  I live in the snow belt along Lake Erie so I understand what you are saying about uneducated drivers.  If it were my money I'd buy the full size truck and keep the tires around 35 inches.  Less strain on the axles, breaks, trans, ect...  It sounds like throwing gobs of cash at the rig isn't likely so changing gears and or upgrading to 1 ton axles may not be affordable.  If money is no object the big bad dodge would be hella cool compared to just another jeep.   

Be nice. If a big biuld up is in his cards then he should scrap both plans and buy a 3/4 ton to start with and have less beefing up to do.  

I'm 21 and still have the '84 CJ-7 I got when I was 16,  go with the jeep, parts are easy to find, they are easy to lift, and parts are cheap.  My jeep sucks on ice, that's why I just stay home when it gets bad out there, unless i absoloutely have to,  but if the roads are clear and the muddy trails have snow on them, the jeep can be a blast.

I fully agree that on trials and mud they can be a "blast", especailly the older ones. I have seen some stock CJ's with 4.10's and lite weight 4 bangers go some amazing places!  

All the snow discussion is off topic, but it seems strange to me that everyone thinks the jeep on 33's would be scary on snow. I live in canada guys, I would take a jeep on 33's on icy roads before a 7000 pound tank on 38" mud tires.....been there, done that, got the scars.

On topic, if you are running trails wide enough to accomodate a fullsize truck and you are gonna play mostly mud, go with the dodge! Not many built 80's dodges around, be pretty cool if you ask me. I think everyone has seen jeep on 33's once or twice.

Just my 2 bits.  

I lived in SW Montana for a while were minus 40 was no big deal. Ice is a lot more "predictable when it is below zero and tires are cold enough not to melt the ice on contact. When it is in the teens and 20's though icy can be real nasty. I once saw two jeeps crash about 30 seconds apart on a interstate overpass. They both spun out on ice and the second one creamed the first one in the ditch. ALL short wheel base rear drive vehicals can be a heart attack on ice unless they are studded or it is conditions like above.  

I think the problems with jeeps is the driver alot of the time. Especially with stock jeeps. Alot of yuppie folks seem to be taking the "trail rated" thing as a hint of indestructibility. I'm not saying jeep drivers are bad, I'm saying some bad drivers buy jeeps in an attempt to make up for their lack of drving skill.

Notice how soccer moms are switching to SUV's instead of minivan's cus they think a 6000lb 4x4 will be better in the winter than a 3500lb front wheel drive van.

My buddy had a little chevy tracker and that little bugger was a damn good winter vehicle (other than the soft top). My 84 burb on 35" tires with a detroit in the back end required every little bit of attention you had to keep is straight on the snow and ice.

My experience, for your information.