Buying a CJ SX
- Thread starter Samwyz
- Start date
tryg
New Member
Hi, I don't have an SX, but the first series of CJ ES (2007).
I was not enamoured with the exhaust note, hence me changing it. I built a new axle-back (final) exhaust to give it a deeper grumble.
The SX is a tidy car, are you getting a manual or a CVT auto?
I bought mine at the Govt. Auctions, so only autos were on offer. I have since spent $12K+ doing it up from base level to something nice, to my liking.
Out of all the mid-sized cars, the Lancer CJ has a good amount of torque and horsepower, that rivals the Holden Cruze, Ford Focus, Hyundai i30, Honda Civic etc... so although you might not have the 2.4ltr VRX, you will still be very happy with the power.
There are a lot of mods that are available now, so just pick the ones you like and customise!
My before and after:
Ryan and Dave are also a wealth of knowledge on here, regarding CJs, as I am sure are others.
P.S. I have an aftermarket single exhaust system sitting around (now that I bought a stainless twin) should you want a bolt-on, extremely inexpensive one to tie you over!!
I was not enamoured with the exhaust note, hence me changing it. I built a new axle-back (final) exhaust to give it a deeper grumble.
The SX is a tidy car, are you getting a manual or a CVT auto?
I bought mine at the Govt. Auctions, so only autos were on offer. I have since spent $12K+ doing it up from base level to something nice, to my liking.
Out of all the mid-sized cars, the Lancer CJ has a good amount of torque and horsepower, that rivals the Holden Cruze, Ford Focus, Hyundai i30, Honda Civic etc... so although you might not have the 2.4ltr VRX, you will still be very happy with the power.
There are a lot of mods that are available now, so just pick the ones you like and customise!
My before and after:
Ryan and Dave are also a wealth of knowledge on here, regarding CJs, as I am sure are others.
P.S. I have an aftermarket single exhaust system sitting around (now that I bought a stainless twin) should you want a bolt-on, extremely inexpensive one to tie you over!!
Exhaust is pretty quiet on the manual, drones/"moooo's" a little bit under for the CVT but all in all its not too bad. If you want a sporty note you'll want to put a new rear muffler on though. Although I think the VR has some nicer features over an SX/ES, so maybe see if you can get a good deal on a VR and stretch your budget a tad.
So far there's been the odd electronic sensor failure amongst them (something you're going to get on pretty much any new car), but no major issues at all. Personally I've had no regrets getting my CJ VRX, over 2 years and 55,000+km later!
So far there's been the odd electronic sensor failure amongst them (something you're going to get on pretty much any new car), but no major issues at all. Personally I've had no regrets getting my CJ VRX, over 2 years and 55,000+km later!
Samwyz
New Member
Yeah I can't legally drive a manual but I'll be getting a manual, I'll have to look aroun a bit I saw a 2007 vrx for I think like 18-20 had damaged front pods or something but id prefer a new car but I'll have a look around cos I got like 10 days holidays as Friday so I can hopefully find something and put my car up for sale 
You'll need an after market exhaust, they sound like a regular car without one. Even with one they are still whiney inside the cabin.
Go and drive one, see if you like it.
Cons:
Heavy
Slow
Lack of decent after market performance parts
Come in 4wd spec stock
Power windows don't go up automatically (opens automatically)
Sunroof doesn't close automatically (opens automatically)
*poo* paint
Awkward seats (i'd imagine anything below a VR/VRX would have even worse seats).
Go and drive one, see if you like it.
Cons:
Heavy
Slow
Lack of decent after market performance parts
Come in 4wd spec stock
Power windows don't go up automatically (opens automatically)
Sunroof doesn't close automatically (opens automatically)
*poo* paint
Awkward seats (i'd imagine anything below a VR/VRX would have even worse seats).
Eh set of coilovers (which fixes the 4WD spec) and decent tyres and the CJ is fast enough for me, anything more powerful down the straight and you'll only end up with more tickets :lol:
Power windows I think have been changed slightly in the new MY11s, pretty sure they now automatically go up when you press the lock button on the key twice....
I would say the mod scene was crap back in 2008, but now there is a fair bit of modding stuff out there and continuously more popping up. The main performance mods are well covered now, coilovers, headers, pre-made exhausts and there are plenty of intakes, but the best is a $120larger duct off the RA Lancer which fits nicely onto the N/A lancer's and slap a HKS, Blitz or K&N panel filter in...
Oh and don't forget the cheap ECU reflash that RPW do, from what I hear it's the best money you can spend on the CJ in terms of $ to performance gains....
Power windows I think have been changed slightly in the new MY11s, pretty sure they now automatically go up when you press the lock button on the key twice....
I would say the mod scene was crap back in 2008, but now there is a fair bit of modding stuff out there and continuously more popping up. The main performance mods are well covered now, coilovers, headers, pre-made exhausts and there are plenty of intakes, but the best is a $120larger duct off the RA Lancer which fits nicely onto the N/A lancer's and slap a HKS, Blitz or K&N panel filter in...
Oh and don't forget the cheap ECU reflash that RPW do, from what I hear it's the best money you can spend on the CJ in terms of $ to performance gains....
i have to agree with the seats my mates one (base model CJ whatever that is) the seats are really quite unconfortable front, and more so in the back
thats from a pasengers perspective
and exhaust sounds quite quiet, cant comment on speed coz the guy isnt all that great at shifting at the right time, but it feels torquey enuf (but this is coming from a 1.5L drivers perspective)
thats from a pasengers perspective
and exhaust sounds quite quiet, cant comment on speed coz the guy isnt all that great at shifting at the right time, but it feels torquey enuf (but this is coming from a 1.5L drivers perspective)
Yeah Soph has an ES whilst I have the VRX and the VRX seats are definitely way comfier than the ES. I've done 10hr trips no worries in the VRX and it wasn't uncomfortable for me at all.
Rear seats I believe are the same between all the N/A models and personally I think they are quite comfy (except for the rear middle which is too hard on the back rest because of the fold down cup holder), but in reality your never likely to have 3 rear seat passengers for long distances. At the end of the day seats are a personal preference sort of thing. Best to go to the show room and try out for yourself.
As for the 2L 4B11 I wouldn't say it's very torquey, but in the mid-high RPM band it develops a reasonable amount of power thanks to the MIVEC and pulls pretty good considering it's a ~1.3T car, whilst still giving you good economy around town if you keep the revs down...
Rear seats I believe are the same between all the N/A models and personally I think they are quite comfy (except for the rear middle which is too hard on the back rest because of the fold down cup holder), but in reality your never likely to have 3 rear seat passengers for long distances. At the end of the day seats are a personal preference sort of thing. Best to go to the show room and try out for yourself.
As for the 2L 4B11 I wouldn't say it's very torquey, but in the mid-high RPM band it develops a reasonable amount of power thanks to the MIVEC and pulls pretty good considering it's a ~1.3T car, whilst still giving you good economy around town if you keep the revs down...
tryg
New Member
The additional power, provided by the VRX, seems to be a prized comment on a lot of forums; let's put it into perspective:
VRX
Engine: 2,360cc DOHC in-line four-cylinder (16 valve)
Power: 125kW @ 6000rpm (167)
Torque: 226Nm @ 4100rpm
Weight: 1385kg (Tare) (3047)
Power:Weight Ratio is 1 : 18.2
1/4 approximation: 15.335 @ 143.05 km/h
Other NA models
Engine: 1998cc DOHC four-cylinder (16 valve)
Power: 113kW @ 6000rpm (151)
Torque: 198Nm @ 4250rpm
Weight: 1295kg (Tare) (2849)
Power:Weight Ratio is 1 : 18.9
1/4 approximation: 15.507 @ 141.46 km/h
These are stock vehicles... let's just say I have scared a few VRX drivers, with very few mods. I would suggest mine has come up (almost) to meet a VRX, in my most humble opinion.
Now, I didn't just come up with this, this is done using Drag Racing calculators, which we use all the time in my sporting motorcycle club. We drag. I drag.
These calculators do not take into account driver skill, reaction time, shifting etc... it just concentrates on the provided OEM figures or figures from an independent assessment (dyno). This is based on equal match-up (no driver weight), perfect conditions, equal launch etc
The math is sound...
Ok, bring on the smarty pants remarks!
VRX
Engine: 2,360cc DOHC in-line four-cylinder (16 valve)
Power: 125kW @ 6000rpm (167)
Torque: 226Nm @ 4100rpm
Weight: 1385kg (Tare) (3047)
Power:Weight Ratio is 1 : 18.2
1/4 approximation: 15.335 @ 143.05 km/h
Other NA models
Engine: 1998cc DOHC four-cylinder (16 valve)
Power: 113kW @ 6000rpm (151)
Torque: 198Nm @ 4250rpm
Weight: 1295kg (Tare) (2849)
Power:Weight Ratio is 1 : 18.9
1/4 approximation: 15.507 @ 141.46 km/h
These are stock vehicles... let's just say I have scared a few VRX drivers, with very few mods. I would suggest mine has come up (almost) to meet a VRX, in my most humble opinion.
Now, I didn't just come up with this, this is done using Drag Racing calculators, which we use all the time in my sporting motorcycle club. We drag. I drag.
These calculators do not take into account driver skill, reaction time, shifting etc... it just concentrates on the provided OEM figures or figures from an independent assessment (dyno). This is based on equal match-up (no driver weight), perfect conditions, equal launch etc
The math is sound...
Ok, bring on the smarty pants remarks!
The seat's aren't uncomfortable. Just awkward. They don't face straight ahead, so you're angled in which doesn't quite match up with the steering wheel.
My sister pointed this out to me after borrowing my car for the weekend, I never noticed it until she mentioned it but now it annoys me. Very slight angle, but still an annoyance.
My sister pointed this out to me after borrowing my car for the weekend, I never noticed it until she mentioned it but now it annoys me. Very slight angle, but still an annoyance.
The biggest beef I have with our CJ is the whine of the CVT. Drives me nuts how much noise it makes when it gets whirring, and doesnt seem like it produces any more power or speed when its screaming. Ours is stock though, so maybe an exhaust would help drain that out, but basicially in stock form you can hardly hear the exhaust over it's whine. If it was mine alone it wouldve been manual but the mrs can hardly drive them so only choice was auto.
Apart from that not much I can complain about too badly. The paint seems to be pretty *poo* quality, got a few chips from nothing more than very light stones being flicked up that have already come up in very small bits of surface rust. And I must say that Ive noticed the angle on the seats too, doesnt worry me too much, but I notice it when Im parking it because it always feels crooked when I park it.
Apart from that not much I can complain about too badly. The paint seems to be pretty *poo* quality, got a few chips from nothing more than very light stones being flicked up that have already come up in very small bits of surface rust. And I must say that Ive noticed the angle on the seats too, doesnt worry me too much, but I notice it when Im parking it because it always feels crooked when I park it.