Just wanted to introduce myself. Just bought another Cherokee, and have been gleaning information here, so I figured I'd better join up.

I'm new here but not new to Jeeps. This will be my 5th Cherokee, and I can't count how many Jeeps in general I've owned. I have been in the automotive industry for 34 years, currently I am out of comission due to a shoulder industry but I am self employed building Jeeps and Hot Rods and doing tubular fabrication. My 1982 Scrambler is my biggest "project", with a 5.3/4L60E, 241OR, narrowed Waggy axles with 4.56 gears and Ecteds, custom cage and Metalcloak fenders, ect. I'm really proud of it, and would gladly post a pic or two if you're interested. Just don't want go all picture crazy on my first post...newbie and all.

We're starting with a super clean 1999 Cherokee Classic. I say "we" because this will be my wife's daily driver and our vacation vehicle. It's Desert Sand Pearl. However, my wife is already calling it "Goldie", so we'll see what sticks. Anyways, it has the 4.0, AW4, 231, High pinion D30 front and an 8.25 open rear with 3.55 gears. 120K miles, owned by an older couple who towed it behind their motorhome. Suspect actual mileage is a lot lower than the odometer indicates. There's virtually no interior wear, and the paint is almost perfect, even on the hood and grille.

Our intentions are to build a good looking, good driving, functional Cherokee, capable of trail rides, camping, and getting OK mileage. Not hardcore, this one will stay nice.

Gold was not our first, or even second color choice. But this one was so clean we couldn't pass it up. One of the first orders of business will be to get some black to break up the gold. Build plans are as follows:

3" lift- already on the way, with Bilstein 5100 shocks.

31" tires- Goodyear Duratracks or BFG At's. Probably stick with 15" unless I can find a lightweight 16 or 17. No reason for a heavy load range tire on this.

Some sort of black and silver wheels, if my wife and I can ever agree on a style.

Intake and exhaust upgrades.

Rear locker or limited slip of some sort, possible regear if needed. I have a 3.73 Grand front housing already..

Tube bumpers front and rear- front with a winch, rear with a spare mount.

Tubular roof rack.

Paint or bedline the body below the trim black.

Stereo upgrade with sub. Already added a Sony MEX1HD hard drive head unit.



Starting pictures-

 

Welcome from Michigan!

 

Welcome From Albany, OR

 

Welcome to the site

 

Welcome to CF.

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

i want to buy a jeep and wondering of you would mind helping with some tips on what to look for. im new to jeeps and the car buying process too

 

Welcome to the site

 

Welcome. You got a lot of fun places to wheel down there in C. Oregon, I'm jealous!

 

Thanks for the welcome, guys! Springs and Bilstein shocks showed up today, waiting on the adjustable track bar before I tear into it. 31" duratracks and 8" TKO wheels waiting at the tire shop.

Personal opinions:

Buy as clean and low mileage as you can afford. Personally, I'd rather replace an axle than repair rust. If it's going to be a daily driver, stay away from wrecked jeeps. You'll never find the holy grail of correct engine, trans, gears, and color. Decide what's most important to you and what you can afford/handle changing.

And...don't pay extra for stuff you are going to replace anyways. Example- you want to swap in a V8. Might as well buy a Jeep with a blown engine for cheap instead of one with a running engine that you're going to pull and try to sell on craigslist cheap down the road.

And:1999 and earlier have high pinion D30 fronts, good for lift.
1991 was the first year for the current EFI system.
1997 was a redesign year for the interior and softer exterior lines.
2000 and up had head issues- possibly?

I picked 1999- your opinion may vary.

There's tons of info here, just start reading!