Jeep Cherokee Forum - New Jeep Cherokee Owner (1999)

All:

My name is Jamie and I have recently purchased a friends (original owner) 1999 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4x4. It had 184K miles on it when it suffered an engine problem. Therefore, he sold it to me as-is for $500. I am in mid-Michigan, however, the Jeep was purchased in Maryland where it spent most of its life. Therefore, the vehicle is in great shape. Minus the engine. I took it to a local shop (http://www.unlimitedoffroadcenters.com/) and they pulled the engine and found a punctured piston head. So, I decided to have them put in a new crate engine. Now, it runs very well. Here comes my initial question for members of this forum. What next? As I can tell, everything is original OEM. Therefore, I can only imagine that a lot of parts need to be replaced/upgraded. My first thought is to address the very lose suspension. While I don't think I will do any rock crawling, I do think that a little lift would serve me well. But as an amature, I must allow you to help guide me with my decisions. So, I am asking all of you to help me understand what I should address with this Jeep? Please advise.

Thank you.

Jamie