Actually, for a short time they sold the 5 and 7 together. Don’t remember the time frame but it was a few years. My buddy sold Jeeps, Chrysler, AMC and Dodge at that time and he told me they killed the 5 because of the liability. And they damn sure would roll!
Speaking of AMC. What P.O.S’s were they? Course a lot of American cars were P.O.S. then.
I rescued a 77 CJ7 When it was only 4 years old. The sheet metal was already rusted through around the fenders. The body was soon replaced with fiberglass.
Drive train is still all original and running. Factory six, GM TH400 automatic transmission (the same used in GM motorhomes at the time!) and full time four wheel drive. Not a lot of miles on it, I use it for running the back roads. Highway running is a challenge because of the short wheelbase and narrow track axles. I never upgraded the six, it has plenty of power for off road use but not enough to destroy the rest of the drive train.
I'd say It was worth the money just for the fun!