Why I Love my Xj..
10-02-2017, 07:26 PM
#16
::CF Administrator::
Because it's mine.
Not only the fact that I own it, but I KNOW it. After countless hours of driving, wrenching, modding, upkeep, and so on, it really has become a part of me. An extension of my soul. A brother in arms. A mistress of my wallet. LOL
I first fell in love with the XJ on a trip to Moab. At the time I had a 'Yota. Fine rig. The group I went with, had some "friends of friends" show up too. This one character had a 2 door XJ with tube doors, lifted, no lockers...not a fan of the guy on a personal level, but his rig was KILLING it offroad. I was hooked and wanted one badly. Got home and started researching.
Went to Moab 2 times after that. Each time longing for an XJ. On the second trip, the clutch went out on the Toy on the way home. Had to trailer it from Vail to Denver. Got it fixed at a local shop, then a few weeks later, took it to Carnage Canyon. Clutch went out again. Shop wouldn't honor the work, so I said EFF THIS, sold it at a huge loss, and went and got my Boo.
To this day, it has NEVER left me high and dry, close a few times, but go prepared, right? HAHA
Call it luck. Call it karma. Just don't call a tow truck, heh
Let's face it. It's a 20 yo vehicle. It has issues. Nothing that can't be dealt with however. Yes, sometimes you get nickle and dimed, but the ease of maintenance, part availability, and NO CAR PAYMENT...easily outweigh all that. Plus factor in no mechanic or shop fees, how can you go wrong?
Not only that, it's been a great learning tool, and because of that I've been able to get some killer mods for not much money...
One of my favorite things, is getting in it, going to the dirt...then, taking off from a dead stop, jump on the skinny pedal, then immediately off, and feeling that torque right off the bat, the whole rig lurches forward and twists slightly, then dives down and recovers slightly...there's a beast under that hood. Not gonna win drags, not gonna put in killer lap times, but...offroad, it puts the power down where it needs it. It's a torquey little *****, and I love that. Stroker goodness. Excellent when crawling, as a little bump usually does the trick. Add lockers to that...heaven
Yes, I love my XJ. HAHA
Not only the fact that I own it, but I KNOW it. After countless hours of driving, wrenching, modding, upkeep, and so on, it really has become a part of me. An extension of my soul. A brother in arms. A mistress of my wallet. LOL
I first fell in love with the XJ on a trip to Moab. At the time I had a 'Yota. Fine rig. The group I went with, had some "friends of friends" show up too. This one character had a 2 door XJ with tube doors, lifted, no lockers...not a fan of the guy on a personal level, but his rig was KILLING it offroad. I was hooked and wanted one badly. Got home and started researching.
Went to Moab 2 times after that. Each time longing for an XJ. On the second trip, the clutch went out on the Toy on the way home. Had to trailer it from Vail to Denver. Got it fixed at a local shop, then a few weeks later, took it to Carnage Canyon. Clutch went out again. Shop wouldn't honor the work, so I said EFF THIS, sold it at a huge loss, and went and got my Boo.
To this day, it has NEVER left me high and dry, close a few times, but go prepared, right? HAHA
Call it luck. Call it karma. Just don't call a tow truck, heh
Let's face it. It's a 20 yo vehicle. It has issues. Nothing that can't be dealt with however. Yes, sometimes you get nickle and dimed, but the ease of maintenance, part availability, and NO CAR PAYMENT...easily outweigh all that. Plus factor in no mechanic or shop fees, how can you go wrong?
Not only that, it's been a great learning tool, and because of that I've been able to get some killer mods for not much money...
One of my favorite things, is getting in it, going to the dirt...then, taking off from a dead stop, jump on the skinny pedal, then immediately off, and feeling that torque right off the bat, the whole rig lurches forward and twists slightly, then dives down and recovers slightly...there's a beast under that hood. Not gonna win drags, not gonna put in killer lap times, but...offroad, it puts the power down where it needs it. It's a torquey little *****, and I love that. Stroker goodness. Excellent when crawling, as a little bump usually does the trick. Add lockers to that...heaven
Yes, I love my XJ. HAHA
10-02-2017, 08:10 PM
#17
::CF Administrator::
Oh, and I forgot to add this... I saved it from a complete POS owner...who hacked it so bad, to this day, not all problems are dealt with... tried to do a fender cut and fold/trim...looks like a blind 3 year old did it with safety scissors and their feet. As a matter of fact, I got it from one of those mom and pop lots, where they finance you if you have bad credit...I showed up with cash in hand, said if you want the sale, you'll take this...and the other condish of sale?
That the ICP stickers that adorned the back of it be gone before I even test drove it, LOL
That the ICP stickers that adorned the back of it be gone before I even test drove it, LOL
10-02-2017, 09:20 PM
#18
Seasoned Member
Oh, and I forgot to add this... I saved it from a complete POS owner...who hacked it so bad, to this day, not all problems are dealt with... tried to do a fender cut and fold/trim...looks like a blind 3 year old did it with safety scissors and their feet. As a matter of fact, I got it from one of those mom and pop lots, where they finance you if you have bad credit...I showed up with cash in hand, said if you want the sale, you'll take this...and the other condish of sale?
That the ICP stickers that adorned the back of it be gone before I even test drove it, LOL
That the ICP stickers that adorned the back of it be gone before I even test drove it, LOL
For realz though I would have made the same demand...lol
10-02-2017, 10:14 PM
#19
::CF Administrator::
10-03-2017, 03:21 PM
#21
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Join Date: Jan 2013
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Year: 1999
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Originally Posted by bsieb
I thing I loved my about my 94 SE was the creaky, hard to open doors. My neighbor would have kept it, but his wife and kids couldn't operate the doors, so he put a price ($1800 cash) on it after 6 months. 115K, I6, 32RH, NP231, not a speck of rust anywhere, white and clean. The seats, now sporting black Dickies, are intact and look very good to new. The neighbor owns an auto service center and had changed all the fluids, as he thought it had been parked in a garage for at least 10 years. Some cleaning, lube, new door checks and brackets, and the doors are golden again. I put some P235 Mud Claws on it and have never looked back, it gets me all over the mountain and back on a daily basis. I hope this is my last vehicle. 
10-17-2017, 02:22 PM
#22
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Model: Cherokee
10-17-2017, 03:49 PM
#24
Seasoned Member
10-17-2017, 03:53 PM
#25
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Year: 1994
Engine: 4.0 HO
10-17-2017, 04:44 PM
#26
CF Veteran
Xjs just have a unique appeal. I find mind quick enough to be fun, but relaxed enough for me to keep my license. Reliable enough to count on, but it still needs enough maintainance to make me feel involved. Big enough to carry my family, dogs and a week of luggage but small enough to fit down country roads and into car parks without any bother. It's smarter than a Japanese truck, without being too fancy (and much less likely to get you judged than a Range Rover or Discovery)
I guess it's the perfect compromrise in all directions but without ever being average.
I guess it's the perfect compromrise in all directions but without ever being average.
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ijeeep (02-13-2021)
10-17-2017, 04:48 PM
#27
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Year: 1999
Engine: 4.0
Originally Posted by bsieb
Very common here in the Southwest, and my wife has one in her 2000 Sport. We really like them. Also a common gov't contract setup with the I6.
10-17-2017, 06:06 PM
#28
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
I think this may be my first post! ( 4th post )
Why do I like my XJ? I don't really like it at all. Its uncomfortable, it slow, it is hard to drive in a straight line especially at highway speeds, it gets lousy fuel mileage, the radio stinks, the door creeks, and the seats are hard! But can't bring myself to letting it go. I have owned this 2000 Sport since 2005 and I have added 100,000 miles to the odometer. Its a brut in the snow and it will go anywhere you steer. Its reliable and robust. It will tow my 2500 lb trailer of anthracite coal in which I use to heat my house. I don't enjoy driving it but it just works!
I am finding myself making once in a lifetime repairs the past few weeks such as the heater core and evaporator. I installed a new radiator & muffler last year, upgraded the suspension with the Ole Man EDU shocks & springs seven years ago. I've always kept up fluid changes. It still runs strong. The transmission near perfect. And the AC works. Of course it helps that I am an commercial AC tech. Reclaimed R12 works great in this vehicle!
Why do I like my XJ? I don't really like it at all. Its uncomfortable, it slow, it is hard to drive in a straight line especially at highway speeds, it gets lousy fuel mileage, the radio stinks, the door creeks, and the seats are hard! But can't bring myself to letting it go. I have owned this 2000 Sport since 2005 and I have added 100,000 miles to the odometer. Its a brut in the snow and it will go anywhere you steer. Its reliable and robust. It will tow my 2500 lb trailer of anthracite coal in which I use to heat my house. I don't enjoy driving it but it just works!
I am finding myself making once in a lifetime repairs the past few weeks such as the heater core and evaporator. I installed a new radiator & muffler last year, upgraded the suspension with the Ole Man EDU shocks & springs seven years ago. I've always kept up fluid changes. It still runs strong. The transmission near perfect. And the AC works. Of course it helps that I am an commercial AC tech. Reclaimed R12 works great in this vehicle!
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ijeeep (02-13-2021)
10-17-2017, 06:23 PM
#29
Seasoned Member
Xjs just have a unique appeal. I find mind quick enough to be fun, but relaxed enough for me to keep my license. Reliable enough to count on, but it still needs enough maintainance to make me feel involved. Big enough to carry my family, dogs and a week of luggage but small enough to fit down country roads and into car parks without any bother. It's smarter than a Japanese truck, without being too fancy (and much less likely to get you judged than a Range Rover or Discovery)
I guess it's the perfect compromrise in all directions but without ever being average.
I guess it's the perfect compromrise in all directions but without ever being average.
The following users liked this post:
Morat (01-27-2021)
10-17-2017, 06:47 PM
#30
::CF Administrator::
Xjs just have a unique appeal. I find mind quick enough to be fun, but relaxed enough for me to keep my license. Reliable enough to count on, but it still needs enough maintainance to make me feel involved. Big enough to carry my family, dogs and a week of luggage but small enough to fit down country roads and into car parks without any bother. It's smarter than a Japanese truck, without being too fancy (and much less likely to get you judged than a Range Rover or Discovery)
I guess it's the perfect compromrise in all directions but without ever being average.
I guess it's the perfect compromrise in all directions but without ever being average.
Agreed, 110% +1