I just bought my first XJ last Monday (96) and was wondering what years are interchangeable for both drivetrain and body/glass/interior parts ? Also it has 149xxx miles but looks like it was well maintained. What kind of longivity can I expect from a stock 4.0 straight 6 and tranny? Thanks

 

84 to 96 were basically the same body wise, 97 and newer got a little rounder. Axles and such pretty much stayed the same. Front is a D30, up to 91 some had a CAD, central axle disconnect, and IIRC 95 and later got the bigger u-joints. It was a high pinion axle till 2000 when it got the TJ low pinion version. D35 rears were used in all years, early ones had bolt in axles and later are c-clipped. D44 came in 87-89 with a tow package and 90ish and up can be found with a 8.25 with 27 spline shafts till 97 when it got 29 spline, both are c-clipped. T-cases came with 2 different spline counts, 21 and 23 and 3 different lengths but most are the medium length, yours is 23 spline. 149k isn't bad for the year and they have been known to see 300k but I wouldn't push it. I've had 2 over 250k and one is still running, other slung a rod but that was operator error (cousin bought it from me and didn't think it needed oil).