i have a 1996 cherokee sport 2 door. 6 cyl. 4.0 . 4wd automatic. very little rust. a decent little jeep. everything on it is stock 135000 miles on it. but i need a cherokee with a little more off-road capability. i need advice on what would be best. buying lifts and tires, or selling as is and finding another. i would rather drive a standard. i dont know what to do?

 

Keep what you got. 96 is one of the best years for XJ's and it has low miles. You don't have to do this stuff in the listed order, but it's a pretty good order to follow.

1. Recovery points. If you get stuck and you don't have 'em, you're in for a a bunch more work.
2. Armor. Busting up your stuff gets expensive. Protect it.
3. Ditch the rear sway bar - it's not worth it's weight in scrap. Grab a rear brake line from a 96 Dakota as well. You don't want to snap that line when you flex out the rear end.
4. Lift and off road tires give body clearance and better traction. Larger tires means more axle clearance, as well as more rubber on the ground. Just make sure you can fit them under your rig (the larger the lift combined with properly backspaced rims allow for larger tires, although sometimes trimming is necessary to keep from rubbing). At this point, also invest in some quick disconnects for the front sway bar, and extended brake lines for the front (95 YJ lines work real well).
5. Lockers front and rear. Nothing like having power at all 4 corners.

 

I am with no rdplz. You also have to think about your wheeling style. Recovery points are a MUST! Seen to many wheelers get buried and than suddenly say " I don't think I have a tow point" when being helped.

 

Auto is nice off road. Less to worry about.

You have a really nice foundation to start with. Don't sell yourself so short.

 

Alright. I'll put it back on the road and invest in lifting it and all the other needed components. Thanks