grassyknoll

As the title suggests, I'm trying to get a better persepctive of XJ reliability.
I am thinking of picking up an XJ which would be my first jeep of any kind. I have mainly had Toyotas-4runners, FJ 40's and pickups.
I know the I6 and driveline of the XJ are tough, but I have been reading other posts that make me question whether an XJ would be the right choice for me.

Need-Daily driver that I can use to pull the occasional trailer and do some light wheeling.
I would be looking to pick up a west coast (no rust issues) low mileage (90k-140k or so) 97-99 XJ.

So, some of the posts I have read make it sound like you can't make a trip to the corner store in an XJ without expecting it to break down. I'm wondering is this is more the case with a modded/hard wheeled rig or if they are just generally problematic.

Any perspective would be truly appreciated.

Rockstar_Tendencies

I've had 2 different XJ's a 96 and an 89 and I never had either one break down on me. Just regular maintenance, and don't beat the hell out of it and you should enjoy many trouble free years. The I6's have been known to go to 300k without needing a rebuild, and the auto transmissions in them are very solid.

ZaKingHunter

Reading the issues people have on a forum kind of makes for a skewed viewpoint. no one is going to post a thread that says "Help! I have no problems with my Jeep!" lol. Everyone is going to run into some issue eventually with any vehicle. That being said, If the vehicle was maintained regularly, and you continue to maintain it properly, the right XJ can last a very, very long time.

kohlers89XJ

/\/\/\ agreed

zedpapa

as was stated, if you take care of it, it will last. the transmissions in the cherokees are from toyota's, both the manuals and the autos. i wouldn't hesitate to drive mine anywhere. cherokees do have their little problems, but they have been around long enough that most of them have all been figured out.

zedpapa

phillyxj570

i look at it this way no matter what year you get it will be at least 9 years old. its used. you will always have your problems with used vehicles. but on another note they are very reliable mine has only broke down once since i had it and that was a bad fuel pump i cant say anything really bad about mine so far at least

X1994J

Did you just use "xj" and "reliability" in the same sentence? Kiddin man, they are pretty reliable if you're nice to them. I tried to daily drive and weekend wheel mine all last year, not a good idea. But it all depends on how you wheel and drive too. I was not nice to mine. Blew the motor, blew the trans up, motor mounts, radiator, broke motor mount bolts off the block, hub assemblies, ring and pinion, two lockers, bunches of stuff. But I was on 8 inches and 35's, which is very hard on a XJ. So now i'm going to 38's and full widths. We'll see how much longer it lasts now.

Just be nice to it, and it'll be nice back.

grassyknoll

Thanks for the respnses, this was just the sort of input I was looking for.
To an outsider the thread "you know you're an XJ owner..." makes it look like you ned to carry a parts supply, welder and roll-away box of tools on any outing.

I'm continuing my search for an XJ and will hopefully be posting as an owner soon.

ken72

Just like anything else they are only as good as you and the PO take care of them. Almost any well maintained vehicle will last forever. Mine has not been maintenance free, but i have a lot of prior owner catch up to do as well. Nothing was realy done by the PO such as belts, plugs, injectors, cooling etc. but it did last them 142k miles. So I would call that very reliable. It has never not started for me and has run strong. Just tune it up and maintane it.

Sleeper

i fully hydrolocked my motor in my old 2000 3 times and still ran good, i sold it and over a year later is still going, you tell me...

ken72

Just to follow up on my post.....I love this rig more than any other rig I have owned. I was just like you also, I have driven 4x4 Tacomas, 4runners, Chevy trucks, and Ford f150, the Toyotas were my favorites until now. Anything I have needed to do has been very affordable and I have been able to do it myself. Just buy one, and you will love it too, I promise.

89Laredo

I have a 89 with a top end knock that you can hear half way down the road, Ive had it for a year and 5000mi and have had no problems. Keep good oil (Rotella 10w30 comes to mind, but dont want to start an oil war) and filters on it and dont beat the hell out of it and itll last forever.

GreenClassic

Only 2 times has mine refused to start. Once when it had a dead battery. The other was too much corrosion on the battery cable.

I had to have my transmission rebuilt because I suspect the dealer I bought it from had it flushed, which is a no-no if it's never been flushed before.

My '99 runs like champ!

mike albo

I've had 2,a 92 and my current 87,the 87 has twice the miles runs better and is in better shape.Deppends on how they where taken care of by the PO.

jeepman13

just got my '99 cherokee. and it runs awesome the guy i bought it from didnt do any thing to it so i had to change all the fluids and change the brakes, rotors and not just one calaper. but it runs awesomely like i said