Been looking WJ's for a while and like the style.Are there any years to stay away from?Would an older XJ be more dependable?I'm not really thinking of a big lift or anything--just maybe max size tires(that don't rub) on stock wheels/suspension.This would be my daily driver--really looking for dependability and decent milage.Any help would be great--Thanks

 

our 2000 WJ has a tick under 200k and very few issues

 

I've been thinking about tis too. A lot of XJ's are getting up there in age (one of the reasons we get them so cheap). It would seem the newer WJ's would be more reliable being newer with less miles and a lot of the same drivetrain components, but all the research I've done says exactly the opposite. To me, older XJ's are still the way to go. Even if you get an XJ with 200k on the clock, if its been even remotely well maintained and isnt plagued with bad cylinder heads. It's still great in XJ land.

 

Our 2003 WJ has a tick and it has 81k, we just changed the oil and the tranny was flushed, radiator replaced. My 98 XJ has 176k and is due for an oil change, has more power than our grand cherokee and doesn't have a new electrical problem every month like the grand cherokee seems to. However, my XJ doesn't have leather seats...

 

I've been doing alot of reading on the forum.I don't have alot of confidence in finding something reliable.Any other help would be great.

 

Huh? We can probably give you some help if you'd be a bit more specific than the "I doubt any of these are reliable." line.

You're considering a vehicle that is a minimum of 8 years old and possibly up to 13. If percieved reliability is your concern, buy the newest and simplest you can find. Inline 6 cylinder, two wheel drive and no power anything.

The more doodads you have the more stuff that can fail. If you have to have a V8 with full time 4wd and the full schmear of electronics, heated memory seats & mirrors, power locks windows, separate climate controls, etc, (My '01 had all that and more), you're setting yourself up for some disappointment as those systems will fail eventually if you keep it long enough.

 

My choice next to a xj is a wj. My father has one with a 4.0. Same thing as an xj pretty much except rear coils.