New to Jeeping. Need advice and input.
 

I've got my dream Jeep. Well a start. 99 Cherokee Sport. It has 315,000 miles on odometer. Body and undercarriage is in excellent condition no rust. Motor and transmission are still very strong, with no leaks. Its got newer style 18" Jeep wheels with 225 55 18 tires. I've cut finders, but still rubs a bit. Leaf springs I'm sure are shot, although rides great. I want to put small lift on it, about 2" preferred, maybe 3", depending on what all has to be done. I want it right, but don't want to spend a lot yet. Where do I begin and what do I need to do and don't need to do?

Thats an open ended question that everyone will have a different opinion/answer for. Heres my take . First of all , before you begin modifying anything, make sure the jeep is in good roadworthy shape, and that everything works . There is nothing worse than installing a bunch of cool aftermarket suspension goodies only to have the water pump , or something else simple, fail and leave you sitting at home while your buddies are out wheeling. If you are new to the game, and want to start simple to get your feet wet, i would go with a quality basic 3 inch lift . Skip the add a leaf and go with full rear springs. Get appropriate shocks, adjustable HD track bar , extended brake lines, sway bar disconnects, and a good set of off road capable tires. Most of the time 3" wont cause any crazy driveline vibes and that setup will take your XJ to a whole new level offroad. Then go have fun with it for a while . From that point, assuming you catch the same bug that most of us on here have, the options are endless... We all have a different idea of what the perfect setup is. I have created my own version of an overland rig , and love it. It still retains all of its daily driving abilities , but takes me wherever I want to go when I want to get away.. Others like trail rigs, mud rigs, or rock crawlers.. Most important part ? Have fun doing it...

IMO build infrastructure. ie= SYE, adj Track bar, disconnects, gears, lockers, etc. The idea here is spend money on stuff you can grow with.