So I have been a Jeep fan for years I have had my 98 Wrangler for 7 years and I absolutely love it! However, it is a little impractical with a growing family. I have searched around on this forum for tips when buying a XJ however I didnt find much.

I am looking at buying a 2000 Limited Cherokee 4.0L Automatic with 102,000 miles on it. The price they are asking is $5,500 which is right at Kelly Blue Book.

I am going to get a carfax before I buy it but what kind of things should I look for that are specific for Cherokees? I know that the rear seal on Cherokees have a tendency to leak but that is a fairly minor fix. Is there anything else I should watch out for?

Thanks for your advice!

 

Check for cracked upper door hinges and be sure to examine everything underneath for rust. If the dealer lets you pull the fill plugs on the diffs and check the fluid. Too many people think that diff oil lasts forever unless it leaks out and you might find some nasty gunk in there that will give you a good idea of how the Jeep was maintained. Also oil filter housing O-rings are known to fail and leak.

 

GP has good game plan rust is u-body's enemy but metal can be replaced. if I was huntin again I'd look for tow package they tend to come with dana 44 rear. I bought my 98 XJ for a grand & the hood was rusted shut from no tlc(no one seviced it just ran the **** out of it) it had 162000 miles with 4.0 little rust underneath & round gas filler door. but since then I've replaced u-joints up front on axles & hubs(w/brute force) put brembo rotors & new calipers w/ porcelain pads, drums & hardware w/porcelain shoes & set of sumitomo tires. changed all fluids no leaks so went to full synthetic k&n air filter plus 4 plugs & bosch wires w/new distr. cap & rotor replaced muffler & tail pipe too I think I may have thrown bout $1300 into before tires. gets almost 20 mpg & I put over 25000 miles on it since in little over 2 years. but it gets LIFTED this year!

 

I just bought almost the exact same XJ, cept mine only had 98k. They were asking $5600, I paid $5k because the front bumper had a ding in it (which consequently I just made worse on day 2 of owning it by hitting a tree...).

My valve cover gasket was leaking, and the motor was all nasty from the accumulated oil. $32 for a new gasket, couple hours of my time.....$20 to replace the thing I broke changing it, and some simple green and my engine looks nice. Mine has a lot of rust on suspension parts (will bend me over when I get ready to lift it) and exhaust from living it's life in D.C, but none on the unibody or panels (lucky!).

I went ahead and replaced all fluids including differentials, oil, tranny, transfer case and am getting ready to do the coolant this weekend.

 

I think what really matters here is this: What do you want to with this Jeep? You looking to DD it with some minor wheeling on the side? Do you plan on lifting it?

For me personally, I would shy away from 2000-2001 because of the LP D30 up front and the 0331 head (said to be prone to cracking, I have no personal experience with this). That being said, I like to drive my junk off-road as much as I can, so I wanted the most durable stock setup I could find. For example, my list of "needs" when I was in the market went something like so: No-abs (8.25 rear end), 4.0 HO w/o 0331 (91-99), as little power junk as possible (no PW, PL, PM, etc.), and older body style (pre-97). I ended up with a 1995 set up just how I wanted it. The only quibble I have is the 27 spline 8.25, but I can live with that since I am only running 31's.

Anyways, the only other thing that I would seriously be concerned about is rust. Since mine was a Michigan Jeep, the floors have disintegrated into oblivion. That will be my next summer big project. If you are in a milder climate, you should be good to go.

Hope this helps, and have fun on the XJ hunt!

 

Mittenbilly - Any problems with your 1995? I'm looking at my first XJ and it's a 95 with a tweaked head gasket for 500 bucks.

 

Thanks guys for the help! The Cherokee I am looking to get is going to be my DD with some minor wheeling, I have my customized TJ as my main wheeler.

The Cherokee I looked at I had to turn down cause they were firm on their price of $5,900 even though it had $1,000+ worth of dents and body damage to the roof... Well I guess I will continue my search!

Thanks again guys this is a big help!

 

Mittenbilly, what kind of front bumper is that you have? What did you use to cut the front fender flares? Any other mods to make that fit?

 

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Wow, what a bunch of snobs. Way overpriced!