ehinch19

Hey this is going to be my first post on Cherokee Forum and my first intro into jeeps. I am 17 and almost done with high school. On that note I am the proud owner of a 1975 corvette and as much fun as the car is I want to keep it alive and in my family so it isn’t the best car to be taking to college especialy because I want to attend Western North Carolina and the combo of the snow and mountains......I like being alive. So I am currently looking for a Cherokee that I can use as a DD as well as have fun off road with. I was wondering if there was anything in particular I should be looking for to be warned of during my hunt. Any help is appreciated. I am capable around a car having restored the vette and hope to have some fun building a great rig.

Spunkmeyer

Welcome to the forum!

First question for me would be what is your budget. That will probably inform in part what you should get.

As much as I would encourage anyone to work on their own cars to the best of your abilities, you definitely DO NOT want to buy a cheap vehicle that is liable to break down on you while you're trying to attend school. College is stressful enough without putting an unreliable vehicle into the mix.

For the "older" vehicles, I've often heard '96 is a good choice, and on the "newer" body style, '99 is good because it has many of the '97+ upgrades but does not have the 0331 head that's prone to cracking.

rideordie66

avoid rusty jeeps. try to find one with out the dana 35 rear end. 91 or newer has the high output motor and is good. and the L6 is the good motor. abs is bad on trails. electrical problems are common but if you can find one where all the electrical work then its a plus. I would find a stock one and build it the way you want rather than finding one allready lifted. auto tranny is beefy but the ax 15 stick box is good too. np231 is a good transfer case but the 242 is good as well and great for driving in snowy climates. 300,000 miles on a cherokee with the 4.0 motor is not uncommon so milage is not a big deal but still should be considered.
good luck and happy jeepin!

Spunkmeyer

Yeah, I'd definitely second that. Jeep Cherokees are unibody construction, not body-on-frame construction like your '75 Corvette.

TrekkerJmm

Hi and welcome to CF from Tj... Look for rust and leaks (oil/trans/gear) I am partial to the XJ's from 92-96 but that all depends on what you have for cash...Tj

ehinch19

A little more info and questions I forgot the first time....
Budget is around 1200-1500
I keep hearing about the "XJ" being best how it is different and why and what do the other acronyms stand for.

ehinch19

That sounds wierd hearing a car from the late 90s being called old. I dont even think of mine as being old lol

Spunkmeyer

That's why I put it quotes. They did a redesign for the '97+ model, so there are two slightly different styles to choose from.

Frankly, given your budget, I think your best bet is to find an earlier model in as good of shape as you can. Mine's a '99, so I really can't speak authoritatively with specific problems with the earlier ones.

Hopefully somebody else with more experience than me can chime in knowing what you're hoping your budget will be.

Tsalagi87

When you say Western North Carolina do you mean Western Carolina University? If so I go there so we should get up sometime. Im new to the Jeep family as well. Just got an 87 and am so looking forward to fixing her up

ehinch19

Yea hopefully I will be going there a year and a half from now. I loved it when I saw the campus a couple weeks ago. Do u like it?

Scotty16

XJ = Cherokee

Jeepjunky

i lik the 90-95 year range, mainly cuz its still OBD 1 and their easier to work on in my opinion. and pertty much look for everything that everyone already said

Tsalagi87

It is the best place on earth. i love it up here. there is not one negative thing about this place. And if you like the outdoors there is TONS to do, despite what everyone says