kawana

Hey, So im pretty much settled on getting either a cherokee or YJ. I have a budget of $4500, and with that I can afford a 89-96 cherokee (not grand cherokee). Should I spend all $4500 on the newest cherokee I can find, or less on an older one and mod it. Are any of these years more reliable than others? Better equipped from the factory etc... Thanks

rweaver138

99 is the best year from the factory, 29 spline 8.25, hpd30, upgraded manifold

i paid 1700 for my 99 limited fully loaded with leather, just gotta look around

Rmart30

97-99 would be my first choices.....then 00/01.
97's up have the newer styled interior, better seats, stiffer unibody,better side mirrors, and no worthless non working vent windows.

For your budget you should be able to pick up a very nice one.

CodeXJ

Careful with the 00-01s, they apparently have a different head casting that is more prone to cracking.

However the 00-01 intake manifold, which is an improvement, will bolt to older engines.

And hey, man, don't be hating on the old style interior. I love my non-airbag wheel!

superj

any cherokee you find is going to be fine as long as its had its maintenance done. my 87 is great. i like it as much as the 95 and 99 we had previously. the good thing with the older ones is they are cheaper and still have the good ole 4.0 and same auto tranny

jmm0122

x2. I have had a quite a few xj's and my 99 is my favorite.

no rdplz

'96's are the best year of the "old" ('84-'96) style. '99's are the best of the "new" ('97-'01). I recommend the '99. For $4500 you should be able to find one with fairly low miles pretty easily. The '99 models had the better intake manifold compared to the '97-98's, most had the 29 spline Chry 8.25 which is a great axle, and they still had the high pinion Dana 30 up front. '00-01's switched from a cap and rotor to coil packs and a better intake manifold. These two changes ended up giving a whopping 4 more horses to the XJ. The heads on '00-01's are more susceptible to cracking though. IMO, I'd find a '99 and grab the intake manifold off a '00-01 from a JY.

djlarroc

Lol... so many opinions.

1. 1999 for reasons noted
2. 1995 last year of OBDI

kawana

I cant find any 99's around here for anywhere near my budget. Wouldn't it be better to get an older one for like $3000 and use the other $1500 for upgrades? Im not planning on hardcore offroading, just some trail riding and such. Of the years I mentioned, which would be best?

Addy

What area are you in, maybe we can help. Also keep in mind if it's a private party selling, a general rule of thumb in that price range is that they are willing to come down at LEAST 500$ off of their asking price, if not more.

Dugualla

Can buy better for cheaper from an individual, only reason I bought mine from a dealer was I didn't have all the money I needed at the time, and I loved the jeep when I saw it, kind of an impulse buy.

2Evil4U

I just picked up a decent 4x4 '97 for $1500. I'll be into it for about another $1k and it will be good as new.

djlarroc

My friend just picked up a really clean '97 2 door. Straight body, runs great. 3" lift and brand spankin new 31" X-terrains on Ravine wheels. $2500

A few mos ago, I got my brother a '99 4 door w/a 3.5" RE lift, black on black steelies w/31" BFG AT. $1350. It needed a tranny & front axle, but I got it done for about $600

Be willing to travel, and search craigslist. You can get something really nice for $4500.

kawana

I live in BC, Canada. Ill try expanding my search, but lookin at craigslist, I dont see many good '99 cherokees in my price range, even if I go back 2-3 months.

Morat

96 Ltd with the tow pack. Sweet
(yes, I'm biased)