i am just graduating highschool and own an 07 dodge ram v8. i love my truck but do not want to get 12 miles to the gallon on the highway when i am off to college. thus..i want a 4x4 and not a wrangler like everyone else in the world. i love the looks of the XJs and defiantly want one! i am looking at the 97-01 body style. I have found a few on craigslist for around 3000 with about 150,000miles.

Just wanted to get your input on what i should look out for with these cherokees when buying(trany, engine, rust...) i have read the edmunds reviews but know yours will be more factual! thanks for the help!!

and i plan to put a 4.5 inch zone or rough country lift on with 31"s.

 

You'll definitely have a nice jeep on your hands with a 4.5 R/C lift and 31's. Your gas mileage will suffer, you won't be getting much better than 14 or 15 if your lucky. I'm running a 96' with 3" lift and 31's, I get about 12-13 on a good day. Also be careful of your tire choice cause anymore than 30 minutes on a good set of M/T's and they will start to melt. Don't worry too much about mileage unless it is over 250xxx, they last much longer than that w/o too many problems. Look so see if there are any signs of it being lifter prior or taken offroad, I purposely kept my stock suspension components for resale purposes. I would personally recommend a 96' or older, they tend to be more roomy inside and there are alot less electrical issues to tend to. The computers are much simpler. I forget what years they used which axles off the top of my head, but grab one w/ as 8.25 if you can, its much stronger and you can tell by the rear diff. its flat on the bottom.

 

XJ withe 4.5" lift and tires to fit will get the same gas mileage, if not worse than your truck. You want good gas mileage, then you DON'T want an XJ. You want a Good 4x4 and don't Give a damn about gas mileage, the XJ is perfect. I have had 2 XJ's and 2 ZJ and a YJ, None got better than 14MPG, ever. I will always have at least 1 Jeep, but I will never expect it to get good MPG, I expect it to get me where ever I am going. For that they are perfect.

 

well i am mainly looking for highway mileage. what kind of mileage would i get with a 98 2door, 4banger, 5speed, with 31s and a 4.5 lift? and what would i get on the highway with a 2000 4door, strait6, auto, 31s and 4.5 lift? thanks for the help guys!

 

they all get about the same gas milage. as stated about youll get about 16 combined if you DONT lift it and leave everything stock. i have a 2 in lift with 31's and can tell it suffers a bit. but thier are things you can do to gain some back. IE cold air intake (bad for offroad.) headers ect. but xj's are better for all around than mpg.