sideshow_joe

why did you choose to build/drive your xj did you find it or did it find you? personally my xj found me and i couldnt be happier i work as a mechanic and i was doing a timing belt on a honda and the kid didnt have much money but he did have this xj for sale with a blown headgasket so i traded my labor for the jeep with the intentions of fixing it then selling it but it just seemed so right when i drove it i was at peace. then i took it out 4wheeling and that was it it was off the market. it was like destiny by the way it rides and wheels, in my opinion, so much better than my wifes yj id like to hear your stories

9XJSPORT7

I used to be into yj's and tj's but then my sister met my brother n law. He only wheeled xj's. The first time I met him he took me out in his 92 two door sport siting on 40 inch boggers and I was hooked. He was the one that found my xj for me and i couldn't be happier with it.

96 XJ Sport

I'm on my second XJ. My first XJ definitely found me. About 10 years ago, I was inspired by Dave Ramsey to sell a Honda that I owed WAY too much money on, so I was looking for something less expensive to reduce my debt and pay off quickly. I just wanted some type of SUV and my cousin who owns a car lot called and said, hey I have this nice blue 94 cherokee. So I bought it and shortly thereafter came to understand the "Jeep thing".

Four years later sold the 94 to fund a minivan purchase...had to be done, but I knew I wanted an XJ again someday. Now five years after that, I can finally afford to have a third vehicle, so last fall I sought out another XJ and found my 96. Why? There is just something satisfying about the simplicity and utilitarian functionality of the XJ. Consumer demand for bells and whistles, I'm afraid, will keep Jeep from building anything like it again.

xjrev10

My grandparents gave me a rusted 89 cherokee pioneer when i was 14. I was always in love with jeeps ever since my powerwheels wrangler when i was 4 or 5. I drove that for awhile and now i've had 3 comanche's and around 6 xjs. Will be looking for the seventh when i get some **** paid off. I like them because they are somewhat of a sleeper. They look tame till you wheel one. Even stock.

88fadedglory

We had only a old Dodge pickup, a class C RV, and an old motorscooter and needed something to meet several criteria:

1) enclosed cargo area. (tired of groceries getting wet in a truck too old to find a tonneau cover for)

2) flat towable behind the RV. (this meant a 4X4 or something with a driveshaft / axle disconnect or an external transmission pump)

3) decent gas mileage. (I'm happy with low to mid 20 mpgs)

4) room for four to five adults (I got 16 people into a 64 1/2 Barracuda once)

5) able to tow a small trailer. (something to haul lawn mowers, fishing boats, garden supplies, fishing boats, recyclables, fishing boats, and ... did I mention fishing boats?)

6) able to get to fishing holes I previously could only dream of getting to. (4" of ground clearance under a passenger car doesn't work well on fire roads)

7) made in America (or as much so as possible. I won't send any more of my money overseas than I have to)

So, an 88 XJ fit the bill pretty well.

Budd

Dan4governor

I was looking for it, and it was looking for me.
I'm on my second xj, my first one I bought in college because I was looking for cheap cars and I decided that I wanted to get one that I have seen a ton of around on the streets (because in my mind, the more that were running, the more reliable they were). After I bought one, I realized that the xj had pretty much the same body style for almost 20 years! thats why I saw so many of them. That also meant that getting parts is cheap and easy. Every junk yard has a whole row of them.
I liked it so much that when it died and I needed a new car, I only test drove xj's. I will keep the one I have forever, though I might buy a different daily driver so I can turn mine into a rock crawler
getting a little closer every mod...

bigbadcherokee

i found mine on craigslist wasnt lookin for it but it was what i needed, cargo space, room for the kids, and ability to go four wheeling, and it had a lift so went to look at it and had to have it. never thought i would own a jeep but now that i have one i cant live without it

nhegel

I chose XJ for the room to take kids with and the fact that I now have the only lifted one in my town. Its awesome.

winston427

My XJ obsession started because of my brother. He had a 94 with 4 inches of lift and I had always wanted a 4wd vehicle. He found me a 87 for $150 with a dead motor and then had a friend with a 94 that had been stolen and rolled who gave me his motor. We got it running but it never ran right, the front end was wrecked, the front axle would not engage, the floors and rockers are rusted out, and the brakes were completely shot. I poured money into it and even bought a 90 XJ for parts. After giving up hope on the 87 I set my sights on a 1949 Chevrolet Fleetwood for $2900. Told the owner I was going to the bank and he sold it for $2300 before I got back. A week later I found my 91 for $900, drove it home and started sinking money into it. I have since then purchased a 01 Xj for the wife and a 89 XJ to be built as a offroad only rig. The 90 was stripped and is long gone, and the 87 has become a parts donor for the 89.

davy

I found mine on the internet police officers personal car,needed it after my trusty isuzu trooper needed to much doing and was only a swb 3 door soon as i drove the xj i loved it, does everything i need it to do, use it for work, towing my trailers and carrying lumps of trees for my wood stove can go anywhere and is very comftable for me wife daughter and luggage.

prerunner1982

I like Jeeps and needed something to drive. I probably could have found a better one for cheaper but I couldnt wait much longer. I had been without a vehicle for 4 months.

It's funny, before I turned 16 I wanted a Jeep. I had helped my Dad rebuilt his CJ7 and was hooked. I ended up getting a Chevy pickup. When it came time to get another vehicle I wanted a Chevy pickup and ended up with a Jeep..

Drewpy

i owned only a streetbike and got hit by a cop on it so my buddy was selling his, cut me a hellva deal (or so i thought at the time) and i took a grey hound bus to him with cash in hand and drove off with a 98 xj, prior to this i had a 60th anny TJ that i loved but it was too nice to get too wild with off road, that and i owed a **** load on it, it had a 2 inch lift with 32's

COSXJFAN

I'm moving this to the proper location. This section is for Jeep vehicles other than the XJ.

a1racer

i found mine but i was looking for one anyway because my friend had one that was a very good off road xj's so i wanted something similar

Snowcats95

My wife and I were originally looking for a small truck, but the guy selling the truck also was a cherokee enthusiast and had some good looking XJs on his lot. Only took the test drive to get us hooked. Good all-around rig to go anywhere, anytime.