hello everyone! looking to get in the game and buy a jeep i have been wanting one for a while now and was just wondering what the most reliable years were between the zj and xj my price range is 2500-3000 and want to get the most for my money would love to hear some opinions thanks!

 

newer the better

 

Any jeep in your price range. They are all reliable if taken care of.

 

Dnt by a jeep they ain't reliable jus look at this forum it's full if jeeps falling apart too many different owners of jeep over the last years they suck n the stuff that goes bad is the big stuff like transmissions n rear diffs n transfer cases but the 4.0 engine is the best out there that's about it I ya n the electronics r no good either... It's a love/HATE relationship with my jeep...

 

Dunno..^
If your keeping it stock and not wheeling it and breaking parts then yea it's a good vehicle. Just stay on top of it and you be fine.
Btw I have a 88 with 192k original engine.
It's never died and left me stranded "yet"

 

1999 XJs seems to be the best year for reliablity, it has all of the best upgrades of all of the years, but none of the bad ideas that showed up in the 2000-2001 model years. I like the 93-98 ZJs as far as the Grand Cherokee goes. You'll have better luck finding an unmolested ZJ than you will looking for an unmolested XJ. Most ZJs on the market have never been off road and were adult owned. The downside of a ZJ is their transmissions (except early 93 models) are not as bullet proof as the AW4 in the XJ, and there is not as much aftermarket support for the ZJ for stuff like winch bumpers and hardware like that. If you're looking into buying a ZJ, try and find one with a NP231 transfercase and the 4.0. The V8 in the ZJ is a great engine and will not hurt gas mileage as much as you think it would, but it fills the engine bay and is hard to work around.

 

thank you... as of now i hav been looking at mostly zjs including the 5.2 but i heard the trannys are crap in the v8s and is mileage rlly a non issue? or should i stay away from ones with over 200k??

 

This.

I personally don't care for ZJ's too many "extras", give me a good old XJ base model with no power options and a 4.0 then step out of the way for the next 500k miles or so.

 

If you do your fair share of searching you shouldnt have a problem scoring a 99 xj within your budget.. I cant tell you how awesome my 99 xj classic has been, its like a luxury vehicle that can climb over damn near anything.

 

A ZJ with 200k on the clock will most likely be on its second or third tranny.

 

WOW!
Only the bad stuff is posted on the Internet ya know!

 

any vehicle with over 200K is going to be a moey pit quick.....haha. You can find an XJ with 100K give or take for your price range if it's stock. Your best money is going to be getting whatever you're thinking of buying inspected first. The used car market is hit or miss.....it has nothing to do with what's "reliable" from the factory when it's a decade and 100K later, it's about how the truck/car was treated during that time.

 

the later last-gen cherokees are the best, imo. (94-96). 00s and 01s have issues with cracked heads. I feel like 94-96 were the perfected years for that model

 

The 94s seem to be the hotrods. I had a 94 at work and that thing was stupid fast.