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Looking for a good used XJ, I set my search to 88-01 Cherokee,, I find a TON of Grand Cherokees and only a few XJ's.
I I have found a number of roughly 99-01 Grand Cherokees in great shape with blown engine for under $500.00
Why are the 93-01 Grand Cherokees so plentiful and cheap compared to a XJ?
I've an 89XJ with over 755Kkm (former daily, now in for a build upgrade) and an 89 parts XJ, 89 Comanche project waiting in wings, 95 ZJ and 02WJ Grands as daily drivers.
Obviously some people are hoarding these Jeeps and won't share with you.
However if you'd like to come over and spin some wrenches I'd gladly share the contents of the cold refreshments fridge.
Not sure on production numbers but i think they made more zj/wj then xjs or seems that way to me.The reason you see a lot of wjs 99-02 blown motor is the 4.0 got that cracking head those years and the 4.7 v8 them years are known for blowing head gaskets or breaking the timing chain.The 4.7 isnt a bad engine but if its been used abused with no up keep its gonna fail on you.The other thing xj vs grand is the xjs are more a teenager type car so a lot of them got wrecked or ragged out and junked.While the grands are more a less wussy minivan and never leave the black top pretty much.
However from my understanding most of the initial buyers of ZJ/WJs were much nicer to them ie drove them more like a mini van, where as XJs were beat and used more for work/dd. I see more XJs around here than almost any jeep, just as many XJs as wranglers here
i checked production numbers recently and while the XJ is said to be one of the best selling SUV chrysler has made (and probably among all auto makers too), ZJs and WJs were much more popular. more space has probably a lot to do with it, and the v8 too. marketing probably played a big role, using the popularity of the XJ to skyrocket the sales of their newer creation.
Back in the early 90's XJ's were everywhere. I know they sort of became the Mom Grocery Gitter for a while there. Sort of the station wagon replacement. As they were traded in and younger people bought them, they got ragged out probably a lot. Add to that several years ago the "cash for clunkers" program saw thousands of XJ's going to the breakers. I recall during that program there were far more XJ's in the JY and in reasonably decent condition. Now not so much.
i checked production numbers recently and while the XJ is said to be one of the best selling SUV chrysler has made (and probably among all auto makers too), ZJs and WJs were much more popular. more space has probably a lot to do with it, and the v8 too. marketing probably played a big role, using the popularity of the XJ to skyrocket the sales of their newer creation.
just look at those numbers
Overall, The entire run of all model XJ's was over 2.5 million.
The ZJ was going to be the NEW Cherokee. Chrysler was going to discontinue the XJ but sales were still so good for the XJ they decided to produce both. Most of the final design of the ZJ was actually done when Jeep was still a division of American Motors. Chrysler essentially did very little tweaking to the new ZJ. You can blame the stylishly good looks of both the XJ and ZJ with the stylists at AMC. Obviously the WJ was a Chrysler redesign.
I own both a 99 XJ and a 04 WJ if one had to go it would be the XJ for sure. Who ever said they were like a mini van was quite foolish in that statement.
Mine rides excellent on Bilstein shocks with factory Up Country pkg, skid plates, D44a/D30 both with vari lock, 3.73 gears, rocker skids built in also.
It came with factory 17" chromed aluminum wheels and I could on and on but will not. The WJ's have became very popular for several reasons comfort, availability, cost along with 3 different engines a 6 cyd 4.0, V8's 4.7 and a 4.7HO added HP. I will not even mention all the interior comforts over the XJ there are none to compare.
A big plus are the amount of aftermarket parts available for them for off roading now.
If a good ZJ or WJ had shown up first when I was shopping, I'd be driving that. I'm in an XJ because that's what I found first. Sometimes I wish I had a Z/WJ, but I just remind myself of what a diamond XJ I have, how many people would love to have it, and to appreciate what I have. Reminds me--I gotta upload new info and photos to my build thread one of these days.
01-31-2017, 05:36 PM
Why so many "Grand Cherokees"
