hey guys im new to this forum, i am currently looking into buying a 97-01 cherokee. this is my favorite of the years. is there anything i should be aware of, what to look for, and if 130k miles is something to not get into??

any help would be greatly appreciated.
i guess you can look at this thread as posting you horror or victory stories of the XJ, because i am very excited about getting one.

 

If it has the I-6 in it 130K is just breaking that engine in! No but 130K should not be bad. I have almost 200K on mine and it runs like new.

 

If it has the I-6 and the NP-231 t-case your in good shape...130,000 lol....its just getting broke in..its hard to ruin one of these motors if they are properly maintained

 

I have a 99 and love it. Some things to look for in the drive train are High pinion dana 30 pre 2000 models have them, I prefer the 231 over the 242(more upgrade options). Stay away from ABS! I believe all ABS equiped xjs have a dana 35 rear. Look for a 8.25 rear. The 2000-2001 had a coil pak type ignition which has better fuel economy but but expensive when needing new coils. I'm sure I'm missing something, but thats all I can think of.

 

The experiences my wife and I have had with our 2000 XJ 4x4 have been very good overall, I would recommend it as a good pick for a used 4x4. In fact we bought a new Liberty based on our experience with the Cherokee. The Jeep has always started and ran well, never left us stranded, and in the snow, even really deep stuff, it's virtually unstopable. We have kept the XJ as a second vehicle, its fun to drive and has a lot of utility value.

It has only had a few issues. The most serious was the A/C stopped working, and that was found to be a bad evaporator core that would require lifting of the dash and removal of the steering column to replace. We decided not to fix the A/C because of the cost to do this job, around $800.00. The only other issues other than normal replacement items are the pump for the rear window washer died, and the front differential needed a new seal and the front U-joints needed replacement. That has been it as far as problems with the XJ. Even being in the salt of Erie, PA, the XJ's body still looks great after 9 years.

-UT-

 

oh wow, so 2000 2001 is the better year to buy then. how would i check if the 4wd works in dry pavement?

where should i look for leaks in the differentials or transfer case

 

The diff leak I had was easy to spot as it was where the driveshaft pinion went in- the bottom of the diff case was wet from fluid. That seal was easy to replace. The differentials are relatively bulletproff- really the whole drivetrain is especially the 4.0 engine. Unless you are doing very serious off-roading or REALLY beating the S%$#e out of it, the stock components are plenty strong.

You can usually feel a difference when 4WD engages. I can actually hear the light whirring of the chain inside the transfer case when 4WD is engaged. A good way to tell is sharp turning gets tight when its in 4WD.

-UT-

 

I would look for the best deal money wise and overall condition of said vehicle especially look for rust on under side of the vechile.

 

how about the transfer case is there a way of telling if its bad or simply just looking for a crack, also at this many miles the front and rear diff fluids should be chaanged and also the transfer case fluid

 

Try to look for a 00-01 if possible. Ithas the 8.25 with the 29 spline shafts. A major inprovement over the 27's.

 

so should i change the differential fluids then if the previous owner has no records of doing it. i remember the transfer case broke on my denali and it was definitely not a cheap fix at 2500