That thing looks awesome bud, you should go for it! I bought mine in May from a dealer in Port Moody. Basically the same exact Jeep as this one: 98 black XJ sport, 5 speed, C8.25 rear. More kms on mine though, so I paid a bit less for it.

Hope it works out man, I'm loving mine so far.

 

Holy crap another island guy! I hope this one works out for me, if not ill find another

 

It had been in an accident and the guy wouldnt budge on the price, I moved on.

Found a 2001 Classic I like. Its auto so I'll get the NP242 t-case I like.

Any downfalls on the distributorless ignition system?

Is it easy to swap in a 96-99 high pinion axle?

 

The ignition system is fine, however the new head casting to accommodate it is notoriously weak and can crack easily if overheated. Most XJs have very poor cooling maintenance history. A lot of people will overheat it, crack the head, and dump it. Problem with these engines is that when the head cracks you get coolant in your oil, which wipes out the bearings. It won't happen to every 0331 head but one should be EXTREMELY cautious when looking at a used vehicle, and vigilant to maintain it properly.

As far as the axle, you need to lift it a fair amount to get a high-pinion D30 in. The low-pinion is sort of required for the new exhaust system (there are 3 catalytic converters lol)

 

I'll be able to maintain anything on that XJ, even a head swap if need be. If I ever got into serious wheeling I'd look into a heavy duty rad and electric fans.

So a '99 is a more desirable year I suppose :/

 

Yep

 

Found another 99 and it's pretty much trail ready, and I got him down into the 5g range



His ad:

im asking $6500, $6000 with out the subs and amp. new parts = tie rods and tie rod sleeve, new u joints, new steering stabilizer, track bar, control arm bushings, quick disconnect sway bar links, oil pan gasket, k&n air filter, power steering pump, new plugs wires and rotor and coil. it has a full body exo skeleton roll cage and front and back bush bumpers, all of which is welded to the frame, it also has a safari rack on top. interior is good, no rips or tears, its been 4x4 a lot, has a small dent in the passenger side door, does not affect the opening or closing at all. the drivers side door hangs a touch, could use new door pins but its never bothered me so i left it. it has a minor shake at 80 kms but that is common with lifted jeeps, a front end alignment will clear it up. it has power locks, windows, and key less entry, one rear window has had the power window motor removed. it has 270,000 kms. has a has an after-market exhaust, sounds nice. and new rads.

 

I wouldn't pay $2000 for that Jeep... That thing has been used hard and put away wet.

Keep looking for a clean, low mileage, stock Jeep. You should be able to find a very nice example for 5K.

 

It has almost everything I want to turn a truck into and I'm working all the time so I'd just have to do little things (hopefully). Ill check it out, I don't have too much interest at this point, definitely won't go for the asking price

 

I wouldn't pay $1500 for it. What's up with the slack jaw bumper and huge roof basket? Nothing in his ad even comes close to $6k in my head, much less $5k. Keep looking.

 

I wouldn't not recommend a 00-01 because they have different heads on them that are notorious for cracking and also have 3 catalytic converters as opposed to one on the <99 models. The one you posted is a great choice, also it's cool that its got a 5 speed. Those are pretty hard to find, looked for one for a long time with no luck. Just be sure to make sure the clutch isn't on it's way out and obviously rust like everybody else has said.

 

Yep I decided I want a 99 only, since I'm not in a rush so may as well wait for the right one. And that black one at the beginning sold already, it had been in a small accident and I wanted it for cheaper but it was one of the best ones I've seen so far, kinda kicking myself in the *** for that

 

Found another one! Never thought I would!!!



If you have been looking for a really nice one of these then this is the Cherokee for you. The last version (98-01) had a bunch of improvements and are considered the best ones to get. This is a very nice condition, un-abused XJ that has been cared for all it's life. Rare 5spd manual trans in a Sport model makes this well optioned and super fun to drive. I bought this for my adult daughter to drive to university, and spent a long time finding a stick shift in nice shape. I added a new limited slip differential to the rear axle as well as top of the line tires, as I wanted her to get home if it snowed.
It has 236K on it, drives excellent and needs nothing. I recently added new rear hatch struts and a new radiator. It has pretty much every option with all the power group and the paint, body and interior are excellent. It comes with a great sound system with the premium sound option.
If you go skiing or live where there's snow, you want one of the best SUVs ever built and few are still in this condition.

 

Nice! Go see it!

 

Oh and it's $4500, it's way better than the first black one I found, can't wait to check it out when I'm home!