Greetings
I've nearly decided to join the Cherokee club. Planning on consolidating my 99 Dakota 4x4 and 98 Neon into a Cherokee that I can use as a daily driver for a couple years.
I've been looking at the 97+ 4 doors (got a 9 month old son now), hoping to keep the mileage under 150k. So far, I found what appears (from the pictures) to be an absolutely immaculate 01 with 80k miles for 9k and on the other end, a clean looking 98 with 130k miles for $4,500. Both are at dealers, which I'm kind of leaning towards since I could probably just quickly unload my truck and neon.
I'd be ok paying more for a newer/nicer one if it meant that it wouldn't need anything for a while, but 9k still seems high. Right now I'm leaning towards keeping it under $5,000 and just factor in some money for whatever repairs are needed.
Whatever I get, I'm planning on keeping it for a while.

The 40k fewer miles don't seem worth the $4,500 premium, does it?
At 130k miles, what kind of maintence can I expect, anything major?

Prices here in SoCal seem like they may be higher than what some of you are paying, but then again, I've just started looking.

prices in socal should be dirt cheap for a 4x4. in LA atleast
2000-2001 xj's have bad heads. they have been known to crack
I dont believe any stock jeep is worth 9000... they just dont hold value like that
maintenance would just be proper tune ups and fluid changes
the 4.0 engines are bullet proof for the most part. every once in awhile I hear about one that's just gone bad due to poor care by previous owners
I vote 98 with higher miles all the way

dont worry to much on the higher miles. i bought mine with 380,000ish now has about 460,000ish with lots of abuse in its lifetime

thanks, I'll take your advice and avoid the later models.
The 98 I'm looking at has a sunroof; any reason to stay away from those?
Also, being in ca, this thing has to pass a smog check-how do jeeps typically do?

me too. CA emissions is a *****
If it is an aftermarket sunroof that someone installed, normally stay away because it will leak and have wind noise
if your 98 is the country edition, lucky you, you have a sunroof
I had a 91 with 140,000 miles. passed smog first try.
same with my 89 with 264,000 miles
although I was told by the PO that my new 93 with 118,000 miles on it would not pass smog
some of them are great, some of them are lemons. it's all in the previous care. parts arent too expensive though if you need them
but if you buy from a dealer it should already be smogged

stay away from models with o331 heads...google it...

Don't listen to him.

Sure there are some issues but not every o331 head will crack. My '00 has 152k and no cracked head. Runs like a champ. Just know what to look for or have a mechanic check the head. I'd rather have a newer Jeep with lower miles as a DD than a 20 year old one with 200k+. Older Jeeps will have their issues from worn parts alone. Things like tie rods, wheel bearings etc. Not saying a 2000 wont because they will too. If you have the money to go through it and replace whats needed then go for it.

haha this made me laugh. mine is 20 years old with close to 500k and i drive it every day of the week. mine doesnt have any worn parts becasue i take great care of it. oh and i wheel it to its limits a lot with no issues

I'm not saying they all will. That's like saying all o331 heads will crack. I know better than that. I'm just sayin there's a better chance of it. I love XJ's all years.

I have a 2001 and if i could i'd go for the earlier model. 130k is just breaking in the engine and for a 98 you won't have to worry about the head. 2nd, i don't know how the 98 are there in cali but the 00-01 has the california smog package which is 3 cats instead of just one so that right there is expensive later on. if you want naturally aspirated upgrade, the 98 will be cheaper and probably with more cali approved stuff compared to the 01 which everything is just 2-3x more expensive.

Thanks for the input everyone. Anything in particular to check on these things when looking one over to buy?

I'm sure I'll be bugging everyone with more stupid questions.

Rust...especially on the front floor boards...above the cat.

discoloration or milky/dirty fluid. you can grill them for not doing proper maintenance
rust on the dipstick.
let it run from the time you get there and listen for any obvious rattles etc.
make sure to test drive it

As promised, stupid question time...is there an easy way to test the four wheel drive?

Put it in 4WD on a dirt road and turn the steering wheel as far as it will go and listen for bad noises. It will feel like the wheel is jerking in your hands, that's normal. Bad grinding and popping sounds not so much.....still if it is just u-joints or wheel hubs and you can do the work yourself that's not necessarily a deal breaker but they better come down a lot in price because it is labor intensive. Look for oil leaks from the engine main seals and trans and where the drive shafts and axles enter the differentials and transfer case. It may leak from the valve cover or the oil filter, that's not a hard fix. Put it in forward and reverse and make sure the trans doesn't slip and the u-joints aren't clunking or you'll be replacing those too.