you will not unless you drive with no ac and do 55mph every where. our 95 2wd with 4.0 and auto got 21 on the highway at 75 to 80mph. it was as dependable as anything you could ever want though, never left us broke down once in all the time we owned it. we bought it with, i want to say, 130k on it for 2500. we sold it with a bit over 200k for 2k. great great truck.

my 93 zj (grand cherokee with same motor) had 170k when we bought it and it got 19 on the highway. when it got totalled it had only 180k on it. it was just as good a truck because of hte 4.0.

my 87 xj has some crazy low miles for its year. i think it had 127k when i obught it and now has 130k or something. still no problems, starts ever time i go out to it. gets 16ish mpg mixed city and highw

 

I bought my XJ for $500, and all that was needed was body work...got some rust free fenders & 3 doors, cost me like $125.

Well considering Im the 2nd owner....and bought mine last fall...
Maintenance wise, engine runs clean & strong. Same with my trans, only thing Ive done maintenance wise, are oil changes....although Im gonna do the trans fluid soon, just for peace of mind.

I had to rebuild my D30, but thats totally my fault.

These things are F'ing Beasts!

 

I still daily drive/weekend warrior my jeep and it has over 250k on the clock. Leaks some oil due to a bad rear main seal, both other than that it runs great!

 

i have a 1988 XJ limited. i bought it with 258000 miles on it. the speedometer cable was unhooked. So no telling. it had a few problems. Nothing magor, put about 600 in it includeing replaceing the transfer case chain. Runs like a top. would replace all fliuds and filters as soon as possible.

 

80mph is not going to help you with gas mileage. Really the fastest you can go and great gas mileage is about 70mph. Right now I get about 25mpg at 70mph. I have no mods yet to help with gas mileage yet, but I do have some Dodge Neon fuel injectors on the way. This should help a little.

 

I got my '89 4x4 for $240 240k miles, runes great :P doesnt leak a drop of anything :O

 

i was getting 24 mpg with my 4wd XJ before the lift. i usually drive around 55-60mph on the highway. and now with a liftkit, i get about 19-20 on the highway. and if i drive strictly highway, i get a little more than that. i got 23mpg coming back from Ft. Indiantown Gap, and i got 22mpg going down there. i fueled up in PA and drove to VA with two stops. i was running about 65mph on I81. at the end of this 325 mile trip, i was still at 3/8 tank. probably could have gone another 100-120 miles.

 

Thanks for the replies and knowledge everyone, appreciate it.

I was talking to a buddy today about the jeeps and how I really want a 4x4 but by now and with only a little over a month left to find a jeep I would go with a 2WD at this point and he mentioned something about a possibility of having independent suspension in the front? Which would make it a little more expensive to lift as well as work on. Is this true about the suspensions in the 2wds?

 

i don't think so. all XJs have a solid axle front end. 2wd has a tube running between the front tires instead of an actual differential. i've never heard of an IFS Xj.

 

gotcha, maybe its because he has a wrangler. Might have independent suspension on their 2wd, but I have no clue lol...sorry for another question but do you guys know any other sites besides craigs and autotrader to find a cherokee on?

 

Not trying to be a ***** here at all, because I've been in that spending range almost all my life. But if you only have $3,000 to spend on a vehicle, you're going to be hard pressed to find something worth your while that has 75k or less miles, unless it's an eco car (cavvy, slowfire).

And besides that, 100k is not bad for the Jeep's 4.0L I-6, I've seen quite a few already that have hit 250k+ and even a early 90s cherokee at 312k. MY first car, a 96 accord, had 240k on it when I sold it, and still drives today at 290k. Mine (a GC, I know) has 150k and has never had any sort of problem. I know you mentioned it, but coming at you again, the biggest thing on a known reliable car, is how the previous owner treated it.

A good strat for finding cars on Craigslist is to look at towns that are 1 or 2 hours away, and convince the person that you're serious about buying a vehicle (not necessarily theirs) so that they will meet you halfway. Or however far you feel like driving. You could also set aside a day to visit another town however far away, scheduling multiple car inspections, so that you don't waste 40$ in gas to look at one jeep. Other than craigslist, I couldn't tell you. There are oodles of cherokees in the local shops around here, going for 800-4000. I doubt a dealership will have any, but little small set-ups probably will. Also check your local paper's classifieds

 

have you looked at your local newspapers?

 

ya pretty much have checked everywhere and am still looking, just wondering if you guys knew of any other sites or anything. no worries, im sure one will come across just hard to be patient when you want a new vehicle so bad and want to spend what you have saved up for haha.

 

i think it would hold up nicely mines a 00 with 190000 miles still purrrs

 

Mine's a 88 with 185000 on the clock.If I had New tires I'd feel confidant it can do cross country driving.