I'm looking at buying a Cherokee that has Detroit lockers in the front and rear from what I understand. I was wondering how this would behave in four-wheel-drive driving on the street in the winter time with ice and snow?

 

Ice and snow front and rear lockers = white knuckle driving

It can be done and safely but the driving style is different than your standard 4wheel drive, it will want to drive in a straight line on ice and snow.

 

is it a 5 speed or automatic? these things are known to clunk around a bit and the 5 speed is apparently more noticeable. the backlash on my rear Detroit isn't that bad with my automatic trans. I cant even get the tires to chirp around turns it unlocks fine

it doesn't snow where I live. but even in the rain I can get the rear to break loose and slide around turns with little effort

 

Its an auto. I am looking at anoter xj too...it might be a bit nicer. It has arb lockers but it has an exo cage which I guess i could just cut off. The only thing that knda ticks me off is inthe ad its shown with 35 in mtrs but was told it comes with bfg 33 all terrains

 

 

Don't know why you'd cut off an exo cage unless it was done poorly.
Edit: That one kind of looks like ****, especially the rear portion. If you bought that one, I'd fix the cage instead of cut it off.

 

From the fenders forward that cage is OK.
The rest of it is complete ****.

Id go for the ARB locked Xj over detroit any day.
Green one looks nice.

 

I think if it came with those wheels and tires it would be more enticing. Even 35" at's would be nice, especially for the $7500 he is asking.

 

What should be done to it?

 

The tubes are on the outside of the fender flares and its just poorly designed.

 

I hope it has a lot more than just the wheels/tires, lift, ARBs, and exo for $7500... Just for comparisons sake, I gave $1700 for mine, have about $2500 in it now including the 95 I bought for parts and the 79 bronco that I bought for the axles and like new 33" Maxxis Bighorns. I still have the the 95 engine, transmission, t-case, wiring, ECM, all the accessories, wheels and tires, and the axles got swapped into mine plus I still have my axles.

With $5000 I could do a lot to mine with just aftermarket bolt on parts, could do a LOT more if I fabricated everything (which I do).

Personally I would keep hunting

 

Here is the craigs list ad... http://limaohio.craigslist.org/cto/3797326599.html

This one is only 45 min from my house and I xan get it for $6000

http://altoona.craigslist.org/cto/3818871355.html

This one is nice too...locked front and rear...all three are.

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/3772057452.html

Tom woods shafts etc its pretty nice..no capet or headliner but those are easy fixes.

 

Wouldn't buy the middle one. Its probably been abused harder than the other two based on the pics. Personally I wouldn't buy a modified vehicle unless I knew who did it because you have a greater chance of getting one that has been trashed and thrashed. Plus building it is 80% of the fun.

 

Don't really have the time

 

Do you have an honest need for a fully built vehicle right off the bat? Do you have wheeling experience to back up the fully built vehicle?

a stock XJ with 235/75's will take you most anywhere you want to go. An inexperienced driver in a fully built rig will get themselves into situations that they do not know how to get out of because "they think they can"

I agree with building your own, if you cannot tell already...