hi i am looking to buy another xj and i was wondering what the best years are. what are some of the things i should look for? stick or automatic? i will also be getting a 4 door. new or old body style? thanks in advance for the suggestions

 

well what do you want the rig for? daily/light & moderate offroad?
strickly trail rig?
auto/manual would be your personal preference. the AW4-auto trans. isnt bad at all. throw on a trans cooler and your good to go.
if its a daily my personaly favorite would be a 97-99. if i had to get the older generation i would get a 96.

(97-99)
highest hp/tq ratings out of all the production years (195 hp/225 torque)
they have equaly length runner intake (better than previous gens.)
still came with a high pinion d30 (2000 & up are low pinion) also you get 297x/760x u-joints
if it has a Chrysler 8.25 it has 29 spline axle shafts as opposed to 96 and lower, which had 27.
have a updated interior than pervious gens.

i may be forgetting something, but thats what I got off the top of my head. if you plan on keeping it mild and wheeling it on the weekends, the 97-99 is a good platform to start from.

(00-01)
have low pinion dana30, crack prone head, coil on plug ignition
but they are the newest...if that matters.

(renix's..84-91???) (i dont know much on these older ones)
some people perfer older xj's..like the renix's. mostly because they arent OBD controlled. which means you get to think instead of letting the computer think for you. most everything on Renix Jeeps can be figured out using a few hand tools and a multimeter.


these are just some brain kickers. every person will have a different opinion on what year and whats best..alot of it comes down to what you wanna do. i think you should try and find a nice 95-96 or a 97-99 if its gonna be a daily/light duty offroader.
thats just me though. theres a few facts to kick around with though, so see what suits you best

 

If I could buy another, It would be a similar year so that I could swap parts when troubleshooting and only have to be an "expert" in one era.

Other than that I would mix it up. You have an auto, get a stick, you have a four door, try a two door, you have 4WD, see if you get alot better mileage with 2WD. Variety is the spice of life (especially if you have ADD). Take the opertunity to try something different to see if you like it.

Personally, I like 5 speeds for the mileage, ease of service, and the limp home factor. I'd take a 4 cyl, 2WD, 2 door for a future DD. Love to get my hands on a diesel.

 

97-99 also has the dual diaphragm brake booster also with a newer model you might even be able to find one with low miles

 

this one would be cool for traffic jams lol

 

it is going to be a trail rig and, drive it on the streets every once in a while

 

so you would say 75% trail/25% roads?
if thats the case 2/4 door depends on you still. 2 doors are the **** in my opinion. but i gotta baby so i have a 4 door. if your gonna carry people grab a 4 door, if not grab a 2 door.
i think the 2 doors weight like 50-100lbs. less..i would do the 5 speed so you can control the gear your in, its better for where you wheeling.
and as notop46 the 5 speeds are easier to fix which is a plus.
deffinetly get a 4x4 if you gonna wheel it. if you dont you will reget it later.
im personly doing a 4.6L stroker and a 4.5" long arm so most of whats in the 96 xj i have right now will be replaced. i just grabbed a cheap jeep and capitalized...and its my daily. so dont think new is better.

so lets recap: trail rig/light daily driver...get a 4x4, 5speed and try and grab a renix or a 95-96..the 2/4 door is up to you. whatever you perfer honestly.
a renix (84-91) or a 95-96 are gonna be cheaper than a 97-99 or 00-01...especially sinces its not gonna be your daily. and the only real reason why i would grab a 97-99 is because updated interior.
its your trail ring though man. try and grab a decent 95-96 for cheap and go to town.