diesel guy

What do I need to know about a xj?What should I look for?What are common problem that they have?Are there certain years that are less prone to problems than other?

95Cherokee

A list of common problems are a mile long but I'd get a 95 if I were you.

JSwamper

what year?
engine size?
tranny?

95Cherokee

Mine eats money like a 6 foot blonde, if it's going to be a DD I'd get a 2wd, set aside money for tools if you don't already have a good supply.

grn99

My opinion find a 97, two door, 4.0, manual, np231 TC, & up country pak. Wait thats my dream find. Really look for something to fit your needs. If I had to suggest somethings to look for. 4.0 with under 120k, np231 transfer case, chry 8.25 rear, hp dana 30 (rules out 00-01 models) if located in rust belt take time to inspect. Floors, a-pillars, rockers, rear lower quarters, cargo area windows and gutters.
Look forward to upgrading brakes, factory ones suck. Some minor electrical problems plague jeeps in general. If in the soutwest I've heard of cooling problems. Its a unibody so creaks and pops are normal. If you plan on weeling it hard plan on reinforcing chassis. Also look to see if pass side floor is wet or smells musty. This could be as simple as a leaking door seal or as major as a heater core(tell tale sign is a wet floor board from underneath on a dry day).
Have on hand a bunch of tools, a cool head, and understanding wife(if married), and an abilty to research/experment with what work best for you. Enjoy the additication.

diesel guy

Thanks,do you know which years they have fuel injection?Is stick shift that important?I'm not looking to go crazy with it just have fun with minor offroading.

UserID6095

Maintenance records!

If you get one that was taken care of and they can prove it then that will eliminate most of the future headache.

96xj4x4

grn99 gave you some great information and i agree with everything he said. i just have a couple of things i think are good to know when looking. i'd say anything with the HO motor which was years 91?-01 when they stoped making the xj. i know that the 00' and 01' models have ignition systems that you may want to avoid....i cannot agree with getting a 2wd. i think it kind of defeats the whole purpose of owning a jeep cherokee wether or not you intend to take it off road. As far as transmissions go, i have the ax-15 its a 5pd and i've heard its a great tranny and i of course like it a lot...i would also get a 4 door for convenience. if your a really big guy you might like the 2dr. version more since the doors are way bigger and easier to get in and out...hope that helps and oh yea RUST! i live in new jersey and haven't found a xj with a completely intact floor...i have a 96' and had several 5x10 inch rust holes all the way though on my floor, not to mention a ton of smaller ones.

grn99

As 96xj4x4 stated stick with in th HO era 91-99 are the better ones. 00-01 use a ciol pak ignition rather than distributer and sparkplugs. Its been said that a manual get much better mpgs. Noticably so after mods like lifts and bigger tires. No its not as crutial, I myslef have an auto in mine and do just fine. An upgrade in gearing will fix most mpg problems after bigger tires are used( 33" or larger).
Another thing to keep in mind is pre 98 HO engines run on the older computers with non OBD2 systems. Meaning you can pull codes from them with out a scanner. OBD2 will need to get this very helpfull tool.

jth877

Rust Rust Rust. Look for it! I like 97-99s- but 96 is good too, but more prone to rust and floor rot. Whatever you get, make sure to use something like eastwoods heavy duty anti-rust coating on the bottom side of the floor and inside the doors once every year or two.

eqalias

Dont get one of the old ones (84-87 or so) that DOESNT have the 4.0 straight six. I have the 2.8 GM and boy do I regret it. Ah well, live and learn. Some rust is ok, but make sure the frame rails are nice and solid.

diesel guy

I found a 87 that has the 4.0 so I guess it was made the second half of the year.sale-bvjx3-1496534635@craigslist.org
Would you guys mind looking at it and let me know what you think. thanks

JSmith0055

the most important thing is to ask about maitanance records on ALL OF THE COOLANT SYSTEM. it is horrible in xj's but everything else is solid

studmuffin

i pressed on the link and didnt find anything lol.
Well thats an 87. Its whats called a renix era jeep. They dont have as much horse power as the HO (high output). And they also come with a closed cooling system which means no radiator cap which can become a pain sometimes.
Depends what your gonna use your jeep for.
If its gonna be for a daily driver, Get a 87-90, renix. They tend to waste less gas. SHoot for a 5 speed. I myself have a 88 5 speed renix.
I dont have problems with the cooling system or nothing. But i do have the crappy peugot tranny, but ive had no problems with it so far. So daily driver, get renix.
Now if u wanna off road, Get a 97-99 year jeep. Reason is they have the HO motor and come with the 29 spline C 8.25 rather than the 27 spline on earlier models. A dana 35 is good if you dont do serious off roading.

But i mean its up to you and what you wanna do with your jeep.

diesel guy

I originally wanted a stick but after thinking about it I will consider auto becouse I want to use it as my daily driver and clutching for 1 1/2 everyday sucks plus my wife can get in and mess around too.I really like the older body styles better than the newer rounded ones.I am not planning on rock crawling just nostly trails and stuff.Chosing the right Jeep is harder that I thought.Theres a lot of thing to consider.Do you think those tend to overheat since its a closed loop system?