What Jeep Cherokee???

[SWbySWesty]

Running bigger tires on an XJ is probably the biggest pain, the fender wells are not big tire friendly so get ready to cut.

Not really a pain if you think about it or have someone who has done it before help you :smiley_drive:

I have two 96's, and both of them have the 29 spline 8.25 rear end. In terms of pre 97, they are as good as it gets in my opinion. Many of the 97+ features, aside from cosmetic, are on the 96s as it was a transition year.

~James

I agree. I have a 1996 and a 1997. Aside from comfort features, they were both the SAME car. The 1997 was a little quieter as it had more options...like a carpet LOL. So don't steer away from a 1996 - I've actually found used parts easier to source on a 1996 than the 1997 because there are way more donor vehicles.

that was until the grape grew up and became sour

 

[winkosmosis]

At some point they reinforced the unibody. I can't remember if it was 1997 with the restyling, or 1996. Also at some point the doors got reinforcing beams

 

[BIGdaddy]

I like my 92:

-hp30
High output 4.0L
-np231
-Laredo package. seats are in perfect shape.
-bulletproof auto tranny (aw4, right?)
-d35 rear (Fine for now, easily swapped out for a late model 29 spl 8.25)
-It was cheap, so I own it, rather than the bank
-ABS - has saved my bacon 2 times now
-power windows are nice with kids in the back
-factory tint has "purpled" but it keeps it nice
and cool inside
-to check codes all I have to do is turn the key three times (pre-OBDII ?)
-pepboys has everything I need to keep her running.

Some of this might apply to the newer ones, too. This is just what I like about the particular truck that I picked out. It only has 168,000 miles, too. VERY low mileage.

I like the older "sharper" body style, but I guess the newer ones are safer, and I like safety. I might end up looking around for a newer one, but for now, I get 19-20mpg daily driving this one, with complete reliability so far...

No need to change anything, IMO.

I like that most parts are bolt-on, too.

The later models tend to always have a footnote saying " 97-01 requires drilling, welding, fiddling, mucking about, etc..." not a big issue, but my time is important, so I appreciate it. I'd rather be driving the car than working on it.

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

All good info here. I've also owned a '96 and my impression after purchasing the '98 was that the '98 was just better overall than the '96. I would say that if the best one you can find & test drive is a '96, go for it, it's still a good reliable vehicle that's capable off road.

[snip]
The body comes in both 2-door and 4-door styles with a rear hatch (liftgate), and there is no difference in body length or seating location between the two, although the 2-door versions have a flip-forward design to the front seats.

In 1994 side-impact beams were added in the doors and roof was strengthened. The 3rd brakelight was added to the liftgate, at the bottom of the window.

In 1996 the body structure was strengthened some including changes to reduce NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) although there were no changes in external appearance. Some of the NVH enhancements included the addition of a main bearing girdle in the engine to strengthen and quiet the 4.0L motor.

In 1997 the body and interior were redesigned to freshen them up a bit. Most noticeably the redesign gave the body smoother lines by changing the bumpers, flares, and moldings. The front fender was trimmed just below the headlights and replaced with plastic bumper endcaps that wrap around to the wheel well. The liftgate was also changed from fiberglass to sheet metal in this year, and the third brakelight was moved to the top of the liftgate. The windshield washer bottle was also moved to the inside of the drivers side front fender - this causes problems for some owners who trim the fenders or move their flares higher, as they frequently drill through the washer bottle.

[/snip]

SOURCE<- good read...

 

[AFSOC]

THEPATRIOT, why are you in the market for a Jeep? What happened to the $500 Trooper? If I'd have found a $500 Trooper in the condition of the one you bought I would not own my XJ.

 

[njjeepthing]

I'm also in the market for a late model XJ. I've owned three in the past, 96,98 & 01 Anniversary edition. I wish I never got rid of them for a SWB TJ. Now I am searching for a low mileage XJ. Found a few around, but dam they are stiff on their prices on the low mileage ones. Higher mileage one's 100K plus can be found around here all day in the 2-3k range.

Good luck in your search, I'm out there looking too!:smiley_drive:

 

[winkosmosis]

THEPATRIOT, why are you in the market for a Jeep? What happened to the $500 Trooper? If I'd have found a $500 Trooper in the condition of the one you bought I would not own my XJ.

I second this. That's a nice Trooper, and the price can't be beat!! But if you want to sell for a profit and buy an XJ, you might as well drive what you want.

 

[THEPATRIOT]

THEPATRIOT, why are you in the market for a Jeep? What happened to the $500 Trooper? If I'd have found a $500 Trooper in the condition of the one you bought I would not own my XJ.

I'm up in the air about the trooper???I "may" belooking for something that has FAR better support.

 

[SWbySWesty]

I'm also in the market for a late model XJ. I've owned three in the past, 96,98 & 01 Anniversary edition. I wish I never got rid of them for a SWB TJ. Now I am searching for a low mileage XJ. Found a few around, but dam they are stiff on their prices on the low mileage ones. Higher mileage one's 100K plus can be found around here all day in the 2-3k range.

Good luck in your search, I'm out there looking too!:smiley_drive:

I consider BOTH of mine at nearly 180,000 miles only 50% of their usable life before a simple junkyard swap OR a stroker.

Save your cash and get higher mileage as long as it's been taken care of. :smiley_drive:

 

[StumpXJ]

I agree, one of mine just turned 190K this weekend on an 1100 mile round trip to Orlando and back without so much as a hiccup. We have had this one since new, and I have maintained it meticulously. My wife drives it every day for work. It looks and works almost as good as the day it was purchased.

The other one has 139K and is my 'wheeling' rig. I beat on it, but maintain it very well also. I wouldn't hesitate to drive it cross country.

I am of the thinking, there is not one item on my jeep that cannot be replaced or repaired by me, so mileage means nothing to me. If you start off with a good solid platform, and maintain it, it could last a lifetime.

If you arent mechanically inclined (and I dont know), or dont have the time/patience, a jeep (any of them) is probably not the best decision. Just my opinion.

~James

 

[Stumpalump]

As old as they are getting then condition over year is most important. No rust is what you want. I do like the later years also because it was made in a different factory with all new robots. The floor pan is different making it stiffer and safer in a wreck. Airbags and door side bars and other things were added. The body looks the same but the few changes were all good. The stiffer body drives better and is less noisy on the road and trails. Buy a clean older one if you find a real clean one cheap. Stay away from the 80's and early 90's and get one with the HO 4.0 engine. Thats the 6 banger in all the newer ones.

 

[Momrocks]

I am of the thinking, there is not one item on my jeep that cannot be replaced or repaired by me, so mileage means nothing to me. If you start off with a good solid platform, and maintain it, it could last a lifetime.

:iagree: So true, that was a very strong factor in my decision to buy an XJ. You can easily repair anything on them with basic tools and skills. As important is that you can do it on the cheap. Any parts house is fully stocked with spares and any wrecking yard has multi-hulks to be stripped all for very cheap. I have taken a rather slow path of evolution in my build up and have sourced a large percentage of mods from Craigslist. I wanted a winch but was realistic about when I "had to have it", six months later I sourced a new in the box M8000 for $400. I bartered the winch plate (which I didn't need) for four BFG M/Ts with 8,800 miles on them mounted to Jeep rims. Four hunnert bones for new winch and near new tires already mounted and balanced...I'll take that any day.

 

[SWbySWesty]

Stay away from the 80's and early 90's and get one with the HO 4.0 engine. Thats the 6 banger in all the newer ones.

The inline 6 cylinder engine is better than the V6 engine from what I've heard. Both mine have the I6 and the engine has 0 problems...just a few drips here and there, but I'm being lazy about fixing that

 

[Root Moose]

The only caveat I will add about the older ones is that the first 4.0 engined XJs used the RENIX (Renault / Bendix) EFI system (1987 - 1990). It is a robust system and as good as the subsequent ChryCo EFI IMO. Some people even prefer the RENIX for building a stroker because of the knock sensor built into the system. That and supposedly the RENIX blocks have a higher nickel content in the block so they wear less. I don't know if that is true, I read it on the Internet.

Stay away from the 84-86 XJs with the GM 60 degree V6. The drivetrain is weak and in order to do a swap you need to make a bunch of changes to get the 4.0. The firewall stamping changed as did the front grille header assembly. PITA. If you found a truly rust free one with the intention to swap in a V8 I might consider it...but even then would recommend staying away.

A couple of people have mentioned that "half life" for an XJ is at around 200k miles. I agree but the body needs some help. I highly recommend doing some work to stiffen the body before starting to do any wheeling with an XJ.

When I first got into XJs I did the research and decided to get the later (97+) version to get the stiffer body thinking that it would be a good thing to have. Our first little excursion I parked beside a lake and we unloaded the back to have a picnic. When it was time to leave I couldn't get the hatch closed. I thought the newsed XJ I had bought had a bum latch already. After monkey around with it I realized that the latch wasn't lining up with the body at all. I had parked on uneven ground and the hatch was not lined up due to torsional flex in the unibody. That day made me decide to stiffen the unibody before starting to really go off-road with it.

I don't know how floppy the older trucks are but if the new trucks have "new and improved" torsional rigidity then the old trucks must be really flexible.

 

[SWbySWesty]

yea, my '96 had the same issue when I fell into a ditch at an angle...it tweaked a good 4 inches off, but it came right back once we got pulled out