ok so i am currently a cherokee owner. got a 00' stock. hate it! keep having the heat soak, check engine light, misfire cly 3 issue. (thats another thread.) anywho im thinking of getting rid of it for an earlier model, (hopefully one with a 5 spd ) but dont wanna get into something thats gonna need a lot of work. it will be my dd. got into the vehicle i have now cause of time issues, just pulled the trigger cause i needed a truck. thanks in advance guys. love the site here so far. just joined! there's a lifetime of good info here!

 

92-98 Are Good ones from what I read I have a 93 With 216k runs awesome shifts great Auto 4.0 HO.and my brother has a 98 Limited both are Good years Olders better too me they dpn't make stuff Like they use too.

 

The '99 is basically the same as the '98. 2000 is when they changed them a bit. They went distributorless and have a different head.

 

Maybe you could just fix the problems you're having with yours? You say you "keep having heat soak". Does that mean you've attempted to fix it or just ignoring it? If you're just ignoring it, you'll have trouble with any XJ you buy. It's usually cheaper to fix them then sell them. Ignoring your issues and hoping they go away will never keep you happy.

 

83-86 is garbage
87-90 are decent, but in 91 they made some changes that are worth having
91-95 are nice and saw only subtle changes in that time frame, they received a one piece passenger dana30 shaft, high output motor, and some little improvements.
in 96 came obd2, which can be a good thing or bad thing depending how you look at it.
97- mid 99's are still very similar to the 91-96's but newer body style and interior.
in 99 the epa was like "WE NEED LESS EMISSIONS YO" so valve size was reduced and some exhaust mumbo jumbo was added. to make up for the power loss a more efficient intake manifold as added.
somewhere after mid 99 you got a distributorless ignition and weaker head

 

My 96 5 speed has 200,000 miles and runs great! Hardly a problem with it.

 

From everything I've seen, it seems like early '99 is best. HPD30, 29 spline 8.25, Good 4.0, newer interior and front end. Thats what I'm thinking about going to.

 

yes attempting to fix them! doesnt seem to be a true "fix" for the issue with the new manifold chrysler wanted to put in in 00'. like i said thats another thread. its just getting old thats all. would rather a reliable vehicle that i dont have to bring to my buddies place to reset the dash lights every wk. and dump more $$ into a problem that im chasing with no solution.

 

No real insightful info here, but I do have a 95 4.0 se manual with 230 Good Luck with yours

 

If your lookin to get another XJ I have a 98 & its been a good Jeep to me only 180,000 miles with the Chrysler 8.25 rear & Dana 30 front. But I've learned after purchase is Jeep did put out an XJ with Dana 44 rear differentials when they were sold with a tow package. That's something you could look for but all used vehicles will have something that needs attention but as for the problems your talkin about do sound expensive & time consuming but you'll always be able to find someone to buy an XJ if the price is right. Just sucks that you can't fix problem & feel need to start over on another Jeep tough break