markcap

No, I don't like it. However I see value ( not monetary ) in this vehicle and it performs the job I ask it to do. Strictly a utility vehicle for me and becomes a daily driver in winter. I prefer motor bikes otherwise

Bugout4x4

Lol... An honest realist... I have had less trouble with other makes and models because of engineering and seriously only like this one because of availability of parts and it is big enough to sleep in.

It's a big world out there... and like it or not...at some point reality dictates the outcome....

Outlaw Star

Hungry? Have a Snickers! But in your defense, WHICH one of your XJ's. You got your own personal junkyard. Lmao.

OldTires

I drove my dad's 2007 corolla this past weekend. 175,000 miles on it, and it drives great. It had been sitting unused for 3 months and it started up with no issues. Toyota really knows how to build reliable cars - I even looked at the underside looking for rust and barely found any, even after 10 years of NY salt winters. But the cabin is small and uncomfortable and the engine lacks power (though it barely uses any gasoline).

When I jumped back into my XJ, started the engine, heard the roar, and felt the power on the road, I realized how much I like driving my Jeep. Rust and all, I prefer it to anything else I have driven.

Rogue4x4

Say what you want to about Japanese cars, Toyotas are the shiz. I have owned several, ALL stellar. You pay up front, but they hold their value, and don't need much maintenance wise. If I didn't have a Jeep, I would have a Toy.

FWIW, our family has always had a Toyota in it, come to think of it...right now my folks drive a Corolla, which they've had for YEARS, plus my pops also has a Geo, which is basically a Corolla...both are older, both run strong, to this day. Minimal maintenance on both. Just recommended services and tires/brakes, basically. Excellent cars.

Joshua White

I second this, my mother currently drives a Camry that my grandfather bought. It's a 96, and she's really ****ty to it...yet it keeps on going. I've done very minimal work on it over the years to keep it running for her.

XJ passion

Because they can be worked on in the most remote situations with minimal tools to get ya home. Because they can haul kids, dogs, and everything else and you don't worry that they will self destruct under the abuse. Because they are so much fun to 4wheel in. Because you can take hills better than some of the other SUV's with stock parts. Because they hold up and have held their value if you take proper care of them. Because they are a comfortable vehicle to drive. Because they will tow a sailboat in the crazy snowy weather of CO when they are telling you roads are impassible and you are STILL on the road and not in a ditch, and the Sheriff lets you through when he is telling others to turn around :-). Because where ever you go on the back roads, people smile that you are STILL driving an XJ and having a ball in a classic. Because ya understand the phrase -its a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand. The memories made in an XJ are good times.

Proud owner of a 99 Jeep Cherokee Sport. Who I lovingly refer to as "rex" for a bevy of reasons. But he keeps on keeping on and that is all that matters. He ain't new, but for his age, he is doing just fine. In terms of Jeep years, he has a lota miles left in him.

RockinRonnie

Yep perfectly put!

jpk

I'm on my second XJ. My first was a 92 bought in 94. I traded it for a 96 XJ in 07. Been driving the 96 ever since. What is that, 25 XJ years? I really like the pre 97 XJ's because they have character. While the rest of the automotive world was getting all ergonomic and electronic, the XJ was a throwback. Gutter tracks? Really? Gutter tracks left a long time ago. Exposed wipers? Who does that? Headlight switch, a pull ****? So sixties. A real ash tray...with a light and a ciggy lighter? I don't smoke but how healthcare unconscious! Everything about the pre 97 XJ's was like a trip back in automotive time. Simple. I want to be buried in my XJ.

SREJECT

I just plain love my ****box. Bought my Patriot 6 years ago and my XJ nearly 3 years ago and I'm never going back. The XJ is here to stay. I know my wife got jealous of her once or twice too, I give it too much attention.

RocketMouse

Yep... a lot of these statements are very well said....I just don't get it.... I've always loved the shape of these no BS utilitarian military-esk bricks are just one of those you either hate it or realise that it's so ugly that it's cool.
I too have had a lot of vehicles in my life.... several Toyotas.... and have learned that while yes, they do tend to be fairly well built... all vehicles eventually break... and there's nothing quite like an old school box you can wrench on yourself.
Are there times I wonder if she can get me from A to B? sure... but to this day, she's never let me down. Yes a needy child at times...but hey.. when stuff breaks... gotta love the pretty reasonable price on the parts compared to a LOT of other vehicles.
And if she gets a dent or scratch... I think it looks even better. I've had her going on 4 years now... and under my supervision she only has about 107k on the clock.. so still a lot of life left....and I keep telling my lady that I just can't explain in words why I have such an attachment to this old XJ. Sure out of the many vehicles I've had over the years there are a few that I wish I had back...but for some reason, it would just pain me to ever have to part with my XJ. WTH??? Is this part of what they mean when they say "It's a Jeep thing, If I had to explain it to you, you wouldn't understand.".... damn...looks that way.. .and I just dont care.
years ago I drove one of these for the first time...and knew that one day I would have one.... now I do...and I know it's just a worldly possession, but just feels like something special about it....so she's here to stay..

RocketMouse

*Bump* for this one.... it's just one of those "feel good" threads for why most of us have our old XJs and they feel like part of the family....
We have a lot of family members on here... let's see some more stories of why you love your old XJ and would feel like someone just kicked your dog right in front of you if it ever disappeared.

Joshua White

I left the XJ life a while ago when we relocated to FL from WA, after experimenting with some different vehicles here in the sunshine state I ended up purchasing a 2012 Rubicon Unlimited and daily drove that/wheel it for a couple years. At this point I've bought a cheap(ish) daily driver and put the Rubicon up for sale so I can buy another XJ and build it instead, there is just something special about the platform you can't replicate anywhere else, I'm really excited to get back into an XJ :-)

Morat

Welcome back

RocketMouse

yeah.... most of the rest of the world will look at the XJ and say... that's darn near the ugliest vehicle they've ever seen.... at least that's made in the good ole USA...and shipped all around the world...
To me it's militaristic brick design that is about as aerodynamic as a 2 story house.... is just old school definition of cool. It's a little tank, does everything I've ever asked of it... when it does need repairs... I don't have to take it to a lab with millions of dollars worth of diagnostic equipment.... nor do I need a degree in rocket science to work on it myself. That's one of the biggest reasons I have one. Along with the unreal availability of parts... I mean the youngest XJ just turned 20 years old... and most of us have ones older than that.
And still you can browse nearly any parts store and find the most common maintenance parts for it... and ones THEY don't carry, are mostly still available online....or used from donor vehicles.
There aren't many vehicle models out there that more than 2 full decades after the last production run where you can still have that kind of availability and generally at pretty reasonable prices. And then there's the nearly endless types of builds you can do on them...
You don't need a calculator to do the math that our XJ's are pretty special vehicles compared to most others on the road today.