Which is cheapier to build for a DD/WW? 96 or 97 I love both of them just gotta know which cost less to build. And is the OBD1 and OBD2 a big difference?

96 and 97 are both obd2

I didn't know that.

But you didn't answer the question

Price difference is negligible. It's always expensive..

I would say the 96, since it's the old body style there's probably more of them to pick parts off of at the junk yard, my junk yard maybe has twice as many of the old body style XJ's than 97+'s.

talk about a hypothetical, there's no way to answer this directly... as one may be in worse shape than the other requiring more work... its a toss up even if they were apples to apples, but as 95 cherokee said It all about what JY parts you have more readily available in your area if in fact you need JY parts... otherwise they're the same its just a matter of what interior you like better

The 96 has a bunch of year specific electronic goodies but like others said body parts are easier to find. Suspension wise they are exactly the same. Very few 96s got the 29 spline 8.25, most were 27 spline but all the 97s with the 8.25 had 29 spline.
It really depends on what your end goal is. One mans DD may be on 31s and another runs 37s.
The 97 has the better interior in my opinion but others will argue that. They seem to be roomier.

Don't think either would be cheaper to build. I love my 96 but would go with the 97 because of the updated interior.

i have a '97 and while I like the interior I may like the pre interior for nostalgic reasons better..

X2, the 97+ interior is definitely "nicer" but there is something to be said about the simple utilitarian design of the pre-97 interior, and of course the ease of pulling it apart when necessary. Also due to no passenger air-bag and more flat-spots on the dash there are more places to mount (at least easily) accessory gauges, switches, etc., but no cup holders (though there are several options for adding them).

I like the 96 interior better the 97 up looks like a wrangler to me.Both years are pretty much even on mods to a point,It comes down to which body style and interior you like more.I will say the 96 interior gives you more room to add gauges switches stuff like that.

I love both of them but I'm leaning towards the 97 because I like the interior and the grille better. But it all comes down to which ones cheaper. I guess it's function over fashion. They have to be a sport because I love the black grilles better.

To "build" one, they would be identical in price. Because the things you add to "build" them (think aftermarket parts) are going to be the same parts. Now regular maintenance and stock replacements might be a different story.

I guess I'm trying to ask which one is cheapier or easier to find parts for.