1999 Cherokee Sport, red, one-owner, clean Carfax, lady-driven, very clean inside and out, NV-231, 8.25 rear/HP30 front, steel Sport wheels, 190k miles, asking $4300. Or:
2000 Cherokee Sport, black, 2-owner (2nd owner only 3k), clean Carfax, clean inside and out, NV-231, 8.25 rear/LP30 front, Jeep Canyon wheels, 108k miles, asking $6700.
The 1999 is actually cleaner and has the HP30, but the 2000 has significantly lower mileage, and both are rust-free. I am looking for a DD that will remain pretty much stock with very little off-roading. Most forums list 1999 as the best overall year, but assuming I can get the price down somewhat on either one, which do you think would be the best buy?

 

The 99 is the better choice. Don't let the mileage be a deal breaker.

 

I would get the 99 the 00 is low pinion and has the head that can crack if you over heat it.

 

Thanks for the replies! I have owned several high-mileage vehicles (the Wrangler I am driving now has 168k), but I have never bought a vehicle with 190k before. Based on the threads I had read, I have been looking for a 98 or 99 in good shape, but it has been hard to find one, and I have looked at several Junkers. Maybe one of these two will be what I need if the price can be worked out.

 

I vote for the 99 also!

Properly maintained it'll double that mileage!

 

If you take care of the 4.0 it can run 300k no problem.We have a lot of members over 200k and still going.

 

'99. I just picked mine up and love it. The extra $2k in your pocket will be helpful.

 

Both seem on the high side as far as price but I would go for the 99 if it were me.

 

One question...how is lady-driven a selling point?

 

Good question about the lady-driven part on the 99! I just threw that in there because it was part of what I had been told about it, that the one owner was female. I'm not sure what I will be able to find out about the maintenance history beyond Carfax, but if she maintained it mechanically as well as the body and interior were kept, it should be in good shape. Both of them are owned by a guy who purchases XJs in good condition, fixes things that are wrong with them, and re-sells them, hence the prices. The black 2000 model has new tires, a new A/C compressor, and a new headliner. The red 1999 model has a new headliner and is having some brake repairs done, and that is all I know about it other than pictures. I am a little surprised that not one reply has been in favor of the 2000 model even though the mileage is so much less. It seems like everyone thinks 1999 is the model to get. My last XJ was a 1992 Laredo, and it was awesome, but the later Cherokees have some big differences.

 

I would get the 2000 with low mileage and replace the head (its only about $200 from Clearwater) but not for that selling price. I would never pay 4300 for a Cherokee with 190k on it either. Lady driven makes no difference. My Jeep is the most abused and unreliable Jeep here and its titled to my wife. So I could say it was lady driven when I sell it. Just saying.

 

Theoretically it means the vehicle wasn't abused, street raced or pushed hard off road. Of course that's just the theory, it may mean that the oil hasn't been changed in 30k miles.

If you don't know the lady who drove it, it doesn't mean squat. Pretty much the same as any used car.

 

I hope to actually see and drive both of them by this weekend, and I hope they are at least close to how they are represented to be, which I haven't found yet in any of the ones I have looked at so far. At that point I can decide what I would be willing to pay for either of them. My main reason for asking for opinions was because I really want a 98 or 99 that is rust-free, but the mileage concerns me a lot. Good buys on these things must be getting really hard to come by these days.

 

99 all day long. Looked at 19 xj's before I bought my red '99, "I'm not a fan of red" but I bought the '99 regardless of color... Got her for $2500 by the way... In Dallas.. Texas Jeep... Virtually rust free.

 

Thanks very much again for all of the replies! Having been a Jeep guy for many years I have some experience, but not nearly the knowledge that many of you have. I have never been lucky enough to get one of the "steals" that I have read about others getting here and on Wrangler Forum, but I would at least like to get a decent Cherokee at a fair price. If neither of these two in the thread work out, I will continue looking.