Grafixx01

Ok, so the family needs another car. I've always been partial to Jeeps and my wife stomped her foot and made me get rid of my modified Rubicon Unlimited (what can I say, Happy Wife Happy Life!).


So I'm thinking about buying an XJ off of eBay and putting some work into it. It'll be my car but I'm just worried about the mileage.


So here is what I'm thinking...


Buy an XJ off of eBay with about 130K miles on it, completely stock (hoping for about a $3k buy and transport up to West Virginia. Then take it to a 4wheel place and put a lift, tires, bumper & winch on front, possibly on back, tint, new radio, and alarm.


Question is... Would I be dumb to buy an XJ that is completely stock with 130-140K miles on it? I'm asking because I'd have to sell the wife on it and she may have issues just based off of the Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited and us sinking like $6000.00 in a year and a half for FIXING what someone else did wrong on a lift and other mods.


This one is completely stock so I figure if anything goes wrong, it'd be on me and not starting with someone elses issues (other than normal mechanical issues).


Please let me know what you think!

XJlimitedx99

I'm wondering how long before the wife begins to hate the XJ too..

It would help if you posted a link of the jeep. Maybe we could steer you in the right direction of what to look for as far as certain options go.

140k miles on a 4.0 is nothing. I'd buy one with 240k on it. The only major issues I would be concerned about are rust, and what the previous owner has or has not done to it over the years.

Just curious, why eBay? I'm not sure if I would feel very comfortably buying something without seeing it first.

If you do end up buying anther jeep and building it, do your wallet a favor and plan your build before you start it. Decide what size tires you want to run and what you plan on doing with your jeep, then go from there.

Grafixx01

Well, it's gonna be a daily driver for me so I wasn't going over 35" tires on it, probably 32s. I do wheeling but its mainly just for fun, nothing like rock crawling so I was going to put on like a 4.5-6" lift, bumpers, winch, rack, lights, maybe spruce up the inside (radio, CB, tint, DVD for the kids, aftermarket speakers).


I was looking at http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jeep-Cheroke...-/281547851652 or http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jeep-Cherokee-SPORT-2001-jeep-cherokee-classic-sport-4-door-4-0-l-black-florida-car-/221657820941?forcerrptr=true&hash=item339bd5ef0d&item=221657820941&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

Mainly cause they're in FL so I'm guessing or believe there is or should be little to no rust. I was mainly doing eBay because I live in WV and it's nothing but hills here so like 10K miles here is like 40K miles in Florida/Texas or other flatter areas.


Oh, and her reason for hating the Rubicon Unlimited is because I bought it with 32" tires and a 4" lift but the entire front end had to be rebuilt as it was sitting about 3-4" right, so between parts, labor, new tires, etc, it cost me like $4000.00 right out of pocket right away, and other issues happened after, so I think we ended up dumping like $7500+ within a year just to get it running properly. Then I had a huge rock jump up and hit the steering stabilizer which popped a hole it it, leaked the fluid, and it was a custom job so I and nobody else could find the shocks to replace it. The guy at the 4wheel place told me he'd have to rebuild the front and since the mount for the stabilizer was on the axle, he'd have to cut it off. If he cut the axle, I'd have to buy a new one and then still continue on with rebuilding an entire front-end AGAIN! (I rebuilt it in Tx and had to move to WV for the job). So that's why she hated the Rubicon.

LAF1269

Sounds like it's going to be either the Jeep or the wife. Choose wisely.

XJlimitedx99

I don't like that it's an 01. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but the 00-01s have a couple less desirable options such as a different head that is prone to cracking, an emissions system with 3 catalytic converts, and a low pinion front axle as opposed to a high pinion.

With all of these fancy things you plan on bolting to this, you should also consider building some of the less flashy areas.

33s are a very common and do-able tire size for a DD. You may want to consider lockers and regearing the axles, but don't dump money into crappy axles.

If you don't mind cutting your fenders you could run 32/33s on a 3" lift, but without cutting you'll need atleast 4.5". Anything over 3.5" id recommend looking into long arms. Also, over 3.5" you will most likely need a SYE in your transfer case.

I'm not saying don't buy that one if you don't want to, but I would look for with the best axles the factory offered, which are:

HP Dana 30 front without vacuum actuated 4wd. Found on all 95-99 XJs with 4wd.

29 spline c8.25 rear. Found on 97-99 XJs without ABS.

Grafixx01

I already got rid of one Jeep. She knows I want another but am staying away from the Wranglers right now since we have small kids as she says they're not safe.




My thing would be this ... Is it or would it be better to buy one of those with some higher miles or go for one from like "Davis Auto Sports", which could have less on it with work already done but you'd probably pay like 10K for it... I figured that the ones in FL would cost me like $4K to buy and get up here, prices for retail stuff at 4wheelparts is coming to like $4k without installation (I am NOT a mechanic so I won't mess with it myself, electrical like radios, sure but not lifts, etc).

XJlimitedx99

You could debate all day about whether or not it's better to buy low miles and stock or high miles and modified. It's quite the double edged sword. When you buy stock, low miles, good condition from a dealer, you pay for it. That's what I did and I'm regretting it, although I'm on a pretty tight budget. When you buy modified you have the opportunity to save a huge amount of cash on parts/labor costs, but have to deal with possible gremlins of the PO.

If you're willing to pony up a large sum of money, buy a nice stocker then march down to your local shop and whip out your credit card. Please don't let them take advantage of you though. I can't tell you how many times a quick google search has saved me a ton of time and money. I also cannot tell you how many nights I've been up late on cherokeeforum and other forums reading about every topic I've ever dreamt up.

extrashaky

You realize the truck you linked is 2WD, right? You can swap it over to 4WD, but I really don't see any point in that when you can spend a lot less money and blood and tears and get one that is already set up for it. Were you actually talking about getting a 2WD truck and lifting it?

As XJlimitedx99 said, a 2001 presents additional concerns. First off, read up on 0331 heads. The year-end 1999 through 2001 XJs had them, and some of them crack for no reason. I lived through it with my 2000, which I bought new. It's better to plan ahead for it. (ETA: It sounds like your wife will probably crack your head if the Jeep head cracks.)

That truck you linked has ABS. That means it will have a Dana 35 rear axle. The other axle you often see on the 2001 is a Chrysler 8.25, which is stronger, but it won't be on an ABS truck.

The emissions system on the 2001 is a little nuts. It has three catalytic converters and four O2 sensors. The two forward cats (typically referred to as "pre-cats") are directly under the exhaust manifold. Because of the way it is set up, your options for headers are more limited. Since only the 2000 and 2001 were set up that way, not as many header manufacturers are willing to enter that market.

The really good thing about the 2001 was the intake manifold. It was redesigned in 2000 and tweaked in 2001, so '01 got the best of them.

Personally, if it were me, I would pass on that eBay truck and look for a 4WD '97 through '99, then plan to swap a 2001 intake manifold onto it from a junkyard. The '00s and '01s are not necessarily bad, but you just have a lot more options with the slightly older ones. There were 2.8 million XJs produced during the entire run of the vehicle, which means there are still plenty out there to be had. You should be able to find one in decent stock condition with the kind of mileage you're hoping for.

cruiser54

Buy one you and her can look at first, in person.

Rogue4x4

Best advice in this thread. Sounds like your misses has the pull in the household when it comes to vehicle expenses, so include her in the process. Harder to come back and bite ya later, LOL

Fred/N0AZZ

A point well taken as far not buying anything you can't drive and check out for yourself. Rust can happen in many different ways to a car including leaks.

The 4.0 and AW4 trans along with the NP231 TC are all solid and not uncommon to run for up to 300,000+ mi. Best years for the XJ are the 97-early 99's with the D30 and Chy 8.25 29 spline rear.

My 99 has 240,000+ on it and still runs strong as with all things YMMV.

Rogue4x4

More good advice. You need to be seeing the ride IN PERSON. Drive it. Poke it. Prod it. Violate it. Well, maybe not the last one. Also, take it to a shop for a pre-sale inspection. If the seller takes issue with this, WALK. Rust. What makes you think a Florida XJ would be rust free? Depending on where in Florida, you have saltwater, and lots of mud and water.

One last thing. Why are you going to 4WP for the parts or the work? They have little as far as XJ's go, and overcharge, to boot. Research online, buy your parts elsewhere, and take it to a different shop. $4K not including installation? No wonder your old lady is pissed. LOL

Turbo X_J

A lot of vehicles end up on E-bay as a last resort. No reason to scrap something if you can get someone far away to pony up some cash.

Fred/N0AZZ

I've always had better luck on craigslist, in fact bought my XJ there.

Rogue4x4

I personally don't know why ANYONE would buy a vehicle on Ebay, unless it was local. To buy a vehicle sight unseen is just unwise. My .02