New guy to Jeeps here, looking to get into the Cherokee game. Currently have an '05 Honda Accord that has been bulletproof for the past 200,000+ miles, but I believe its time to let her go. I'm a 20 year old kid, who lives for adventure, so I figured I would rather have a vehicle that could keep up with that lifestyle. I work for KY Fish and Wildlife and have a work truck that I drive pretty much everywhere, except for personal use and weekend drills with the National Guard, so less than 500 miles a month. I have always had a thing for the XJ's, they look bad *** when built right, don't seem to cost much to buy used and mod, and from what I've heard can be pretty reliable? I suppose I'm just looking for reassurance that it wouldn't be a disaster buying like an '01 XJ and putting a few mods into it. I would hunt out of it, do some off-roading (nothing insane), and drive it a couple hours on the highway once or twice a month. I could probably put $8-$10k into it, including the price of the vehicle of course. Any XJ guys out there, or Jeep guys in general some insight would be greatly appreciated! Learn me something, I'm just a kid!

 

Welcome to the forum! The XJ is a great off road platform. But I will suggest hunting for a 98-99. They're considered the best year XJ. And maybe keep away from the 00-01 as they are considered the worst. Chrysler switched up some stuff for those years. Some for the better and some not. Most notably the 0331 head. Which has a casting defect and is prone to cracking between cylinders 3-4. Even if your coolant system is tip top shape it could still happen. So do some research on the subject and you will be ight!

 

^this, 91-95s are also decent if you like the older body style (though they will of course be older and likely higher mileage than a 98-99). 96s have also of "one-year only" parts (since it was the old body with an OBD-II engine) that can be hard to find, 97s tend to have more electrical problems than most years (at least post-RENIX).


In general make sure to check for rust (especially underneath, major rust on an XJ is a much bigger pain and expense to fix than just about any mechanical problem), and maintenance is more important than mileage (within reason), both the engine and transmission are known for going 300k mi or more with proper maintenance

 

Thanks for the quick replies guys, much appreciated! I'll check out your recommendations. The only reason I said an '01 in the first place is because I saw an '01 with only 60,000 miles for like $3,500. So purchasing an older Cherokee for a personal driver isn't an awful idea that I'll end up hating a year down the road?

 

Keep the Honda and buy an xj. Also decide whether or not you want abs on your Cherokee it'll determine your axle

 

Where in kentucky you from ?Look at 91-99 xjs and look for rust in the rocker panel which is the metal under the doors and look at the floor pans and look at the rear frame rails around the back half of the jeep.

 

I would love to keep the ole Accord, she's paid off and gets awesome mpg's, but there's no room for another vehicle. If I bought a jeep, she'd have to go.
I'm from Eastern Ky, small coal town of Hazard/Perry Co.

 

Check all the fluids and try to get it out on a test drive. listen for lifter noise (common on XJ's all mine had it i think its just the lack of oil pressure) and just check over all the basics before buying it. I would recommend buying one from an older lady or something that hasnt got offroad time because you will have less issues. their super reliable as long as you keep up with maintenance like any vehicle. Post pictures if ya get one! Hope to see ya back on the forums soon!

 

Thanks for the advice CherokeeHoonigan, I'll for sure do that when I go check one out. Quick question, does adding a lift, like 4.5 in, and throwing on bigger wheels make the vehicle any less reliable? More prone to mechanical problems? Because if I buy an XJ I would definitely want to throw on a lift and some bigger tires.

 

It depends on lift brand some wear out joints and bushings faster then others.And bigger tires you will have to re gear the axles to match so keep that in mind and budget.And lifting it you might lose a few mpgs but reliable if you take care of it it will be.

 

Two thinks you should see https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f67/nk...-chart-211878/ and http://www.morris4x4center.com/jeep-...atio-chart.htm

 

If you get a higher quality lift and lift it correctly you have to opportunity to make it better than stock. but this is a long process unless you have alot of $ and time haha.

 

Appreciate those links andrewmp6, I would have never known about those issues otherwise.
CherokeeHoonigan, I was looking at the RC 4.5in lift. I plan on being able to spend about $4 grand on mods and mechanical fixes. Also plan to do as much work at my house with my father as we can, then taking her to a mechanic for the beyond my skill set fixes.

 

As an owner of a 2000 that had the head crack, I wouldn't characterize it as "the worst." I would much rather have mine than one of the ancient ones with the GM V6.

As was stated above, the 2000 and 2001 had the 0331 head, which is prone to cracking. However, some people never have that problem. So it's a crapshoot. If you find a really good deal on a rust free one that hasn't cracked its head, it could still be a good choice as long as you're aware of the head problems and know what symptoms to watch for to be able to nip it in the bud before it wrecks your engine. Personally, I would recommend sending off an oil sample to Blackstone at every oil change to monitor for coolant.

The other disadvantages of the 2000 and 2001:

Some of the 2000s and all of the 2001s had a California emissions package that had three catalytic converters and four O2 sensors. You have fewer cheap options for headers as a result, and the two precats are expensive to replace if they go bad. If you can find a 2000 EPA emissions vehicle, it has only one cat and two O2 sensors like the older ones.

The '00 and '01 used the low pinion Dana 30 in the front, which is not bad, but not as good as the high pinion axle used in '99 and earlier. If you're going to lift the truck, it's not a big deal to swap in an earlier axle while you're at it to take care of that issue.

But the 2000 and 2001 have some advantages as well:

Despite what people who don't understand it might say, the distributorless ignition system with the coil rail is the best ignition ever put on the XJ. It gives you about the hottest spark you can get, and the computer is able to keep these things running when they really shouldn't. There's no plug wires, no cap to replace. Just bolt the coil rail on and drive.

The 2000s and 2001s also tend to have more of the luxury options on them. Chrysler seemed to want to load them up in the last two years of the model. You'll find more of them with the overhead consoles, leather interiors, etc.

As was said above, the biggest thing you want to avoid is rust. You want to slide up under the Jeep with a flashlight and look around at the floor pans and the frame and suspension to make sure you don't have any problems. With that in mind, a rust-free 2000 EPA emissions XJ is preferable to a cancerous '90s model any day of the week.

 

It took me 3 months to find my xj. Almost couldn't wait and was going to look at a red xj and I hate red anything.

Allpar.com has some good reading on xjs. I think zj & wj too. Changes made over the years and such.